The Heart of the Evangelist
Evangelism Training • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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The Motivation of an evangelist:
The Motivation of an evangelist:
1. A desire for God to be glorified.
1. A desire for God to be glorified.
“Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.”
-John Piper
Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
2. Compassion for those who are lost.
2. Compassion for those who are lost.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
3. A longing to partner with God in his mission.
3. A longing to partner with God in his mission.
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
We all have a desire to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.
To be a part of a team working together to do something great.
People work so hard to get into the best…
Universities
Internships
Sports teams
Jobs
But what greater honor is there than to be invited to be on God’s team to accomplish his mission.…
4. A vision to make a multiplying and eternal impact.
4. A vision to make a multiplying and eternal impact.
But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
Often our vision for our lives is too small.
I want people to see just how significant of an impact they can have.
Question:
Why do you think having the right motivation is important?
Which of these four motivating factors do you need to consider most?
The Perspective of an evangelist:
The Perspective of an evangelist:
Worldly perspective
Worldly perspective
People are generally good, but nobody is perfect.
People can increase their likelihood of getting into heaven (or whatever preferred afterlife their is) by doing things like:
Trying to be good.
Contributing something positive to the world.
Giving off good vibes.
Being true to themselves.
If there is a god, he will let those people into heaven.
Only the few, terrible people, like Hitler, will go to hell.
If people are so inclined to believe in god or Jesus, that’s good for them, so long as their faith remains private.
However this is not the perspective of an evangelist. The perspective of an evangelist comes from what the Bible says about those who are not saved, and how they can be saved.
1. All sinners will not be saved unless they believe in Jesus.
1. All sinners will not be saved unless they believe in Jesus.
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
This debunks the “universalist” worldview.
2. They must hear the gospel in order to believe in Jesus.
2. They must hear the gospel in order to believe in Jesus.
Romans 10:14 (ESV)
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?
This debunks the perspective that people who don’t hear the gospel will be saved.
Some may say, “What about the innocent people who never hear the gospel.”
They will go to heaven.
The problem is, there simply aren’t any innocent people.
That assumption comes from the worldly perspective, and is not biblical.
3. Someone must tell them in order for them to hear the gospel.
3. Someone must tell them in order for them to hear the gospel.
Romans 10:14 (ESV)
… And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
This shows us the urgency of missions and taking the gospel to those who haven’t heard.
This is why “the great imbalance” is something we need to consider.
4. The Gospel will be preached to all nations before Christ returns.
4. The Gospel will be preached to all nations before Christ returns.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
This is why we can have confidence.
This is also why we must not panic or be anxious about the previous points.
God is…
In control
He has told us the final result
He is directing history
Gospel proclamation does not depend on us, but we are invited to join in and be a part. …
5. It is God’s expressed will for people to be saved.
5. It is God’s expressed will for people to be saved.
who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Does this mean that those who don’t come to salvation have somehow undermined God’s plan?
Providential will
God’s sovereign plan.
We don’t know it.
This is why we can say with Paul that “God works all things together for good…”
Nothing will stop his purposes from prevailing
Moral will or expressed will
The ten commandments
God said to Pharoah, “Let my people go…”
This is the sense in which I believe Paul is using this verse.
Questions:
In what ways does a godly perspective enhance your passion for evangelism?
If someone said, “I believe in Jesus, but I think a person could still go to heaven if they don’t know Jesus.”
How would this impact their attitude towards evangelism?
What verse might you point them to?
The Attitude of an evangelist:
The Attitude of an evangelist:
1. Boldness
1. Boldness
Based on Christ’s authority.
Based on Christ’s authority.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge,
Based on God’s power.
Based on God’s power.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Based on the urgency presented by reality.
Based on the urgency presented by reality.
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
2. Gentleness and Respect
2. Gentleness and Respect
but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
Sometimes people think of boldness and gentleness as opposites.
They are not.
It is easier to be either
bold and disrespectful
timid and gentle
The Challenge is to pursue both.
3. Love
3. Love
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
Don’t confuse evangelism with being on the debate team.
The goal is not to slam an opponent.
It is to lovingly point people to the Savior.
Questions:
Of the three attitudes above, which is your strongest and which is weakest?
Many find boldness to be a struggle. Based on Scripture, why can we be bold witnesses?
The Job of an Evangelist
The Job of an Evangelist
1. To be a witness to Christ’s resurrection.
1. To be a witness to Christ’s resurrection.
beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”
This is the heart of being a witness.
It’s easy to loose focus of what Christians were originally to be a witness to:
Debunking evolution.
Overcoming objections to the Christian faith.
“Be a witness with your life…”
The heart of it is this, “Jesus Christ rose from the dead.”
He’s alive.
500 people saw him.
He is the Messiah, The Christ, The Savior.
Lee Strobel’s Story: “The Case for Christ”
Reporter
If you can disprove the resurrection, you can undermine the crux of Christianity.
2. To proclaim the good news.
2. To proclaim the good news.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
Christ died for our sins.
He was buried and rose agian.
According to the Scriptures
He fulfilled the OT
It pointed towards the Messiah
Jesus fulfilled it.
3. To reason with people from the Scriptures.
3. To reason with people from the Scriptures.
When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved.
Some of you are scared:
Start with a base knowledge of how to use Scripture to share the gospel.
You grow over-time with experience:
Someone asks a question or has an objection, then you find the answer.
You improve over time.
Study and memorize relavant verses.
Over time, you improve.
You do your best, and trust that God is going to use it.
Remember that he is in control.
When I first started doing evangelism… 4 spiritual laws…
People would indicate decisions to follow Christ.
I can answer more questions now, but I’m not convinced that I’m necessarily more fruitful than I was then.
Questions:
Have you ever shared the gospel? If so, what went well and what do you think you could improve on?
What Scriptures would be good to have memorized for a basic gospel presentation?
A Basic tool for Sharing the Gospel
A Basic tool for Sharing the Gospel
The Benefits of Using a Tract:
The Benefits of Using a Tract:
It shares a complete gospel presentation.
It keeps you focused and to the point.
Even if you are nervous, you won’t forget what to say.
It requires little to no training to use. The person you share with can take the tract and share the gospel with another that same day.
It has a clear invitation to put faith in Jesus.
It gives next steps.
You can leave it with them so they have something to remember.
Stories:
Hudson Taylor
Friend Tyler.
Andy
Steve Shadrach.
John Worcester
How to Use a Gospel Tract
How to Use a Gospel Tract
Ask questions about the spiritual area of their life:
“Growing up, did your family have any spiritual beliefs?”
“Do you believe in God?”
“How do you think we can relate to God?”
Ask them if you could share with them. You can say something like…
“Has anyone ever shared with you how you can start a personal relationship with God? I have this little booklet that we could read together.”
“I’ve got this little book that talks about how you can know for sure if you are going to heaven. Would you like to read it real quick?”
“If you could know God personally, would you want to?” Pull out the book and ask, “I brought this little book we can read together.”
Read through the book together, taking turns reading a page. It can be helpful to have two books so you can each hold one.
When it gets to the point where it asks them if they want to pray to receive Christ, don’t just move past it quickly. Ask them if that is something they are ready to do, or if they need more time to think it over.
If they are ready to receive Christ:
Invite them to pray the sample prayer and then pray for them.
Celebrate with them! It is their spiritual birthday!
Read through the rest of the tract.
Tell them you would like to follow up with them in the next couple days. Set up a follow up meeting.
Ask them if they know anyone else who needs this? If so, go with them to share the gospel.
If they are not ready:
Tell them thats ok, and that with such a significant decision it is important to really think it through, but at the same time there is a degree of urgency.
You don’t need to read the rest of the tract since it only applies if they receive Christ.
Guague their interest:
If they seem like they want to explore more, invite them to read some stories about Jesus together. Invite them to church.
If they seem less interested, tell them you are there as a resource whenever they want to talk about spiritual things.
Leave them with the tract and encourage them to read it over before bed.