Week 6: How the Church Shapes Evangelism (Part 1)

So far in Esther, we’ve seen how God uses ordinary means for great accomplishments.

1. Vashti refuses.

Opens the door for Esther to become queen.

2. Esther taken into the harem.

She ends up in the one place where a Jew can reach the throne.

3. Esther finds favor.

A small kindness moves her to the front.

4. Esther wins the king’s heart.

One choice among countless candidates.

5. Mordecai overhears a plot.

Right place, right time, life-saving information.

6. No reward given.

The delay sets up the perfect reversal later.

7. Haman promoted.

The villain is positioned for a dramatic fall.

8. Lots cast for the date.

The chosen day gives time for rescue.

9. Esther approaches uninvited.

She receives favor instead of death.

10. The king’s insomnia.

He wakes up and asks for the chronicles.

11. The exact story is read.

Mordecai’s forgotten deed surfaces.

12. Haman walks in.

He arrives at the worst moment for him, best moment for God’s plan.

13. Haman trips on Esther’s couch.

Looks like assault and seals his fate.

14. The gallows ready.

Haman hangs on his own device.

15. Second edict allowed.

The legal structure that trapped them becomes their path to victory.

16. The “death day” becomes victory day.

The lots meant for destruction become a feast.

In all of these things,

God was using ordinary things for great accomplishments for His people.

And this is especially true when it comes to our salvation.

Just think about all the many “coincidences” that led to our salvation.

Most of them, we aren’t even aware of.

But God was using all of them for His glory and our eternal good.

But here’s the thing about those “coincidences.”

They mostly revolve around the church being the church.

What I mean is,

the church being the church and each member doing their small part.

That’s how God typically works.

In a culture of evangelism,

people who love Jesus work side by side as part of what God is doing.

We do not see every step ahead because the Spirit directs the movement.

But when our hearts stay tuned to Him,

we find ourselves caught up in His work in the lives around us

as we all play our part like an instrument in an grand symphony.

When it comes to Evangelism, one of the biggest preventers of it are having wrong expectations.

We view Evangelism like a microwave and not a crock pot.

But the reality is,

most people do not come to faith after hearing the gospel just once.

In fact, most people need to hear it at least 7 times,

over a long period of time.

So if we get frustrated and discouraged when a lost person doesn’t accept it right away,

We’ll fail at evangelism.

Sometimes it takes year, or even decades.

In a culture of evangelism, the aim is for everyone to speak, pray, and step into the opportunities God puts in front of us.

We can call people to believe,

but the New Testament never gives a scripted sinner’s prayer.

It’s fine to say a prayer,

But many people come to Christ without ever having a point in time where they said, “The Sinner’s Prayer.”

The point is,

we trust God to draw people to repentance.

And our part is to bear witness with steady faithfulness, and we do that together.

So then…

How can we be intentional about being a part of a vibrant culture of evangelism where everyone does their part?

6 ways.

How do be prepared to share the gospel:

1. Prepare our hearts, minds, and feet

When it comes to evangelism, we need to ask ourselves:

Are we motivated. (Guilt or Joy?)

Are we equipped. (Do we know the gospel and how to share it)

Are we available. (Are we fearful or isolated)

These questions expose where we get stuck.

Some of us feel afraid to speak.

Others are not around unbelievers at all - and make zero intention to be.

As Christians, we need to stop and ask:

Are we growing compassion for those who do not know Christ?

Have we grown discouraged and weary in our evangelistic efforts?

Do we really believe the gospel is the most important truth our world desperately needs?

Unfortunately, many churches fall into this heresy when their main concern becomes the non-Christian rather than fidelity to the gospel.

The quickest route to heresy and error is “relevant” evangelism.

Good-hearted motivations that try to shape the church for the needs of man and not the glory of God are the death of biblical churches.

The church is meant to be a people shaped by the cross, centered on the gospel, and devoted to the glory of God.

Our aim is fixed on Jesus as the Christ, not on the comfort of seekers.

The seeker-sensitive idea flipped the order.

The church is called to focus on God.

Individual believers are the ones called to carry that sensitivity toward those who are searching.

Are we helping each other stay alert to unbelievers who walk through our doors?

Are we ready to welcome them and guide them toward what our worship is about?

Are we building friendships that move intentionally toward the gospel?

It is far too easy, and spiritually dangerous, to assume everyone in the room already knows Christ.

Availability is not only about being physically present with non-Christians.

It also means guarding our mindset.

We tend to write people off as uninterested, too sinful, or closed to any talk of faith.

When those thoughts creep in,

we need one another to remember that no heart is beyond the reach of the Holy Spirit.

How do be prepared to share the gospel:

1. Prepare our hearts, minds, and feet

2. Understand a gospel-shaped way of life

As Christians, we must treat the gospel as a way of life, not just a message.

Gospel centrality is the engine of a healthy evangelism culture.

Paul’s rebuke of Peter in Galatians chapter 2 shows this.

Galatians 2:11–14 ESV

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Peter’s actions at the dinner table were out of line with the truth of the gospel,

and Paul confronted him because the gospel shapes how we live,

not only how we are saved.

Because of the gospel, we can’t treat people of other cultural or ethnic backgrounds with prejudice.

And Peter forgot this,

which is why he was returning to law, instead of grace.

The gospel is not only a message of salvation but a way of life.

And living out the gospel is different from trying to live a moral life.

Morality relies on our strength.

Gospel living depends on God’s grace and flows from what Christ has done.

That’s why all throughout the New Testament, it keeps tying daily life to the gospel.

Paul regularly preaches the gospel and then talks about the implications of he gospel.

We forgive because Christ forgave us (Col. 3:13)

We live in a way that is worthy of the gospel (Phil. 1:27).

We lead by serving because Christ served and gave His life as a ransom (Matthew 20:25-28).

All of this flows from the gospel.

When our lives stay rooted in the gospel, the gospel naturally comes out of us.

Churches that apply the gospel to everything will become churches where evangelism grows almost without trying,

because the message is already deep in the life of the people.

How do be prepared to share the gospel:

1. Prepare our hearts, minds, and feet

2. Understand a gospel-shaped way of life

3. Kill our assumptions

One of the worst assumptions we can make at a church happens when we assume that everyone who shows up at church is a Christian.

And even though we know that everyone who shows up isn’t a Christian,

Church often behave as if that’s true.

This bad assumption prevents us from sharing the gospel,

and over time, confusion about the gospel grows within the church.

Question:

When the gospel is assumed and stops being the focus, what then becomes the focus?

Moralism

Morality becomes an expectation and not a response of love.

The cross is treated merely as an example, not the place where God’s wrath and love uniquely meet.

And eventually, the gospel is lost altogether.

This is why Paul told young pastor Timothy to guard the gospel and to pass it on with care.

It’s because he knew how easily the gospel could be lost.

This is why have to kill our faulty and unbiblical assumptions.

And if you ever find yourself bored with the gospel,

you need to repent and get your heart right with Jesus.

And… you may need to check your spiritual pulse and see if you’ve ever truly been born again.

Because a Christian NEVER graduates beyond the gospel.

It’s our hope in life and death!

This is why we need to be careful and caution before laying hands on people when it comes to serving in ministry,

Especially teaching and platform ministries within the church.

Because if we do that,

We are falling into the trap of assuming the gospel.

Example: When Josh & Sara 1st came to the church (we waited 6 months)

Why we have leadership expectations

Bad attitude,

self-focus, not others focused,

etc.

Yes, this might be immaturity,

but it might be the person has never come to truly accept the gospel.

Bob Kauflin’s leadership standards for worship.

There will always be people in our churches who look like believers,

which is why it’s so important that we keep sharing the gospel.

They tend to be the very ones who push back about how boring and repetitive it is to talk about the gospel.

The truth is, there are tares amongst the wheat,

and as we saw in Matthew, the darnel (the tare), looks just like wheat,

And it’s only near the harvest that the differences show up.

There are many more who have been falsely assured that they are Christians because of how they were raised,

because they were involved in the church,

or because they had high moral standards.

Matthew 7:15–20 ESV

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Question:

Why are we so hesitate to takes Jesus’s words literally here? What concern often drives this?

Legalism.

The truth is, while our spiritual fruits will not save us,

we will know whether someone is saved or not by their fruits.

Which is why we must not assume someone is a Christian simply because they said a prayer.

And yes, parents, this is also true of our kids.

We should rejoice when they profess faith in Christ,

But we should also watch their lives closely to see if that faith produces, as James says it will, spiritual fruit.

Do our children have a strong overwhelming desire to follow Jesus in Believer’s baptism?

Do our children have a strong overwhelming desire to join the church and serve in it?

Do they, despite being sinners and failing sometimes, obey their parents in the Lord for this is right?

If not…

What should we assume?

We should assume they are not born again,

and then pray for them and share the gospel over and over and over again with them.

The gospel must be clear in everything we do as a church community so that members will be equipped to share the gospel.

But the gospel also needs to be in everything we do so that non-believers among us may be brought to faith in Christ.

This is why as a pastor I guard our music so closely…

I work at making sure our music proclaims the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Because EVERYTHING we do, needs to proclaim the gospel,

including our songs!

Yes, it’s fine to have a song that focuses on God’s holiness, glory, love, etc.

But if the bulk majority of our songs forget the gospel, we will too.

Another way we can be better about speaking the gospel in all we do is in our prayers.

For example,

Instead of just praying to God and thanking Him for the meal,

Why not thank Him for the meal, but then go on to thank him for the spiritual meal of the gospel which alone nourishes our souls?

Another way we can be better about speaking the gospel in all we do is after our Sunday gatherings.

Ask each other what encouraged and challenged you about the message

Fathers, ask your wife and kids that question on your way home or over lunch,

and ask them about how it relates to the gospel.

Because all of this helps us speak the gospel and create a culture of evangelism in our church.

Luke 24:27 ESV

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Look for the gospel in your Bible studies.

Because whatever passage your studying will and should somehow get you to the gospel.

Trust Jesus when he says that all the Scriptures point to him.

Don’t ever assume everyone knows the good news of Jesus Christ.

Too many people are going in and out of churches without hearing it.

Let’s not let that happen.

How do be prepared to share the gospel:

1. Prepare our hearts, minds, and feet

2. Understand a gospel-shaped way of life

3. Kill our assumptions

4. See Evangelism as a spiritual discipline.

STOP HERE

Question 1

How does seeing God work through ordinary events in Esther reshape the way we view the everyday life of the church?

Question 2

What would it look like for our church to genuinely see evangelism as something we do together rather than something a few gifted people handle?

Question 3

How can an entire congregation, not just a few individuals, take ownership of helping unbelievers understand the gospel when they gather with us?

Question 4

Why is it important for a church to avoid assuming that everyone in the room already knows Christ, and how does that awareness shape the way we speak and relate to one another?

Spiritual disciplines like prayer, time in the Word, and gathering with the church are gifts God uses to strengthen us.

When we learn these rhythms early and stay with them, our faith grows and steadies.

They keep us healthy.

But when we neglect them,

our walk with Christ starts to drifts and suffers.

And the same is true with evangelism,

because make no mistake, evangelism IS A SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE.

One Christian author puts it this way:

Evangelism is a natural overflow of the Christian life. We should all be able to talk about what the Lord has done for us and what He means to us. But evangelism is also a Discipline in that we must discipline ourselves to get into the context of evangelism, that is, we must not just wait for witnessing opportunities to happen…

Jesus said in Mt. 5:16, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” To “let” your light shine before others means more than simply “Don’t do anything to keep your light from shining.” Think of His exhortation as, “Let there be the light of good works shining in your life, let there be the evidence of God-honoring change radiating from you. Let it begin! Make room for it.”

Later he goes on to say,

“Unless we discipline ourselves for evangelism, it is very easy to excuse ourselves from ever sharing the gospel with anyone.”

The point of disciplining ourselves for evangelism is to plan for it,

for Christians to actually put it into their schedule.

God uses such discipline. Maybe not the first time a witnessing opportunity presents itself, but as we discipline ourselves over time, there comes a day when we find ourselves in a thrilling discussion about Jesus with a non-Christian, about his saving power and what he can do for those who truly desire to know him and his forgiveness.

5. Foster culture of prayer

6. Leadership must set the example