Vegetables (Testimony)
The sermon emphasizes the importance of team prayer, practicing spiritual gifts, and using analogies to effectively communicate the Gospel.
In this sermon, the speaker recounts an encounter with a woman who is not accustomed to foreigners. The speaker feels prompted to say the word 'vegetables' to her, which leads to a conversation about her lifelong Buddhist beliefs and vegetarian diet. The speaker explains to her that God is pleased with her efforts to please Him through her diet, but that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ. The woman squeezes the speaker's hand and passes away the next day. The speaker emphasizes the importance of working in a team and encourages listeners to practice receiving words from God.
Full Transcript
So, what I do when people say, will you pray for me, and you will experience this if you come to me, 100 times out of 100 times I always say, could I just get some of my team? You know, because I sort of feel they might get some words when I don't, and I love working in a team. Why should I get all nine gifts of the Spirit? When I'm praying for someone, I mean, if there are four of us, we're much more likely to get them all between us and see the person enter into what they do. So, God has for them.
So, practice getting words. I was praying for this old lady in a hospital once, and her son was a street sleeper that I'd had a lot to do with. He was a little bit strange.
But I had a long, long history with this man, and he took me to see his aunt. And she had a stroke, and she looked as if she was dying. And he said, well, you've got to lead her to Jesus.
She'd never heard about Jesus before. She's not used to foreigners. What do I say to her? Well, I put my hand on her.
And then into my mind came this one word. Vegetables. So, I said to my street sleeper friend, Mr. Lambak, I said, Lambak, vegetables? And he said, yes, she's been a Buddhist all her life.
She's only ever eaten vegetables. So, I put my hand on her, and I said, the God who made heaven and earth is very pleased with you. He's very pleased you have tried your whole life to please him by eating vegetables.
And he says that he will accept you not because of the vegetables, but because he loves you very much and died for you. His name is Jesus. Will you believe in him? And she squeezed my hand, and she died the next day.
Good news! I mean, just vegetables! Instead of her having to have a long sermon, she doesn't understand. She understands vegetables.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Power of Team Prayer
- A. Working together with others can lead to more effective prayer
- B. Sharing the gifts of the Spirit with a team can bring greater results
- II. The Importance of Practice
- A. Regularly practicing prayer can help develop spiritual gifts
- B. Consistency is key to seeing breakthroughs in prayer
- III. The Use of Analogies in Prayer
- A. Using everyday examples, like vegetables, can help people understand spiritual concepts
- B. Analogies can be a powerful tool in communicating the Gospel
Key Quotes
“So, God has for them.” — Jackie Pullinger
“Just vegetables!” — Jackie Pullinger
“He's very pleased you have tried your whole life to please him by eating vegetables.” — Jackie Pullinger
Application Points
- Regularly practice prayer to develop your spiritual gifts and see breakthroughs in prayer.
- Work with a team to share the gifts of the Spirit and bring greater results in prayer.
- Use everyday examples, like analogies, to effectively communicate the Gospel and help people understand spiritual concepts.