I Believe in Evangelism
Notes
Transcript
Handout
INTRO
PRAYER
A - Oh God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. You are our father in heaven we gather here today in agreement of your greatness, your worth, your love for us, your holiness and our desire to bring you glory.
C - Father we confess that we do not share the good news of Christ as often as we should.
T - Thank you Lord for being patent with us and for your grace and mercy. We thank you also that you are not reliant on us in order to grow your kingdom.
S - Father se ask you to embolden our hearts this day. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear and mouths to speak the words of truth that other may hear of your son Jesus and His salvation. Give us the pleasure in being used by you as you lead others to the saving knowledge of your son Jesus. Help us to seize the opportunities you give us and grant us the fulness of your spirit that we may be bold in the proclamation of your name!
MESSAGE
What is evangelism?
What is evangelism?
Evangelism is not inviting people to church.
6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.
If we meet outside the tomb will that make us a christian?
Church is for those who already know Christ!
you can/will hear the gospel at church
inviting someone to your home does not make them a member of your family
The Church is a people not a building
Evangelism is not living out your faith.
35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
They may see that we are good or nice but not know why
They may even figure out who we serve but that does not tell them how to be saved
the way to hell is paved in good intentions
Evangelism is not sharing your testimony.
27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?”
We should all tell people about how we see God at work in our lives, but even a good personal story is not the gospel
Lots of people have personal testimonies of all sorts of things
alien abduction
seeing ghost
Bigfoot
Evangelism is verbally sharing the gospel.
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
Who should evangelize?
Who should evangelize?
The individual should engage in evangelism.
19 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,
If you are saved this command is for you… period
Do not quote scripture to get out of obedience !!
Eph 4.11 “11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,”
The church should engage in evangelism.
35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
We as a Body as a whole should be engaging our community
we should be participating go and tell, not come and see
The Bible calls all Christians to share the good news about Jesus’s death and resurrection with those who don’t believe in Christ
Why you may not be evangelizing?
Why you may not be evangelizing?
You don’t know the gospel well enough to share it clearly.
26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
You should be able to explain the gospel in 5 steps
God created all things, Man is made in His image
God created you to have relationship with Him but our sin separates us from Him
Because of our sin we not only cannot have relationship with God we deserve punishment
God however loves and desires us so much that He took on flesh as Jesus and lived a perfect life and died a death we deserve in our place to pay the debt of sin that we owed to God.
When we place our trust in Jesus as our substitute and accept the forgiveness that he offers seeking to turn toward obedience to God and away from sin we will be saved
You can fix this!
You have fear of man that is greater than your courage in Christ.
25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
If you think its bad now just wait!
What can man do to you?
Can we be His disciples and not really follow or trust Him
You think that their conversion is dependent on you and not the Holy Spirit.
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Stop being so prideful!!
You can save no-one
this should give you great confidence !!
You are living in disobedience to the command of Christ.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
We need to be honest with ourselves and God
How should we evangelize?
How should we evangelize?
We should evangelize honestly and urgently.
40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”
31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
We cannot twist things to be less offensive
sin is offensive
the cross is offensive
We must understand and convey the seriousness of this choice
this is not a take it or leave it thing
we do not know how long we have
We should evangelize prayerfully and joyfully.
10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
Seek the LORD before you witness...
If you have the inclination to witness to someone, no need to pray if you should or not… you should!
Pray that God would bless your words and time and be glorified in your obedience
Pray often for opportunities as well as for boldness
Greatest news on earth… sad about it ?
We should evangelize using the Bible to provoke self-reflection.
18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
You have the living Word of God at your fingertips… why not use it !?
Heb 4.12 “12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Why would you not use that !!
Why would you think you can just wing it on your own words??
If you are not seeking to have them internalize and personalize the gospel then what are we doing?
CLOSE
Group Questions
Group Questions
What are some reasons people don’t evangelize?
What do you think it would take to motivate you to evangelize more?
What are some practical ways you can grow in cultivating and expressing love for non-Christians?
In 2 Cor 4.1-6 Paul describes his own evangelistic commitments.
What are some examples of disgraceful, underhanded ways or practicing cunning and tampering with God’s Word?
Why might it sometimes be tempting to tamper with God’s Word when we evangelize?
What are some things that tempt you not to share the gospel honestly? How can you work to overcome those temptations?
Why is a joyful evangelist (as opposed to a somber or fearful one) both attractive and appropriate?
When you evangelize, do you do so joyfully? Why or why not?
Why is it important to pray that others would be saved? (See also Acts 11:18; 16:14; 2 Cor. 4:6; Eph. 2:1–6; Phil. 1:29.)
What are some specific ways you can grow, and help others grow, in evangelizing prayerfully and praying evangelistically?
Who are the people you are going to start praying for?
What are some reasons you think it’s important to use the Bible in evangelism?
What are some practical ways you can use the Bible in evangelism?
Read Acts 2.32-41: Keeping in mind that different conversations will require different approaches, what do you think we can learn from Peter’s direct address to his hearers? How would you summarize in your own words how Peter directly engaged his hearers?
What is it about the nature of the good news that makes it appropriate, even necessary, to provide people with an opportunity for self-reflection?
What might it look like to provoke self-reflection in:
Someone who seems content to live a pleasure-seeking lifestyle with no thought for God?
A convinced, scientifically minded atheist?
Someone who is warming up to the gospel but isn’t sure whether they can commit to it?