Devoted to Evangelism

Introduction

Read Acts 2:42-47

Acts 2:42–47 (ESV)

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

I. God’s Praise Will Fuel Our Evangelism

A. As believers, we long to praise and worship God

If we are a church that is devoted to worship, then our hearts will long to praise and lift up the name of our Lord and Savior. We will love God and will want to praise Him and lift Him high.

As we have already discussed, worship is loving God with both our minds and our hearts. We long to know God as He is and then our hearts will desire and exult in Him.

And as our hearts find their desire and enjoyment in God, we begin to praise Him. Praise naturally flows from the enjoyment of something.

The world rings with praise—lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game—praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars. (C.S. Lewis, Reflection on the Psalms).

Think about it, whatever we enjoy, we instinctively praise. Whenever I go to one of my daughter’s volleyball games, I exult in praise for how well she did and how she has grown as a player. Jimmy is getting ready to start basketball and I know I will be doing the same for him.

Mike has some beautiful stones and rocks that are admirable and praiseworthy.

Our facebook feeds fill up with praise and admiration for newborn babies and for beautiful landscapes and clouds in the sky, even for a plate of well cooked food.

My wife is praiseworthy for how beautiful and wonderful she is and for all she does to take care of our family, to make sure we all have what we need day in and day out and even to support me and help me in the ministry. Much of what is done in the ministry is because of her effort! I still cannot believe that God would give someone as beautiful and devoted and hardworking as her to someone like me.

We seek to praise and lift up those things which bring delight to our hearts. And if we are devoted to worshipping and praising our God, it will lead outward to those who have not experienced Him yet.

B. We evangelize because we not everyone is worshiping the One True God

In his book on missions, John Piper writes, “Missions exists because worship doesn’t.” He argues that worship is the ultimate goal of the church because God Himself is ultimate and this is what we have been created to do.

However, missions and evangelism is a major part of the church because worship does not exist in the hearts of countless people throughout the world.

So what do we do? We invite people to come, worship and praise, our beautiful Lord and Savior. Just as we praise our spouses, our kids, our favorite sports team or a work of art or a beautiful scene in nature in order to invite others to appreciate the beauty and enjoyment that we have in those things, so the church longs to invite others into the worship of the most beautiful and most enjoyable person in all the universe, Jesus Christ Himself!

There will come a time when missions and evangelism will no longer be necessary. We will see everyone in the presence of Christ longing to praise Him day in and day out. But for now, evangelism exists because not everyone has seen His beauty and we want to invite them to see His majesty and glory and to find joy in praising and worshipping Him as well.

If we are a church that is devoted to worship, we will not be satisfied with worshipping God on our own knowing there are others out there who have not heard or been invited to join in on this worship. Why? Because we want others to experience the delight and enjoyment of knowing and worshipping God but because we also so love and delight in God that we want His name to be known among the nations and to worshipped by all!

We not only spontaneously praise what we value but instinctively urge others to join in our praise, rhetorically asking, “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?” (C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms).

II. God’s Word Will Provide the Content of Our Evangelism

A. We are reminded of the Gospel as we listen to and teach God’s Word

Second, if we are a church devoted to God’s Word, we will be a people that is constantly reminded of the truth of the Gospel, both in our own personal daily reading of His Word and through the regular preaching of the Word in the corporate gathering of the church.

We should be daily reminded of the truth of who God is in Christ. We should be reminded of our utter sinfulness against our good, holy, and just God as well as reminded of who God has been revealed to us in Christ. We should see the holiness of God in Jesus’ perfect life and obedience to the Father. We should see God’s love demonstrated for us as Christ willingly laid down His life for us on the cross. And we should daily be reminded of the mercy and grace of God to forgive those who come to God by faith in Christ.

B. We long to share the Gospel to others as we devote ourselves to God’s Word

As we see and are reminded of the beauty of the Gospel and what Christ has done for us, even as we were still sinners, we see that this Gospel message needs to continue on to those who have yet to hear, or perhaps those who have heard, but have not yet understood and received it by faith.

Devoting ourselves to the Word of God means that we will long to pass on the truth that we have received onto others. And we will see that this message is too good to hold back for ourselves, but this message is made precisely for those who are undeserving and in need of God’s mercy!

C. Evangelism is the Entrance to Discipleship to bring others into the truth of God’s Word

Finally, as we devote ourselves to God’s Word, we realize that we must teach and disciple others to grow in the truth of God’s Word. We, as a church, are devoting ourselves to grow in the knowledge and obedience to God’s Word. We call this process discipleship. When we commit to help others grow in their knowledge of God and in their love and obedience to Him, we are helping them grow as a disciple of Christ.

However, we often separate the acts of evangelism and discipleship into two different categories. Evangelism is sharing the gospel with the lost and discipleship is teaching God’s Word to the saved.

However, I believe we actually see where the two are actually part of the same activity. Evangelism is the beginning of discipleship.

Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Great Commission, which is the commandment to evangelize, does not tell us to go out and make converts, and then maybe one day those converts will become disciples. No, the evangelistic mandate is a call to make disciples. When you share the Gospel with someone, you are teaching them God’s Word in such a way that you are inviting them to become a disciple. The discipleship process has started because you are essentially teaching them God’s Word and teaching them how to follow in faith and obedience to all that Christ has commanded. And as they receive Christ and grow, they will only grow deeper into the gospel. So there is a sense in which as disciples, we are always being evangelized to go deeper and to trust more fully in Christ our Savior.

If we are devoted to God’s Word, we will want to invite others into the journey of learning God’s truth and how to obey Christ in faith and repentance!

III. The Fellowship of God’s People Is the Vehicle of Evangelism

A. Everyone needs fellowship and community

Everyone is looking for a community of people to belong to. As we looked at last week, God has graciously designed for us to be communal creatures, because God Himself is communal.

In fact, there has been a phenomena occur for those outside of the church. Even among those who deny the existence of God, cannot help but desire a community for themselves.

These atheist churches seek to adopt some of the religious practices of churches and other religious gatherings, but without the adherence to a deity. They will sing songs, listen to a message of acting well towards each other, and just spend time with each other.

The idea of the church gathering together is a beautiful idea even to those who do not believe in God.

B. As we love one another, we will prove ourselves as followers of Christ to the World

But, here’s where the church can take fellowship to the next level. Fellowship isn’t merely spending time with each other. It is learning to love one another, to bear with one another and to help bear each other’s burdens. It is a call to love and to serve together even despite our differences. And you know what happens when the world sees a genuine kind of love that seeks the good of others above our own needs?

They see Jesus!

John 13:35 (ESV)

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

People expect individuals to love their family and even to love those who look and think like themselves. But when believers from different backgrounds, ethnicities, ideologies, and even secondary theological ideas come together to love one another, the world doesn’t understand how that can happen. The only explanation for a love that goes deeper than familial bonds is that Jesus has to be behind it. They see the beauty of Jesus when they see us forgive and love others who have hurt us or serve and give what we have to meet the needs of others and they begin to be drawn to the beauty of Christ through our love for one another!

C. As we serve with one another, we will seek to draw others to Christ

And then as we not only love one another, but then begin to serve with one another to meet needs for those outside the church, the glory of Christ becomes that much brighter!

Matthew 5:14–16 (ESV)

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Tom shared with us the ministry that is Disaster Relief. When people see a group of believers, coming together to work alongside one another for the benefit of people they haven’t even met before, that is going to open up doors to the Gospel. People are going to wonder why this group of individuals are choosing to work with one another, to accomplish these hard tasks, and to do it not for payment but simply for the good of those they are serving. This kind of fellowship and serving is going to open up doors to the gospel!

We also saw a video of a young man, Edourd Ndecky, who was ministered to by a shoe box filled with gifts for him. This is a ministry that is accomplished by the fellowship of believers coming together to serve those in need. And when we serve together to meet the needs of the lost, many will be drawn to Christ through that kind of fellowship.

While the Gospel must always be communicated and preached, the power behind the preaching comes when the Gospel is first lived out in the lives of those who preach it!

Romans 2:4 (ESV)

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

When people see the mercy and kindness of God being lived out in the people declaring the good news of Jesus, they are much more likely to turn to Christ in repentance. Our words will have no meaning if they do not see us have love for one another and love for the lost living around us!

There are ministries each of us can be involved with as we seek to devote ourselves to reaching the lost. Disaster relief is always looking for more servants who will join with them. Be sure to talk with Tom if you would like more information. And Operation Christmas Child is a way we all can join in together in fellowship as we seek to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth! But regardless of where we serve, if you are a believer here this morning, God is calling you to serve or pray somewhere, to be a part of the fellowship in some way, so through us the Holy Spirit can draw others unto Himself.

Conclusion

The church’s main devotion should be to the corporate worship of the One True God as revealed to us through His Word. But as we realize that God has created all of humanity to enjoy this corporate worship of God, then we seek to devote ourselves to evangelism, to invite others to participate in what God has created us to do and to find our heart’s fulfillment in the true worship of God and the sincere love of our fellow man. If we are truly devoted to God’s Word, God’s People, and God’s Worship, we will want to work towards drawing others into this same relationship.

Who is God calling you to share the Gospel with and to invite him or her into the being a part of this new creation called the church? What ministry is He calling you to join in cooperation with others as we seek to fulfill this mandate together?