Sermon Central
-
Evangelism Required Series
Contributed by Scott Kircher on Mar 25, 2012 (message contributor)
Summary: “How can I become a Christian?” What if someone asked you that question? Would you be prepared to share with them the gospel? Could you do that in a way that they clearly understood what they needed to believe? If we are going to fulfill our Mission f
Series - On a Mission from God
Evangelism Required
Know what Christianity really is
People must know and believe …
Who they are:
A Sinner separated from God
Who Jesus is:
The Christ, God in the Flesh
What Jesus did:
He Died for their Sins
He Resurrected from the Dead
Slide
Intro
These past few weeks we have been talking about our Mission from God.
We have talked about some of the things that are required for us if we are to be successful in fulfilling this Mission that God has given each of us who call ourselves Christians.
We have found that for us to be successful on this Mission, we must make sacrifices to help us continually reach out with the gospel of Christ and we must serve both in the church and outside of the church so we continue to have opportunities to share the gospel.
One last thing we are going to talk about is actually seizing those opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus. That is called evangelism.
Check out this video as we begin.
Strangers video
Slide after video
They may never meet this side of heaven that is.
Do you think you would ever be a Lisa? Or even ever could be a Lisa?
Someone who Evangelizes someone else?
That is scary isn’t it?
Why is evangelism so scary?
I believe Evangelism is scary for 2 reasons.
Wrong picture
First, I believe many have a wrong picture of evangelism.
Street Corner preaching
Often we have one of two pictures in our head. One is standing on a street corner and preaching repentance to the masses that are not listening.
“Sinner! Repent! Or burn in Hell!”
What is said may be factually true, but it is communicated without love or relationship.
Stranger Encounters
The second picture of evangelism is going up to total strangers and asking if they are saved and telling them about Jesus.
The second picture is certainly not as harsh, but I believe that doing that would be more for the person that is gifted in evangelism, not necessarily for everyone.
There are some people that have a gift of evangelism that can quickly connect with others and turn nearly any conversation into an opportunity to share the good news about Jesus.
Now, not everyone has that gift but we are all called to, as Peter tells us in
Slide
1 Peter 3:15 to “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”
This is something that we are all called to do and it is not something that is confrontational, but should flow from love and relationship, with gentleness and respect.
That seems easy enough, but for many people they still don’t do it.
I think there are couple reasons for that as well.
Failure to understand the importance
One is that they are not really thinking how vital this is to others.
We have the greatest news in the world, the news that is going to save people from an eternity in hell. Not sharing it is like withholding from someone the cure for their cancer when we have it right here.
We have got to realize the extreme importance of the gospel. People really are dying without Christ and going to hell. While we can’t make them believe, we can share with them the truth so they can believe.
To overcome this, we have got to continually remind ourselves of the eternal consequences of someone not receiving Christ.
Failure to know how to share the gospel
Another reason that people don’t share the gospel is that they don’t want to get it wrong.
Well, today, I want to give you clearly what the gospel is in a way that you will hopefully be able to remember and communicate so you can seize the opportunities God gives you to be used to change the eternal destiny of those He places in your life with gentleness and respect.
Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 15:1-8.
Slide
This morning, we are going to learn and be refreshed on what exactly the gospel is and what to make sure we are communicating so you are equipped to “give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have.”
15 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
