Evangelism and the Scriptures
Notes
Transcript
Experiences
Experiences
we want to tell people of our experiences as a christian to try to get them to want to become one
once someone tried to get people to come to church to watch us worship and see how much fun we were having and then they would want to join
some evangelistic outreaches have the opening line of
“God has a wonderful plan for your life”
what would you think of with that statement?
How about Stephen when he was stoned to death
the martyrs in Rome in 1st-3rd centuries
being dipped in pitch and becoming a human torch in the garden of Ceasar
or the Christians in Africa being slaughtered and the girls an women raped
Is this what you think of as a wonderful life?
people are promised a wonderful life but they see other christians lives and the poverty, sicknesses, christians being laid off from work
If that is a wonderful life then “I’ll just stay the way I am thank you”.
The Jews demanded a sign in order to believe so we now come to the
Rich Man and Lazarus
Rich Man and Lazarus
Luke 16 19
Read 19-28
the rich man wants Lazarus to be resurrected and go and be a sign to his brothers so they will be saved
If only a dead person would evangelize them; then they will believe
what a sign that would be. a shock a person coming back from paradise and telling them how to get there
a message from Hell from their brother begging them not to come there
what a great evangelistic tool to be able to use
but what does Abraham say?
V 29
they have the scriptures. these are Jews they have the scriptures available to them.
all of the old testament. they have the scriptures read to them every Sabbath
V 30
that wont work they need a wakeup call from a previously dead person
a good old fashioned sign then they will repent
then they will turn from their sinful ways and turn to Jesus
V 31
no
What is Abraham telling this man
That scripture is what is needed to cause someone to be convicted
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
The scriptures are the power of God
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?
The lost need an evangelist to tell them the Good news of salvation
And how will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim good news of good things!”
Proclaiming the scriptures
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
So trust comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through a word proclaimed about the Messiah.
not experiences, not sign and wonders
lets look at the first sermon preached on Pentecost
Acts 2 16-41
the scriptures were used throughout this sermon
heaven was not promised
there was no signs and wonders
there was no experiences told about
V 37
the Holy Spirit caused them to respond to the gospel
the word of God is
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
for you have been born again not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
The Holy Spirit caused them to repent
Peter did his part and telling the Gospel
The Father did His part and writing their names in the book of life before the foundation of the world
the Son did His part in giving Himself as a sacrifice to ransom to purchase said person from the grip of Satan
And the Holy Spirit regenerated this person. and trough the power of the scriptures caused this person to repent and believe
A person being saved is a cosmic collaboration between the trinity and the persons planting and watering seeds
Scripture
Scripture
so the more scripture that we can give to a person we are witnessing to the better
scripture is the seeds that are planted
