SF904 - Let the Church Be The Church - 6 of 10 A Biblical Understanding of Evangelism (Acts 1 8)
Acts 1:8
Introduction
What do you think of when you hear the word “evangelist?”
It is a tangled topic today. It is so often done so badly, should we not leave it to the professionals? Is it even right to try to get others to change their beliefs? A biblical understanding of and practice of evangelism is necessary. We have talked about the message of salvation (the gospel) and the moment of salvation (conversion). Now we will examine the method and motive for sharing the gospel. We will answer four questions.
Ø Who are the evangelists of the New Testament?
Ø What is New Testament evangelism?
Ø Why should we evangelize?
Ø How are we to practice New Testament evangelism?
Ø What are the results of New Testament evangelism?
Ø Where does New Testament evangelism take place?
Ø
1A. Who Are the Evangelists of the New Testament? (Acts 1:8)
1B. The prominence of evangelism in the Bible.
Romans 1:14-15 (NASB) 14I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) 18…“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
2B. The people of evangelism - “But you…”
1 Peter 3:15 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence”
2B. The power for evangelism – “The Holy Spirit”
Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
3B. The platform for evangelism - our love for each other.
John 13:34-35 “…love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
2A. What is New Testament Evangelism (Matthew 28:19-20)
1B. What it is not...
Evangelism is NOT an imposition of your beliefs on someone else.
Ø The gospel is made up of facts, not simply opinions.
Ø These facts are not uniquely yours they are the same for everyone.
Ø We do not impose anything on others because we cannot--the fruit of evangelism comes from God.
1 Corinthians 3:5-7 (NASB) 5What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
Ø It involves no coercion, only proclamation and love.
Evangelism is NOT simply your personal testimony.
Ø You may include the gospel in your testimony, but you may not.
Ø A personal testimony makes no claim on the person you are talking with whom you share it.
Evangelism is not getting people to make decisions based on
Ø Reasoning – mind – (apologetics)
Ø Emotions - heart
Ø Persuasion – will (soul)
Matthew 22:37 And He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'
It is not recruiting church members.
Evangelism is NOT the same as the results of evangelism, conversion.
Ø When we confuse the practice of evangelism with the results of evangelism, you might lead you to think it is within your power to convert others.
2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (NASB) 15For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?
Ø Paul preached the same gospel to everybody, but it had two different effects.
Ø We cannot judge the correctness of our evangelism by the results.
(The parable of the soils (Matthew 13:1-23)
Ø Much of modern evangelism has become emotionally manipulative, but true evangelism is not persuading people to make a decision. Rather, it is telling the truth. And trusting God to bring them to repentance and faith
2B. What it is…
New Testament evangelism is proclaiming the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit trusting God to bring men to faith in Christ and obeying God by making disciples of those whom He has brought to faith.
Ø There are seven verb forms in that Commission, but only one of them is a command.
Ø The imperative verb in the Great Commission means to "make disciples," or "turn men into disciples."
Ø We need to immediately stop asking, "How many decisions did you have?" and begin asking, "How many disciples are you building?"
3A. Why should we evangelize?
1B. We evangelize in order to be obedient to the Great Commission
Luke 19:10 (NASB) 10“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
1 Corinthians 9:16-17 (NASB) 16For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. 17For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.
2B. We evangelize because we love the lost.
Matthew 9:36 (NASB) 36Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.
John 3:16
Romans 10:1 (NASB) 1Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.
3B. We evangelize because we desire to see God glorified.
God is glorified when we proclaim the gospel and leave the results to Him.
Ø What have we done to the gospel in America by the way we have evangelized?
Ø The redemption of an eternal soul is not a sale to be closed by a witness.
Ø We must proclaim the gospel knowing that we cannot convert anyone, but allowing God to use us, and work through us to accomplish His purposes.
God is glorified when He receives all the credit for the conversion of sinners.
Ø Some have said if you believe in election, you will not evangelize.
Do not tell that to Whitefield, Edwards, Carey, Judson, Spurgeon, Lloyd-Jones, Francis Schaeffer, D. James Kennedy, John Piper, or the Apostle Paul.
Acts 18:9-10 (NASB) 9And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; 10for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”
4A. How Are We to Practice New Testament Evangelism?
1B. We must tell people that if they repent and believe they will be saved--but it will be costly.
We must tell people that they are lost and sinful and separated from God.
Isaiah 59:2 (NASB) 2But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.
Telling people they are lost sinners will not be popular.
“I don’t think that anything has been done in the name of Christ under the banner of Christianity that has proven more destructive to human personality, and hence counter-productive to the evangelistic enterprise, than the unchristian, uncouth strategy of attempting to make people aware of their lost and sinful condition.” (Robert Schuller, quoted in Nine Marks, 112.)
2B. We must tell people with urgency that if they repent and believe they will be saved.
We do not have an unlimited amount of time. (Luke 13:6-9)
Hebrews 4:7 (NASB) 7“…Today if you hear His voice, DO not harden your hearts.”
3B. Tell people with joy that if they repent and believe they will be saved. However difficult it may be, it is worth it.
Being a Christian involves suffering and pain.
Luke 9:23 (NASB) 23And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
The gain far outweighs the costs.
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” (Jim Elliot)
4B. Use the Bible as your primary source of the gospel.
Isaiah 55:11 (NASB) 11So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
5B. We must live in such a way as to validate our witness.
This is one reason church membership is so important.
Matthew 5:16 (NASB) 16“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
6B. We must pray, because salvation is the work of God.
5A. What Are The Results of Biblical Evangelism (2 Timothy 2)
Having already discussed the nature of the gospel and expounding on the who, where, and what of evangelism we are led to a two-fold question: what does a disciple look like and how are we to make disciples?
1B. The profile of a New Testament Disciple
Paul presents a seven-fold portrait of a disciple in this chapter.
A Son (2:1)
Ø He is a son of God by a birth from above; but here, he is the spiritual son of the believer who led him to Christ. Paul called Timothy "my son," because he had led him to Christ.
Ø What does a good son do? He learns from his parent, loves his parent, obeys his parent, and extends the family traits. And so does a spiritual son.
A Soldier (2:3-4)
Ø What does a good soldier do? He abandons all of his own plans and purposes to fulfill the duty assigned him. He trains with great discipline and effort. He defends the interest of his homeland. He fights when it is necessary. In short, he is ready for struggle and sacrifice, which are essential if he is to fulfill his assignment.
An Athlete (2:5)
Ø What does a good athlete do? He applies himself totally to his sport, trains rigorously and steadily, masters the required skills, strives for mental discipline as well as physical, and does his best to excel.
Ø A Christian disciple will do no less in following Christ.
A Farmer (2:6)
Ø What does a good farmer do? He labors, he breaks up the soil, he sows seed, he cultivates, and he reaps the crop.
Ø All of these activities have evident counterparts in the spiritual exercise of being a disciple and making disciples.
A Workman (2:15)
Ø As Christian disciples, we are here to labor and not to loaf.
A Vessel (2:20-21)
Ø What does a good vessel do? It sits on its master's shelf, empty and available, and waits for him to fill it if he wishes.
Ø The Christian disciple never has to wonder whether his Master wants to fill him or not. Ephesians 5:18 commands him to “be filled with the Spirit.”
Ø When it is filled, it waits for him to pour it out. It simply waits for him to employ it as vessels are normally used. So should it be with a Christian disciple.
A Bond-Servant (2:24)
Ø A bond-servant has no will of his own, no schedule of his own, no rights of his own, and no property of his own. He is completely at his master's disposal.
Ø However, he is not lacking in resources. His master's checkbook endows any assignment the slave may receive. And so it is with a Christian disciple.
2B. The procedure for making New Testament Disciples (2:2)
The principle of incarnation – “heard from me…”
Ø Does it take more than the revelation of God’s truth to produce a New Testament disciple? Yes!
Ø We know this because of nature of God’s command, we are to go to them not simply send the Word to them.
Ø We know this because of the example of Christ; Jesus certainly came to die for our sins but if that were all he came to do He could have died immediately after His baptism. But He didn’t because He came to demonstrate the truth before men, “if you have seen me you have seen the Father.”
Ø Now we are to be the incarnation of Christ in the world, “you are the light of the world.”
How can we do this? (2 Timothy 3:10-11)
Ø You followed (fully known) Paul lived a perfectly transparent life with Timothy; transparency, transmission, transformation
Ø Teaching, my doctrine (teachings),
Ø Conduct, manner of life (lifestyle),
Ø Purpose, example, an offering, a plan
Ø Faith ,actually, faithfulness or fidelity
Ø Patience, longsuffering
Ø Love, agape, purposed willful love
Ø Perseverance, patient enduring
Ø Persecutions and sufferings, afflictions
This is the natural outcome of what has been called the "with him" principle. Jesus "ordained twelve that they should be with him" (Mark 3:14).
The process of multiplication
Ø We are to seek out faithful men, those who fit the profile of a disciple.
Ø This is one of the essential features of the genius of Christianity. When it functions properly, it always guarantees second and third-generation leadership.
Ø This is why it is absolutely essential that a discipler only seek to instill the process into faithful men. If his disciples prove to be unfaithful, the entire process stops with them, and all future generations may be left without skilled spiritual leadership.
Invest in the lives of others.
Ø Entrust is a banker's term. It literally means to “deposit.” When you make a deposit in a savings account in a bank, you are hoping to gain a dividend, to draw interest.
Ø So it is when you make a disciple. You are not merely disinfecting a sinner. You are making a quantitative and qualitative investment that will accrue interest indefinitely into eternity.
Never stop seeking to make disciples.
Ø Notice that there are four generations of disciples in this one verse: “Me . . . you . . . faithful men . . . others also.”
Ø The process of multiplication in this verse can be diagramed like this:
Paul – Timothy – Faithful men - Others
6A. Where Does New Testament Evangelism Take Place? (Acts 1:8; Mark 16:15)
1B. Comprehensive in geography
Mark 16:15 …Go into all the world
2B. Inclusive for all humanity
Mark 16:15 …and preach the gospel to all creation.
3B. Simultaneous in practice (Acts 1:8)
This command is simultaneous not sequential.
Application
Doubling of Pennies
If I were to offer you one penny on the first day of a 31-day month, and offer to double the sum each day for 31 days (so that on the second day you have 2 cents, on the 3rd day 4 cents, on the 4th day 8 cents, etc., etc.); or offer you the outright sum of $1 million, which would you take? If you took the million dollars, you would be losing over 9.7 million dollars. But remember where it starts—with one penny. Without the invested first penny, the process never begins.
Why is disciple-making working so poorly? Frankly, God cannot find enough qualitative "first pennies." And remember, it is Paul to Timothy, a "second penny." The process largely depends on the quality, commitment, vision, and work of the first two pennies. Why? Because they are usually the only models of this process their companions will ever see, as tragic as this may be.
Christian, do you have the vision of world impact by disciple-making? Are you qualitatively investing the Jesus-lifestyle, the Jesus-vision, and the Jesus-commitment in the lives of individuals so that they have a similar vision and commitment and can impart them to others?
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “A righteous person is one who lives for the next generation.”
Evangelism (Disciple-making), properly done, both forces and guarantees that kind of righteousness.