Hpffj: Helping People Find Jesus Series

HPFFJ: HELPING PEOPLE FIND JESUS

1 PETER 3:15

#HPFFJ

THREAD: The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.”

ILLUSTRATION 1 (p)

Imagine that you were on a chartered boat out in the open ocean and you went fishing with friends. The whole day of fishing was great. It was great until the boat started having engine problems and began to sink. The boat sank and you were able to swim to a small deserted island. All of you made it. There is no food except for some fruit that won’t last very long. There is not much water. No shelter. No phones. No way off the island. You spend some time on this island and all of you began to be desperate.

One day you are sitting alone on the beach contemplating your demise on this deserted island when you see a boat off in the distance. You stand up and raise your hands. They shine a light in your direction that they see you. A boat is coming. You are saved!

Here is the question: Do you tell the other people on the island that they can be saved?

KEY WORD: EVANGELISM

A key word in what we are talking about today is the word evangelism. “The word ‘evangelism’ comes from a specific Greek word which means ‘to proclaim or share the good news.’ That is an action word... a verb. It involves speaking words, letting others know, getting news out.

Evangelism is what the Apostles do in Acts 5:42 which says, “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” I take note in this verse that evangelism is not a one-time thing or a once-a-year thing, but rather a continuous ongoing activity. I also would note from this passage that evangelism is directly tied to good news about Jesus Christ. Someone who evangelizes is someone who is continually sharing news about Jesus Christ.

Evangelism is what Philip does in Acts 8:26-40 when he meets up with an Ethiopian eunuch who is reading from the Book of Isaiah in the Bible. This man has questions about what he is reading. Philip has answers. Acts 8:35 says, “Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” Evangelism is always a personal activity between people. We often think that evangelism is one person talking to a crowd (and it can be), but it is also one person talking to another person about what they have found true in Jesus Christ.

Evangelism is what Paul and Barnabas do in Acts 14 in city after city they visit and Acts 14:21 tells us, “They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples.” I notice from Acts 14 that the purpose of evangelism is to win someone over to believe in Jesus. Evangelism is not just the presentation of information about Jesus, but rather presenting the information so that the other person understands who Jesus is and wants to place faith in Him. It is much more than just transferring information.

ILLUSTRATION 2 (p)

Imagine you are getting your oil changed at the oil change place and it is taking a while. They didn’t tell you before they started that they had run out of oil. An oil change place without oil! Now you are stuck for a little bit waiting. There are several other people waiting there with you. All of you start milling around the waiting room. You walk up to the vending machine and push a few buttons in your boredom. All of a sudden, a snack pops out of the machine. Huh. You push a new more buttons and another snack drops to the bottom of the machine. You then notice that there are no prices on anything like usual. This is a free snack machine! You hit some more buttons and have all the snackage you need for your ridiculous wait.

Here is the question: Do you share with the other people waiting that there is free food?

THREAD: The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.”

KEY WORD: WITNESS

Another key word that we should make sure that we talk about is the word witness. Witness seems more of a legal word to me. Witness is the word the Bible uses when it comes to sharing faith and telling about Jesus Christ. A witness is simply one that testifies about evidence on what they have seen and heard.

Jesus Christ says in Matthew 10:18-20, “On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Notice that Jesus encourages His followers to be witnesses about Him to people who do not know Him. Jesus even goes so far as to say that the Holy Spirit helps us in what we should say as witnesses for Him.