Showing God’s Love In a Practical Way.
WHO are we trying to REACH
The Apostle Paul challenged Christians to relate to all people for the sake of spreading the gospel. The heart of Paul’s message was that Christians learn to understand each individual so that we might share our faith with them effectively.
Paul states, 19Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: 20religious, nonreligious, 21meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, 22the defeated, the demoralized--whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ--but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. 23I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it! (1 Corinthians 9)
Often, we over complicate our faith to express the relevance of the gospel. Other times, we only try to be understood instead of also trying to understand. Although this video takes a humorous look at when we fail to share our faith effectively, let it serve as a reminder for Christians to strive to share their faith in both a relevant and understandable manner.
Play Real Christians of Genius.
Lets watch a movie about how many in the world view Christians.
I’m not sure we have this thing called evangelism right. You know the tiny little command Jesus gave us. After all what is the greatest commandment? God, what is really important? This…
34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " ’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Were no longer just talking about inviting your neighbor to church or to a small group meeting, but were talking about caring for them, watching out for them, meeting their needs if you have the means.
There are four things we must realize and do to have effective evangelism (In order for people to become attracted to God).
The first thing is…
1. People will listen when I treat them like friends.
How many of you have ever switched schools, or know someone who moved to your school during the school year? As children and even as adults there is nothing more sought out then friendship. Has anyone ever just embraced you as their friend and you wondered why? It’s a great feeling. People need friends and if you befriend someone you can influence them for Christ.
The second thing is…
2. I must realize that when I serve, hearts are touched
So often when we are in the middle of doing something nice for someone, we start to doubt what were really accomplishing. You are building credibility. Look past the present…what could this service mean for the kingdom? If you want to see someone’s heart touched and you want an opportunity to share Christ with someone, do something for them. Maybe you have an elderly neighbor you can help out, clean their roof or mow their lawn. Build a relationship with them and when they ask why, simply tell them “I just want to show you God’s love in a practical way.”
The third thing is…
3. Understand that as I serve, I redefine the perception of a Christian.
Believe it or not Christians do not have the best credit with people of this planet. Many people will hate you just for being a Christian. But as we serve them, they’re presumption of what a Christian is will change. It will metamorpherize from a person who they view as condemning and as a none caring person, to someone who reflects Christ’s love.
4. Doing the message precedes telling the message.
We have been talking about the harvest. I hate to tell you this but unless we do the message we will not win the harvest. If we want to reap a harvest for God, if we want lost souls to receive the peace and love that accompany a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, than we must first plant the fields. Doing the message, taking it to the lost in a visible form is planting the seeds. Servant evangelism isn’t simply telling people the message it is showing them it in a practical way.
THIS SEEMS EASY ENOUGH HOWEVER FOR MANY EVANGELISM IS the hardest part of their relationship with Christ.
Our neglect of evangelism is a big concern to all of us. It is intimidating due to its consequences. What if I mess it up? What if my failure/shortcoming/lack of memory leads to the eternal damnation of someone’s soul? Let’s consider a few thoughts today that might help us realize that evangelism can actually be something we look forward to having the opportunity to do. Here’s two Biblical facts about bringing your loved ones to Christ.
1. Fact #1 : Nobody encounters the message of Jesus unless somebody who already knows Jesus introduces you to Him.
Sometimes, the first time doesn’t last. We too often think of evangelism as a one-shot sales pitch--"If they don’t get it today, there may not be a tomorrow." According to the harmony of the gospels, Peter did not immediately drop his nets and follow Jesus at this time, his first meeting with Christ.
Read John 1:40-42. 41The first thing he did after finding where Jesus lived was find his own brother, Simon, telling him, "We’ve found the Messiah" (that is, "Christ"). 42He immediately led him to Jesus.
Jesus took one look up and said, "You’re John’s son, Simon? From now on your name is Cephas" (or Peter, which means "Rock").
It may well have been three meetings with Christ before Peter truly believed. Like most of us, he needed multiple exposures to Christ.
Every time you drop a seed, you create an opportunity. When you speak up and in any sense say, "I have found the Messiah", a spiritual powerhouse is set in motion.
Romans 10:13-14, 17 Romans 10:13"Everyone who calls, "Help, God!’ gets help." 14But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them?
You may not know the latest in soul-winning techniques or programs, but neither did Andrew or Peter or anyone else following Christ. Too bad Jesus hadn’t been to any of our excellent Outreach Seminars! Guess what? You don’t really need a 13-week course what to say in every evangelistic circumstance.
You can share 4 things:
1. My life before I met Christ:
2. How I came to realize my need for Christ:
3. How I accepted Christ and what happened:
4. What Christ has done and is doing in my life:
That’s all Andrew really did. Read Paul’s courtroom testimonies in Acts and see if that’s not the pattern he followed.
Then there’s another fact that should also take some pressure off you:
2. Fact #2: Nobody becomes a Christian until they have a personal encounter with Jesus, a real experience of His power and presence.
This is Peters conversion experience…
Read Luke 5:1-11. 1Once when he was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, the crowd was pushing in on him to better hear the Word of God. 2He noticed two boats tied up. The fishermen had just left them and were out scrubbing their nets. 3He climbed into the boat that was Simon’s and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd.
4When he finished teaching, he said to Simon, "Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch."
5Simon said, "Master, we’ve been fishing hard all night and haven’t caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I’ll let out the nets." 6It was no sooner said than done--a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. 7They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.
8Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. "Master, leave. I’m a sinner and can’t handle this holiness. Leave me to myself." 9When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him. 10It was the same with James and John, Zebedee’s sons, coworkers with Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, "There is nothing to fear. From now on you’ll be fishing for men and women." 11They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed him.
This may well be Peter’s third, but at least his second, personal meeting with Christ. This is the moment of belief for Peter: he says, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man."
In order to be saved, people must experience His power and His holy presence. This is not something you nor I can artificially manufacture.
When Christ meets a human need, they are inexplicably drawn to Him. Notice this incident:
Peter & Co. This was their job--if there’s no fish, no dinner on the table. Following the advice of a "land-lubbin’" carpenter was something no self-respecting career fisherman would consider.
Look how the amount of fish broke the net and caused two boats to start to sink! Jesus moved in a way they HAD to listen to Him. This was not just a good catch, this was record stuff.
But notice one thing, they don’t ask Jesus to become a partner. Could have made a lot of money with talent like that! But when Jesus met their need, they adopted a whole new perspective. Life was no longer about survival.
Does a church exist for the purpose of paying someone’s rent?
Does Jesus come into a person’s life for the purpose of making them matrially wealthy?
Jesus comes into your life and meets a need in order that you might come to realize what Peter realized:
LUK 5:8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
Jesus does this to make you realize He is the Messiah. He is not average, He is not a teacher, He is not Santa Claus. Peter realized his sinfulness.
A personal encounter with Jesus Christ will always result in this.
Conc. Two simple requirements for evangelism--(1)you must personally touch another person with your own experience with Christ, and (2) Christ must personally touch that person whom you wish to reach. One you can manufacture by being alert, always ready to give a reason for the hope that’s in you. The other depends on Him. Trust Him to carry His end of the responsibility. There is no better example of how to interact with the people in the world then studying Jesus Christ.
