Effective Evangelism

EFFECTIVE EVANGELISM

STUDY TEXT: Luke 8: 4-15

And a great crowd coming together, and those in each city coming to Him, He spoke by a parable:

Luk 8:5 A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, the one fell by the roadside and was trampled; and the birds of the air devoured it.

Luk 8:6 And other fell on a rock, and sprouting, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.

Luk 8:7 And other fell amidst thorns, and springing up with the thorns, they choked it.

Luk 8:8 And other fell on good ground and sprang up, and bore fruit a hundredfold. And when He had said these things, He cried, He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Luk 8:9 And His disciples asked Him, saying, What might this parable be?

Luk 8:10 And He said, To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. But to others I speak in parables, so that seeing they might not see and hearing they might not understand.

Luk 8:11 And the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God.

Luk 8:12 Those by the roadside are the ones who hear; then the Devil comes and takes the Word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

Luk 8:13 Those on the rock are the ones who, when they hear, receive the Word with joy. And these have no root, who for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

Luk 8:14 And those which fell among thorns are the ones who, when they have heard, go forth and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of life, and do not bear to maturity.

Luk 8:15 But those on the good ground are the ones who, in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience.

INTRODUCTION

- It is important to be persistent in evangelism. Many start out with great enthusiasm, but often get discouraged and apathetic

- This happens even to those who are highly skilled in teaching others. With the wrong perspectives, many personal workers eventually lose heart. Before long, evangelistic efforts dwindle and in some cases stop altogether.

- There are perspectives that are especially crucial to maintaining:

a. A high level of enthusiasm b. Persistence in evangelism

- . From The Parable Of The Sower and elsewhere in the Scriptures we learn things that help

a. Remove the discouragement and prevent the apathy that paralyzes so many today

b. Instill enthusiasm in serving as laborers in the vineyard of the Lord!

- The parable itself is found in Luk 8:4-8, and the explanation is found in Luk 8:11-15. The first principle we can glean from this parable is that:

I. THE POWER IS IN THE SEED (WORD)

- The Word of God has always been capable of influencing people, accomplishing its intended purpose - Isa 55:10-11

- As the author of Hebrews wrote, it is both "alive and powerful" - Heb 4:12. This is especially true of the Gospel, the "power of God unto salvation" - Rom 1:1

1. If people are going to be truly converted, it will not be through smooth speech or fancy presentations involving "hi-tech" equipment, but through the life-changing truth of the gospel

2. We can certainly use modern aids to present the gospel, but we must make sure that they are faithfully communicating the Word

3. True conversion (which involves a spiritual regeneration) will occur only if we plant the proper "seed"

4. Perhaps we don't get the desired result, because we don't sow the right seed!

- But even when we plant the proper seed, we often do not see the desired results. Understanding the reason why, helps one to maintain the right perspective.

II. THE RESULTS DEPEND UPON THE TYPE OF SOIL

1. We see that the same seed, when sown, produced different results

2. One result was no reaction whatsoever

3. Two others had only temporary success

4. Only one out of the four resulted in bearing fruit!

5. Where lies the blame? a. Upon the SEED? No! b. Upon the SOWER? No!

c. Upon the TYPE OF SOIL? Yes!

- . This illustrates where the area of responsibility lies

a. The sower fulfills his responsibility by sowing the seed - Eze 3:17-19

b. If the soil rejects the seed, the soil is responsible; the sower should not feel accountable - Mat 10:14-15; Ac 13:44-46

- The positive implication is this: Every time we sow the seed, we are successful! If a person rejects it, we have not failed, they have!

- We need to learn the joy of sharing the Word for its own sake!

a. There is joy in sharing Christ with others (we've got good news!)