The Super Highway to Heaven
Isabelle: Hey, whacha doin?
Dave: Hmmm?
Isabelle: I said, Whacha doin?
Dave: Oh, I’m evangelizing.
Isabelle: What do you mean? There’s no one here.
Dave: I know. I’m doing it online.
Isabelle: Wait a minute. You’re evangelizing online?
Dave: Yep. I’ve got to meet my quota and I figured doing it online was the most productive way.
Isabelle: What do you mean you’re quota?
Dave: Well, if we want our church to grow larger then it’s important that I meet a daily quota. Jesus said to go out into the highways and byways and I figured that I should concentrate all my efforts on the information super highway. Jesus would be impressed.
Isabelle: Okay, I’m not going to even touch that one. Let me get this straight – Your building the church through evangelizing on the web?
Dave: Yep. I mean, look here. I was talking with this person I found in this soap opera chatroom and see, I sent her this cool smiley face and a plus sign. Get it, it’s like a cross. That means that they should be happy about Jesus.
Isabelle: And this is your plan?
Dave: Uh, yeah.
Isabelle: Where is the person from?
Dave: Um, I don’t know, hold on. (types and waits) Dubuque Iowa.
Isabelle: And how are they going to come to our church to hear about Christ?
Dave: Uh, well. Hmmmm. Well, okay, you have me there. But what about this?
Isabelle: What, this email?
Dave: Yeah, go ahead and read it. I’m going to spam it out to 50,000 people.
Isabelle: "Got Jesus? No, then come to our church. It rocks. Dave"
Dave: Get it? It’s a play on "Got Milk?"
Isabelle: Dave, I don’t think…
Dave: And look at this! It’s my new website! People are going to be falling all over themselves to get into the church when they see this. See that? It’s an animated image of our church.
Isabelle: What are those?
Dave: Those are angels.
Isabelle: Are those bow ties?
Dave: Yeah, classy huh? What do you think about the snow I’ve got coming down?
Isabelle: Are those happy faces?
Dave: See, now you’re getting it. Now, the next thing I’m going to do is send out those emails and then I’m going to post these to newsgroups and… (Isabelle is saying "Dave" throughout his speech here until finally)…
Isabelle: DAVE!
Dave: What?
Isabelle: Do you have any friends?
Dave: Yeah, of course.
Isabelle: Why don’t you start with them? If they’re your friends, then go tell them.
Dave: (Begins thinking about it as LIGHTS FADE DOWN)
HOW’S YOUR WITNESS?
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. - Matthew 5:16
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. - Acts 1:8
What is Witnessing / Evangelism
* Webster’s Definition
wit·ness / Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–verb (used with object)
1.
to see, hear, or know by personal presence and perception: to witness an accident.
2.
to be present at (an occurrence) as a formal witness, spectator, bystander, etc.: She witnessed our wedding.
3.
to bear witness to; testify to; give or afford evidence of.
* What are all these “Christian” words about – Evangelism, Witness, Winning the lost, saved, soul winning, etc.
* The church has lost the meaning of Witness and has replaced it with lifestyle (Lifestyle Evangelism)
o I have fallen in that trap
o While it is important to have relationships, it is also important to tell people about Christ.
o If you’re having a heart attack, the doctor will not wait until next week to treat you.
* What does it all mean? How can we become witnesses?
* Who can be a witness
o Everyone
o You are a witness, even if you don’t want to be
o Witnessing is three way communication (Prayer, Bible Study and Telling others)
Three key aspects of your Christian witness
I. Prayer
a. God wants you to pray always
Pray without ceasing. – 1 Thessalonians 5:17
b. Go boldly to the throne – Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. - Hebrews 4:16
i. We are in a time of need like no other
ii. God will give us all power to be His witness
c. Have confidence when you pray – I John 5:21-22
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: - 1 John 5:14
d. What we ask, we will receive
i. Jeremiah 33:3 – Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
ii. Matthew 7:7 - Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
iii. John 14:14 - If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
iv. John 16:24 - Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
e. Pray in Jesus name – I Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; - 1 Timothy 2:5
II. Bible Study (not just daily devotions)
a. Bible study is Christian growth – I Peter 2:2
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: - 1 Peter 2:2
Illustration – For several summers during the mid-1990s, Dave Wolter, head women’s basketball coach for Concordia University in Irvine, California, flew to Asia and put on basketball clinics for both players and coaches. On one flight, his plane experienced mechanical trouble at 30,000 feet. Panic broke out. People were screaming, crying and standing up in the aisles. Wolter, on the other hand, sat calmly and prayed. When a woman sitting next to him saw how different his demeanor was to the rest of the passengers, she shouted in Wolter’s face, “Why aren’t you hysterical?” Fortunately, the crew was able to correct the problem, and nervous tranquility was restored in the cabin. For the rest of the flight, Dave answered the woman’s question as she and several others listened intently to how his faith in Christ Jesus enables him to face death with confidence.
i. As we grow stronger in Christ we grow stronger in our witness – Aflac
b. The Bible is God’s Word to us
c. Seven results of studying God’s Word
i. It keeps us from sin – Psalm 119:11
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. - Psalms 119:11
ii. It builds us up
And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. - Acts 20:32
iii. We can live and not be ashamed – Psalm 119:116
Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope. - Psalms 119:116
iv. We can know the truth – Psalm 119:160
Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. - Psalms 119:160
v. We can know where we are going – Psalm 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. - Psalms 119:105
vi. We can have understanding – Psalm 119:99
I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. - Psalms 119:99
vii. We can know right from wrong – Hebrews 5:14
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. - Hebrews 5:14
III. Witnessing
a. God will acknowledge us if we acknowledge Him
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. - Matthew 10:32-33
b. Don’t be ashamed of the gospel
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. - Romans 1:16
c. God will help us in our witnessing – You’re not alone
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. - Acts 1:8
d. Always be ready to give an answer
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: - 1 Peter 3:15
e. God commands us to witness – Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. - Mark 16:15
f. Christ came to earth to save all men – Luke 19:10
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. - Luke 19:10
The results of your Personal Evangelism
* Illustration – The story is told of a small dog which had been struck by a car and was lying by the side of the road. A doctor, driving by, noticed that the dog was still alive, stopped his car, picked up the dog, and took him home with him. There he discovered that the dog had been stunned, had suffered a few minor cuts and abrasions, but was otherwise all right. He revived the dog, cleaned up the wounds and was carrying the animal from the house to the garage when suddenly it jumped from his arms and scampered off. “What an ungrateful little dog,” the doctor said to himself. He thought no more about the incident until the next evening when he heard a scratching at the door. When he opened it, there was the little dog he had treated with another hurt dog.
* You just have to start doing it.
Fishers of men. In the children’s sermon I had the children share how to catch fish. Then I asked what we would need to do to catch people. One boy answered: "Throw them in." bc in MO
One Last Thought:
Develop a consistent prayer life
Take time out of your week to seriously study God’s Word
Talk to somebody about Jesus this week.
