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!)
b. Whether or not people accept Him (we are glad to serve our Lord in this way!)
c. Of course, we are delighted when someone believes and truly accepts Jesus as Lord
d. But we should consider it as the "icing on the cake"
e. Even if we don't experience the "icing," we can still enjoy the "cake"
- Another significance of this principle concerns our goals
a. Goals should center on how many are being taught, not converted!
b. Too often, we make the number of baptisms (conversions) the measure of success or even faithfulness on the part of the teacher
c. But even the most faithful teachers may find themselves in circumstances like Jeremiah or Jesus, where very few people gave heed to their message
d. Shall we count them failures? Rather, let us count them faithful, if they have faithfully sowed the seed!
III. THE PLACE OF THE SOWER
- It pertains to how we view ourselves as teachers. As illustrated in the parable and elsewhere, we are simply seed-throwers and water-boys - 1Cor 3:5-7
- One may plant the seed, another may water, but it is God (through His Word in a receptive heart) who gives the increase!. Because of this, there is no place for boasting about numbers of people being converted
- God can even use "defective" seed-throwers - Phil 1:15-18. Not only defective in motive (as seen in the text), but also in experience!. This is because the power is in the seed, not the sower!. Therefore we should not feel like we have to be an accomplished salesman to present the Gospel
IV. THE PRINCIPLE OF SOWING AND REAPING
- In 2Cor 9:6 we find this principle stated, and it easily seen in many different areas of life
- In The Parable Of The Sower, only one out of four produced favorable results
- . Successful people in different walks of life understand that the key to success is to increase the number of their efforts.
1. It should be obvious: If we desire to reap more, we must be willing to sow more!
2. Many people fail in the area of evangelism because they "sow sparingly" and get discouraged by the meager results
3. If we increase the level of sowing, the level of reaping will rise proportionately
4. But again, to avoid discouragement, we need to set goals on how many are taught, not on how many are converted!
V. QUITE OFTEN, ONE SOWS AND ANOTHER REAPS
- Winning souls involves both sowing and reaping. Jesus used these terms in talking to His disciples as recorded in John 4:35-38
- Exactly what is the difference between "sowing" and "reaping"?
a. Sowing is the work necessary to one day being able to reap!
1) In agriculture, sowing involves preparing the soil and planting the seed
2) In winning souls to Christ, sowing likewise involves preparation and planting
a) In which the hearts are being prepared for the reception of the gospel
b) In which the hearts are first introduced to the gospel and its principles
b. Reaping is the actual "harvesting" of what has been sown
1) In agriculture, reaping is the collection of the fruits which have produced by the sowing
2) In winning souls, reaping is that harvesting which occurs when souls who have had the Word planted in their hearts decide to obey it!
- It is important to appreciate the statement in John 4:37, "One sows and another reaps"
- Those who sow do not always witness the reaping that may one day occur. And many times those who reap are benefiting from the efforts of those who did the sowing before them
- In evangelism, this means that oftentimes you will be sowing the seed and it may appear that you are not getting any results . But some time later those souls you were trying to reach may decide to finally obey the gospel. Another Christian may actually do the reaping in your place!
- Then again, there will be times when people just sort of "fall into your lap". Ready and anxious to obey the gospel with little effort on your part. In this case, you are reaping what others have sown!
- The point to keep in mind is that evangelism involves both "sowing" and "reaping," and there will be times when what you sow will be reaped by someone else
- Let this be an encouragement to you when it appears that you are not reaping as you would hope. You might actually be making it much easier for some brother or sister in the future!
VI. THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD IS AT WORK
- In nearly every example of conversion, God worked in some way to create the opportunity for the person to hear the gospel
a. Philip was sent toward Gaza where he would meet the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8)
b. The Lord saw to it that Saul and Ananias would get together (Acts 9)
c. Likewise, that the household of Cornelius would have a chance to hear the gospel from Peter (Acts 10)
d. The evangelization of Europe that started with the conversion of Lydia and the Philippian Jailor occurred after the "Macedonian Call" led Paul and his companions in that direction (Acts 16).
- Granted, these circumstances are in keeping with the miraculous events in establishing the Lord's church.. But they illustrate a principle that is just as valid for us today
- That principle is this:
1) The Lord, who knows the hearts of all men and seeks those who are seeking Him - 2Chr 16:9
2) He will make sure that those who "hunger and thirst for righteousness" will somehow be "filled" - Mat 5:6
- This is where the providence of God comes in
a. When the Lord knows there are people who would be receptive to the gospel (e.g., in Corinth, Acts 18:9-11)
b. He will "open doors" to give those who are seeking the truth the opportunity to be reached by those who are prepared to do the teaching
- It may not happen immediately, but we should believe that if there is someone who is "asking, seeking, and knocking" for the truth, the Lord will see that at some point in that person's life they have an opportunity to hear the gospel
