Evangelism - What Will it Take?
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Intro:
Intro:
Good morning!
Anybody ever heard of Penn Jillette? Sounds familiar?
What if I say, “Penn and Teller?”
(“Oh, yeah, the magicians!”)
There is something that Penn said that I was reminded of recently and I want to share it with you as we begin this morning:
(By the way, keep in mind that Penn Jillette is an atheist.)
“I’ve always said that I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize (another word for evangelize). I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward — and atheists who think people shouldn’t proselytize and who say just leave me alone and keep your religion to yourself — how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?”
“I mean, if I believed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.”
Pretty compelling stuff … from an atheist!
And yet, at least he’s convicted enough to believe that IF there WERE a God (of course WE know there is!), then He’s worth TELLING people about!
Do we really believe that? Do we really believe in HIM?
One of the parts of the plan of salvation is confession:
Jesus says “Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32-33).
How many Christians did that the day they were baptized, and then NEVER AGAIN?!
It’s kind of like the guy that tells his wife, “I told ya I loved ya on our wedding day, and if I change my mind I’ll let ya know!”
Is that the kind of love we’re supposed to have for Christ?
Romans 1:16 - Paul said “I am NOT ASHAMED of the Gospel of Christ!”
Are we ashamed?
And what makes us ashamed?
A little social awkwardness?
The fact that we have been conditioned by society to keep things to ourselves?
“Go, tell it on the MOUNTAIN, over the hills and EVERYWHERE! Go, tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born!”
This morning we want to examine the crucial topic of “Evangelism — What Will it Take?”
First, let’s look at …
What Will Happen if We Fail?
What Will Happen if We Fail?
If we fail to evangelize, then a world that is absolutely turned UPSIDE DOWN in sin will continue to be that way!
The Bible says in Acts 17:6
But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.
Now, they spoke derogatorily, but they spoke the truth.
They truly had turned the world upside down with the Gospel — or better yet — they turned it back RIGHT SIDE UP!
The world is caught up, given up, tossed up, and burnt up in SIN — and it’s our job to set things back right again through our evangelistic efforts!
The church in the first century did it! (And talk about a wicked world in which they did it!)
And they had to pay a price to do it too — many of the Christians paid the ultimate price for their stand for Christ! (Was it worth it?!)
If we fail to evangelize, then souls will be lost!
Jesus said that He must be about His Father’s business! (Luke 2:49)
And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
“Pray tell, what is the Family business, Jesus?”
Saving souls!
Luke 19:10
for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
That’s the family business!
So family, the church of Christ, are you taking up the family business of saving souls?!
If we fail to evangelize, then do we really love God, and do we really love God’s creation (including souls)?
Certainly, we all say we do I hope!
But many people SAY they love God, but it doesn’t necessarily make it so!
Do you say you love God, but don’t practice righteousness?
1 John 3:10
In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
Do you say you love God, but hate people?
1 John 3:14-15
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Do you say you love God, but are unwilling to give up your life for others?
1 John 3:16
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Do you say you love God, but don’t help people?
1 John 3:17
But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
1 John 3:18
My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
Brethren, we need a GUT CHECK!
DO WE REALLY LOVE GOD?!
DO WE REALLY LOVE HIS CREATION?!
DO WE REALLY LOVE SOULS?!
Bear with me on this next point …
I have a sermon that I’ve always wanted to preach, but I’ve never had the guts to preach it … because it’s a MOVING SERMON …
But I want to ask you this …
Are the Denominations Winning?
Are the Denominations Winning?
Of course the answer is “no” in the end game.
But sometimes it sure looks like they are!
Let me explain:
If I were to ask you which group of people that claim to be Christians are the most well known for their benevolence programs?
(Hint — They ring bells at Christmas time, and you may have dropped off some clothes to them at one time or another)
The Salvation Army, right?
Question: Why is the LORD’S CHURCH not the most well known for benevolence?
Here’s one from back home in Louisiana:
If you were to ask which church in West Monroe, LA is “winning” when it comes to church attendance, I wish I could say it was the Lord’s church, but …
There was an “Apostolic Church,” I kid you not, it seemed like EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK they were having services, and the parking lot was just about completely full!
(Now no telling what kind of gimmicks were going on to get those kind of crowds every night, sure — but still, kinda hard to say those folks weren’t dedicated!)
Now let’s get back to evangelism:
If I were to ask you which religious group is the MOST WELL KNOWN for evangelism, what would the answer be?
There’s actually a couple of them, probably.
The JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES, and the MORMONS!
So much so that if you get a knock on your door and there are two guys there with black suits on you’re probably going to know exactly who they are!
My question for us this morning is why are THEY the ones who are so well known for evangelism when it should be US?!
Obviously I’m not condoning any of these religious groups that are not teaching the truth …
But have you ever wondered why it seems that they are “beating us” in the sense of these things?!
So let me ask you this morning …
What Will it Take for More to Evangelize?
What Will it Take for More to Evangelize?
It’s going to take Christians who truly know their Bibles.
It’s not going to do much good to talk about the Bible with people if we don’t know our Bibles!
Which is why we’re told to study to show ourselves approved unto God, workmen that need not to be ASHAMED (remember we talked about that in the beginning - Rom. 1:16), rightly dividing the Word of Truth (handling it correctly).
2 Tim. 2:15
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
That means we will need to have a good handle on the differences between the Patriarchal Law (such as Noah lived under), the Law of Moses (that the Israelites lived under in the Old Testament), and the Law of Christ that we live under in the New Testament.
Speaking of Old Testament and New — Can we explain the distinction?
Can we go to Hebrews and explain the timing of the New coming in, with the death of the Testator?
Do we know whether or not we are still under the Ten Commandments?
Can we properly use Cross References in our Bible to explain prophecies of Christ and His church?
Can we point out what it means to worship God, and how we do that?
Can we walk someone through the simple plan of salvation?
These are all things that we need to know backwards and forwards as Christians!
We need to know them enough to be able to explain them!
One of the best ways to prepare for a test in school is what?
Be able to teach the material to someone else — If you can teach the material to someone else, then you know you know it!
What about the “test” that is the faithful Christian life?
Are we passing the test?
Can we “teach the material” to the people we know?
As Penn Jillette pointed out at the beginning this morning — do we even care enough to ATTEMPT to teach others what we know about the Bible?
If not, WHY not?
1 Pet 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
That brings me to the next thing — How do we present ourselves to the world around us, Christians?
Do we walk around with smiles on our faces, joy in our hearts, and HOPE in our outlook on life?
We should!
But if we’re NOT, then how in the world would we expect somebody to ask us a reason of the HOPE that is in us, much less get to the point where we can give them an answer?!
How’s our attitude? How’s our outlook?
And THEN — what is our ability to give them that answer?!
What else will it take for evangelism to take off again in the Lord’s church?
This is going to sound a little bit crazy, but it might take persecution …
When people are being persecuted for their faith, and yet people notice that they still refuse to give up their faith, those people want to know why!
Look at Acts chapters 7 and 8 …
Acts 7:54-56
When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
Acts 7:57-58
Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
Acts 7:59-60
And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Acts 8:1-2
Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
Acts 8:3-4
As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
They went everywhere doing WHAT?
Preaching the Word!
And it wasn’t too much longer that we hear that they had TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN with the doctrine of Christ! (Or really, turned it right side up!)
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
So … What’s it going to take?
Will we obey the Lord’s command to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature?
How can we go into all the world … if we’re not willing to go into all of Marietta …
All of of Love County …
Into all of Oklahoma …
And into all of the United States?!
Will we tell them, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned?”
Because if we truly believe that ourselves, we’ll tell people!
Why? Because we don’t want them to be lost for an eternity in a terrible place called hell!
We’ll finish with the haunting words of a haunting song this morning — You Never Mentioned Him to Me:
“When in the better land before the bar we stand, how deeply grieved our souls will be; if any lost one there should cry in deep despair, “You never mentioned Him to me.”
“You never mentioned Him to me, you helped me not the light to see; You met me day by day and knew I was astray, yet never mentioned Him to me.”
There are two more verses to that song.
But may it never be said of us: “You never mentioned Him to me.”
Evangelism — We know we need to do it — What will it take to get us to do it?