Introduction to Evangelism

Biblical Basis for Evangelism – Evangelism is Biblical!!!

1. We have examples –

a. The Father sent the Son – the Son sent the Spirit

i. Shown in symbol by the story of Abraham sending his servant to get a bride for his son (See handfuls on purpose below)

b. Jesus

i. Nicodemus

ii. Gadarenes (Gideon’s story of suicide watch case)

iii. Thief on the cross

iv. Rich young ruler

c. Peter

i. 3000 day of Pentecost

ii. Cornelius

d. Phillip – Acts 8:35

i. The Eunuch

e. Paul the Apostle

i. (Saul – Jesus evangelized )

ii. Jailer

f. Stephen

g. Many thru history

i. Great Soul- winners

1. John Wesley

2. George Whitfield

3. Jonathan Edwards

4. Charles Finney

5. Evan Roberts

6. Billy Sunday

7. D. L. Moody

8. Etc

ii. Great Soul-winners

1. The man who led D. L Moody to the Lord

2. George W. Truett was the beloved pastor of Dallas’ First Baptist Church for more than 60 years. He tells of a woman who came to him after a service. She was a poverty stricken widow with several children. She said, "Pastor, I have never known you to be unfair -- yet you were so in your sermon." He inquired as to why she felt that way. Her reply, "You said during your sermon that everybody can win someone to Jesus. Certainly you can’t mean me. I am a poor widow. I work long, long hours just to squeeze out a living for my children and me every day. I cannot entertain, or spend time winning souls to the Lord. I can barely exist. You are not fair in your speaking when you say everybody can win someone." Truett replied, "Madam, does anyone come to your house?" She said, "Yes, a few -- the mailman, the milkman." Truett ended the conversation, "Then you do have an opportunity. You simply have not tried." The woman went home troubled and thought about the conversation most of the night. By dawn she heard the milkman at her front step. Convicted, she threw open the door, and greeted the man. As they exchanged small talk, the woman was nervously trying to think of some small word to put in for the Lord -- but the milkman turned to go. She began to close the door, but threw it open again. "Come back," she asked. He did so, and she said, "I wanted to ask you something, but I have been afraid. May I ask you a question?" He agreed. Stumbling, she began, "I just want to know if you know Jesus. Have you been saved?" He looked at her with incredulity, "What in the world made you ask me that? Oh, woman," said the milkman, "I didn’t sleep at all last night worrying about my soul. Do you know how to find God’s light?" In a short moment, she was sharing with her new friend how to come to Christ. [George W. Truett, A Quest For Souls, (NY, George H. Doran Co, 1917), 58-59. From a sermon by Russell Brownworth "Part One - Tenth Hours" 1/19/2009]

3. The Gideon’s 1 Bible placed in a jail cell saved Asif Hassan

a. Raised in alcoholic home in Guyana. Father was Muslim would go to Mosque on Holy Day but after that would go right back to way of living.

b. Saw mother abused constantly (one point was dragged down the stairs backwards by her hair)

c. Uncle tried to adopt them out of the county into canada during this time he was molested by him

d. Wound up in Canada in an adopted home

e. Couldn’t integrate well in the system couldn’t speak well, was a different color, was Muslim.

f. Was bullied until one day he took a knife and stabbed the bully in the neck and watched as he was screaming for someone to save his life Became gang member of local gang.

g. Was in and out of jails from this point on

h. An uncle who had gotten saved recently came to Asif who was 17 at the time and gave him a Bible (all their Bibles had been confiscated due to them using the pages to smoke dope)

i. Told Asif to read Psalms, John and Proverbs

j. Asif could hardly read and was intimidated by it. So he just swung it open in the middle and found Psalms 102(For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth; to hear the groaning of the prisoner…)

i. He started to weep and became angry crying to God, “how could you see me being abused, being bullied, being beaten and not done anything...” He took the Bible and flung it against the wall

k. Asif’s uncle was a minister who took him in while he was running from the law, and took his case seriously. Asif resisted and rejected the whole way.

l. There was a lot of turmoil during this time

m. One day they were in a van Asif in the passenger seat, his uncle driving and Asif was going to leave, getting ready to run out of the van. His uncle just grabbed his left hand and started to pray, while he is praying Asif said this vision just opened up to him there in the van,

i. He was in a pit with bars over the top when this brilliant clear hand reached down and began to pull him through the bars.

ii. While this was going on Asif said another hand physically touched his right hand. In Asif’s own words, “ The moment this hand touched me physically in the van I instantaneously had a download of this man named Jesus”

n. God called him to preach and he has gone back to Guyana and has preached to thousands because one man shared a Bible.

4. This morning at the Bible Methodist Church in Ok City Bro. Darrell Stetler Jr is preaching a powerful series (and no I’m not getting my sermons from him) but he made mention of something I did want to add to this thought this morning. Remember the story Jesus told about the rich man and Lazarus found in Luke 16 and the rich man fared sumptuously every day but wound up in hell. When he realized there was no way out for him he suddenly remembered his brothers and didn’t want them to come to this place. Oh that we could understand that same logic. God wants to make us fishers of men. It’s not a competition or a tournament it’s not about who can catch the most, It’s about having you line in the water, and letting God guide the fish to your hook.