Personal Evangelism
Notes
Transcript
80% of Kentuckians do not attend church service on Sunday morning.
80% of Kentuckians do not attend church service on Sunday morning.
That means if there are 100 people at Freddie’s, chances are 80 of them are lost
The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few
Church Growth story on page 30
Today is the first time I have read this story
As I read it sounded so similar to the vision I believe God has given me for this church
Sell the parsonage
Fix up our facilities
Turn the activities building into a youth center
Equip and lead the church in evangelism
Kenny Ragar said something when he was here last week that stuck with me: He said If we are faithful to do what God has called us to do, then God will bless our efforts whether the people we invite come or not…God will bless them.
Our job is to spread seeds
If no one responds we have still done our job
When we fail is when we do not do our Job
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
WHAT IS PERSONAL EVANGELISM?
It is personally sharing the gospel
Personal evangelism is not inviting someone to church (although this is very important and we should be doing this)
Personal evangelism is telling someone the gospel, your testimony, or your hope in Christ.
What is the gospel?
The gospel message
The do’s in personal evangelism
Do pray every day for opportunities to have gospel conversations
One of the things in your prayers should be for an opportunity to share the gospel
Do read books and participate in training to be a better witness for Jesus
The training session we had with Kenny Ragar was so helpful
Do learn from others how to be a more effective witness
This has helped me the most
Watching someone physically share the gospel teaches me more than reading
Do look for opportunities to turn everyday conversations into gospel conversations
How many in here have lost friends?
Lost people have lost friends
When they are converted they are surrounded by lost people and have an abundance of chances
Do value every person you meet and see them as someone who can follow Jesus.
There is no one too lost that they cannot be saved
Do pray for lost people by name daily
Make a prayer list and by name pray for them
Evangelism is impossible apart from prayer
Do find a witnessing partner who will encourage you in your personal evangelism efforts
Do celebrate when someone comes to faith in Jesus.
The dont’s
Don’t treat people like a project
Don’t write people off before trying to share Jesus with them
Don’t fail to listen to people and discover what their real needs are
Don’t just try to get people to repeat a “sinners prayer”
Don’t be afraid to ask people if they are ready to follow Jesus
Don’t fail to follow up with people who have made decisions for Christ.
Don’t fail to disciple those who have made decisions for Jesus.
What is the gospel?
The gospel message answers 4 big questions:
Who is God?
Why are we in such a mess?
What did Christ do?
How can we get back to God?
What does that look like biblically?
Who is God? He is the Creator
Why are we in such a mess? (The fall) Adam’s sin
What did Christ do? (Redemption) The cross, the purchase of our souls through His death
How do we get back to God? (Consummation; being married to Christ) the blood covenant through Christ
God loves you ()
You are a sinner ()
God is holy and must punish sin ()
God sent His Son, Jesus, to save you ()
What must you do to be saved?
Repent of your sin (Luke 13:3)
Believe in Jesus (Rom 10:9)
Receive Jesus as Lord and Savior ()
Lets put that into words:
the good news is that the one and only God, who is holy, made us in His image to know Him. But we sinned and cut ourselves off from Him. In His great love, God became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross, thus fulfilling the law himself and taking on himself the punishment fore the sins of all those who would ever turn and trust in Him. He rose again from the dead, showing that God accepted Christ’s sacrifice and that God’s wrath against us had been exhausted. He now calls us to repent os our sins and to trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness. If we repent of our sins and trust in Christ, we are born again into a new life, and eternal life with God.
WHY MUST I SHARE THE GOSPEL
Five reasons we do not share the gospel
We are disconnected from lost people
We think it is someone else’s job
We think there is a gift of evangelism, and we don’t have it
We are busy with other things
Five reasons we must share the good news
Because of the number of lost people
Because of the work of Jesus
Because of the hope of the gospel
Because of the growth experienced when sharing
Because of the impact of our example
HOW DO WE MAKE PERSONAL EVANGELISM A PART OF OUR LIVES?
Pray about it when you rise in the morning
Pray For opportunities
Acts 8:26-40
Pray for lost people by name
Everyone in here needs to have a list of lost people they pray for everyday
Pray for boldness
You never know what you can until you step out and do it
Carry tracts with you
These are a guide for you so you don’t get lost
hand one to someone and pull your out and walk them through it
Leave tracts for people like the waitress at a restaurant or
Take them through the tract
Set a goal to have one gospel centered conversation each week
Ask that waitress if you can pray for her
Use wisdom as you don’t want to embarrass anyone
Carry these business cards with you
Always have your personal testimony ready to share
This is my favorite way of sharing the gospel
Your story connects with people
If you are uncomfortable in personal evangelism go door to door with us
This is the best way to learn to share the gospel
You will talk to someone you have prolly never seen and may never see again
Go with people who have been to help walk you through it
Practice on each other
Do you have any religious beliefs
Would you mind if I share mine with you?
Can I tell you about what changed my life?
Lets practice on each other