I’m going to do something different this morning as we get started. Normally, we read the scripture that is listed up on the screen as we get started, but today I want to read from Colossians 4:2,5-6 and then we’ll focus on the passage in Acts. As I read this, file it in the back of your mind and consider it as we look at the events found in Acts. (Read/Pray)
When you hear the word “evangelism”, what’s your knee jerk reaction? For a few of us who find ourselves gifted that way, we get all excited and eager to go. Most of us, however, react with fear or feeling nervous. “What will I say?” “What if they have questions?” “What if I get stumped and don’t know how to answer?” Let me give you a bit of reassurance- it’s not about what you know, it’s who you know. Evangelism isn’t about you, it’s about helping them get to know Jesus.
We are preparing to host a revival in just a few weeks, so we’re going to preach about evangelism for a few weeks because we want to encourage you to invite people. We actually have an advantage this year because revival is already on the minds of people all over the world. You may have heard reports about a revival starting at Asbury University in Kentucky. I believe we can view it with cautious optimism as we hear from people who have attended. Some friends in ministry that I trust have gone to check it out and they’re saying good things. Now, a revival should have long lasting impact, so we’ll see what comes from this. We aren’t looking to duplicate the events at Asbury, but we are praying that God will move in people as we host our revival.
We’re going to look in the book of Acts for some examples of evangelism. Today, I want to encourage you with the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. I believe we can learn three steps to evangelism based on what we see in this narrative. The first step is to listen. I want to focus on this step today because we often skip over it. We know we have the answer- Jesus- so we jump in without listening and often we end up making a fool of ourselves.
We begin by listening to God. Read Acts 8:26-30. Now, to provide a bit of context for what is happening here and get to know Philip, we need to go back to the beginning of the chapter. Read Acts 8:4-8. Philip was one of the original seven deacons, chosen to serve the needs of widows and needy. When persecution broke out in Jerusalem, he headed to the city of Samaria and began preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. We’re told that the crowds listened because they heard his message and saw the signs he did. Evil spirits were being cast out and the lame and paralyzed were being healed. If this were happening today, I picture something along the lines of a Billy Graham Crusade with thousands of people packing in a stadium so they can hear the message. The text says there was much rejoicing.
And then an angel of God comes to Philip and tells him to go to the road from Jerusalem to Gaza. Luke describes it as a desert place. God is telling Philip to leave the crowds, the success that he’s been seeing and go to the middle of nowhere. How often have we seen God tell someone, like Abraham, pack up and go, I’ll let you know when you’ve arrived?
Philip goes, no questions, no hesitation, simply goes. When he gets there, he finds an Ethiopian eunuch, an official under Queen Candace, in his chariot returning from worshiping in Jerusalem as a Jewish proselyte. The Holy Spirit nudges Philip to join the Ethiopian at the chariot and Philip obeys again. Now, the lack of detail leaves a lot to be imagined. We’re not told if the Ethiopian was at a rest stop along the side of the road taking a break and Philip was able to saunter up to him. It’s possible that the chariot was passing by and God supercharged Philip’s legs so he could run alongside the chariot and get the Ethiopian’s attention. Regardless, Philip approached the chariot and was able to ask if he understood what he was reading.
How do we hear God today? We really don’t hear about hearing the actual voice of God speaking to them directly. We can hear Him by reading our Bible. In fact, when Thomas declared he needed to see the risen Jesus to believe, Jesus showed up, and Thomas worshiped, Jesus declared this in John 20:29 (read).
We also can hear God through our times of prayer. There is a lot of noise and distraction in this world today, trying to draw our attention away from God. We often talk about prayer and how we share our hopes, joys, and concerns with concerns, but we also need to remember to take time to pause and listen for how God is responding to us. I think of Elijah, when God told him He’d reveal Himself to him in 1 Kings 19. Elijah went up on the mountain and God sent a roaring wind, but He was not in the wind. Then God sent an earthquake to shake the mountain, but He was not in the earthquake. Then God sent a blazing fire, but He was not in the fire. Then Elijah heard a still, small whisper and he knew it was time to step out and be in the presence of God.
God also speaks to us through other Christians. We have been given this family so we can come together, encourage, comfort, and correct each other. As we’re seeking answers, we don’t have to figure it out alone. We can talk to our brothers and sisters in Christ and allow God to work through them to help us find the better way.
We also need to listen to the Lost. Read Acts 8:31-34. When Philip asked the Ethiopian if he understood what he was reading, the Ethiopian responded, “How can I unless someone helps me understand?” Even today, the Lost will let you know how to reach them. We need to listen for what is happening in their lives, questions they may have.
There was a young man who helped at our ministry in St. Louis who also taught at a school in the city. He was coming to help at our after-school program and I could tell he had a rough day, so I asked him how he was doing. He gave the standard, “I’m fine,” and began to walk away. I caught his arm and repeated myself, “No, really, how are you doing?” He gave me this funny look, thought about it for a minute, then asked, “Do you really want to know?” I thought, “No, I just stopped you for the fun of it,” but I told him yes. He was surprised to have someone willing to listen and shared about some struggles he was having. We were able to come up with a plan to help him work through those things because I listened.
We need to understand that sometimes they’ll ask questions to avoid actually hearing the gospel. We have to learn to recognize the difference between planting seeds and providing water and when we’re simply casting pearls before swine. A part of the problem is that we need to listen because the church as a whole has a track record to overcome.
For example, Gandhi once said, “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are nothing like your Christ.” Now, I understand that at one point Gandhi had tried to attend a church to see what it was all about. Unfortunately, he tried to attend the church where the Americans who were in India would gather. As he went in the door, an usher stopped him to let him know the church for the Indians was down the road. We have the right answer that people need, Jesus, but they need to know we care.
In John 1:14, Jesus sets the example. (read) He was full of grace and truth. There’s a balance. We need to declare the truth of God, we’re all sinners in need of a savior. God loves us just as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way. We invite people to walk side-by-side as we grow in faith.
Once we listen, we need to discern and share the gospel. Read Acts 8:35. Philip recognizes what the Ethiopian is reading- Isaiah 53. The Ethiopian’s question provided the starting point for Philip to share the good news of Jesus Christ. “Who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” That’s where Philip began. The prophet is talking about Jesus, let me tell you about Him.
Anne Wilson has a song that’s been on the radio recently that does this in a similar fashion. She starts out talking about the struggles of life one may be going through, then declares, “Let me tell you about my Jesus.” Here is how she concludes the song:
Who would take my cross to Calvary? Pay the price for all my guilty?
Who would care that much about me? Let me tell you 'bout my Jesus
He makes a way where there ain't no way, Rises up from an empty grave
Ain't no sinner that He can't save, Let me tell you 'bout my Jesus
His love is strong and His grace is free, And the good news is I know that He
Can do for you what He's done for me, Let me tell you 'bout my Jesus
And let my Jesus change your life
There are a number of what I call canned approaches that have been developed over the years. Tracts have been made available to help people with evangelism. I think they’re useful, but you’ve got to be careful as many of them are produced from a faith only background that encourage people to pray a prayer and they’re saved. They tend to leave out the scriptures that speak of baptism as part of the process. We may need to adjust to line up the presentation to what we see in scripture. Here are some that you may want to use:
Evangelism Explosion leads off with questions like, “Where would you go if you died today?” or “Why would God allow you into heaven?” Ray Comfort uses a similar approach, going up to people and asking them if they’re a good person. He then starts naming a variety of sins and inevitably they have to admit they’re sinners. This allows him to share the need for grace that we all have.
Romans Road takes a list of scriptures from Romans to lead a person through their need to follow Jesus.
I like to use Napkin Evangelism as I’m at my office (McDonald’s). It gives a brief overview of the Bible. In the beginning was God, His creation culminates in people, sin separated us from God, none of our good works get us back to Him, we need Jesus to bridge the gap.
A more recent version I’ve seen is what I call Witness Arrows. It tells about what Jesus has done for us- He came, He died, He rose, He ascended, He will return.
Early in our movement, Walter Scott developed what he called the Five Finger exercise. I like to start with my pinky. You must hear the good news, you must believe that Jesus is God’s Son, you must repent of your sins, you must confess that Jesus is your Lord, you must get baptized (I like to run my finger down my pointer to my thumb as a visual for baptism by immersion).
All of these have their place, they have value because they can help us be confident that we’re covering all the bases. For most of us, starting with the canned approach doesn’t work well. We need to start with a relationship, get to know a person, see where they’re at, and find your starting point- and we have plenty of people we know right here in our community.
Trust that God will give you the right words to say at the right time. Many times, it’s simply recognizing that they have questions. When I begin a conversation in which they’re asking questions, I point out that I will try to answer their questions but I reserve the right to say, “I don’t know.” When that happens, I suggest we seek the answers and meet back up to see what we’ve found, and now I’ve got an ongoing conversation to prompt someone towards faith in Christ.
Once we’ve shared the gospel, we need to allow a response. Read Acts 8:36-40. Based on the Ethiopian’s response, I believe we can know Philip’s message. He began by identifying that the prophet was talking about Jesus. He shared who Jesus is, how He lived, what He taught, how He died, and that He rose again.
Now, what would have happened if the story had ended after verse 35? What if Philip had preached the good news then went on about his way? We wouldn’t know what the Ethiopian did with the good news he’d been given. Would he have simply gone back to Ethiopia pondering the information he’d received, possibly filing it away as nice to have? Would God have sent someone else to finish the job? Thankfully, we don’t have to wonder, but it does raise the question, what good is it to want someone to do something if you never give them the chance to act on it?
I realize car salesmen don’t always have the best reputations, but consider this. You go to a car lot, the salesman comes out, shows you a car, tells you about it’s features, takes you on a test drive, then walks back into the dealership, leaving you on your own. Are you going to buy that car? Probably not. That’s why they ask, “So what do we need to do to get you in this car?” Now, I’m not suggesting that we’re trying to sell the gospel, but we do need to give people the opportunity to respond.
What if Philip had gone to the other extreme? There are a number of different churches, various denominations, some even from our brotherhood, who have set up classes for new believers. When someone expresses a desire to follow Jesus, they invite them to join this six-week course in which they’ll learn about the church and their various doctrinal stances. Once they know the person fully understand their doctrine, then they baptize them.
At this point, those of you who have the NKJV are probably wondering why I skipped over verse 37 (read). In the ESV that we use as a church (and NIV) this verse was moved to the footnotes. When the KJV was first translated, they were using the manuscripts that were available, but later older manuscripts were found that didn’t have this verse (and others) in them. So the verse was moved out in an effort to remain true to the oldest manuscripts. I do, however, appreciate that it’s still available for us to see what it says, even if it is in a footnote. This verse helps spell out what’s required for someone to be baptized.
When the Ethiopian asks if he can get baptized, Philip tells him that if he believes with all his heart, he can be. The Ethiopian declares, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God!” It echoes Peter’s words in the good confession, the words we have people declare as they prepare for baptism, “I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and I want him to be my Savior and Lord.”
Jesus says it in a similar fashion in the Great Commission (read Matthew 28:19-20). Go and make disciples. How? Baptize and teach, notice it’s not teach then baptize. If someone declares they believe in Jesus, repent of their sins, and want Him to be Lord, that’s enough to baptize them. Then we can continue to teach and disciple as we all grow in our faith. Let’s not add hoops for people to jump through to come to Christ.
Let’s return to the passage we read at the beginning. Read Colossians 4:2,5-6. Let’s be wise and listen to God and the lost so that we can discern where to start so we can share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Once we’ve shared the gospel, let’s give people the opportunity to respond in baptism.
Pray.
