Be Prepared To Give An Answer

BE PREPARED TO GIVE AN ANSWER

A. How many of you know someone who is not a Christian? (RAISE YOUR HAND)

1. We all do, don’t we—FAMILY, FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, CO-WORKER, CLASS-MATES.

COMMENT:

We want more than anything for these people to OBEY the Gospel? But what do we do? How do we bring up the SUBJECT with them? What if they ASK us something we don’t know? Shouldn’t we have some kind of EVANGELISTIC TRAINING?

2. I think these are legitimate CONCERNS.

COMMENT:

The problem with SOUL-WINNING is that we think that we have to be a PREACHER, or TEACHER, or undergo INTENSE TRAINING to bring others to Christ. That’s just not the case.

ILLUSTRATION:

When I went on a MISSION TRIP to Corozal Town, Belize in Central America a few years ago, I met a young lady who was responsible for BRINGING 10 people to Christ. In fact, she had CONVERTED two people while our MISSION TEAM was there.

When I asked the local preacher, Randolph Baptist, about her, he told me that she had been a Christian for just a few months. She had lived a very UNGODLY LIFESTYLE that involved DRUGS, ROBBERY, and PROSTITUTION. Randolph said that after ACCEPTING Jesus as her Lord and Savior, this new-Christian young lady couldn’t WAIT to TELL others what Christ has done for her.

B. SOUL-WINNING is simply TALKING about whom you LOVE.

COMMENT:

There’s no certain STRATEGY to adopt. There’s no SET of CDs to listen to. There’s no VIDEO to watch. There’s no EVANGELISM CLASS to attend. There’s no LITERATURE to DISTRIBUTE. There’s no special METHOD to be used. There’s no REVIVAL to host. It is simply telling people you LOVE and CARE FOR about what Jesus has done for you.

C. Jesus- “When I am LIFTED UP, I will draw all men to myself”- John 12:32.

1. Jesus, of course, is referring to being LIFT UP on the CROSS for the SINS of the WORLD.

COMMENT:

His SACRIFICE for you and me is the DRAWING POWER that causes people like this young lady in Belize to TURN AWAY from their SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN to Jesus.

2. We also LIFT UP Jesus every time we tell someone what He has done for us.

COMMENT:

The DRAWING POWER of the CROSS comes from LIFTING UP Jesus, not from our SOUL-WINNING expertise. Nor will our LACK of SOUL-WINNING expertise hinder the DRAWING POWER of the CROSS.

Peter tells us that we are to “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us concerning the hope we have” – I Peter 3:15. How do we go about that? I want to share with you how God can use you to LEAD someone to ETERNAL LIFE. It’s not that COMPLICATED. You simply need to be CONSCIOUS of the process and PRAY daily for God to use you for someone else’s SALVATION.

MESSAGE: (IF YOU WANT TO BE A SOUL WINNER FOR GOD…..)

I. MAKE FRIENDS WITH NON-CHRISTIANS

A. Some Christians in their zeal to AVOID “bad company” (I Corinthians 15:33) and “friendship withthe world” (James 4:4), tend to ISOLATE themselves from non-Christians.

ILLUSTRATION:

They only have a CASUAL acquaintance with their non-Christian NEIGHBORS. The only contact they have with non-Christian CO-WORKERS is on the JOB. Even non-Christian FAMILY MEMBERS are AVOIDED as much as possible.

COMMENT:

Neither Paul nor James is advocating that Christians cannot have non-Christian FRIENDS. They are simply saying that we are not to allow the WICKEDNESS of another person to INFLUENCE us.

Just six chapters earlier Paul said, “he became ALL THINGS to ALL MEN to SAVE some”- I Corinthians 9:22. He also reminded the Thessalonians that “before they became Christians, he shared not only the GOSPEL with them but his LIFE”- I Thessalonians 2:8. Paul knew the IMPORTANCE of making FRIENDS with non-Christians if he was to bring them to Christ.

B. The biggest FRIEND of non-Christians, was Jesus, Himself.

1. He UPSET the ISOLATIONISTS of His day, the Pharisees, by BEFRIENDING SINNERS.

a. Luke 7:34 – “Friend of sinners”

b. Luke 7:36-39 – “Woman entering Simon’s house and washed Jesus’ feet with her tears”

c. Luke 15:1-2 – “Sinners coming to Jesus, and accused: ‘This man welcomes sinners.’”

d. Luke 19:5-7, 10 – “Goes with Zacheaus: ‘This man goes home and eats with sinners.’” v. 10 – “For the Son of man has come to SEEK and SAVE the LOST.”

2. Developing a FRIENDSHIP with someone who doesn’t KNOW Christ is the first step in BREAKING down the BARRIER between that person and the GOSPEL.

II. LET YOUR LIFE AROUSE OTHERS’ INTEREST IN CHRIST

A. Peter said that “we are to be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks . . .”- I Peter 3:15

1. Before anyone will ASK, however, he or she will have to see something DIFFERENT about us.