Setting the Stage

Bridge Building

An 8 Week Series On Tactical Evangelism

Every Christian is called to participate in the mission of God to redeem the world. To do this well, we must live as ambassadors of the God who sends the church into the world through the authority of Christ and the power of the Spirit. But don’t go out aimlessly, have a plan! In this series, we’ll seek to train ourselves to communicate the Gospel wisely, clearly, and graciously using a tactical approach. With the support of a strong biblical foundation, the empowerment of the Spirit, and a personal conviction, our plan might actually build a bridge for someone to come back to God.

Across eight weeks, we will examine things like what evangelism truly is (and is not), how our character shapes our witness, how to begin spiritual conversations using tactical questions, and how to respond when obstacles arise. By the end, we should all have a plan of (1) how to build our bridge, and (2) where we plan to build our bridge.

(1) Setting the Stage – What Evangelism Is and Isn’t

[text] Isaiah 40:1-5; Matthew 28:18–20 (cf. 1 Cor 2:1–5; Rom 10:14–17, 2 Chr 35:21) [tbi] Evangelism is not like being a salesman, nor is is like being a warrior in the battlefield. It is like building a bridge. Creating pathways for the Gospel, by participating in God’s revelation of Himself through the Son and by the Spirit, and offering the good news of the Kingdom. To do this well, we need to first start with the Bible.

Introduction

ICEQ | What is something you like to argue about?

Series Summary

This series is about becoming bridge‑builders, people who prepare the way for the Lord by creating pathways for God’s glory to be revealed in everyday life (Isa. 40:1–5).

Evangelism is a conversational and relational work that ambassadors need to work on in order to help others encounter Jesus.

Where We’ve Been

We’ve just come through a series on apologetics and science, exploring why the Christian worldview is intellectually credible and how creation itself points toward a personal Creator (general revelation).

We learned to answer big questions: Does God exist? Did God create the world? What’s the evidence for faith?

Now, we take the next step: How do we share these truths into real conversations with real people?

Where We’re Going

This week, we’re looking at a picture of evangelism that Scripture gives us, about how people are invited to bring God into their worlds.

With that picture, we’ll hopefully see what evangelism is and what it isn’t.

To get us started, I want to read a passage from Isaiah to shape how we think about evangelism.

Isaiah 40:1–5 ESV

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Q | There’s someone in the NT that this is connected to, who is that? What is his role?

In a very real sense, JTB is the first evangelist.

Something that we need to follow after and do too, evangelism.

Introductory Questions

What do we already think about evangelism?

Q | In light of our apologetics series, if Christianity is true and reasonable, why might conversations about faith still feel difficult?

Q | How does evangelism usually happen? Where does it? What are some ways we typically think about it?

Here’s what I want us to understand

While I do think there is sometimes a place for more formal evangelism studies, I think those opportunities won’t happen as often if people like you aren’t willing to have conversations about what you believe.

Getting Into The Texts: Isaiah 40:1-5 & Matthew 28:18-20

Look back at Isaiah 40:1-5

Isaiah 40:1–5 ESV

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Evangelism is preparing the way.

To borrow from that picture, the prophet says that there are valleys and hills that God is going to straighten. But he says to the people, you have to prepare them.

Q | What kinds of “obstacles” are in the way keep people from seeing Jesus today?

God Reveals His Glory Through Prepared Pathways.

The purpose of the highway is clear: “The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” Our conversations are not the glory, they clear the road so that God’s glory can be seen. We are not the light; we are the lamp.

If that’s what evangelism is, what is it not?

 Read 2 Chronicles 35:21.

2 Chronicles 35:21 ESV

But he sent envoys to him, saying, “What have we to do with each other, king of Judah? I am not coming against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war. And God has commanded me to hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with me, lest he destroy you.”

To add a little context here, Josiah entered a war that he wasn’t supposed to. Just because there are enemies, it doesn’t mean that there needs to be war.

Evangelism Is NOT Warfare.

Many Christians treat evangelism the same way, as a cultural or intellectual battle, and in doing so that ones who “oppose God” might not see God’s glory from the encounter.

Q | How can you tell when a conversation has become combative?

Q | Is there ever a time to go to war?

Winning The War Is NOT Our Battle

Josiah’s mistake cost him his life. And our bad tactics can damage relationships and close doors for people to see God.

Evangelism is not about domination, it’s about reconciliation.

Illustrations from the OT about peace, Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3, turn your weapons into tools. You won’t be needing your weapons anymore.

Discussion

Let’s jump ahead in the Bible and read Jesus’s Great Commission. See which picture it sounds more like. Read Matthew 28:18-20.

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

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

Q | What words or phrases stand out to you in Jesus’s final charge?

Q | When Jesus begin with “All authority has been given to me…” what is He telling us?

Christians have to get this. Jesus grounds evangelism in His authority, not in ours.

The role of the evangelist is not to win battles, it is to build bridges.

Evangelism is simply participating in what He is already doing. God’s glory is already going out.

Now, let’s think about that picture again, from Isaiah 40:1-5

Isaiah 40:1–5 ESV

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Let’s think more about those obstacles.

Q | If mountains and valleys are in the way, how do we pave over them?

Conclusion

Evangelism begins not with pressure, fear, or battle, but with construction. God is sending out His glory, and He invites us to help clear the road so His glory can be revealed in people’s lives.

Two to three sentence re-statement of the conclusion statement.

This week teaches us that evangelism is not fighting for God but preparing a pathway to God. Our role is to remove barriers, misunderstandings, and relational obstacles so that the glory of the Lord can shine through clearly.

As we start this series, we walk away knowing our calling is not to conquer but to construct, to build bridges the Spirit can use.

This foundation sets the tone for everything else, questions, tactics, obstacles, and plans all flow from this image: we prepare the way. Every week will add tools for making that road smoother.

Every day, ask: “Whose road can I help clear today? Where is God asking me to prepare the way?”

Notice conversations, tensions, opportunities, and begin seeing them not as pressure points but as places to build.