The Christian’s Ministry to the Lost

Introduction

BIG IDEA: Jesus modeled how to partner with the Holy Spirit to reach out and challenge spiritually lost people towards a place of repentance and faith in Christ.

I was thinking about the difference one person can make.

I was reminded of one of my very favorite movies, the 1957 classic 12 Angry Men.

It’s the story of a jury as they deliberate on the fate of a young man accused of murdering his father.

One man, Juror #8, stands alone in favor of innocence.

His patient examination of the facts of the case and his exemplary compassion end up moving each juror to change their vote until at last only one remains; Juror #3.

Finally, Juror #3 is forced to reckon with his anger, and bitterness, which have prejudiced him against the young man, and he is ultimately redeemed through the ministry of Juror #8.

It is a masterpiece of film and story, and it has much to do with today’s message.

Context

We are re-engaging with our series called Discipling Like Jesus.

in this series, we are trying to get back to the core work that God has called us to in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20)

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

As we go about the work of discipleship, we examine Jesus’s work of discipling the 12 into disciple makers during his earthly ministry.

We came to recognize four stages of development, identified as chair and characterized by a call from Jesus.

We will spend the next four weeks examining each of these chairs and the attending issues and principles surrounding discipleship.

We want to understand in which chair we sit so we may know how to move forward.

We want to understand how best to serve those in that seat.

We want to see how Jesus led the way for us to help people in each of these chairs.

The Dire Plight of the Unbeliever

The first thing for us to deal with is the Dire Plight of the Unbeliever.

It is the main reason why it is necessary for Christians to engage in the ministry of evangelism (sharing the good news).

We evangelize because people are lost.

In Romans, Paul spends a great deal of time making the case for the universal fallenness of humanity.

Romans 3:9–20 ESV

9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” 19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

He summarizes this with the final verdict in Romans 3:23

Romans 3:23 ESV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Sin carries with it a steep penalty; Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23 (ESV)

23 For the wages of sin is death

That the truth we must reckon with about people who are sitting in this first chair.

We can’t help them if we think that they are simple nice, basically good people who need a little help, a little knowledge, and perhaps a little Holy Spirit power.

People who are not walking in faith in Jesus Christ are spiritually dead.

They do not have the capacity to know God for salvation in themselves.

They are lost and on the way to eternal judgment.

Paul expresses this concisely and finally in Ephesians 2:1-10

Ephesians 2:1–10 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

We are on a mission to rescue people out of mortal peril at the 11th hour.

And as Jesus said, we must be born again John 3:3

John 3:3 ESV

3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

So with the goal of our mission and its stakes clear, now it falls to us to consider how we are to pursue those who are lost in unbelief…who sit in this first chair.

I picked this broken-down old chair to represent it.

When engaging in any Christian ministry we must keep Jesus in view as our primary example.

Jesus’s Process Modeled

Jesus modeled how to partner with the Holy Spirit to reach out and challenge spiritually lost people towards a place of repentance and faith.

So, let’s briefly look at the way Jesus modeled reaching the lost.

a. First, He demonstrated it in His incarnation.

Philippians 2:5–8 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

We studied this very thing in our Christmas series.

He came so that we could be saved by believing in Him.

This is exemplified in the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:10 when Jesus calls Zacchaeus down from the tree so that He could eat with Him.

Luke 19:10 ESV

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

b. He prepared Himself, learning the context and culture of the world to which He was sent.

As part of His humiliation, Jesus submitted to growing and learning according to the flesh (Luke 2:52)

Luke 2:52 ESV

52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

Jesus prepared himself for ministry in His specific context.

Jewish people in a Greek culture under Roman dominion.

The Sermon on the Mount is a perfect example of Jesus’s preparation. He carefully studied the Law of Moses.

c. The way Jesus conducted himself towards others.

(John 1:39 ,43 ; 2:1 ,12 ; John 3; John 4 )

Jesus made himself available to others and He made intentional investments in His relationships.

The first part of Jesus’s public ministry was marked by many examples of such investments.

There are too many to list here, but consider just a few.

The calling of the first disciples in John 1.

The miracle at the wedding in Cana in John 2.

His late-night discussion with the Pharisee Nicodemus in John 3.

His conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4.

d. In each case where interest was expressed, he never failed to seize the opportunity.

John 1:38 ESV

38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”

He spend much time speaking with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman when they desired to know more.

Jesus recognized that their interest was an opportunity to move them toward repentance and toward God.

e. Finally, Jesus never lost sight of his goal—calling people to repentance and faith.

We see this in (Mt. 3:2 ; 4:17 )

Matthew 3:2 ESV

2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 4:17 ESV

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Jesus had an agenda in every interaction; the Father’s plan of salvation.

It shaped every step he took, every word He spoke, and every deed he did.

It was all aimed toward the preaching of the gospel and the salvation of souls.

So, how does Jesus’s example look for us today?

Let’s consider the needs of unbelievers.

The Needs of Unbelievers

a. The unbelieving world needs Christians who care enough to come to them where they are.

We can’t just wait until they walk in these church doors.

After all, how many of us have in our testimony the faithful ministry of Christians who went out of their way to step into our lives while we were in sin?

Zacchaeus need Jesus to come to him and make friends with Him.

Ephesians 2:17 ESV

17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

Too often, Christians are taught that we must keep non-believers at arm’s length.

Like somehow their sinfulness is a threat to us or will tarnish us.

Romans 10:14 ESV

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?

We must go to them.

b. The unbelieving world needs Christians who have readied themselves.

While we must not be fearful, we must also not be foolhardy in our approach.

Entering into situations it is unwise for us to be in.

Places that no Christian should be. I don’t need to enter the house of ill-repute to minister to those who go in.

Places that provide too great a temptation for us to sin.

We must know our limitations and weaknesses.

Situations that would require us to compromise.

We must know the nature of our enemy and his schemes.

Modern ideologies that are opposed to Jesus Christ.

Insidious heresies that would threaten the body of Christ.

We need not be enmeshed in worldly matters, but we shouldn’t be ignorant of them. Matt 10:16

Matthew 10:16 ESV

16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

c. The unbelieving world needs Christians who will make themselves available and invest in befriending them.

Paul explains this philosophy of ministry in 1 Cor. 9:19-23

1 Corinthians 9:19–23 ESV

19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

We must be winsome as much if not more than we are confrontational.

Areas of commonality can become the foundation of trust that can lead to spiritual change.

This means we may have to labor long in building relationships without ever seeing much fruit.

Nevertheless, we must be earnest in showing genuine interest in others.

People can sniff out falsehood, hypocrisy and agendas easily.

This leads us to the last point of need.

We have an agenda.

d. The unbelieving world needs Christians to preach the gospel to them clearly.

Paul’s reason for persevering in gospel ministry is the clear urgency he feels.

1 Corinthians 9:16–18 (ESV)

16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship.

18 What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge

We must have a burning desire to see others repent and believe.

That means that we also must present the gospel with clarity and urgency.

We don’t downplay sin and evil.

We must also exhibit evidence of the gospel working in our lives.

There are no careless moments with unbelievers, they are too important to treat recklessly.

So, lets consider some important principles for reaching the lost.

3. Principles for reaching the lost

“Come and see” is a simple challenge to give and receive.

consider (John 1:46 )

John 1:46 ESV

46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

This may take many forms.

An invitation to dinner.

Or a church outing/event.

Or simply to an extracurricular activity.

What it constitutes is an invitation to take the next step in relationship.

Think of the unbelievers in your life that you might reach out to in such a way.

Outreach is a process that requires patience and diligence.

Consider the pattern set forth in (Is. 28:23-29 ) Cultivate, Plant, Reap

Isaiah 28:23–29 ESV

23 Give ear, and hear my voice; give attention, and hear my speech. 24 Does he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground? 25 When he has leveled its surface, does he not scatter dill, sow cumin, and put in wheat in rows and barley in its proper place, and emmer as the border? 26 For he is rightly instructed; his God teaches him. 27 Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin, but dill is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. 28 Does one crush grain for bread? No, he does not thresh it forever; when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it. 29 This also comes from the Lord of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.

There is a time for Cultivation.

For breaking up ground. Breaking down the hardness of heart.

Long-suffering kindness towards hard-hearted sinners.

There is a time for Planting.

Planting gospel seed.

The times and methods vary based upon need.

There is a time for Reaping.

This is the moment of truth at the end of the process.

What is required now is clear explication and call to repent of sin and trust in Jesus Christ.

The process can’t be shortcut, just as you cannot harvest a field you have not prepared and planted.

Be patient with the process.

Different things may be required of you at different times.

But as Paul said in Galatians 6:9

Galatians 6:9 ESV

9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Remember that Jesus is the only way to salvation.

Peter made this crystal clear in (Acts 4:12 )

Acts 4:12 ESV

12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

There can be no sugar coating of the gospel.

for as Jesus said in Matt 7:13

Matthew 7:13 ESV

13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.

Our evangelism must be rooted in compassion and love for the lost.

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 ESV

14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

People should clearly perceive that we actually care for them and what happens to them.

For this we must be absolutely rooted in the gospel; in what Jesus has done for us.

When we understand the love of Christ for us; His mercy and grace shown toward us in our wretchedness.

Then it becomes easy to turn that same compassion toward other lost sinners.

Evangelism is the byproduct of a healthy church.

God’s work in a church is most clearly perceived in the changed lives of its members.

Discipleship leads to evangelism, which leads to discipleship.

King David wrote in the Psalms.

Psalm 51:10 ESV

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Psalm 51:13 ESV

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

This was made manifest in the early church in Acts 2.

Acts 2:42 ESV

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

And what was the result?

Acts 2:47 ESV

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The best means of evangelism is through building relationships.

To be a friend in the moment when an unbeliever is at their lowest and looking for answers.

Where else will they turn in their hour of need?

I pray that I would be a friend who is ready and available in that hour of need.

The alternatives are truly grim.

Finally, we reap in proportion to what we sow.

Remember that it is God’s work to prepare people’s hearts and to draw them to Himself.

John 6:44 ESV

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

Further, we must remember that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict the world of sin.

John 16:8 ESV

8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:

It is not our lot to know who the Father has prepared, or who the Holy Spirit will convict.

It is simply our work to perceive when the Father brings them across our path and to be ready to proclaim the truth to them.

If we are diligent in cultivating relationships with unbelievers and proclaiming the gospel, we will surely reap a harvest.

The more we do so, the more we will see unbelievers repenting and turning to Jesus in faith.

Conclusion

God has been gracious to us in that he has made us to be his witnesses.

We have the great blessing of seeing Him save sinners from judgment.

Let us today consider how we may reach out to the many unbelieving neighbors here.

Matthew 9:37–38 ESV

37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

We have nothing to lose, and they have everything to gain.