Evangelism Today - TELL

Sermon Series: Wk #2: Evangelism Today T.E.L.L.

Scripture: John 1:43-52

According to Jerry Blaxton of Sermon Central; The letters in the word TELL can be a reminder of some of the principles of how to share our faith.

The T reminds us of the Truth of our own lives. In order to tell the story of Jesus, we need to know that truth ourselves. It needs to be in our minds, but more than that, it needs to be a part of our experience. Some of us have known the truth of Jesus Christ since childhood; we are almost born into the faith; it has become so much a part of how we think and live that it is who we are. Others of us have become Christians along the journey of life. We have made a change and a promise to follow Jesus. We have experienced the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and we sense the excitement of being a part of the church. We each have a story and truth about what being Christian means.

Too often, we detract from that truth with fear, guilt, mistakes, and how we have changed from our worst nature. Certainly, that is an important aspect of truth in all of us. But Christianity is not just about how bad we have been but about how good Jesus is. The truth is that God loves us despite our faults. Our self-esteem is secure. That’s our story. It is our truth.

The letter E reminds us of the word Explain. Much of the task of telling about Jesus is to explain. A lot of misinformation is present in our society. We need to explain our beliefs. We need to be prepared to answer hard questions. Many doctrines of the church require careful study. We must have answers to these questions. We must be able to explain. This is the story of salvation for all of us, and it must be explained and understood for us to be able to enjoy it, celebrate it, use it, and tell it clearly.

The first L reminds us of Living. If a person is to understand what the Christian faith is all about, they will understand it best by the way that we live. We need to show that love, generosity, kindness, patience, understanding, integrity, and responsibility are the principles we live by.

A young woman found she had a difficult disease. Her friends at the office were impressed with the effective way she dealt with illness. They were amazed because she seemed to have unusual strength to handle this difficult time. When they asked how she remained so strong, she shared the strength that God had given her. They saw Jesus in her behavior.

The last L represents Leading. We are called to invite someone to church and to explain salvation. We need to learn how to lead others to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You do this by cultivating relationships! We don’t always have to “Fellowship” in the walls of the church building. We need to be out in the community, going to different events, meeting for coffee, or going to a movie...the more the person you are trying to lead to Christ get’s to know you and how you live the better opportunity they will open their heart to Christ.

Jesus called us to go make disciples. There is no exception to that. How we share our faith and tell the story is a critical part of our discipleship.

Next week the final week of our Sermon Series takes us to Matthew 28:16-20, read, meditate, and pray for understanding to the final instructions of Christ to build His Kingdom.