Pass It On-Evangelism

Title: PASS IT ON-Evangelism

Date: 6/29/14

Place: BLCC

Text: 2 Kings 5.1-15

CT: To live for him we must serve his mission to evangelize.

FAS: There's a scene in Herman Melville's (author of Moby Dick) novel White Jacket that focuses on the ship's chief surgeon, Cadwallader Cuticle, M.D. The doctor is bored with the voyage because he has little work to do, but one day he has the chance to do an exciting operation. A sailor has been shot in the leg and the leg must be amputated. The ship is in port so Dr. Cuticle invites surgeons from other ships to observe his impressive surgical skills on display.

Once the audience gathers, Dr. Cuticle chokes up as he explains, "This is my first important case of surgery in a nearly three years' cruise." Cuticle launches into a detailed lecture about anatomy, surgical techniques, and the many difficult operations he's performed in the past. As he proceeds with the amputation, the patient keeps shrieking and passing out. But Cuticle ignores the shrieks as he continues his long-winded monologue.

[Here's a small part of Cuticle's lecture, pompously delivered to his audience as he conducted the surgery:

Young gentlemen, you will perceive that precisely at this spot—here—to which I previously directed your attention—at the corresponding spot precisely—the operation has been performed. About here, young gentlemen, … the great artery was. But you noticed that I did not use the tourniquet; I never do. [A finger] is far better than a tourniquet, being so much more manageable, and leaving the smaller veins uncompressed. But I have been told, young gentlemen, that a certain … surgeon of Seville, has recently invented an admirable substitute for the clumsy, old-fashioned tourniquet. As I understand it, it is something like a pair of calipers, working with a small Archimedes screw—a very clever invention ….]

Finally, the steward of the ship interrupted Dr. Cuticle's lecture and said, "Please, sir, the patient is dead."

Cuticle nonchalantly replied, "I predicted that the operation might prove fatal; he was very much run down. Good-morning," and then walked away.

While church members and leaders debate nonessential matters, like music, order of service, programs, projects, etc., lost people are dying without Christ.

LS. The Main Thing

It’s easy for any enterprise to lose focus of the main thing. Dr. Cuticle sure did. Even the church is guilty of this.

Jesus said in Luke 19.10, For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

He also stated the same mission before he left this world in Matthew 28.19-20, Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This same command, The Great Commission, can be found in the other three Gospels and Acts. It must be important.

I. A. We are in our fifth week of the sermon series I am presenting called PassIt On. This week we are dealing with the concern we must have for others in sharing our faith with those hurting and lost. Evangelism. Our job as Christian adults and leaders is to pass the baton of our faith to those who come behind us. If the baton is dropped the consequences can be eternal.

B.Once again we go to scripture to get some insight into how to pass this baton. This week we actually have a good example given by a Jewish slave girl and her interaction with a great commander of an army. We read in 2 Kings 5.1-15, Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

Aram and Israel were enemies but had a shaky peace treaty. During a skirmish between the two a young Israelite girl had been taken captive and became a servant of Naaman’s wife (v.2).

Can you imagine how this young girl had to feel? She was in a foreign country forced to work for nothing but her food. Most folks would become bitter and maybe even felt some pleasure in the fact that her master was afflicted with a horrible disease. But this girl was different. Though she was treated as property with little value, she believed in the value of every person-even the ones who had taken her from her family. She said to her mistress. If only my master could be near the prophet in Samaria, the prophet there could heal my master’s disease (v.3).

The girl was speaking of Elisha. Elisha was God’s superstar prophet who had done many miraculous things like the great prophet before him Elijah. The young slave girl knew Elisha could help her master and for some reason she wanted to see him healed. For some reason Naaman listened and upon the advice of a simple slave girl he and his entourage headed to see Elisha.