Evangelism
Evangelism: Telling the Story
Act 8.26-
Intro:
John 5.3939 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.[1]
The man named Philip. The same man named in Act 6.5. He was a spirit-filled deacon. He was with Stephen at his death. This man understood what it meant to die for your faith.
We need to remember he was not a preacher, or a professional religious worker. He was a common man. He followed God and loved to tell the story, The Good News of Gods love.
His family followed him we can see in Act 21.8-9, he is also called the evangelist. This man was the first to be called that. It could be that he was the first missionary to the gentiles. What a witness for Jesus. How did he do this work.
Example of passion—we all are passionate about something. Its that which comes to your mind first, I think of my wife everyday and she is not far from may first though every minute. Right there along side is my boys. Friend I must say that I think about Jesus every second of the day. That which we are passionate about we will not have to try to remember what that was I was interested in last week.
Today we are called by God to be passionate about the good news 1 Corinthians 15.3,4 that is that Christ died for us he was buried, he was raised from the died. We have Great news God loves us. If you are a Christian you have a story to tell.
I. Do we have the passion to tell the story?
1. Philip will be our example:
Accessible—God could get to him. He was open to God
a. he was preaching in Samaria Act 8.1 the people where receiving Christ
b. He was already doing the job
Example: Did you read about the boy who returned home from his first Sunday school class? His mother asked, “Who was your teacher?” and the little boy answered, “I don’t remember her name, but she must been Jesus’ grandmother because she didn’t talk about anyone else.”
c. he was telling the story
Philip was-
Available: God could use him
Example: Marlon Brando wandered so much on his way to kindergarden that his sister Jocelyn eventually had to take him to class on a leash. Her passions pushed her to do something to keep her brother from getting lost. Celebrity trivia 1980
She was available
Do we care for the lost? Philip cared about the lost, those without Jesus. For most of us, we care but we only tell the story a few times. This makes us feel better for a short time. Once we tell the story, we say ok I’m done for the next six months.
We see in Philip that he was also
Ready—He did not make up excuses
A. God was using him at Samaria. A great revival was happen. He was even getting the attention of the apostle from Jerusalem, then God says, “Its time to go.” What we see is a readiness that makes Philip sensitivity to gods voice.
b. we must be the ready disciples
We must keep our walk with GOD fresh do not sit back and wait get into the word now be ready. Its to late when you are on the desert road and the person is asking you for a word from God study the word of God. Never stop even when it is hard.
Philip was also
Prompt—on his way he listen for God voice. HE did not wait
He was able to hear the man reading from the book of Isaiah. He was ready to ask the man the question
“ Do you understand what you are reading.”
He was the man for the job and he did not wait for the shy to fall on him he jumped at the opportunity to tell the Good news.
Con : Do we have the passion about the Good news. There are people that need us to telling the story of faith .
F- is for forgivingness
a- is for available
i-is for Impossible
t-is for turn
h-is for Heaven
----
[Acts 17:11; 2 Tim. 3:15];
See Luke 24:27
ver. 43. ch. 3:19; 7:17; [Matt. 23:37; Luke 13:34]
[1]The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Jn 5:39-40.