Evangelism 101 - Part 2 - Having Favor With Men Series

Today we will be looking at the topic of “favor.” Why have we chosen to include a message on the topic of favor in a series on outreach and evangelism? The answer to this question can be found in the Book of Acts where God connects favor with the addition of people to the early church.

Acts 2:46 And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,

Acts 2:47 praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The early church had “favor with all the people.” These were not insiders but outsiders. The church was on good terms with outsiders. Today we are going to learn what favor is and how the favor of God can be restored to the individual Christian and to the local assembly of God’s people.

Key Thought: I will tell you even before we get into the meat of this message that having “favor with people” is not positioning ourselves in the community so that people in the community will like us; it is positioning ourselves in our walk with Christ so that God will both show and give us favor to reach people with the Gospel and to do His will.

Definition of “Favor”

Gen 4:4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,

Gen 4:5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

The word translated ‘favor’ in this passage is, sha'ah, shaw-aw' and means, “to gaze at or about; to inspect, consider; to regard or to have respect.”

When God grants favor to someone, He has regard for that person; He lovingly sets His gaze and compassionate consideration on that person. God’s favor has nothing to do with the value of the object of His favor; in fact, Scripture shows that God can and will extend His favor even to murderers as He leads them to repentance (Ephesians 2; Titus 3).

Each year when spring arrives we have problems with little, tiny ants invading our home. When God bestows favor it is like he looks at the billions of people on this planet and then takes the time to gaze and to focus on, and place His finger of lovingkindness on the person to whom He desires to show favor.

In the Bible there are examples of when God both:

Shows favor to people and

Gives people favor with others.

Examples of God showing favor:

Sometimes the Bible translates the word “favor” as “grace” and “lovingkindness.”

Remember that trickster Jacob, who tricked his brother Esau into giving away his birthright and schemed with his mother to steal the blessing of his older brother? Well in Genesis 32, after several years, he has to face his brother who has threatened to kill him.

In verse 10 he cries out to the Lord the day before this encounter. In praying for the Lord’s deliverance he says to the Lord, “I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which Thou hast shown to Thy servant…” In other words, he is saying to the Lord, “I am unworthy of your favor…”

So the word “favor” is translated in the Bible as “grace” and “lovingkindness.”

Examples of God giving His servants favor with men.

When God gives His people favor with men, He changes circumstances and moves people to accommodate His children and to bless His children. Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.”

Israel - When God used Moses to deliver His people from Egyptian bondage, He told them to ask the Egyptians for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing. The Egyptians were glad to give them this stuff just as long as Israel got out of Egypt.

Exodus 12:36 says, “…and the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.”

Nehemiah - After the overthrow of Babylonia by the Persian Empire, in 537 BC the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great gave the Jews permission to return to their native land. This was a little over a hundred years after the death of Daniel. At this time, a man named Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the King of Persia.

In chapter one of the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah got a bad report from one of his brethren. The report said, "The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire."