The Witnessing Church

Evangelism & Witness

Acts 20:17–23 “Now from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and summoned the elders of the church. When they came to him, he said to them, “You know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility, with tears, and during the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. You know that I did not hesitate to proclaim anything to you that was profitable and to teach you publicly and from house to house. I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. “And now I am on my way to Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit, not knowing what I will encounter there, except that in every town the Holy Spirit warns me that chains and afflictions are waiting for me.”

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””

Takeaway: Each one of us are uniquely created to be a witness to the world.

You have a unique “evangelism style” the Holy Spirit wants to use to send you into the world as his witness! (…more on this in a minute)

God placed you here on purpose (and with purpose)!

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.”

Workmanship is Greek word poema - ‘tapestry’ / masterpiece

How does faith in Jesus spread in the world?

Cold Call Evangelism

In college I would find whatever side job I could find to earn money for Arby’s & Waffle House…and to date this girl I had met names Jennifer!!

One of those jobs was call center. Not sure if you’ve ever done that as a job before, but I’m guessing you’ve recieved some of those calls…the idea is that you randomly call a list of people and try to convince them how good this product is and how they REALLY NEED to buy it or make an investment TODAY!

I think lots of Christians have taken on that same idea and called it Christian evangelism…all of the sudden our faith becomes a pressure sells script to try to convince someone they need to buy what were selling so they don’t go to hell??

But faith is not about something were selling! We’re not selling salvation. Faith should be an invitation into a life unlike anything else in this world.

—> When the people of God live like Jesus, making him the center of their lives and inviting others to experience the same freedom.

Christianity spread in the early church because of one simple truth: Their lives were different. They lived differently, talked differently, thought differently, and interacted differently from the world around them.

People noticed there was a difference and began to ask WHY??

There should be a spirit on invitation about our faith…. Jesus says to

The Spirit and the Kingdom of God

We have these two key figures in Scripture that serve as foundational pastors for the Church of the New Testament:

Two movements of the Holy Spirit in the world.

1. (Acts 1-12) Peter – The Spirit pulling the whole world into Israel’s story, God’s redemptive plan of salvation through his Son (Jesus)

Shifting the Series Tonight to the Kingdom of God (focus the remainder of Acts on the Kingdom of God)

2. (Acts 13-28) Paul – The Spirit sending his people into the world as agents of the Kingdom

Jesus came preaching the Kingdom of God (not salvation in the private sense):

Mark 1:14–15 “After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!””

Luke 4:42–43 “When it was day, he went out and made his way to a deserted place. But the crowds were searching for him. They came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said to them, “It is necessary for me to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose.””

Matthew 3:2 “and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!””

God’s Kingdom - the place where God’s perfect love reigns; where Jesus is Lord.

Principle: Our lives, our actions, our disposition, our words should witness to the world that Jesus really is Lord and his Kingdom will have no end!

4 Keys to Christian Witness in the World Today

Live Humbly - Avoid the drama! Model spiritual & emotional maturity.

Testify to God’s faithfulness in the good times and trials.

Serve Others & Model Hospitality

Make Jesus central to all areas of your life (24/7, 365).

Jesus calls us to Witness (Matthew 28:16-19)

(“The Great Commission”)

Matthew 28:19–20 “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 everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

What commands (action words) do you see in this passage?

Go, Make, Baptize, Teach

In the Greek structure of the verse there is only one explicit imperative, matheteuo (“make disciples”). Go, Baptize, and Teach are all supporting commands in the Greek.

The emphasis for the church is not primarily on going (action/doing). Matthew’s emphasis is on the formation of discipleship.

The Church’s Assignment is to Make Disciples by…

being a go-er

being a baptizer

being a teacher

6 Styles of Evangelism

Prophetic/Confrontational - Confident, Bold, Assertive, Skips Small Talk, Gets Right to the Point, Has Strong Opinions and Convictions

Intellectual - Analytical, Logical, Inquisitive, Likes to debate, More concerned with what people think than how they feel

Testimonial - Clear Communicator, Good Listener, Vulnerable about your personal life, ups downs, Overwhelmed by the way God reach you, See links between your experience and that of other people

Interpersonal - Relational Warmth, Conversational, Compassionate, Friendship-oriented, Focuses on People and their Needs

Invitational - Hospitable, Persuasive, Enjoys meeting New People, Enthusiastic, Spiritually Opportunistic

Serving - Patience, Others-Centered, Sees needs and finds joy in meeting them, Shows love through action more than words, Attaches value to even menial tasks