Evangelism As Exiles (12)
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Our study will cover six essential qualities of a Christian exile on mission:
Hope filled, yet
Fearful.
Humble and Respectful with
Authority
We will live a holy life, separate from the world, yet be incredibly
Welcoming and loving in it.
Visibly Different
Visibly Different
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
How important is holiness to evangelism?
How important is holiness to evangelism?
Why is holiness so important to evangelism?
Why is holiness so important to evangelism?
Is it right to do good to be seen by others?
Is it right to do good to be seen by others?
In a way personal holiness must precede evangelism? Agree?
Christians who live in sin will inevitably betray the gospel and besmirch God’s character? Agree?
Is there a connection between holiness and evangelism? Does that scare you? Why?
If you open your mouth and proclaim the gospel you invite the criticism of others. Hypocrites is a common attack by non-believers.
That means if we dare speak the gospel we will be inviting greater scrutiny.
How should we handle this?
1). Should we deny our own sinfulness before unbelievers?
2). Should the desire to reach others have a strong impact on our lives for holiness?
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Does this sound too arrogant?
Isn’t our gospel a message of telling people how broken and sinful we are? Isn’t the church meant to be a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints?
Yes and no! What makes a hospital a desirable place for sick people?
A hospital is only desirable if there’s medicine and a remedy. There must be visible evidence of a cure. We must show the world that we too were once on our death beds, but now we have found the antidote!
The gospel is for sick sinners! And our message is most desirable if we preach it as healed saints- as those who are being delivered from the potency of our former disease.
Do we still flinch at the thought of displaying our good deeds before others?
1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
Yet in the same sermon Jesus also says:
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
What is the difference?
What is our motive? To be seen by others and receive other’s praise? Then we already have our reward and we should expect no heavenly reward from our Father.
But if our motivation is from a pure heart and if our goal is God’s glory, then wanting to be seen by others isn’t always bad.
Example: Believing wives-
1 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct.
Clearly Peter wanted these wives godliness to be noticeable! Such godliness would commend the gospel.
Do we get this wrong in American churches?
Example: “We’ve come to believe that God is most glorified and people are most evangelized when the church is either hip and trendy or when it’s struggling and broken and weak. So the last thing we’d want to do is portray ourselves as either holy or healthy—and most certainly not better than anyone else.”
What is the greater danger for American churches?
Being like the Pharisees in seeking the approval of men?
Or the opposite? We want to be inwardly transformed without showing any outward change. We don’t want to stand out. It’s as if we lit a candle but are trying our best to hide it under a basket.
What is the whole point of the candle?
15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
Why should Christians want to be different?
Why should Christians want to be different?
12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Peter regularly challenges his readers to be different.
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,
1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.
This kind of different comes with a cost!
13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,
4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you;
Derision can come when:
You decline to go to a friends bachelor party
When you refuse to participate in unethical business practices
When you turn down a beer.
When you refuse to cheat on a test
When you abstain from mocking political leaders.
When you don’t sleep around, or watch inappropriate movies or social media.
When you don’t lie about your age.
When you don’t laugh at dirty jokes.
Or you refuse to break the law.
When you refuse to join in the endless gossip.
When you miss the Sunday Football game.
If we are never different how will people ever be convinced of the gospel and respond by glorifying God?
We become plague ridden hospitals without medicine or antidotes.
To be an exile is to be OTHER. We are strangers in our land.
Example! Daniel. Can you think of ways Daniel was different? How did he embrace his otherness?
13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.”
10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
Daniel embraced his identity as an exile and did not shy away from it.
“Today, as a Christian assembly of exiles, we don’t need to become more like the world in an attempt to win their approval or affection. Instead, we should celebrate our uniqueness. We should embrace being different. We should even desire, like Daniel, to have our “set-apartness” become more and more visible, to have our love and good deeds become unavoidable, to have our holiness be so evident that people-who this very day hate Christianity-would have to take account of what they see.”
And we may have to suffer for being different. America is changing. Are we ready?
20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
How does holiness affect our prayers?
How does holiness affect our prayers?
7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.
How would you describe your prayer experience? Many Christians might describe it as dead and cold. Why?
Example: Tim Smith- prayer and fasting, challenge the believers to examine their lives for sin.
“God isn’t just concerned with our evangelism, as if that’s the most important aspect of the Christian life. One of my concerns in writing a book on evangelism is that you could come away with the sense that our lives should totally revolve around reaching others—that witnessing is our singular purpose. But it’s not.
Of course, God is concerned with the salvation of sinners. But he’s also deeply concerned with your holiness. And all of that because his ultimate concern is for his own glory.”
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.
Our effective evangelism is a byproduct of a deep abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. But, if we are not striving after Christ and therefore after holiness, if we are allowing sin to damage our fellowship with Christ, how can we anticipate fruit?
