Introduction:
I. This being the second Sunday of the month, and the first second Sunday of the new year, it is only fitting that we talk about missions this morning.
II. It has been said that “Missions” is for those that carry the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ to a culture not their own.
A. Certainly, in one aspect that is true; however a definition like that does not carry the full message of what missions is.
B. You see, if we consider missions to be for those that carry the message only to those in a different culture, it becomes all to easy for us to dismiss missions as not being for me.
1. I live in my home culture,
2. God has not called me to MOVE anyplace.
3. My part in missions might be
a. To give some money
b. To ensure that my church gives some money
c. Maybe, Maybe to pray once in a while,
4. But if missions is carrying the message of salvation through faith in Christ to a culture different than my own, then I am not a missionary.
III. I believe a more fitting definition of “missions” might be - “the act of carrying the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ to those that have not heard it.”
A. If that is a good definition of what missions is, then Missions includes you and I.
B. Christ said in Matthew 28, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
1. You have probably heard more than once that the “Go” which begins verse 19 means, “As you are going.”
a. As we are going about your life.
b. As we are going about your job.
c. As we are going, doing whatever it is that we are doing, then part of what we should be doing is looking for the opportunity to share Christ.
IV. If we are to be obedient to this command of Christ, then the only question that applies is, “Am I being obedient to His command?”
A. Part of our “Going” includes the fact that we who are here this morning have made a decision to worship God as a part of the fellowship of Newtown Community Church.
B. Part of our going includes the desire to see others come to know Jesus Christ, and take their place worshiping God as a part of the fellowship Christ’s Church.
C. Part of our going includes the desire to see the fellowship of believers, worshiping God at Newtown Community Church increase, and let’s be honest, that means church growth; BUT how.
1. What should I do?
2. What can I do?
3. What is God calling me to do?
V. This morning, I want to share with you a strategy for our reaching out to those that have not yet trusted Jesus Christ for their eternal lives.
A. I admit that although I had been praying about what to introduce as an outreach strategy for us in the coming year, what I am introducing this morning is not original with me.
B. This was actually shared with me by a retired pastor, who heard about it from a pastor friend of his from Texas.
1. This pastor, Steve Riggles introduced it to a new church plant that he began some 10 years ago.
2. Today, that church plant see’s some 6,000 people worship each Sunday morning, with over 90% having come through this ministry.
C. I am not asking us to copy this simply because 5400 people came, but rather because it appears to me to be a sound, biblical model that all of us can participate in together.
VI. Let me begin by asking, “How many of us have someone in our lives that we would love to see come to faith in Christ in the coming year?”
A. I would venture to say all of us.
B. The beauty of what I am presenting this morning is that I am not suggesting that you become involved with people you don’t care about, but rather with people that you DO care about.
C. Christ said, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but through me.”
1. If that is true, then as believers in Jesus Christ, we must believe that the only way to eternal life is through faith in Jesus Christ.
2. If that is true, then all of us have many people in our lives that we care about, that will spend eternity in hell, unless the come to faith in Jesus Christ.
D. If that is true, then what part can I play in helping people I care about come to know the truth of the gospel.
E. You can involve yourself in this five fold strategy for seeing the church of Jesus Christ increase.
VII. First, I am asking that you identify one person to concentrate on this year, and then, you can Pray.
VIII. This example is fitting.
A. If you recall Mark’s message last week, Jesus was walking through a large crowd of people,
1. I would venture to say that many, if not all had some need that Jesus could have addressed.
2. But out of the many, His attention was called to one; the woman who had been hemorrhaging for many years.
3. Out of the multitude, Jesus concentrated on that one. Step One - Pray For Them! (James 5:16)
I. James 5, verse 16 says, “ Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
A. Now I know, James is writing to believers.
B. But, the closing part of verse 16 says, “the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
II. So does that mean that I simply pray for my lost friend to come to faith in Christ?
A. Yes, in part.
B. But also, let’s look back a couple of verses, to verse 13.
1. 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.”
2. How can I pray for that person,
a. Is any among you suffering?
b. Is anyone cheerful?
c. Is anyone sick?
d. Has anyone committed sin?
III. We can begin in assisting a persons move towards Jesus Christ by praying God’s best for them.
A. Pray God’s blessing.
1. They may not recognize the blessing as coming from God,
2. But you can, and you can remind them that God is at work.
B. Pray for them to have reason for joy, to be cheerful,
1. They may not recognize God’s hand,
2. But you will recognize answer to your prayers.
C. Pray when they are sick,
D. And certainly pray that they will recognize their greatest sin of all; that being their willful disobedience to God’s call in their lives.
IV. In speaking to Zacchaeus, Jesus said in Luke 19, verse 10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
A. The desire of the heart of Christ is to seek and save that which was lost.
B. We can and should be praying that the lost will respond to the will of God.
Step Two - Talk With Them at Least Once Each Week! (Compassion)
I. My dictionary give this definition for the word compassion.
A. “sympathetic pit and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.”
B. In other words, compassion is to see a need in others, and then to be moved with a feeling to aid.
C. What greater need is there for anyone, than a need to meet Jesus Christ?
II. Christ, our example was a man of compassion.
A. Matthew 14, verse 14 reads, “And when He went ashore, He saw a great multitude, and felt compassion for them, and healed their sick.”
B. Again in Mark, chapter 6, verse 34, it is said of Christ, “And when He went ashore, He saw a great multitude, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.”
III. Compassion motivated Christ to move into the lives of others.
IV. Compassion for the hurts and needs of others, should be our motivation to move into their lives.
V. And what can we talk about?
A. How about life.
B. How about building a relationship that might eventually give us the credibility that will allow us to share Christ.
VI. The real truth is, most people we know probably don’t feel a need for “salvation.”
A. But they do feel a need to be loved.
B. They feel a need for a better marriage.
C. They feel a need for children that respect, obey and honor them.
VII. If we spend time talking and building relationships, we will get to know what their felt needs are, and then don’t be surprised if you get the opportunity to share concerning what will meet their deepest need.
VIII. And that leads to step three - Bless Them.
Step 3 - Bless Them
I. Again my dictionary gives this definition for the word “Bless” - “call on God to protect or treat favorably. 2 consecrate by a religious rite. 3 praise 4 be endowed with or granted.
A. I want ask you to turn in your bibles to Numbers, chapter 6, beginning in verse 22 - 22 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: 24 The Lord bless you, and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’ 27 “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.”
B. You may see this as another call to pray, but listen to what Jesus says in Matthew chapter 5, - 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ 44 “But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you 45 in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? 47 “And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
C. Jesus is calling for prayer, but more than that He is calling for acts of love, for blessing, even on those that hate you.
D. If this is so, then how much more should we look for opportunities to love and bless those we care about?
E. Love is a verb
1. Technically, love is not something we feel, but rather something we do.
2. Love, Concern, Blessing; what good are they, if they go unrecognized?
II. At the end of this message, I am going to ask each of us to identify one person and put their name on the card in your bulletin.
A. If you are going to write down a name, it will be of someone you already know.
B. It will be of someone you already have some type of relationship with.
C. I hope it will be someone that you have a desire to see come to faith in Jesus Christ.
D. If it is my desire to see this person come to faith, then what I am willing to sacrifice?
1. Can I spend some time in prayer?
2. Can I spend some time talking with them, looking to deepen the relationship?
3. Can I spend some time looking for opportunities to be a blessing to them, maybe even to secretly meet a felt need that they most certainly have?
III. If we do all of those things, we might be surprised at the response we receive from them, WHY,
A. Because according to 2nd Peter 3, verse 9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
B. It is the Lord’s desire that all should come to faith in Christ.
C. All I have to do is be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Step 4 - Be Sensitive To The Leading of the Holy Spirit
I. What is the number one reason that we are reluctant to share the gospel with even those we love?
A. I can’t answer for you, but I know for myself it is often fear.
1. Fear of rejection
2. Fear that I will be made fun of
3. Fear that I will do it wrong, and sound like a fool.
4. And how many other fears.
B. And yet if you watch the Eagles game tonight, you will see how many people that are not afraid to look like idiots over something has absolutely no eternal value.
II. Listen to what Peter writes in 1st Peter 3, 13 to 18 “13 And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, 15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; 16 and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. 18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
A. See verse 15
1. “Always being ready”
2. “Always be prepared”
3. “Always being ready to give a defense to everyone WHO ASKS...”
B. Who asks!!!
III. Here is what I am trying to say this morning,
A. Let’s each one of us commit to Pray for one person in our lives.
1. Pray that God will show His blessing on them.
2. Pray for their healing
3. Pray for their needs,
4. Pray for those opportunities to let them know that God is the one doing the blessing.
B. Let’s each one of us commit to also showing Compassion to that person
1. Look for opportunities on a regular basis to doing something with or for the person you are praying for.
2. Be willing to make a sacrifice, in order to build a relationship.
C. Let’s each one commit to being a Blessing to that person.
1. Ask God what you can do to build that person up.
2. Look for ways to meet a felt need they may have.
D. Let’s each one commit to being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
1. I believe if we will do the four steps I have just outlined, we won’t have to worry about rejection nearly as much.
2. We might just be surprised when they ask us about our Savior.
E. And when they ask, Then move to step five
Step Five - Invite Them
I. In Luke 14, Jesus used a parable to teach that God desires that His house be filled.
A. Listen to Luke 14, “16 But He said to him, “A certain man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; 17 and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ 18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’ 19 “And another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ 20 “And another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ 21 “And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 “And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 “And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 ‘For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.’”
1. Notice that it was the masters desire the his dinner be well attended.
2. Notice also that it was the servant who was required to go and “compel” them to come in.
II. It is not God’s will that any should perish,
III. It is also God’s will that we be the ones to carry forth the invitation.
IV. With that, I ask you to not discard the card from your bulletin.
A. Pray about it,
B. Write a name on it,
C. Put the card in the front of your Bible,
D. Each week our service will include a time of prayer that we be found faithful “fishers of men.”
