Today we’re starting off this series “Getting Evangelism In-Hand.”
We’re also asking for you to have a part in it. There are handouts today asking you to give me some information that we will be able to use as a part of the message in 3 weeks. So, please, take a minute and fill out that simple handout today. Let me hear what has worked when it comes to sharing Jesus with people.
Until then, I have a bag. It’s my “Getting Evangelism In-Hand” bag. Today, I’m taking out this simple reminder of one of the things we need in-hand to do this thing we call sharing our faith: (pull out a heart). We need a heart – specifically, we need the Father’s Heart.
Ill - Anyone who ever watched Star Trek knows about Mr. Spock. Spock is ½ Vulcan – a human-like race with blue blood, pointy ears, and no emotions. Spock was the one who would always approach every crisis situation so detached and analytical it was nearly comical. His favorite word was “logical,” and his 2nd favorite was “fascinating.” No matter what happened, Spock was always as dead-pan and emotionless as anyone could be.
I think we have a tendency to be kind of Spock-like in the Church. We believe in the word. We believe in the importance of teaching and learning it. No one can become a follower of Jesus without it. So, making sure we know what we need to know has always been an important feature of a lot of us RM churches. But we tend to learn and then equate that with spiritual growth. It’s not. It’s the foundation for growth. You can learn a whole lot and do nothing about it. That’s not what makes a person a follower of Jesus.
If we’re going to get evangelism in-hand we’ll have to know, feel, and do some things. Today, we’ll talk about what we need to feel. To set the stage for that, let’s look together at…
Matthew 9:35-38 (NIV) Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
I want to get very personal with everyone today and talk to you about your splangchna. That’s the Greek word for the day. It’s in v36. Normally, I don’t mention a Greek word, but splangchna is too great to pass up, especially when you see the way it usually gets translated in the KJV.
Philippians 2:1 (KJV) If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
Bowels and mercies – that’s the KJV translators’ efforts at this word splangchna. It’s a word to refer to our innermost feelings. In our culture we say, “With all my heart…” In 1st cent. Greek, they went a little deeper to describe the way our deepest feelings affect us. You’ve experienced this.
When you suddenly get bad news, where do you feel it? In your splangchna! When you’re in love, and you get around that special someone, it makes you get butterflies…where? In your splangchna!
When Jesus saw crowds of people, harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, it moved Him inwardly. It got Him in the splangchna. He didn’t encounter those people and do a Mr. Spock, “It is illogical that these people should reject their Creator, given all the cognitive data they have received.” He didn’t look at them and then just look away and go on with His day. Jesus saw the crowds and had that stomach-upsetting feeling of compassion, because these people needed help. He had a heart for the lost.
If, after the 4th week of this series, we’re going to have evangelism anymore in-hand, we’re going to need to become engaged with God’s heart for the lost.
There’s a lot about God I don’t know. There’s a lot about God I don’t understand yet. But I can real quick know and understand that God has a heart for lost people. Here’s how…
1. His intentions to reach all nations
One of the great messages that came across by going through The Story is that the plan of God, all along, was to bring to Himself people from all nations. He didn’t raise up the Jews just to be His personal possession with no one else around. His intent was for the Jews to turn around and share their faith with the other nations.
Genesis 12:3b (NIV)
…all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
Isaiah 11:10-12 (NIV)
10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him…12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel…
Isaiah 42:6b (NIV)
I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles
Isaiah 49:6b (NIV)
…I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."
It’s amazing that Israel managed to ignore it, but all along God was plainly explaining that they were supposed to be winning over the Non-Jews to Him as well.
So, when we get to the end of the story, and the book of Revelation, we find…
Revelation 7:9-10 (NIV) After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
If you ever wonder why we should care about mission work overseas here’s the greatest reason why: Because God has always had the intention that people from every nation, tribe, people and language, would stand before His throne for all of eternity, and somehow that’s going to happen. Not only that, but God has clearly always intended for His people to bring other people along. Today, that’s you and me!
We need to reexamine our own hearts and see how much they resemble the heart of God about what we call “foreigners.” If you find yourself apathetic about missions work, I dare suggest that attitude comes from somewhere besides the heart of God. This isn’t a matter of what you know. It’s a matter of if you care – if you care about what God cares about. It has been His plan all along to reach all people.
I know that the Lord has a heart for the lost because of…
2. The teaching and ministry of Jesus
Jesus once described the purpose of His ministry as “to seek and save that which was lost.” Quite simply put, Jesus had a heart for the lost, and His teaching made that clear.
Matthew 18:12-14
"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.
Now, in God’s economy, where’s the greater focus? What does He do with the 99 not-lost sheep? He leaves them on the hills. They’re OK, but the lost sheep isn’t. And finding that 1 lost sheep makes Him happier than the 99 who are still there not wandering off. God is not willing that any one be lost. What would happen if we were to suddenly devote almost all of our attention to the one lost person rather than the 99 who have already accepted Jesus? We’d suddenly be more like God in this!
In Luke 15, Jesus adds the stories of a lost coin, and a lost son - lost things dear to the one who lost them, and when they were found, there’s a party! Why? Because God cares about lost things.
I know the Lord has a heart for the lost also because of what He did, not just what He said.
You can’t disregard the heart of Jesus as it’s spelled out in His life. You can’t separate it from the way He associates with outcasts – tax collectors, foreigners, diseased people, women of bad reputation, losers of society. But Jesus says it’s the sick who need a doctor, and He’s there to help them be healed – to preach the Gospel to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed. So, Jesus eats with sinners and cares more about them than He cares about the accusations He receives for being seen with them. He’s there to change them.
You can’t separate the heart of Jesus from the way He is trying to get a break from the crowds, but they find Him, and He has compassion on them and teaches them. He concerns Himself with their need to eat. Out of compassion He heals them. Children are brought to Him, and He takes them in His arms and blesses them even though His followers are telling them to bug off.
You can’t miss the heart of Jesus as He cries because of the grief of people outside the tomb of His friend Lazarus, as He weeps over the city of Jerusalem because they were rejecting Him .
What does Jesus need to do to convince us of His heart for the lost?
What more could Jesus do to communicate how much this matters to Him? The next point is the answer.
3. The Cross
The cross is the whole reason Jesus came to earth. He didn’t come just to set a good example. He came to offer His life as a ransom; in the most painful and humiliating of ways. And when it was done, He cried out the same words that you would find written across the bottom of receipts in those days, “Paid In Full!” It was no exercise in logic hanging there. It was Jesus, Whose heart moved Him to obedience to the plan - Because God wants all people saved.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 (NIV)
This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Isn’t it interesting that you have the ability to keep God from having what He wants? It’s because God has chosen to place Himself in this position. He has told us what He wants, but He doesn’t force anyone to choose it. Neither does He force us to carry on the work of telling others about Him. He wants all men to be saved, but He also tells us that comparatively few will accept the road to life. God won’t get what He wants, because people choose what they want instead.
Jesus so much wants people to accept His gift and live forever that He’s willing to die for it. And it works, because in
Revelation 5:9 (NIV)
And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
The cross is proof beyond all doubt that Jesus’ heart is to pursue lost people. What more does He have to do to explain to us what matters to Him?
Still, for every person who hasn’t accepted Him, the death of Jesus is useless. He gave His life, but until that pardon for sin is accepted, it remains useless to them.
Ill - President Abraham Lincoln stood at the battlefield of Gettysburg where there were over 50,000 casualties in 3 days time and said, “we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.” Of course not! What a waste it would be for brave men to die for freedom and then neglect it as if their lives didn’t matter!
How can we not share the heart of Jesus that His death for lost people shall not have been in vain?
4. God’s patience
I know that God has a heart for the lost because He hasn’t returned yet!
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
One of the scenes in Revelation (ch6) shows those who were killed because of their testimony – because they were followers of Jesus. They’re crying out to God: How long, Oh Lord? How long will You wait?
I imagine myself with those souls because I wonder too: How long before You finally come and put an end to injustice? How long until you stop the murderers and abusers and rapists and thieves? How much longer will You put up with people who thumb their noses at You and deny Your existence? How long until You avenge the blood of Your faithful followers who lost their lives rather than deny You?
The answer is “Wait.” Why? Because God is patient. God doesn’t want anyone to perish. He’s waiting in these last days for you and me to do our job – to get the heart of Jesus and help people to come to repentance – to break men’s hearts at the sight of the broken heart of God.
The fact that God waits tells us something about His heart. No one knows better than He what injustices are going on today. No one knows better how many wrongly suffer. No one is more offended, more violated, and has a greater reason to finally announce that there will be no more waiting. Still, God waits, and the only reason we’re told that He is waiting is that God wants more people to come to repentance.
Once again, God wants this, but He has set it up so that it depends on 2 things: peoples’ choices, and us telling them about Jesus. His heart in the matter is clear: He is waiting for more to know Him and be saved.
That’s the heart of God. I hope by now you’re asking yourself…
How can we get that same heart? (those bowels of compassion?)
If we really love someone and know that they want something, we’ll do whatever we can to help them have it.
Ill - My wife is so good at this. She knows if I really want something. When that “something” is an extra, and I don’t want to use our resources on something just for myself, guess who figures out a way to get it to happen. Why does she do that? Because she loves me, and when I want something, she wants it for me because she loves me.
How much do you love God? Is it enough to want for Him the thing that He most wants above all else ?
Jesus wanted His disciples to get His heart on this matter, because He also wanted them to do it! Do you get the principle here?
Let’s have a look at a lost world. Let’s remember that 65-70% of that world doesn’t even claim Jesus at all. That means that of the 150,000 or so people who die today, somewhere over 105,000 of those will die with no hope of eternal life in Jesus. Can we be moved at least to pray that somehow, someone might take the gospel to those unreached people? And if we make that a regular part of our prayer lives, what will happen? Before long, we’ll find ourselves hearing Jesus say, “Hey, come over here and let me tell you how I’m going to help you become the answer to that prayer.”
Conclusion:
Over the years, I’ve heard some attempts to apply the WWJD principle to some areas of life where I think God just didn’t intend it to be applied. “Just follow the example of Jesus, and that’s how you decide what to do.” That’s fine to a point, but it ignores that Jesus came with a very specific and unique mission. If you’re going to do what Jesus did, you’re going to have to remain single, be a Jewish carpenter in the Middle East, at age 30 become a homeless, itinerate teacher, and then die by crucifixion. You’re also going to have to heal the sick, the cripple, the deaf and blind, and you’re going to have to raise the dead and cast out demons.
I’m sorry, but Jesus came to give His life, not just His example. We can’t replicate the life of Jesus – not exactly. He never meant for us to.
But we can care about the oppressed. We can preach good news to the poor. We can care enough about what God cares about to take up the work He has given us to do for Him.
In other words, we can’t repeat all the actions of Jesus, but we can act with the heart of Jesus.
I want to read part of a transcript from an interview with Penn Jilette, half of the comedy and illusion group known as Penn & Teller.
(read from Eats With Sinners, pg 59)
That’s the kind of thing that happens when someone simply gets the heart of Jesus and chooses to lovingly tell someone what he needs to hear.
