Acts of the Church: Evangelizing Friends and Family

Introduction

Have you ever noticed that the hardest people to share Jesus with is those that are closest to you? There are many reasons. The biggest reason is that people are afraid that they will be rejected in some form. Another reason is that many people think it is the church’s job to teach my family about a relationship with Jesus. Some can’t share their faith simply because they do not know how. Some feel that they will not say the right thing. Yet it seems most logical that we would want those closest to us to have a relationship with Jesus that will give them eternal life. Sometimes, people become so comfortable with the gospel that they get over the need to share it, especially with those whom they are close to like friends and family. Sometimes, we get over the urgency and do not share the gospel like we should.

Are you over the gospel, or are you allowing the gospel to be all over you?

Today we are going to look at a passage from .

Acts 16:25–34 NIV84

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.

If you want to share the Gospel effectively with your friends and family, you first must have an overflowing gospel.

An Overflowing Gospel

The Bible says about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. It wasn’t just an ordinary “about midnight.” It was a midnight after severe beatings, placed in chains, and put in a prison cell. How in the world could these men pray and sing in light of the circumstances in which they were in? How is it even possible? They had an overflowing gospel. At the darkest hour, God still shines bright! Paul and Silas had so much of the Gospel of Jesus in them that it literally overflowed out of them in their darkest of situations.

Psalm 23:5 NIV84

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Psalm 23

Paul and Silas were not singing “blue, despair and agony on me,” they were singing Glory Hallelujah! They were singing “Holy, Holy, Holy!” They were praying and in the midst of praying, they started worshiping.

Romans 5:3 NIV84

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

James 1:2 NIV84

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

1 Peter 5:6 NIV84

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

When begin to worship our Lord, we begin marvel at the gift of salvation He as given us. When we marvel at the gift of salvation, we realize just how gracious He is in giving us such an undeserving gift. Our marveling becomes marvelous and we overflow in His goodness, grace, love and mercy! Oh my goodness! Do you have an overflowing gospel? Does your cup runneth over? When we have an overflowing gospel, it becomes an overheard gospel.

An Overheard Gospel

I have a gift that sometimes is a blessing and sometimes it is a curse. I can be sitting in a room of people and I can hear their conversations whether I want to or not. Sometimes it is quite interesting and sometimes it is quite annoying. As Paul and Silas were singing, the Bible says the other prisoners listening to them. I don’t know if Paul and Silas had good voices or could be a member of our choir, but I do know that what they were singing about was worth listening to! I don’t believe it was the Folsom Prison Blues. Their praying had turned to singing. Their glorification of Almighty God turned into an experience that became a holy moment, even for the other prisoners.

Last year when my mother was having her cancer surgery, we had lots of our family tucked in one corner of the surgery waiting area at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital. Mom’s pastor, Phil, was with us. There were many families there waiting to hear from their respective doctors about the surgery their loved one was experiencing. If you ever been there, you know the family registers with a receptionist and when the doctor is ready to share the outcome of the surgery, the family will be paged and asked to go to a consulting area. It becomes routine as you hear that family name called out and the room number given. Only a few can go in to meet with the Doctor and they will usually come back to the rest and give the report. One family’s name was called, and like ours, there were lots of family members present. A few of the family members met with the doctor. I noticed that one of those members came running back to the other family waiting behind and shouted, “they got it all, she is going to be okay!” That family shouted “hallelujah, praise God” and they started singing “amazing grace!” The whole waiting area busted out in applause and we all had church right then and there! My mother’s pastor said, “In all my years of ministry, I have never overheard such a powerful experience.”

Do we live our lives in such a way that the gospel we have can be overheard? Do others know we love Jesus just from overhearing our conversations?

Can our understanding of the gospel be so real that our lives can be overheard? Can our lives be so overheard that the gospel becomes real to others?

Part of the gospel is practicing the truth of God’s word.

James 5:13 NIV84

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.

James

Remember, Paul and Silas would have been sore from the chains and the beatings. They would have been forced to be in such a position that they would have been very uncomfortable. Yet they prayed and sang together!

1 Thessalonians 5:13 NIV84

Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 NIV84

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-

1 Thessalona

Their praise was bold because they had an overcoming gospel.

An Overcoming Gospel

Have you ever been overcome by the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ? John Newton certainly was. You may recognize that name. He was the author of one of the most familiar hymns we know, Amazing Grace. John Newton was a phenomenal pastor and obviously an inspired hymn writer. However, before he was a pastor and hymn writer, he was a rascal, a rebel, and a slave trader. He was the captain of a ship that would lure Africans on to his boat where he would have them chained and then eventually sold into slavery. The overcoming gospel got a hold of John Newton and his life was never the same. Shortly before his death, he composed his own epitaph which read:

Preaching the Word: Galatians—Gospel-Rooted Living Conclusion

John Newton,

Clerk,

Once an Infidel and Libertine,

A Servant of Slaves in Africa,

was,

By the rich Mercy of our Lord and Saviour

Jesus Christ,

Preserved, Restored, Pardoned,

and Appointed to Preach the Faith

He had long laboured to destroy.4

When you allow the gospel of Jesus Christ to overcome your life, you will radically change. Just like the prison foundation was shaken by a violent earthquake and the prison doors flew open and the chains became loose, that which binds us up also is shaken loose by the overcoming gospel of Jesus Christ! When you and I pray and praise, results happen. Release takes place. What do you need to be released from today? What do your friends and family members need to be released from today?

The Bible says in that “the jailer woke up.” The overcoming gospel of Jesus Christ will wake us up from being spiritually dead.

Ephesians 5:14 NIV84

for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

This jailer woke up,saw the prison doors open, and he panics. He thinks the worst. His responsibility as a jailer was to keep the prison doors secure and the prisoners in captivity. He saw the doors open and he immediately thought they had escaped. Thinking he had failed, he took his sword and was going to kill himself but Paul intervened by telling him to stop and that they were still there. This brings about two very important items we should remember. First and foremost, God’s desire for all of us is to choose life. There is nothing that can happen to us, no circumstance, no situation, absolutely nothing that the gospel of Jesus Christ cannot overcome. The truth of Jesus Christ will overcome any thought that makes us feel like we need to end it all!

The second thing we can seen from this is that Paul and Silas could have escaped their situation. They could have fled. However, the gospel is not an escape but the ability to overcome! When we have the overcoming gospel of Jesus Christ, the darkest situations and circumstances our families and friends go through be just that, a time in which we go through!

Psalm 23:4 NIV84

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

We are passing through and overcoming!

The Bible says, “The jailer called for the lights then rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.” The light always penetrates the darkness. The jailer recognized that Paul and Silas had something he needed to have so he asked them a very important question: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

The overflowing, overheard and overcoming gospel became the overarching gospel.

An Overarching Gospel

Paul and Silas told him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” They did not hesitate to give an answer. They did not pass that question off to the temple priest or local rabbi, they provided an answer that would change his life forever. They were able to give an answer. They were ready.

1 Peter 3:15 NIV84

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Paul and Silas did not belittle the jailer; they did not ridicule him or chastise him for their treatment. They spoke to him the Word of the Lord. They were able to make it personable and applicable. The Word was given and a decision was made.

The overarching gospel means that you have the answer to the question, what are you going to do with this Jesus? Are you going to make Him a liar, a lunatic, or are you going to make Him Lord?

The confessional statement of these early Christians should be our confessional statement as well.

Romans 10:9 NIV84

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

1 Corinthians 12:3 NIV84

Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

Philippians 2:11 NIV84

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

You see, Jesus is Savior to those whom He is Lord. Once one is saved, he or she can greatly influence both friends and family. In this passage, we see that because the jailer was willing to accept Jesus as his Savior, his whole family and his household was saved. The jailer’s salvation did not make the others saved, but it certainly influenced them to do so as well. Your grandma’s salvation is not going to cover yours. It is an individual decision that we all must make and no one else can make it for us.

How are you influencing others in your life? When you make Jesus as Lord, everything in your life is different. The jailer responded by bringing Paul and Silas into his home, serving them a meal and helping give them comfort.

The Bible says they were filled with joy. Believing in Christ is rejoicing in Christ. The abundance of joy overflows from the heart. The jailer was once spiritually blind and that was changed so he could see. He was spiritually dead but was alive in Christ.

Do you want to share your faith with others? Experience the overarching gospel. Once Jesus is Lord of all in your life, everything you do, everything you believe, everything you are will be the result of following Jesus. Nothing else will matter.