God’s Design-Evangelism

This week we are wrapping up the four purposes of the church. We have learned about compassion, genuine worship, and making disciples. All of the purposes are based around God’s design for His church. This morning we are discussing evangelism. The goal for this Sunday is to make a case for Evangelism and why we should. Also, a goal is to provide a practical tool to help evangelize. We are going learn about Philip who sets the bar for evangelism

Prayer

Remember a time when you received great news. It could be when you found out your family was growing through pregnancy or marriage. There are many situations where you would want to tell everyone about the news.

When I got the job at KDOT over 8 years ago. (I needed to call everyone in my family after I called my wife)

If we choose to follow Christ, we have the best news ever, so we should share the news with others.

Read Acts 8:26-40

Let’s look at the circumstances in the two men in the story.

Two men with authority

Philip’s authority came from God

The Eunuch’s authority was from Queen Candice in Ethiopia

Two men seemed to be on different paths

However, God had a different plan

The two men meet along the road

The Eunuch was on his way home from worshipping in Jerusalem

He was reading Isaiah 53 which is about the Suffereing Servant. This scripture had been debated for hundreds of years because one side believed it was about Israel, but the other side believed it was about the Messiah (Jesus)

Philip listened to the Spirit’s guidance for what to do.

Philip answered the man’s questions

“How can I understand if no one explains it to me?” Unsaved people need scripture explained to them.

Philip explains the entire gospel to the Eunuch

The Eunuch was eager to respond

After hearing the gospel, the Eunuch immediately wanted to be baptized.

As we look at this passage, there are some common themes about Philip.

He lived an evangelistic lifestyle

Let the Spirit guide him

In the same way, we need to have the same heart for sharing the gospel

MAIN POINT: GOD DESIGNED HIS CHURCH TO BE EVANGELISTIC

There are three things to remember based on Philip’s encounter when it comes to sharing the gospel.

Be prepared

Philip was prepared to answer questions. The only way he was prepared is he prayed daily and followed the Spirit’s leading.

We will spend the second part learning a way to be prepared.

Ask Questions

When Philip approached the chariot, he asked a question. After reading the passage, he asked another one.

When we are talking to someone about Christ, we cannot dominate the conversation about about we know. There should be some questions we ask which will lead to our understanding of the person’s knowledge.

Basic training principles in KDOT (Assess prior knowledge)

Expect God to work

This is the most important concept for us to learn. God is the one that changes lives.

The work we do is only effective if God moves. If we know and believe this, the pressure is take off of us. Remember, if someone rejects the gospel, they are not rejecting you.

Now we have a case for evagelism and factors for evangelism. What does it look like within the body of believers?

The Church should be gospel focused in all parts of the service. However, the pastor should not be the only person sharing the gospel. The body of beleivers can be equipped to share the gospel with others. There are many different approaches to share the gospel. The 3 Circles method is usable with only a pen and paper.

3 Circles

First, it is best to have a relationship with the person. Look for an opportunity to mention the brokenness in the world. We see broken relationship, broken lives, and broken systems.

We see the brokenness in suffering, violence, and other pains around us.

God designed the world that worked perfectly. God made each of us with a purpose—to worship Him and walk with him.

Can use Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.” or Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.”

Because of the brokenness in the world, there is sin. (Ask if they know what sin is) We selfishly insist on doing things our own way. The Bible calls this sin. We all sin and distort the original design. Sin causes separation from God for all eternity.

Sin leads us to a place of continual brokenness. We begin to look for a way out. We try to be good, go to church, and other ways to figure things out on our own, but we always fall short. Brokenness leads us to realize a need for something greater.

At this point, we need some good news. Jesus, God in human flesh, came to us and lived perfectly according to God’s design. Jesus came to rescue us—to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He took our sin and shame to the cross. He provided the only way for us to be rescued and restored to a relationship with God.

Hearing the Good News is not enough. We must admit our sinful brokenness and stop trusting ourselves. We must ask God to forgive us—turning from sin to trust only in Jesus. This is what it means to repent and believe. We receive new life through Jesus, and God turns our lives in a new direction.

When God restores our relationship to Him, we begin to discover meaning and purpose in a broken world. Even when we fail, we understand God’s pathway to be restored. God’s Spirit empowers us to recover His Design and assures us of His presence in this life and for all eternity.

At this point, ask the person if they want to repent and restored. If they say yes, lead them to pray for repentance.

Sample prayer

The prayer is not magic words. The main part of the prayer is to admit, believe, and confess and commit.

This process can be used in any circumstance the Lord leads you. We need to be like Philip and live a life of evangelism to be the church God designed us to be.