Evangelism

Casting A Vision  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Introduction
This summer we have been intentional about looking at a vision for our lives and for our church. We have declared that our vision should glorify God.
We have looked at what it means to worship.
Psalm 29:2 NIV84
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
We have looked what what it means to fellowship.
Acts 2:46 NIV84
46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
We have looked at what it means to practice discipleship.
Acts 11:25–26 NIV84
25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
We have looked at what it means to do ministry.
Ephesians 4:12 NIV84
12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
There is one more that has to happen:
Glorify God Through: Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship, Ministry, and Evangelism.
All of these are crucial to the life of our church and all build on the other.
(insert Vision PDF here)
This diagram helps us see the importance of each of these areas. Let’s look at the last one: Evangelism. Evangelism is summarized in one verse. It is the last recorded words of Jesus before He ascended to Heaven.
Acts 1:8 NIV84
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Let’s take a closer look at evangelism through the eyes of this verse. As we do, we will answer what is evangelism, who is called to evangelism, when do you evangelize, and where are you to evangelize.

What Is Evangelism?

Evangelism means announcing the good news of Christ’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. We tend to make it so much harder than that! I would suspect that if we were to take a survey of those in this service that have ever shared the good news of Christ with others, we would see a slim number of hands. Why? Often people are fearful about sharing Christ. Many don’t think they know how. Many are fearful they may say the wrong thing or even fearful of being rejected. If that is you, don’t be alarmed. Recent surveys have shown that only 3 in 10 unchurched Americans (29%) say a Christian has ever shared with them one-on-one how a person becomes a Christian. Only slightly more say a Christian has told them about the benefits of participating in a local church (33%) or the benefits of becoming a Christian (35%).  For 4 in 10 unchurched Americans (40%), they’ve never had a Christian explain any of those things to them. Maybe we need to have a change of mindset when it comes to evangelism. I think that are several things we can do to make this happen.
First, evangelism is an attribute.
An Attribute
The word attribute means “to regard as resulting from a specified cause; consider as caused by something indicated (usually followed by to).” We should practice evangelism because it is an attribute to what Jesus has done for us and in our lives. The old gospel song sums it up:
I once was lost in sin but Jesus took me in
And then a little light from heaven filled my soul
He bathed my heart in love and He wrote my name above...
And just a little talk with Jesus makes me whole.
Jesus took my of sin and cleansed it! As a result, I need to tell others! That is an attribute!
It is also an action.
An Action
When I turn to someone and say, “You know, my life used to be a mess. However, since I met Jesus, my life has been different.” That is a simple action of telling someone. We follow that action with a lifestyle that proves our talk is in our walk.
1 John 3:18 NIV84
18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
The attribute of what Jesus has done for us that leads to action is surrounded with our attitude.
An Attitude
Our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 2:5 NIV84
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
The difference that Jesus has made in our lives should be relevant in our attitudes. Evangelism is an attribute, an action, and an attitude.

Who Is Called To Evangelism?

I want to show you who is called to evangelism. First, in the context of Acts 1:8, we see that those initially called to share the good news of Christ were the apostles.
The Apostle
The apostle was one that had been chosen by Jesus and spent time with Jesus. This is evident in Acts 1:1-3:
Acts 1:1–3 NIV84
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
The apostles walked with Jesus before His death and again after His resurrection. They had lots to share didn’t they?
Jesus wasn’t just for the apostles. As they shared, their number grew.
The Believer
We see how this number grew in Acts 1:15
Acts 1:15 NIV84
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)
The apostles shared Jesus and those who heard and responded were called believers. We see it spreads from the apostles to 120 believers. It is not restricted to vocational ministry! In fact, we see how the gospel spreads from the apostles to the 120 believers to well over 3000.
Acts 2:41 NIV84
41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
We see throughout the Book of Acts how the number of believers grew. They grew so much in number and in Christlikeness, they became known as Christians.
The Christian
Acts 11:26 NIV84
26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Was this coincidence of the hand of God? You see, this was God’s plan all along. Jesus proclaimed that He would be leaving and the Holy Spirit would be sent. As the Holy Spirit was sent, evangelism happened. Do you see the progression? Jesus ascended and the Holy Spirit descended. By the way, you and I are gifted the Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus. WE get right with God because of Jesus and are gifted with the Holy Spirit at the same time! We do not have to wait for a baptism of the Holy Spirit!
As a believer, you are called to point others to the Light! We saw this in John the Baptist.
John 1:6–9 NIV84
6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
Believers are called to be evangelists!
Isaiah 42:6–7 NIV84
6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

When Do You Evangelize?

So when should you and I participate in evangelism.
When the Holy Spirit Comes on You
The example of Acts 1:8 has Jesus saying “When the Holy Spirit comes on you.” The apostles were yet to experience the Holy Spirit coming, but when they did, they started to evangelize. Remember, you and I already have the Holy Spirit. So technically, we are behind in evangelizing! There will be times when we are walking with the Lord and the Holy Spirit shows us what we have in Jesus and we will overflow and share with those which with come in contact.
When the Holy Spirit Cues You
Remember, one of the main jobs of the the Holy Spirit is to cue you, prompt you or guide you. There are multiple ways the Holy Spirit will cue you. One is to give you peace of mind.
2 Corinthians 2:12–13 NIV84
12 Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, 13 I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia.
We also see that we will be coached by the Holy Spirit in what we say.
When the Holy Spirit Coaches You
Often hear that we don’t know what to say when it comes to evangelism. There are all kinds of Bible study courses available that will train you in what to say, questions to ask, and even what scriptures to share. One of the greatest sources of comfort though should be that the Comforter will coach us in what to say.
In Acts 13, there is a story of a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus. This dude tried to turn his boss from the faith. However, the Holy Spirit coached Saul.
Acts 13:9–10 NIV84
9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?
The Holy Spirit has certainly done that in my life. I have had people share with me they wanted to know about Jesus. There were some that tried to intervene and the Holy Spirit would coach me in how to deal with it. The same in counseling, the Holy Spirit would coach me in what to say.

Where Are You To Evangelize?

So where are you to evangelize? If you are a Christian, Christ is with you everywhere you go. Therefore, you are to share Christ everywhere you go. Christ Himself gives you the pattern in Acts 1:8. He says, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Let’s personalize this and look at what this means by adding “your” in front of each of these.
Your Jerusalem
The apostles were in Jerusalem. Jesus was telling them to start right where they were in sharing the Gospel. This is often the most difficult because those in your immediate setting know your faults and failures. However, evangelism begins where you are.
“The light that shines the farthest will shine the brightest at home.” Oswald J. Smith
Your Jerusalem is the community in which you reside. It is your neighborhood, your community, your town and county.
Your Judea
Judea was the Roman province around Jerusalem. It covers the area outside your community and into our state. I love our state! I am a North Carolinian through and through. I think often that our state is the perfect model for the sharing about Jesus. Think about it, Jesus would often go to the beach and then go to the mountains. Our beautiful state has a great opportunity in the mountains, the coast and in the piedmont. We need to incorporate ways to practice evangelism in our state. Your Judea is this great state in which we live!
Your Samaria
Samaria was the country in which Jerusalem and Judea were a part. This meant that they were to go across cultural and racial divides. The Israelites were to blend with different ethnic groups, peoples, families and subcultures. The great country in which we live is made up of different ethnic groups, peoples, families and subcultures. Guess what? They all need Jesus and you and I are gifted with opportunities to share that with others!
Your World
The outreach plan of Jesus keeps us going out into all the world. We are fortunate as a church to participate in programs like Operation Christmas Child where we can share the gospel with children and never leave our town. However, God may be calling some of you to go out into the world as well. Maybe you are like Moses and you have heard that call but you don’t want to go or you are afraid you will not make it happen. Because our God never changes, the promise God gave Moses is still good for me and you today.
Exodus 4:12 NIV84
12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
All we must do is GO.
Acts 1:8 NIV84
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
What excuse are you using right now?
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