Discipleship: Bold In Mission

SERMON OUTLINE:

TALKING TO GOD ABOUT PEOPLE

Be faithful (vs 2a)

Be watchful (vs 2b)

Be thankful (vs 2c)

Be specific (vs 3)

TALKING TO PEOPLE ABOUT GOD

By lips (vs 4)

By life (vs 5-6)

SERMON BODY:

Ill:

• I am not sure who counts these things, but multiple sources suggest,

• That the average human speaks between 18,000 and 25,000 words.

• That means that each of us speak about a 54-page book every day.

• And it’s not just the words we say,

• Without adding up the words we write in e-mails, tweets and social media etc.

Ill:

• Never underestimate the power of words:

• A judge speaks, and a man is condemned or set free.

• A physician speaks, and a person has surgery, or he goes home from the hospital.

• A government official speaks, and millions of dollars can be spent or withheld.

• A preacher speaks and an individual can move from spiritual death to life!

Ill:

• In our own personal lives, we know the power of words.

• Words that can bless us or depress us.

• Words of encouragement.

• e.g., “I like your shirt or your dress” or “You are looking well”

• And words that can cut us and hurt or discourage us.

• e.g., “You’ve put on a lot of weight” or “you are looking old!”

• TRANSITION:

• Our Bible passage is about words and how we should use words,

• And focussing in on using our words in mission, in evangelism.

• Verses 2-3: Prayer: Speaking to God about people.

• Verses 4-6: Evangelism: Speaking to people about God.

(1). Speaking to God about people - Praying (vs 2-3).

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message”.

• This ties in nicely with our last session on prayer,

• The apostle Paul brings to our attention some further advice regarding prayer,

• But this time prayer is in the context of mission, in evangelism.

(1). be faithful (vs 2a)

• “Devote yourselves to prayer”

• "Continue in prayer"

Ill:

• In his book ‘God Came Near’, Max Lucado tells this story:

• Norman Geisler, as a child, went to a certain Church.

• Because he was invited by some neighbourhood children.

• He went back to the same church for Sunday School classes for 400 Sundays.

• Each week he was faithfully picked up by a bus driver.

• Week after week he attended church,

• But never made a commitment to Christ.

• Finally, during his senior year in High School,

• After being picked up for church over 400 times, he did commit his life to Christ.

• Max Lucado then makes the point:

• What if that bus driver had given up on Geisler at 395?

• What if the bus driver had said?

• “This kid is going nowhere spiritually, why waste any more time on him?”

• Well, I think we know the answer!

In verse 2 the apostle Paul is saying when it comes to prayer:

• “Devote yourselves to prayer”

• "Continue in prayer"

• “Constant in prayer”

• “Faithful in prayer.”

• In even simpler language the apostle is saying, “keep on keep on keeping on.”

• In other words, “don't quit!”

Ill:

• This is one of the New Testaments repeated phrases, five times we encounter this phrase.

• (Greek word: ‘proskartere’)

e.g., Acts chapter 1 verse 14,

• While the disciples were waiting in Jerusalem for the outpouring of the Spirit).

• “These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer.”

e.g., Acts chapter 2 verse 42 the very first Christians met together daily,

“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

e.g., Acts chapter 6 verse 4.

• The apostles when they needed to get their priorities sorted, decided to:

• “…devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

e.g., Romans chapter 12 verse 12

• The apostle Paul’s advice to the Christians in Rome.

• “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

e.g., Colossians chapter 4 verse 2

• And again, the apostle instructs the Church to,

• “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.”

Ill:

• That does not mean that prayer is all a Christian should do,

• We see that in other areas of life.

• e.g., Some people are devoted to their football teams,

• They may spend a lot of time watching and supporting them,

• But no one thinks about their team 24hours a day

• e.g., Some people are devoted to their music,

• They like to listen, practice and play at every opportunity,