UNDERSTANDING EVANGELISM PART 1
PRAYER:
LORD ENCOURAGE ALL, EMPOWER ALL, SEND ALL TO SPEAK ABOUT ALL THAT YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED FOR US IN GRACE THROUGH YOUR ONLY SON JESUS CHRIST TODAY. FILL EVERY HEART WITH TRUTH AND GRACE TO UNDERSTAND AND PASS ON THE MESSAGE OF ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH CHRIST ALONE THROUGH FAITH ALONE BY GRACE ALONE.
THIS IS FOR ENCOURAGEMENT, EQUIPPING, UNDERSTANDING, TO ANSWER A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
NO QUESTION IS A BAD QUESTION -
MAY GOD FILL YOU UP WITH WORDS THAT WILL FOREVER BE TRUE.
1 CORINTHIANS 1:18 FOR THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS IS FOOLISHNESS TO THOSE WHO ARE PERISHING, BUT TO (US) WHO ARE BEING SAVED IT IS THE POWER OF GOD!!!!!!!
GALATIANS 6:14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
JOHN 3:16-17“ For God / so loved / the world / that he gave / his ONE AND only Son / that whoever / believes in him / should not perish / but have eternal life /. V. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
1 JOHN 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brother.
1 CORINTHIANS 2:4 MY MESSAGE AND MY PREACHING WERE NOT WITH WISE AND PERSUASIVE WORDS, BUT WITH A DEMONSTRATION OF THE SPIRIT'S POWER, SO THAT YOUR FAITH MIGHT NOT REST ON MEN'S WISDOM, BUT ON GOD'S POWER.
When you here the word Evangelism - What comes to your mind? What is your understanding of that word?
The Word Evangelism means only 1 thing, to speak about, to share about, to tell the Story about the Greatest rescue mission for mankind through the person of Jesus Christ.
What has been some of your experiences in sharing the Gospel?
To Evangelize is to proclaim a message. What message? Contains what Truth? About what person?
The coming of Jesus Christ
The life of Jesus Christ
The death of Jesus Christ
The resurrection of Jesus Christ.
For the Christian, Evangelism is a lifestyle day in and day out, from morning until night reaching the lost for Christ
Evangelism is 1. Thinking (Meditating on God), 2. Being (a Christian, being a child of God) and 3. Doing (Carrying out the Great Commission)
1. Evangelism is a mind set of thinking about God and Meditating on God to be ready to give an answer to anyone about the hope that is in you. 1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
2. Evangelism is enjoying being a child of God and walking with God everyday. It is a relationship that began when you believed and that will never end for Eternity.
3. Evangelism is doing the work God gave you to do Ephesians 2:10 Works prepared in advance for you to do. Philemon 1:6
Telling the Story - His Story - Over and over and over and again and again and again
What drives us?
Telling others what God has told us about Himself in His Word.
Think about all the things you have learned throughout your life, such as your job that you are very good at and at 1 time it was your first day and day after day, week after week, year after year you look back and see how good you have become at your occupation.
The Gospel is the same thing - the more you do it the better you are at it.
If asked about many things in your life that you have learned, someone can ask you a question and you just know it because you do it day after day and you could train someone else to learn your job.
Evangelism is seeking, noticing, serving and ready to listen and share the greatest news about the greatest person Jesus Christ for the greatest need in anyone’s life. We explain that Jesus created them, came for them, lived for them, died for them and rose for them so we can spend Eternity with Him because of Him.
Everyone has the same problem which is sin, it wrecks every life but Jesus takes that broken life and puts it back together.
It is the greatest Love relationship that will never end no matter what. Good day or Bad day does not matter because Grace says you are mine and nothing can separate us from the Love that God has for us and we are called children of God. Romans 8:31-39, John 1:12, 1 John 3:1.
The Spirit living inside of us telling the world around us the message that lives within us.
Grace drives us in 2 ways.
Understanding what Grace has done for us
And how to tell others about this Grace that saves us.
Walking out what God has prepared for us to do in advance for His Glory.
1 Corinthians 9:16 Yet when I preach the Gospel, I cannot boast for I am compelled to preach, woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; If not voluntarily, I am discharging the trust committed to me.
God is proclaiming what God has said, What God has planned, what God has promised, what God has fulfilled and what God has completed through you.
Evangelism is Grace influenced authority to speak about Jesus Christ to the lost, the weak and to the strong but all are in need because all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. Romans 3:23
The Gospel sharing message (Evangelism) is a counselor to all 3 needs in life.
1. Unbelievers - Listen, Believe, Repent and Receive and give your life to Jesus - Acts 2:38-39 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
2. New or Weak Believer - Remember what Jesus has done - 1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
3. Strong Believers - Keep pressing forth and finish the race Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
We all live through our Thoughts, our Words and our Deeds
The message of the Jesus Christ has a Power with a Purpose and a Plan for all who will respond. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Philemon 1:6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
- Have you ever had your soul checked?
- There is a soul doctor
- Jesus is the soul specialist
- He wants to heal your soul
John 5:24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
John 5:25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.
Albert Einstein - Was asked what drives your thinking to know and to understand everything - He responded by saying that - I am a passionately curious person.
Grace drives us the same way to know the intimacy of God’s Grace to us and to others
In Genesis you have God creating with His spoken words everything for 5 days, but on the 6th day God created man in His image and with His own hands and breathed life into Adam and he became a living being.
1. God tells us how everything was created in the beginning
2. God tells us what He will do in the future
3. God tells us what was done for us on the cross
4. God tells us that in believing we become partakers of His victory over death and the grave
5. God tells us that He will be with us forever
1 Peter 1:8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Evangelism is telling and sharing about our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
What Evangelism is not - Talking about everything else.
The Bible has over 30,000 verses about God and what He has promised to do and has done and will do in the future.
The Gospel - has the word Go in it - Gospel is good news
The Word Gospel as an acronym - God’s - Only - Son - Purchased - Eternal - Life
or Grace - Over - Sin - Purchased - Eternal - Life
Evangelism is a message about the person of Jesus Christ.
Evangelism is a story - Sharing the Eternal Word of God who came in the flesh. John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Doesn’t everybody tell stories about everything in life everyday - Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow you will tell and share stories.
Jesus takes ordinary people and uses them to do Extraordinary things - let’s mention a few of them
Jesus took Peter a fisherman and made him a fisher of men after Peter had failed, The woman at the well who was married 5 times before met Jesus and she became an evangelist to her town in less than a day, Paul the Apostle who persecuted the church became a proclaimer of the Gospel, Matthew a Jewish tax collector for the Romans left his job to fulfill the calling of Christ to reach the world, doubting Thomas went from unbelief to taking the Gospel to India and dying for his faith in Christ, etc.
When people meet Jesus their future changes dramatically
The Blind receive sight
The lame walk
Those who have leprosy are cured
The deaf hear
The dead are raised
Those demon possessed are set free
The Good news is preached to the poor
Who is a lawyer? Who is a Doctor? The Christian is both a lawyer in defending the Gospel and the Christian is a Doctor in sharing the Gospel knowing the heart condition of a sinner is in need of saving Grace for there soul. So they will not take part in the second death Revelation 20:14, 21:8
Every Christian is an Evangelist
You will have your own way of telling the story with different emphasis due to different people and situations
If you needed glasses where would you need to go? An eye doctor
If you needed surgery or broke a bone or needed stitches where would you need to go? To a doctor
If you had legal trouble where would you need to go? to a lawyer
If you had hearing problems where would you need to go? to an ear doctor
If you had problems with your teeth, where would you need to go? - to a dentist
If you had a sin problem, where would you need to go? - to JESUS - Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
John 8:23-24 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”
The most important and powerful message and words that you will ever speak about during your lifetime is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ - Jesus said that Heaven and earth will pass away but my Word will never pass away.
A Christian tries to become all things to all men that some would be saved. 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
John 4:35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.
Jesus’ Heart is to save sinners Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Romans 10:14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Evangelism is about:
1. 1 person Jesus Christ
2. 1 Finished work
3. 1 Grace
4. 1 God
5. For all sinners
Evangelism is speaking about that 1 life and event and ongoing work throughout history.
Questions that people are trying to get answers to everyday
1. Why am I here?
2. Who created me?
3. What is my life all about?
4. What can I do with my sin?
5. Jesus is the only one who answers all of these questions.
Life does not make sense without God
2 Timothy 1:6- For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
The view of an Evangelist seeing the world - Jude 17-24
-Remember what the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold
-In the last times there will be
1. Scoffers
2. They will follow their own ungodly desires
3. These men who divide you
4. They follow mere natural instincts
5. They do not have the Spirit
V.20 Dear friends - Build yourselves up in the most Holy Faith
1. Pray in the Holy Spirit
2. Keep yourselves in God’s Love
3. As you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
4. To bring you to Eternal Life
V.22 Be Merciful to those who doubt
1. Snatch others from the fire and save them
2. To others show them mercy
3. Mixed with fear
4. Hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh
V.24 Why?
1. To Him who is able to keep you from falling
2. And to present you before His glorious presence
3. Without fault and great joy
4. To the only God and Savior Glory, Majesty, Power, Authority
5. Through Jesus Christ our Lord before all ages now and forevermore amen
Father God in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, use us and send us and go with us and as we leave this place different than when we have started for the Glory of Jesus Christ amen.