The Method

Mark 6:32–34 NKJV

32 So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. 33 But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. 34 And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.

The disciples went with Jesus to a deserted (abandoned or uncultivated) place but people found and followed Him. When He saw them, He was moved with compassion and He acted—He began to teach them. Luke further explains that Jesus began to tell them about the kingdom of God and heal them (Luke 9.11).

I believe that the state of men’s souls is becoming more and more deserted, abandoning God, and becoming uncultivated morally and spiritually. And yet, because God desires that none should perish, men and women who are pursuing something more will find and ultimately follow Jesus (2 Peter 3.9).

We see this desire of God to save that which is lost in Jesus’ compassion (Luke 19.10). As we seek to join Jesus in His mission and work in the Father’s Business we can learn from Him in this response to the people.

I want to talk with you about the way that we carry on His work. I suspect that we have all experienced pressure when it comes to sharing our faith. The anxiety that comes from knowing you should say something but not knowing what to say or how people would respond. Even the fear that comes because you do not want to judge people or be associated negatively because of your faith.

The truth of the matter is that none of those feelings come from God (cf. 2 Timothy 1.7). And beyond that, the good news is that sharing the gospel is easier than we think.

1 Corinthians 3:5–8 NKJV

5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

Illustration: Success in baseball—only around the top 25 players in the Hall of Fame have over a .333 batting average. That means that they hit 1 ball out of 3, or they missed 2 out of 3. When it comes to sharing Jesus, we are either sowing or watering. When we share our faith, we are doing one or the other. The only way we are not sowing or watering is if we are not sharing. In other words, we can be 100% successful every time we obediently share Jesus with others!

We know that the time is getting short and the world is getting worse. The signs that Jesus indicated would precede His return are all in our headlines. Wars, rumors of wars, natural disasters, false Christians, and all kinds of troubles seemingly abound (cf. Mark 13.5-8).

News articles are talking about things that are indicators about how the culture is devolving further from God’s grace. We hear declarations that the end of monogamy is neigh and are bombarded with the promotion of gender transitions. Even people seeking high governmental offices cannot offer a simple definition of what a “woman” is. People are becoming addicted to pornography and pills. People are experiencing great levels of loneliness and depression.

This is just a quick survey of the decline in our culture.

What this means is that we have the greatest opportunity ever to enter into the harvest fields and be about our Father’s Business. Like the author wrote, there is one thing we can’t do in heaven and that is share our faith. Everyone there is saved.

In our current cultural moment, multitudes are unsaved and in the valley of decision (Joel 3.14). And the prophet Isaiah foretold of this time.

Isaiah 60:1–4 NLT

1 “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. 2 Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you. 3 All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance. 4 “Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home.

When we follow Jesus and focus on our Father’s Business, multitudes will be saved as we confidently and boldly share the gospel. The glory of God will rest upon us and cause people to come to Jesus.

Our Time Now

John 4:38 NKJV

I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”

Up until this point the church has benefited from the work of those who have gone before us—they are the laborers who have labored before us.

But, as we can see, their influence is fading and the culture is shifting.

And Jesus invites us to take our place in the fields and enter into the work.

Think about how our actions today set up our tomorrow. What kind of legacy do we want for our children and grand-children? What kind of church do we want to be? What kind of world do we want to have?

Dallas Willard proposed that the reason the church is the way it is, and our own spiritual lives like they are, is the “natural consequence of the basic message of the church as it is heard today.” Put in the language of business, “Your system is perfectly designed to yield the result you are getting” (Divine Conspiracy, ch. 2).

What if we could learn the way of Jesus and do the will of God like He did? What if we could learn His method of reaching people with the good news?

Think about the kind of impact that Jesus had on people. Think about how effective the disciples were in sharing the good news and leading people to Jesus.

We have like precious faith and can do the works they did (2 Peter 1.1). And we can do them. Ultimately, talking about Jesus is easy. We naturally talk about people or things we love and this is exactly the type of work that we are called to.

Fishing for Men

When Jesus called Peter, He used an analogy that will help us get started.

Mark 1:17 NKJV

Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

Peter was a fisherman but Jesus was saying that if he followed Him, then Peter would learn to catch men instead of fish.

What can we learn about the method of Jesus from this?

We Need to Follow Protocol

A protocol is a plan or a code that defines behavior and action. It is a set of rules on how something will be done.

Illustration: “Who do you represent?” We represent God. When we do God’s work God’s way and get God’s results. When we don’t, we are less or even non-effective.

We know from the Scriptures that there is a way that works. There is a message that is effective. There is a way that message is delivered (a method) that is effective. This is our protocol.

What was the message that worked? What is the “gospel”? The gospel message was a message of good news. And specifically, the message of good news that God had come to save us.

Acts 8:35 ESV

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.

Acts 11:20 AMP

But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on returning to Antioch spoke to the Greeks also, proclaiming [to them] the good news (the Gospel) about the Lord Jesus.

Acts 17:18 NIV

A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

Acts 20:20–21 NLT

20 I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes. 21 I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.

Acts 28:31 NKJV

preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

It should be noted that none of these passages, which were summaries of how the disciples preached, say anything directly about salvation. There’s no mention of justification, reconciliation, redemption, substitution, etc.

Why does that matter? What does that mean?

Sharing the good news with others starts with talking about Jesus. It is about telling people that Jesus is near and initiating conversations about Jesus.

As Scot McKnight said, it’s not that “redemption is not the impact of [sharing the gospel], for it is, but the message according to Luke is shaped by the person, by Jesus, and not by what He accomplished. He did it all, He accomplished it all, but the focus of apostolic preaching was Jesus — who He was, what He did, what He accomplished in that order.

That’s our message—Jesus. Who He was. Who He is to us. Who He can be for them.

And as to how to share Jesus, let’s consider Peter’s advice:

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

We don’t come with judgment and superiority. We come gently, respectfully, full of hope and in such a way as is faithful to represent the nature and name of Jesus.

When we talk to people about Jesus in this way, He will open their hearts.

We Need to Get in Position

One of the important aspects of fishing is being in the right place, where the fish are biting. There are natural places where people are, like our job or our school, where we will be able to share. And there are times when the Lord will send us somewhere to connect with others, like He did with Philip.

Acts 8:26–29 NKJV

26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. 27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”

A big part of the mission is to “go.” We go into all the world, where people are, to tell them about Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20).

We Need to Be Patient

Fishing requires patience. The fisherman can not force the fish to accept what is being offered to it. They must wait for the fish to respond. In the same way, we must trust God to work in a person’s heart so that they might respond and trust.

The Holy Spirit brings conviction (John 16.7-11), Jesus draws people to Himself (John 12.32), and God gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3.7).

We Need to Be Persistent

1 Corinthians 15:58 NKJV

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

We have to work while there is still time. Jesus once said that there is a night coming when no one can work (John 9.4).

This means that we have to keep going, sharing, and making disciples before it is too late. Share Jesus. Do good works. Your work in the Lord matters!

Conclusion

As we follow the example of Jesus and the disciples, their method, we will discover that it is far less stressful and much easier than we thought to share Jesus with others.

And because we choose to talk to people about Jesus and the kingdom, souls will be saved and the church will grow.

Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6.2).

The day is growing short (Mark 13.20).

The harvest is ready (John 4.35).

Let’s go (Matthew 28.19)!

Pray for God to help us go and start conversations about Jesus with others. Ask Him to help us invite others to church and to faith. Ask Him to help us have the words.