Evangelism by Modeling

 How many electrical engineers does it take to change a light bulb? None. They redefine darkness as the industry standard. We treat evangelism like that. We redefine it & do our own thing. Why? A pretty co-ed came to Prof's office. She glanced down the hall, closed his door, & knelt. "I'd do anything to pass this exam." She leaned closer, flipped back her hair, gazed into his eyes, & whispered. "I'd do anything." He returned her gaze. "Anything?" "Anything." His voice softened. "Anything??" "Absolutely anything." He whispered, "Would you... study?" That's our question as we look at Paul's words, today. Will we study how to do evangelism? Just what is evangelism? Isn't it just sharing the gospel? In part. But much more. Let's come back to that question after we look at 1 Th 2:9-13. How does Paul tell us to start? 9aSurely you remember, brothers, our toil & hardship. Commit to the hard work of evangelism. And if there's hardship, persevere. 9bWe worked night & day not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. As a boy, Paul learned to cut & sew the woven cloth from goats' hair into tents. Jewish rabbis were expected not to charge for their teaching. So, as a tentmaker, he earned his living wherever he went. Each day, from sunup to sundown Paul worked in the marketplace with the other craftsmen. Evenings, he preached. He worked night & day, long hours. And hardship? Paul persisted even when Jews reacted with violence. How'd Paul conduct himself? 10You're witnesses (so is God) of how holy, righteous & blameless we were among you who believed. From 1 Th 2:4, Paul works to please God. Each moment, he does what pleases the Lord, not others. God set him apart. He's holy & does only what he's set apart for. Before God he stands holy. He's righteous. He obeys God's Law & is upright in dealing with others. He comes up to God's standard. Paul is blameless. Beyond reproach before God, the Jews, & the Thessalonians. If that weren't true, we wouldn't have this letter. Paul does more than tell others about Christ. He doesn't "notch the Bible & move on." No! 1 Th 2:7 says he nurtures baby Christians, like a mother nurtures her babies. In addition, 11You know we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children. How so? Like a father, he's 12aEncouraging. Like a father, he comes alongside with helpful instruction & insight on how to live a Christian life in the face of the issues they face. 12bAnd comforting. Like a father, he comes alongside & weeps when they weep, rejoices when they rejoice. And, like a father, he 12curges us to live lives worthy of God who calls us into his kingdom & glory. Like a father, Paul trains up his children in the way they should go: in Christ. Why? God saves all His children. We owe debt we can never repay. Let's be thankful, & let's show it by the way we live. Let's live lives worthy of the Lord. He calls us into His Kingdom. He saved us. He will someday raise us to glory. For all that & more, we love Him. How can we live worthily? Live the way Paul did. Do all for Christ. Work hard for Him, day & night. Live holy, righteous, & blameless lives. Share ourselves with others, not just the gospel. Nurture & guide them to Christ. How? Set an example. Then, like Paul, we can urge others to imitate us as we imitate Christ. 13aWe also thank God continually. We should be thankful. And if we enter the Lord's mission with Him, He gives us special reasons to be thankful. How so? 13bWhen you received God's word, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, God's word, which is at work in you who believe. Why do we call Scripture God's Word? It is God-breathed. There's more. When others hear Scripture from us, God speaks through us. Why? How? The Holy Spirit. He witnesses to God's Word in their hearts as we speak. As we speak, the Holy Spirit works in their hearts. He convicts them of sin & witnesses to the Son. If they receive our words? They receive God's Word. God speaks to them through us. In Isa 55:10-11, God says His Word will not return to Him empty. When they receive God's word, the Gospel message, God will transform their lives. God's power is revealed in them through His word. God uses us to transform lives! Whenever He does, wow! Reason for continual thanks. At last we can ask: what's evangelism? Dwight L. Moody understood. He was in London for an evangelistic tour. Several clergymen visited him. "You're a poorly educated American. How can you be so effective in winning throngs of people to Christ?" Moody took them to the window of his hotel room. Looking out, He asked each one, "What do you see?" One by one, each described the people in the park below. Then Moody looked out. Tears rolled down his face. "What do you see, Mr. Moody?" asked the men. "I see countless thousands of souls that will one day spend eternity in hell if they don't find the Savior." They saw people strolling in the park. Moody saw eternal souls. Moody saw & loved them. Like Paul. (Like Jesus.) What's evangelism? It's the love we do after seeing others the way Jesus sees them. Paul models for us how to do it. Work hard. Don't just share the Good News. Like a mother, nurture them. Like a father, guide each baby Christian to grow up in Christ. Show others how attractive & inspiring the Christian life can be. How? Live it. Model it for them. Above all, pray it through. Ask the Holy Spirit for today's divine appointments. Ask for discernment to recognize each one. Ask for words He can use to change hearts for Christ. Pray for each baby Christian as we nurture & guide them into Christian maturity. What's evangelism? Sharing Christ by modeling Him. Evangelism by Modeling - 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 Page 1 of 1