Have you ever heard of the 10 Commandments?
(person: “Sure, most people have.”)
You pretty much live by them don’t you? (Notice that this is a very ‘Leading Question’ – ie. Leading them to answer, “yes.”)
(person: “yes”)
Hey, can I mention a few of them to you right now?
(person: “sure”)
One says “Don’t lie or thou shall not lie.” Have you ever told a lie?
(person: “yeah”)
Yeah me too. What do you call someone who lies? A liar, right.
Another says, “Don’t steal or thou shall not steal.” Have you ever stole anything? Gum from the store, a pencil from a friend or even copied notes for an exam?
(person: “yeah”)
Yeah me too. What do you call someone who steals? Thief, right. So far we are both lying thieves, we are not doing so good huh?
Another says, “Don’t commit adultery.” Have you ever done that?
(person would say, “No, I’ve never had sex with a married woman/man)
Yeah that’s what I said too until I read what Jesus had said. He said that if you look at a woman and lust after her, that you’ve committed adultery with her already in your heart. Have ya ever done that?
(person: “uh, yeah”)
Yeap me too.
Wow, now we are lying, thieving adulterers.
Let’s look at one more, “Don’t murder or thou shall not murder.” Have you ever murdered someone?
(person: “no, of course not.”)
Yeah that’s what I thought too until I read the Bible for myself and saw what Jesus had said, just above that last statement about adultery. He said that if you have anger or rage toward someone and wish ill or harm to come to them in your heart. And if you use angry language like, “Raca” – an old archaic word – and we have our own curse words huh? – That you are a murderer in your heart.
That makes me and you: lying, thieving, adulterous murderers. Do you think heaven was prepared for people like that? We are far from God and many times we don’t even know all the ways we’ve offended God. For sure we are all wrongdoers and cannot right those wrongs ourselves.
(Good time to start sharing Evangelism Explosion)