TITLE: WEAVING EVANGELISM INTO DISCIPLESHIP
SCRIPTURE: ACTS 4:23-37
After preaching the fourth installment last week in our ‘Shifting of our Vision’ here at ‘First Church’ which is tied to our Campaign of “LET’S GO FISHING,” I found myself praying and said to the Lord, after four sermons, I don’t know what else to say about Evangelism. I was hoping the Lord would let me off the ‘hook’, no pun intended, and move on from this subject of Evangelism. Instead, the Lord said to me – “Good, now continue to listen to me and I will continue to direct you as to what to say.” So, here we are this morning and I lift as our thought – Weaving Evangelism Into Discipleship.
Our focus this morning will deal much with communication. Specifically, we will examine how to effectively communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray we will understand the bottom line of evangelizing is to simply communicate and invite others into our story. God calls every follower of Christ to witness on a daily basis by using every means of communicating the Gospel of Christ to a lost and dying world. Many were not here last week when I delivered the message on evangelism as a lifestyle as there was a community Worship Service sponsored by the “Douglass Class Reunion.” We examined and will again this morning examine that Evangelism must take place on a daily basis. It should be a part of who we are. It should be a fabric and Weaved into our Spiritual DNA.
For Evangelism to take place on a daily basis we must –
• Take the Church to the People
• Evangelism generally is not bringing people to the church
• Rather, evangelism is taking the church to the people
• Evangelism involves going out and presenting the Gospel, and winning converts
• Once the people are believers, they will want to meet with other Christians of the church
• Leave the Results to God
• We pray and evangelize in the power of the Holy Spirit
• We follow evangelism with discipleship
• Then we leave the results to God
• We can’t save the lost
• We can only present the Good News, and rely upon God to save those that are walking in darkness
For evangelism to be effective, we must recognize that God's evangelistic call extends to all Christians. It is not limited to certain groups or leaders in the church.
• God does equip the church with Evangelists
• But we must not confuse the gift of an evangelist with the commission of evangelism
• All of us are Commissioned by the GREAT COMMISSION to GO
• Not Go home after morning worship
• Not Go to the local buffet after the sermon
• But Go and Evangelize
This is an exciting text to examine this morning. We often don’t look at it through the eyes of Evangelism. However, note the use of the plural pronouns in the text. VS. 31 indicates the Apostles were joined by the rest of the church in speaking the message of the Gospel. In an amazing answer to prayer, God empowers ordinary Christians with extraordinary boldness to witness for Christ. God will do the same for you. This text is a clear example of boldly –
• Speaking for the Lord
• Evangelizing
• Witnessing about the Goodness of the Lord
Let me pause here and ask a rhetorical question. That’s a question you’re not supposed to answer out loud. And that question is, WHAT WOULD YOU ASK OF GOD TO GIVE YOU CONCERNING EVANGELISM? I think some of would say --
• God, give me more love for the lost, more compassion for the lost. Who of us has enough love and compassion for the lost?
• Some of you might ask for more opportunities to witness
• Some of you might say, Lord, I need more wisdom in answering the questions that unbelievers ask me, so I could give a better reason for the hope that is in me
• But I dare say that many of us would also ask God for greater HOLY BOLDNESS in evangelism
Bold evangelism is about being willing to do the hard work in order to help people find Jesus.
• It’s about being committed to building relationships with people
• It’s about being in the fight with the people around you and earning a right to speak into their life
• Bold evangelism is about sacrificing your time, your money and even your personal comfort if it means helping someone encounter Jesus and experience His Grace
• Bold evangelism is about not giving up on people when it gets inconvenient, but about being committed to them throughout the entire journey
There are so many key principles found in this text. for effective bold communication of the gospel, we must spend time with Christ. Vs. 13 says THE COMMUNITY TOOK NOTE THAT THESE MEN HAD BEEN WITH JESUS. We know when you have been to the –
• Hair Salon
• Nail Salon
• College Football Game
• Barber Shop
• The Mall
Do others know when you have Spent Time and have been with Jesus? Look with me at VS. 20, Peter informs the religious leaders that he is simply speaking about things he had seen and heard. These verses obviously refer to the Apostle Peter, but the text reveals a simple yet powerful truth for all believers to embrace. We talk about those things that interest us.
• Grandparents talk about grandkids
• Some people talk about politics
• Others talk about sports
When spending time to build our faith becomes a priority, the result will be speaking to others about Christ. Who did you talk to about Christ during last week or two? Words of Kindness - Encouragement - Patience – Understanding - Forgiveness - Love can help open the heart of others and gain a soul for Christ. This is our goal; not to win an argument or to tell them off, but to win their souls for Christ!
• Gentleman featured in the City of Admore Facebook page about being a second generation worker for the city, I believe at the Parks and Recreation Department. After telling his story they asked what the most favorite thing you like to do
• He responded his favorite thing to do is to talk about Jesus and Share Jesus with others
• Wow! What a Powerful testimony
• WEAVE EVANGELISM INTO DISCIPLESHIP
Many people assume sharing the Gospel is only about trying to convert new people to Christianity. That is not necessarily accurate.
• Ultimately, converting someone to Christianity is the work of the Holy Spirit
• Spreading the Gospel is a way for us to partner with the Holy Spirit in that work
• But evangelism doesn’t have to mean making your best sales pitch for Christianity to anyone who will listen
• Drawing new believers isn’t the only reason for sharing the Gospel
Evangelism itself often has more to do with building relationships than building a case for Christianity.
• In fact, most evangelists look more like the neighbor who offers to shovel a snowy driveway than the street preacher who peddles salvation like a heavenly retirement plan
• Most evangelists look like the neighbor next door
• Not the one speaking in Tongues every ten words
• Not the one saying “Glory to God” every 10 seconds
• But the unassuming person who simply has a passion for the Lord and building relationships with the lost in an effort to lead them to Christ
So many times, we fail to let wisdom dictate our speech and we do more harm than good. Don’t let that discourage you but learn from it. Remember, wisdom comes from experience. If you don’t ever try you will never improve. Let’s all become more active in talking to others about Christ every day. Do it today and every day because the time is short, and the need is of eternal consequence.
The key again is to ensure we are being led by the Spirit of God. The primary way to spend time with Christ is by seeking Christ through prayer. Of course, daily Bible reading is essential to our quality time as well. Jesus said to seek first His kingdom ST. MATTHEW 6:33 “BUT SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU.”
• Through prayer, we identify with Christ's love for people
• Through prayer, we destroy strongholds of the enemy
• Through prayer, we set the captives free
• Through prayer, we receive the power to boldly share the Gospel
Let’s move to VS. 25 contains a portion of PSALM 2 and illustrates the saints praying with authority. Claiming the promises of God in prayer adds conviction and authority to our requests.
• The saints prayed with Intensity as they asked for boldness
• They understood the battle for souls is not for timid or lukewarm Christians
• Engaging in the fight for the eternal destiny of souls requires an intense effort
It’s no secret that prayer is a critical part of our walk with Jesus Christ. If we want to grow deeper in our relationship with Christ and experience the power of the Holy Spirit more than ever before, then we need to learn how to pray with the authority we see portrayed in the Scriptures. I have been saved for decades but it was not until I learned how to really pray with authority that things began to change and shift in my life.
Let me slow this portion down for a few minutes, I want to make sure you get this. Suppose you received a brand new BMW for your birthday. You were given the keys and permission to take the car anywhere you pleased.
• You held the keys gingerly in your hand and admired the beautiful car
• But you never drove it
• Maybe you were afraid of crashing the car
• Maybe you felt you didn't deserve the car
• But, for whatever reason, you never drove it
• What good would it be to have the keys to a BMW and never drive it?
Jesus came to earth, died and was raised to life for us. According to REVELATION 1:18 “IN HIS DEATH, HE TOOK BACK THE KEYS OF AUTHORITY THAT HAD BEEN HANDED OVER TO THE ENEMY BY OUR SIN.”
• Jesus then shared those keys of authority with the church according to ST. MATTHEW 16:18-19
• But, having the keys and using the keys are two different things
• For generations, the church has possessed the keys of authority, but not always used this precious gift of authority
• Just because you have keys to the car doesn't mean that you will drive it!
When God gives us a direction in prayer, He wants us to pray from the position and declaration of authority. After all, we are seated in Jesus at the right hand of the Father - a privileged place of authority. We need to practice speaking out our intercession with boldness and persistence.
• Believe that God is going to move upon the heart of that unbeliever
• Believe the Holy Spirit will arrest the attention of your loved one or friend
• Believe the Holy Spirit will give you exactly what to say
• Believe that God is Still in the Saving Business
• Believe that GREATER IS HE THAT IS WITHIN YOU THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD
In order for us to learn how to pray with authority, we need to understand exactly who God is. Okay, we’ll never completely understand who God is because He is much greater than our finite minds can understand. But it is important to know as much as we can about Who God says He is. if we don’t learn who God is, we can’t pray effectively.
• We won’t experience the joy that comes from knowing Him
• We won’t experience the peace that His presence brings
• Without a correct understanding of God, we won’t be able to truly Trust Him - Depend on Him - or really even want to Talk to Him!
• It will affect how we treat ourselves and how we treat others
• We will lack the boldness to evangelize
• We will lack the burden for lost souls
Once we know Him, we will treasure the moments we get to spend with Him in prayer. We will long for our alone time with God and become like the deer in PSALM 42:1-2, which says “AS A DEER PANTS FOR FLOWING STREAMS, SO PANTS MY SOUL FOR YOU, O GOD. MY SOUL THIRSTS FOR GOD, FOR THE LIVING GOD. WHEN SHALL I COME AND APPEAR BEFORE GOD?” Our prayer life and His words will become SWEETER THAN HONEY TO US - PSALM 119:103 and we won’t want to be without Him. It is in the pure serenity of His presence that we experience His power and see His promises come to life.
Let’s run back to our text. We will find the saints prayed expectantly. These first century Christians believed that God had miraculously worked in the past, and they asked God to do it again. they learned how to speak with confidence. God answered their prayer for boldness but understand the text could read "they responded with obedience to speak with boldness."
• God did not remove the obstacles
• These saints were criticized
• Some were persecuted for their witness
• The anointing with boldness and speaking are simultaneous events
• We do not store up boldness for a future encounter
• God provides the boldness when we are ready to obey the call to witness for Christ
The command to witness for Christ is not just a military assignment that we execute as an obedient soldier.
• Christ-honoring witnessing flows from a compassionate heart
• The Bible says that Jesus had compassion when He saw the multitudes
• Love draws lost souls to Christ
• Love drives Christians to lost souls
The burden for lost souls must be within each and every one of us regardless of what ministry we belong to, regardless of what activities or interest groups we surround ourselves with.
• The burden for lost souls is as individual to each and every one of us as our walk with God
• Our burden for the lost cannot be based by our membership within the Church
• Our burden for lost souls cannot be based upon how long we have been saved
• Our burden for lost souls cannot not stop because we have reached a certain age
--Education, knowing our theology, enjoying excellent sermons will never move you from the classroom or sanctuary into the streets of our City
--Attending Sunday School and Bible Study will never move you from the sanctuary into the streets of our City
--Attending District events will never move you from the comforts of the Church into the streets of our City
--Being the Chairperson, President or Leader of your Ministry Team will not move you from leadership into the streets of our City
--We need a Bold and Burning love for the Lost
--We need a Bold desire to Share our Story
--We need a strong Conviction and Faith that the Lord is still in the saving business
--I have come to believe through my own experience that you can never win people to the Lord unless somehow you develop deep down in your heart a genuine burden and compassion for them to know the Lord
--“The powerful soul winner and FOUNDER OF THE SALVATION ARMY, WILLIAM BOOTH, was once asked, ‘Do you think you have the best training program to teach people how to witness for Jesus Christ and win souls to Jesus?’
--“William Booth replied, ‘No, I don’t think my methods are the best methods. I think the best method of giving people a burden for lost souls would be to take them to the devil’s hell and allow them to experience what it is to be lost in hell, separated from God for an eternity in the fire that could never be quenched. Then I believe men would truly have a burden and know what it is to be soul-winners, because they would see what it is to be lost.'”
--Come on ‘First Baptist Church’ -- Let’s Go Fishing!
