Luke 14:15-23 – Contagious Christianity
15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:
17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
What would you be willing to do for $10,000,000? In their book, The Day America Told the Truth, James Patterson and Peter Kim reveal some shocking statistics about how far people in this country are willing to go for ten million.
· Would abandon their entire family (25%)
· Would abandon their church (25%)
· Would become prostitutes for a week or more (23%)
· Would give up their American citizenship (16%)
· Would leave their spouses (16%)
· Would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free (10%)
· Would kill a stranger (7%)Would put their children up for adoption (3%)...
§ Over 106,000 churches in the USA. Over 100,000 of these did not see 1 soul saved last year. 98% of Christians have never shared their faith -- not even 1 time!
§ In this text of Scripture, it precedes Jesus telling the three great "lost" parables of Luke 15 -- the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. In these, Jesus is explaining why He hangs out with the rif raf. The religious folks are troubled that Jesus is hanging out with sinners.
o There are three common threads in those parables. First, that which lost MATTERS.
o Second, that which is lost warrants an all-out search.
o Third, there is a cosmic celebration of ONE that is lost being found.
o You never lock eyes with someone who doesn’t matter to Christ. You never brush shoulders who doesn’t matter to Christ.
o Evangelism is telling people they matter to the Father -- The love of Christ is so at work that it is contagious.
§ Fair or unfair, certain professions have a negative reputation that they can’t get rid of. What comes to your mind when I mention politician, used car salesman, lawyer, insurance salesman. What comes to your mind when you hear the word "evangelist"?
o Real Christians of Genius video clip
§ Many of you think of a slick-haired, shiny-shoed, smooth-talking reverend with a television ministry. Or maybe you think of a great soul-winner like Billy Graham. Whichever our perception is, it is dreadfully wrong. We need to understand that to reach people for Christ, we do not have to become something ODD or be someone that we are not. Nor do we have to become something great that is unreachable.
§ We can be ourselves. God knew what He was doing when He made us. He gave you the exact personality He wanted you to have and He wants you to use it to impact those around you.
A. Relational Evangelism
a. Authentic
i. Flows out of a genuine, living relationship with Christ where His love for lost people passes through us to others
ii. Christ’s truthfulness is demonstrated by a life that has been noticeably marked by God’s love and leadership.
b. Natural
i. Instead of trying to be something we are not, relational evangelism reflects our own personality and design
ii. It fits who we are!
iii. This puts others at ease and gives them the assurance that what we have is real and worth looking into.
c. Personal
i. People are growing immune to tracts, radio & television preaching, billboards & bumper stickers.
ii. People are open to talk to a personal friend
iii. Generally, we talk to someone we know and trust when we have an important decision or need help with a problem we are going through
iv. Non-believers do not want to talk about personal matters, especially spiritual issues, with just anyone
v. They want to confide in a faithful friend
d. Verbal
i. Relational EVANGELISM involves more than just building friendships and hoping others notice the difference in our lives and figure it out
ii. Romans 10:14 "and how can they believe on Him of whom they have not heard?
iii. And how can they hear without someone preaching to them."
iv. For people to get the message, someone has to go and explain it to them
v. Just as words without actions are empty, so are actions without words
vi. We have to live AND explain the Gospel
vii. We must initiate spiritual conversations to discuss biblical truths.
e. Process-Oriented
i. To be effective, we must not inappropriately rush or push a person
ii. It takes time to understand the message, believe it, and act on it
iii. Seldom to people hear the message for the first time and commit their lives to Christ
iv. We must patiently bring people along, step by step
f. Team-Oriented
i. God rarely uses just one person to bring someone through the entire process of coming to faith in Him
ii. More often, He orchestrates a number of people, places, and events to lovingly move a person toward Christ.
iii. A person’s coming to Christ is like a chain with many links. There are many influences and conversations that precede a person’s decision to convert to Christ. God has not called me to only be the last link. He has called me to be faithful and to love all people.
iv. It is strategic to intentionally partner with other Christians to "link up" our strengths and abilities in order to lead people to Christ
1. While we can do this on a limited, personal basis, there is a synergistic effect when we act in tandem with larger efforts from our church in events that build relationships with non-believers
2. These can include fellowships, home cell groups, and seminars designed to appeal to practical needs in people’s finances, marriage, and family
3. These events can be extremely effective in helping us reach our spiritually lost friends and relatives with the Gospel message
4. God did not intend for us to go it alone."
g. "Putting Others First"
i. If we want to win people’s trust and gain an opportunity to express our beliefs, we need to put that person first
ii. This means deferring to their interests, hobbies, schedules, and openness
iii. It means listening to their opinions before giving ours, and taking an interest in their backgrounds, stories, questions, doubts, and frustrations
iv. It means asking them about themselves, what they like or dislike, believe or disbelieve, value or do not value, and then really listening to them and being interested in what makes them who they are
v. Putting them first earns us the right to talk about our own spiritual interests
vi. People are hungry to be in a relationship with someone who really cares about them.
B. Impact List:
a. To get beyond the generic person out there who needs to be reached, we must identify specifically people we know we can possibly reach for Christ
b. Carefully consider the people in your life to whom you could give concentrated effort in the attempt to bring them to the next step in the evangelism process
c. When you think of a name, begin praying for that person. Ask God to work in their life and to give you wisdom on how to effectively reach out to them.
1. Carefully consider the people in your life to whom you could give concentrated effort in an attempt to bring them to the next step in the evangelism process.
2. List the names of these people in the space below:
3. Please note that these names will change as these people become Christians or move out of your sphere of influence. This list, therefore, should be an ongoing part of your lifelong evangelism strategy.
4. Remember it is important to develop no-strings-attached friendships with the people on your list. Let them know by word and action that they matter to you, regardless of whether or not they agree with the Christian message.
5. Begin to pray for the people on your Impact List. Ask God to work in their lives and to give you wisdom on how to effectively reach out to them. In praying for them, keep in mind the following three areas:
a. THEM
i. Ask God to:
1. Pull them toward Himself
2. Open their eyes to the emptiness of life without Him
3. Help them see their need for forgiveness
4. Remove the confusion they have about Him and the life He offers
5. Help them grasp the meaning and importance of the cross of Christ
6. Open the person’s heart to God’s love and truth
b. YOU
i. Ask God to:
1. Help you live a consistent and attractive Christian life
2. Make you authentic and honest as you deal with life’s ups and downs
3. Give you wisdom in knowing how to approach the relationship
4. Expand your knowledge so you will be ready to define and defend the Gospel message
5. Grant you appropriate boldness and courage
6. Use you to help lead this person into a relationship with Christ
c. US
i. Ask God to:
1. Cause depth and trust to grow in the relationship
2. Open doors for spiritual conversations
3. Guide those conversations in pace, frequency, and content
Much of this content comes from Bill Hybels "Contagious Christianity Course".
