Evangelism 101

What does evangelism look like? On a practical note… when we use the word evangelism… what thoughts or actions come to mind? What do we picture in our heads?

Perhaps we imagine a person going door to door, talking to people about the Lord, and maybe handing out a track or other material to introduce that person to faith.

Maybe we have in mind an evangelist that comes to an area and preaches to the church inspiring members to talk to their friends and neighbors about Jesus.

Maybe we limit evangelism to throwing out Facebook invite to church or even dropping a subtle invite to someone we know to a special church event.

Evangelism defined is really simple: Telling people about Jesus. Evangelism is communicating the gospel. It is the simple task of connecting an unbelieving world to… God’s never ending love!

And I want us to note something very important when we consider the topic of evangelism this morning. This is NOT a man-made idea but an office (if you will) establish by God Himself for a very specific purpose. Ephesians 4:11-13 shows us this. it reads, “11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Evangelists are appointed by Christ to help equip the body for works of service… SO THAT THE BODY OF CHRIST MIGHT BE BUILT UP.

Evangelists… evangelize. They tell the world that Jesus saves.

This last week, we had the opportunity to sit under the teaching of Evangelist Greg Hubbard at Woodston Camp.

He spoke on the things of God but did you notice a pattern to his teaching and preaching?

He focused on salvation - he made sure every knew Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

He focused on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit - he spoke of the empowerment that comes with such baptism.

He then focused on sending the church to do what? Tell people about Jesus!

We witnessed the office of evangelist in full swing as Greg worked to equip the body of Christ for works of service.

So why all this talk regarding evangelism? Why focus on this topic today? Because we the church have a job to do. We the church have been given a mission… a commission by Jesus Himself and it goes WAY beyond just inviting someone to go to church. Our mission is to MAKE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST. Our mission is to evangelize the world - to tell this world that Jesus saves.

Matthew 28:19-20 is where we find the great commission. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Here’s the deal… by the looks of things… the end of this age is not very far away! Jesus is coming back soon! This means that the window of opportunity to reach this world for Jesus is beginning to close. Time is short, church. Our time to make disciples of all nations is coming to an end.

Why is it important that we take this job seriously? Because we know that without Christ… people will perish. Without Christ… people ARE perishing. This world needs Jesus!

But with all of this… I feel sometimes we over complicate what it means to evangelize. I feel we sometimes overthink of what it takes to make disciples. We are going to Acts 17 and we are going to look at a passage that talks about one of the missions experiences that Paul and Silas have in Thessalonica.

As we break this passage down… we are going to see three important points regarding what evangelism looks like and what we can expect as the result of our faithfulness to the great commission.

How many desire to be faithful to the commission given to us by Jesus? How many understand that commission is given to ALL believers? How many understand that in these last days God is pouring out His Spirit on all people?

Why do I bring those points up? Because if you follow Christ, you are a part of this work. As a part of this work, God has made available to you His Spirit to help get the job done!

Paul and Silas are working to bring the gospel message to an un-reached region. What we are going to see are some simple points to remember that will help us un-complicate in our minds what evangelism looks like.

Evangelism starts on common ground.

Look at the first two verses of Acts 17 with me. Acts 17:1-2 reads, “When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures”

Paul, as made clear in verse 2, made a point to start his ministry where? In the local Synagogues. before reaching out to the gentiles in the area, he began with the Jews. This was strategic. This was purposeful. Paul did not aimlessly pick a spot and start preaching, he worked in a way that would maximize the impact the gospel would have in the region.

And… looking back through Acts… this traveling team was led by the Holy Spirit in ALL things. They didn’t follow their own understanding… they followed the will of God through the leading of His Spirit. GOD HAD A PLAN and these guys wanted to make sure they were following that plan.

Why did Paul make a point to begin evangelizing in the Synagogue? What purpose or value could such a strategy bring to his ministry efforts?

Paul started there because of their background in the Scriptures. Paul started there because of the common ground they shared.

What do I mean by the words common ground? Common ground is what we have in common with others. It is the point from which conversations begin. It is the point from which relationships are built.

Consider the church… the body of Christ for a moment. As I look across this congregation I see folks from different trades with different likes and dislikes. I see people with different backgrounds, different educations, different life experiences and such. Our differences is NOT what brought this congregation together. What brings us together is our common ground - our faith in Jesus. And this common ground is STRONG ENOUGH to overcome any differences we have.

I may not be able to match your sports knowledge. I may not be able to keep up with the business lingo. I may not be able to keep up with your stock market insight or your handy man skills or culinary expertise. But I bet I could walk up to anyone in this room and strike up a conversation about JESUS! He is our common ground!

As Paul worked to bring the gospel message to any region… if thee was a Synagogue… that’s where he started. And even in areas where there was no Synagogue… he worked to find people on common ground.

By ministering in this way… the conversation got started with information that was engaging. If you look at Acts 13:16-41, you can see how the common ground gave Paul an advantage in delivering the gospel.

Here’s the point I want to make. As we work to tell the world about Jesus… work from what you have in common with others.

Maybe it’s the weather… maybe it’s your trade or occupation. Maybe it’s your hobbies or your interests or even your struggles. Whatever it is… use it as a place to start… use it as a way to get the conversation going. Use it as an opportunity… TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH THAT PERSON!

Paul spent THREE SABBATH DAYS in that Synagogue and “reasoned with them from the Scriptures.” It wasn’t a one and done conversation. Paul spent time with these people. He got to know these people. His time spent with these folks helped them know HE CARED ABOUT THEM!

When we aim to start with common ground… we take evangelism on at a RELATIONAL LEVEL. Our care and compassion become the motivator.

Telling the world about Jesus moves deeper than superficial conversation. It moves deeper than a simple invite to church or a mention of religious activities. Making disciples is a relational effort that starts on common ground and points people to Jesus.

Evangelism works to build a bridge.

As the conversation continued, Paul worked to move the people in the synagogues from what they had in common… to the uncommon. They began by reasoning with the Scriptures… but the point he was leading them to is seen in the next verse. Acts 17:3 tells us that Paul explained and proved “that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said.”

Paul worked to build a bridge. This purpose of this bridge was to connect the Jews and move them from what they knew wot what they did not know.

The knew the Scriptures true enough. But what they didn’t know was that Jesus WAS the Messiah! Paul built a bridge to connect them with new faith in the One who had come to die for them.

In this case… I see that these folks struggled to understand that the Messiah had to suffer. What this shows me is they had the wrong idea of what their “Messiah” had come to do.

Many expected the Messiah to come and stir things up politically and nationally. In fact, the disciples themselves wanted to know when Jesus was going to do this after His resurrection from the dead. After jesus had instructed them not to leave Jerusalem before they received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, they asked Him in Acts 1:6 “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Jesus had not yet come as conquering king… but had come as the sacrificial Lamb. he came to save the world from its sins! Paul was working to establish that Jesus IS the Messiah they had been waiting for!

Here’s the deal, church. Those who follow Christ know this truth already: JESUS IS THE ANSWER THIS WORLD HAS BEEN LOOKING FOR. The problem is… they need help in building the bridge and making this connection.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This work cannot be done without the help of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus made this clear in John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” How does the Father draw people to the Son? Through His Holy Spirit.

Is God selective in who He draws to the Son? 2 Peter 3:9 tells us “The Lord is… not wanting anyone to perish, but EVERYONE to come to repentance.”

GOD DESIRES FOR ALL TO BE SAVED. Therefore… I believe God’s Spirit is working on the hearts of all people in some way shape or form.

As God’s Spirit is working on the hearts… God’s COMMISSIONED church should be working to make disciples. We should be actively building relationships and building bridges that connect people to salvific work of our Savior!

Conversations that begin on common ground will often present opportunities to build connections to the gospel message of Jesus Christ. But a person must be intentionally looking for those opportunities.

Paul “reasoned” with the Synagogue for three Sabbaths. And I doubt the conversations were isolated only to those particular days. Sometimes… it takes time. But if we truly care for a person’s spiritual well being… we will allow for how ever long it may take.

Building bridges takes time. In just about every context of the phrase… building bridges takes time. And I can tell you… you will know when that connection has happened.

In ministry… I live for what I call “aha” moments. i live for those moments when a person you are discipling or trying to help make a connection with Jesus. It’s the moment when they get it… when it sinks in… when it is taken to heart. and most of the time… those moments happen in one on one conversations or small group settings.

We start on common ground. Then we begin to build a bridge to connect people with God’s truth. But there is one more point to bring out regarding what evangelism looks like.

Evangelism leads to a point of decision.

Evangelism is not meant to be left as rhetorical or open ended. Evangelism leads a person to make a decision: Will I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior?

Acts 17:4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women. 5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city.

The delivery of the gospel truth will ALWAYS warrant a response. In Paul’s case, some choose to believe while others gathered up some “bad characters” are started stirring up trouble. This was done to stop Paul and the traveling group in the work they were doing.

We must understand that when we bring in the light… the darkness may try to stir up a fight. But DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THIS STIRRING UP!

We need the power of God to stir things up a bit! People need to take a good hard look at the truth. Some may choose to accept it while others may choose to reject it. But this we can be sure of: If the truth is not proclaimed… ALL will perish. No one will come to repentance.

So often evangelism is avoided for our fear of how a person might respond. “What if they reject the message? What if they reject my friendship because of my faith?” These “what ifs” are the thoughts the enemy might try to intimidated us with in the flesh.

I’ve never faced an angry mob for my faith… but I have faced feelings of doubt and uncertainty that tried to shut me down. My point is… the enemy wants to intimate you to get you to stay silent. God desires for no one to perish… but the enemy desires to steal to kill and to destroy.

Evangelism will cause a person to respond in one way on another. I urge you today: DO NOT CONCERN YOURSELF WITH HOW THEY MIGHT RESPOND. Instead, concern yourself with this truth: if not given the chance to respond… there is a 100% chance they will perish without Jesus.

Start. Work. Lead.

As we close I bring up these three words to sum up the three points of what evangelism looks like.

Start - we have to start somewhere. When we start on common ground, we begin by building a relationship with what we have in common. And through that process, we look for ways to begin the next step of the journey.

Work - we aim to build a bridge that will connect that person to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We cannot force that person to walk across that bridge, but we are hoping that the truth of God will connect with their heart. We hope they will move to the next step.

Lead - we lead that person to make a decision. This may take time. This will require intentional effort. But because we care for the spiritual well-being of our family, our friends, our coworkers, our neighbors and so forth… we will be patient and we will do what we can through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to lead that person to choose Jesus.

Jesus has commissioned His church… THIS CHURCH… to make disciples. The process DOES NOT STOP AT SALVATION, amen? We are to continue to pour into the life of that new believer.

But I am concerned that the church is struggling to find common ground with the people around us. I fear we are withdrawing instead of advancing. I fear we are stopping at inviting people to come to church. That’s a great thing to do but Jesus has commissioned His church… commissioned YOU to make disciples!

We have all that we need to get the job done… but we must share in the desire that God expressed in His Word to get the process started.

I DO NOT WANT TO SEE ONE PERSON PERISH. I want to see ALL PEOPLE SET FREE AND FORGIVEN by the grace and power of our God!

If that is your desire, stand to your feet.

Now… look back and be honest with yourself. When was the last time you shared your faith with someone? I’m not talking about a simple invite to church, I’m talking about sharing Jesus with someone. In reflection… is there anyone in the room that would be honest and say, “I can do better?”

Now let’s consider what it is that might be holding you back. Maybe it’s intimidation. Maybe it’s distraction like busyness. Maybe it’s a fear of not having all the right answers. Listen church… if you have Jesus, if you are full of His Spirit… then you have all that you need.

I want us to pray for God to help us with those things that might be getting in the way. I also want us to pray for God to fill us… to baptize us with more of His Spirit. But before we go there… we want to make sure that everyone in the house has had the opportunity to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Prayer - Salvation

Prayer - Overcome the obstacles

Prayer - Fill us with Your Spirit