Topical - Evangelism - Personal Evangelism
I. Personal Evangelism.
Introduction: Why should evangelism be the concern of the church? The answere is simple:
1. God commands it: Our Lord Jesus told us to evangelize. We are under obligation to fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples of all the nations, beginning with our own.
2. Evangelism Starts in Heaven: It was planned in eternity past
3. God Loves People: God desires all men to be saved
The Lord’s purpose, aim, and ambition is the salvation of mankind: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
Winning the lost was for Christ the highest desire and was the express purpose for which He came into the world, "Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest ’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest." (John 4:34-35, NASB95)
Christ called the disciples to follow Him and learn from Him to become “fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19).
He ultimately commissioned them to evangelize the world, which they began doing as soon as they received power from the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; 2:1–4).
4. God was the first evangelist, since He “preached the gospel beforehand”:
Paul writing to the church in Galatia said "The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you." (Galatians 3:8)
5. Even the angel evangelized in announcing the birth of Christ:
In Luke’s Gospel "The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; " (Luke 2:10, NASB95)
6. Jesus Himself evangelized in “preaching the gospel”:
"On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him, " (Luke 20:1, NASB95)
A. The Experience of Andrew.
1. Andrew found Simon Peter (John 1:35–42).
a) Andrew Appreciated the Value of a Single Soul.
(1) He was known for brining individuals, not crowds, to Jesus. Almost every time we see him in the Gospel accounts, he is brining someone to Jesus.
(a) He brought to Jesus the boy who had five loaves & two small fish (John 6:8-9)
(b) He brought the Greeks to Jesus (John 12:20-22)
(c) He brought first of all his own brother.
(2) Andrew was the first of all the disciples to be called by Jesus, & he was responsible for leading his brother, Peter, to Jesus Christ.
(3) All true witnessing should begin at home.
b) Andrew Appropriated His Witnessing At Home.
(1) All True Witnessing Should Begin Right Where You Live (2 Timothy 1:5).
(2) It often happens that God uses one of a household to draw the rest to himself.
(3) God calls an individual, & uses him or her as sort of a spiritual decoy to bring the rest of the family to God.
(a) Has God used you in that way?
(b) Do you have a brother or sister who still does not know the Lord?
(4) God Desires The Whole Family To Be Saved.
The Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.” (Genesis 7:1, NKJV)
The write of Hebrews says that "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” (Hebrews 11:7, NKJV)
When Jesus healed the nobleman’s sick son "So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household.” (John 4:53, NKJV)
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household." (Acts 16:30-34; cf. 18:8)
(5) I believe the most effective and important aspects of evangelism usually take place on an individual, personal level.
(6) Most people do not come to Christ as an immediate response to a sermon they hear in a crowd setting. They come to Christ because of the influence of an individual.
(7) There Are Few Who Understand The Value Of Brining Just One Person To Christ:
(a) Both Andrew and his brother Peter had evangelistic hearts, but their methods were dramatically different.
(b) Peter preached at Pentecost and 3,000 got saved! Nothing in Scripture indicates that Andrew ever preached to a crowd or stirred masses of people.
(c) But, remember that Andrew was the one who led Peter to Christ.
(d) Andrews’s act of faithfulness in brining his own brother to Christ was the individual act that led to the conversion of the man who would preach a message leading 3,000 to Christ!
(e) All the fruit of Peter’s ministry is ultimately also the fruit of Andrew’s faithful, individual witness.
(f) This happened in my own life Kenny Ashmore
(g) What About the Result of Ananias’ Witness to Saul?
(i) Saul witnessed to many
(ii) Saul wrote ¾ of the New Testament
B. The Experience of Philip.
1. Jesus found Philip (John 1:43).
a) Jesus traveled a long distance to find Philip.
(1) Galilee was a long distance away & shows how far Christ will go to reach a soul (Phil.2:5-8)
(2) Every believer should go any distance to reach a person who does not know Christ, no matter how depraved that person is.
(3) There are too many people in this world that seem to be unreachable: alcoholic, poor, prisoner, lowly etc.
For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; `I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' (Matthew 25:35-36)
(4) Jesus is seen is fulfilling His mission in seeking and saving Philip. He came into the world for the very purpose of seeking and saving the lost
Jesus said, "for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10, NKJV)
Our Lord came to give us life, In John 10 He said, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10, NKJV)
When Jesus was standing before Pilate, Pilate said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." (John 18:37)
Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners, Paul wrote, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” (1 Timothy 1:15)
2. Philip found Nathaniel (John 1:45).
a) Philips first response upon meeting Jesus.
(a) The first thing he was set out to do was to tell his friend Nathanael.
(b) Jesus had challenged Philip to “follow” Him, to become just like Him, and Philip did.
(c) He went out and did exactly what Jesus had done to him. Jesus had sought and found Him. Now, following the example of his Lord, He went out and found his friend Nathanael. Philip became a personal soul-winner just like his Lord.
(d) When the reality of Christ is introduced into a relationship that has already been established the effect is powerful!
It is like the apostles who, when they were told not to speak the name of Jesus said, "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." (Acts 4:20, NKJV)
They were like Paul who exclaimed, “Woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel (1Cor.9:16).
C. The Experience of the Disciples.
1. The wrong response later in the ministry.
a) Getting Rid Of The Very People God Wants Us To Help
Matthew writes, "Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us” (Matthew 15:21-23, NKJV)
In chapter 19 Matthew records this incident: "Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.” (Matthew 19:13-15, NKJV)
b) Know About Their Needs And Do Nothing About It.
Jesus tells the story about the Good Samaritan saying “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:25-37, NKJV)
People today are spiritually dead, and we are doing nothing about it!
c) Give Up, Not Wanting To Give Out the Gospel Anymore (Jeremiah 20:7-9).
The Prophet Jeremiah felt that way, listen to what he said: "O Lord, You induced me, and I was persuaded; you are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I am in derision daily; Everyone mocks me. For when I spoke, I cried out; I shouted, “Violence and plunder!” Because the word of the Lord was made to me A reproach and a derision daily. Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not." (Jeremiah 20:7-9, NKJV)
D. The Responsibility of the Child of God.
1. Action to Our Generation (Prov.24:11-12).
a) There are just two groups of people in the world:
(1) Those who have heard the gospel and those who have not. If those who have heard (and believed) refuse to tell those who have not heard, God will render to each according “to his deeds.”
Let me read to you (Prov.24:11-12) in NLT: "Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t stand back and let them die. Don’t try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn’t know about it. For God knows all hearts, and he sees you. He keeps watch over your soul, and he knows you knew! And he will judge all people according to what they have done." (Proverbs 24:11-12, NLT)
(2) We are responsible to our generation. While people often debate over those who have died without hearing the gospel, this passage reveals the importance of seeking those who are alive and have not heard!
A practical guideline from Acts 13:36 can teach us: “David…served his generation by the will of God.”
(3) We cannot go back to the last generation, nor can we reach the next generation, but we can serve this one. The only generation God expects us to be vitally concerned about is our own!
2. Admonition to the Lost (Ezekiel 33:1-9; 3:16-21)
a) The Warning of the Watchman.
(1) WATCHMAN means – To look out, peer into the distance, spy, keep watch; to scope something out, especially in order to see approaching danger, and to warn those who are endangered.
(a) Often it refers to the king’s guards (1 Sam. 14:16) or to those who look out from a tower in the city wall (2 Kin. 9:17-18).
(b) Often it refers to spiritual watchmen, or prophets, who look out, see danger, and report to the people. (See Is. 52:8; Jer. 6:17; Ezek. 33:2-7). Unfaithfulness in the discharge of duty of, punished by death (Ezek. 33:6; Matt. 28:14; Acts 12:19).
(2) “his blood will I require at thy hand,” If the prophet does not warn the wicked man, as God has commanded him, he renders himself guilty of a deadly sin, for which God will take vengeance on him as on the murderer for the shedding of blood. An awfully solemn statement for all ministers of the word.
b) The Need for a Messenger (Romans 10:13-15).
(1) Paul asks in (v.14), “How will they hear without a preacher?”
(2) The Greek word used here for “preacher” means “one who heralds, proclaims, or publishes.” Clearly, every believer is assigned a personal “pulpit”—in the home, the community, at the office, or in school—from which to show and tell others the Good News.
(a) In 1:14 Paul declares, “I am a debtor,” pointedly noting his sense of obligation. Why?
(b) He answers in Ephesians 2 : Man is dead, needing life (v. 1 )
(c) man is walking a course of destruction, needing deliverance (v. 12 )
(d) man is hopeless, needing God (v. 13 )
(e) man is separated from God, needing Christ (v. 14 ).
(f) Jesus concludes the evidence of man’s need: he is lost, needing to be found (Luke 19:10).
(g) The answer is clear: someone must be sent to preach so that people will hear and believe. There is no other way.
c) The Availability to the Lord (Isaiah 6:1-8).
(1) Sight: He saw the Lord (v.1–4).
(a) Isaiahs king had died, his nation was in danger, and he could do very little about it.
(b) But God was still on the throne!
(c) When your world crushes in, look up, remember that God is still on the throne!
(2) Insight: He saw himself (v.5–7).
(a) Seeing a Holy God, brought conviction to Isaiah’s heart & he confessed that he was a sinner.
(b) Isaiah cried out to be cleansed inwardly and God met his need (Psalm 51:10).
(c) Before we can minister to others, we must permit God to minister to us. Before we pronounce “woe” upon others, we must sincerely say, “Woe is me!”
(d) Isaiah’s conviction led to confession, and confession led to cleansing (1 John 1:9).
(e) Like Isaiah, many of the great heroes of faith saw themselves as sinners and humbled themselves before God:
(i) Abraham (Gen. 18:27), Jacob (32:10), Job (Job 40:1–5), David (2 Sam. 7:18), Paul (1 Tim. 1:15), and Peter (Luke 5:8–11).