The Plain Talk on Evangelism
HHM Pastor Jim Parisi Aug 4, 2002 Communion Sunday
With our 911 Program coming up in a few weeks we need to prepare for the event to the best of our ability
One as a group or a Church…. and two as individuals
We need to prepare our hearts and our minds
There is great need in the world today for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We the Church of the living God have a great responsibility to get the gospel out… into the earth
Our mission field is right here…. in our own back yard
The call of Harvest House is to go into our community and the surrounding areas
and let those out there know that we are the church who is here to serve.
We are the church who cares
We are the church who is going to make a difference
They will say to you….. I have seen this before prove it to me
My feeling is … that’s just fine with me
The scripture tells us in John 15: 7-8 If we live by this gospel that if it becomes part of our lives …. We will bear much from it
John 15: 7&8 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
They will know us by our fruit… they will see the difference in our lives
the way we live and what we do with our time and recourses
Our countless hours of effort for the 911 event will be planted in our community as a multitude of seeds spread into fertile ground
We are to get ready to anticipate a HARVEST
Other events that we as a church participate in
the fairs & festivals the we help we give to man booths in support of our town
How did they know Jesus back then .. He walked amongst them
HE SPENT TIME IN THEIR COMMUNITIES
He fellowshipped and ate with them
We are called and commissioned by the Lord to go into the world and preach the Gospel.
Mark 16:15-18 15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they F86 will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Beloved this… is the day for churches like Harvest House
Churches with a sense of Community a sense of belonging
We go in with our best … to give them our best
Who would accept second best for their own life?
So our first part was to strategize and plan
Get our game plan down.. it has to be the best because God has given it to us
Look how doors are opening because we are in the will of God
We are moving in the Spirit
Planning is good it gives everyone a direction to follow
The next step is education
Not only how to do it but also how it works
That’s why today’s message…..
The TEN essential habits help a church reach and keep unchurched people?
1. Desire to reach the lost & unchurched
You got to want to do it
You have to have this burning feeling inside
You have to know this is why we are here
2. High expectations for new members
Plainly you have to believe they are coming and want them to enter those doors
Who wants to be in a place that the people are unfriendly?
Who wants to be in a place where they are Unkind?
Who wants to be in a place that no one even knows you are there?
There should be an excitement like a new birth ….with all the joys it will brings
John 16:21
A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
We forget all the hard work and pain after someone accepts Christ
for another human being has accepted Christ
To see the new faces and souls here makes we want to do it again and again
Your heart has to jump at the thought of new souls brought into the Kingdome aided by your efforts
To know that there will be less people wandering about in Satan’s wasteland because you have done your job well
That this many more will see the Love of Jesus and spend eternity with Him……. the king of kings and Lord Of Lords
3. Prayer
We as the church the body of Christ are to keep these souls in continual prayer
Tirelessly interceding for them …..
Paving the way with our prayers and tears
Keeping vigil day and night because they can not
How many here are today sitting in their seats in churches across America because someone kept praying for them
4. Some Risk Taking
and I don’t mean Gambling
we don’t gamble for souls here we win them to Christ
Our 911 event has become something far bigger then the world would say we as a small body could accomplish
By the world’s standards it can’t be done
But when you hear the masters voice and you know because you know
You move in a vein the world doesn’t know about
You move with a favor the world can not understand
You have no idea how it works but you put your hands to the plow and it just all seems to fit together
Like we have been doing this all our lives
You say we don’t have the right people to help or enough funds
God is not limited by our understanding … Praise HIM
You start doing your best and serving the Lord
Planting the right seeds of your heart also of time and finance
You give these precious things you give your life
Because you believe God will do something great with them
You know God will do something great with the seeds you plant here today
And then all of a sudden the floodgates start to open
People and resource come in, and you can’t figure out how it happened
You start to move at God’s speed
A speed in God that is not hindered by our simple intellect.
But is driven by our hearts desirer to serve Him
Because we do not do this to draw attention to ourselves
But to glorify God ….. To bless our King
Ok this was all how to get them here
How do we keep them?
One way is with:
5. Effective leadership
We believe in the scripture of 1timothy chapters 3 & 4
The qualifications of the ministry and being a good minister for j\Jesus Christ
If you don’t know them, then you need to read them
This is what is expected of you to minister the Gospel
Don’t you want to know what you are getting your self in to
What you are committing to here
Only a fool goes and gives his life blindly
I was a fool in the world giving my life foolishly to whims and passions
It got me to a place I was so empty life didn’t matter any more
There was nothing left to do
I just didn’t car and that’s when it became dangerous
We will meet dangerous people are you ready?
Don’t be foolish and unprepared
The lord is giving us a season to organize and nurture our gifts and abilities
And plainly just get ready don’t waste this time
How foolish to waste such a season in God
Remember The group who follows a fool becomes the proverbial “ship of fools”
The leaders have to give their lives to the people
They have to live as examples to the others of how a proper Christian should live
Too many preachers, ministers and folks in the pews are not living what they preach or represent.
They forget that the eyes of the flock are upon them 24/7
Even more…. are the eyes of the new congregants
Remember when you were first saved how you were?
Always looking how to fit in and how it was done…
People in churches are Living lifestyles behind closed doors that are offensive to God
And here at Harvest House we are all ministers of this Gospel from the least to the greatest we all will serve Him
That’s what we believe
Make sure you live up to the testimony you profess
Because if you don’t they will know sooner then later
What I’m saying is…. if you are telling them to live a certain way …..You better be also.
6. Clear doctrine
Truth in word Truth in scripture
I don’t change the bible to suit my lifestyle
I change my lifestyle to suit my bible to serve my God
We do not change the scripture here
We believe what it says in Rev 22:19
Rev 22:19
and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
We live by it no matter what the cost to us is
We will never compromise the WORD of God
We will die someday but the word of God lives forever…
7. Effective preaching
Clear unadulterated but most of all plain truth
We tell it plainly we tell it like it is
We tell it so…. the lost can understand this message
We don’t think highly of ourselves
We know what we are now and what we were before Jesus
We do not try to impress each other with noise about us
We tell it in a way that it gives no glory to us
We don’t compete with each other by saying who is the smartest or most spiritual,, who is closest to God
We are all as close as we choose to be to the father
it is our call in how much of our life we want to give Him
1Peter 5:6 - Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
it is God who raises up a man or a woman
and we are to respect who He chooses
and bless them in serving because we are serving Jesus
That’s right someone may just walk in here and blow us all away
so We realize this now and are thankful for all the parts of this body here even the ones coming
we Respect them for who they are and the deposit of God in them
We know it is God who will raise you up and honor you before men..
And we are committed to them to see them grow in Christ
To become the best they can be for the cause
Because we know ….we could not function alone or with out them
And there is no fee for my service; we look for nothing in return
Freely I have been given so freely I give
8. Being culturally aware & civic-minded
We need to know our community ..we are getting involved
We need to know the heart beat of our neighborhood
How will you know that unless we become part of it….
9. Dynamic small groups
This is later we are starting now so we don’t lose touch with each others needs
Ministering on a intimate level
10. Where the Church is a Hospital and a Home
Our doors AND THE DOORS OF OUR HEARTS are open for the lost the sick and the poor
the ones no one wants, the ones no one will touch
A place of refuge A place of rest A SAFE HARBOR
Even though they can come in and rest AND HEAL
we are called to serve TO SERVE THEM
and we only do it out of our love for the Lord
Praise HIM CHURCH …. FOR HIS LOVE HAS SET YOU FREE amen
