Why We Share the Good News

My testimony - I am here because a guy named Jon went outside the walls of the church....

God has given me peace…

Knowing and following Jesus has made such a difference in my life that I want to help as many people as I can to experience the same thing I have experienced.

Acts 4:19–20 NLT

19 But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? 20 We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”

Witnessing or Evangelism is simply talking about something we are passionate about. It’s easy to be passionate about GREAT NEWS! We have the great news that men and women can be saved from their sins by believing that Jesus Died on the Cross for them and that they can be set free from Strongholds in their lives because he rose from the dead and lives today!

So tonight, I want to look at what it means to be a witness and why it’s important. Next week we will look at Paul’s Blue print for Evangelism, but tonight, we want to look at why we should witness.

During Old Testament times, an enemy king named Ben- Hadad of Aram mobilized his army to attack and besiege Israel.

2 Kings 7:3–11 NLT

3 Now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gates. “Why should we sit here waiting to die?” they asked each other. 4 “We will starve if we stay here, but with the famine in the city, we will starve if we go back there. So we might as well go out and surrender to the Aramean army. If they let us live, so much the better. But if they kill us, we would have died anyway.” 5 So at twilight they set out for the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there! 6 For the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the sounds of a great army approaching. “The king of Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us!” they cried to one another. 7 So they panicked and ran into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else, as they fled for their lives. 8 When the men with leprosy arrived at the edge of the camp, they went into one tent after another, eating and drinking wine; and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and hid it. 9 Finally, they said to each other, “This is not right. This is a day of good news, and we aren’t sharing it with anyone! If we wait until morning, some calamity will certainly fall upon us. Come on, let’s go back and tell the people at the palace.” 10 So they went back to the city and told the gatekeepers what had happened. “We went out to the Aramean camp,” they said, “and no one was there! The horses and donkeys were tethered and the tents were all in order, but there wasn’t a single person around!” 11 Then the gatekeepers shouted the news to the people in the palace.

Evangelism is sharing good news with those who desperately need it.

People are struggling with life… many are dying and spending eternity in hell, but we have the cure for that… the gospel.

Ephesians 2:1 NLT

1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.

When you are dead you can’t do anything about anything - you’re dead.

The Gospel has the Power to Transform Lives

Romans 1:16 NLT

16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.

Just like the Lepers outside the city who said, everyone will die if we don’t go tell them what we have found, Paul says...

Romans 10:14 NLT

14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?

Evangelism is sharing with others what Jesus has done in your life

Jesus began by proclaiming the good news, but finished with tell us to proclaim the good news.

Matthew 28:18–20 NLT

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The Reason we Share is Love for God and for others.

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 NLT

14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

Titanic

On April 15, 1912, the Titanic sank into the dark ocean… plunging 12,000 feet to the bottom of the ocean. Only one lifeboat came back to look for people and Jesus wants you and I to be that life boat.

We have the ability through Jesus to rescue the perishing. We have the lifeboat of salvation.

John 3:36 NLT

36 And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”

If you Believe in. Trust in . Depend on Jesus, you have eternal life. If you don’t you don’t.

God wants us to see people the way Jesus sees them. Jesus gave up his life to save them. What are we willing to do?

1 Corinthians 9:16 NLT

16 Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News!

Why was Paul compelled to preach the Good News?

Romans 3:9–20 NLT

9 Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. 10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” 13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.” 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “They rush to commit murder. 16 Destruction and misery always follow them. 17 They don’t know where to find peace.” 18 “They have no fear of God at all.” 19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

People cannot do enough good stuff. They cannot go to church enough. They have to have a relationship with Jesus Christ to have eternal life.

Jesus wants to save people and make their lives whole and complete.

Matthew 11:28 NLT

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

We don’t do this by Ourselves, The Holy Spirit give us the Power to Witness

Acts 1:8 NLT

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Luke 11:13 NLT

13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Acts 4:31 NLT

31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.

Remember...

The Gospel is the Good News about Jesus that needs to be shared.

People without Christ are lost in sin and without hope.

We need the Holy Spirit’s empowerment to share the good news

Here is the Gospel in a nutshell

1 Corinthians 15:3–8 NLT

3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.

Write down some names on your FRAN List that you can begin to pray for God to give you an opportunity to witness and invite.