Intentional Evangelism

2 Corinthians 5:11-6:1

Charles Spurgeon said, “Every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor.”

How does that make you feel? Based on that assessment, I feel and look like an impostor quite often. In fact, this week as I was preparing this message I was convicted of how little I have shared my faith or even spoken about Jesus in the past few weeks. I admit, most of my evangelism happens at work. I use my work as a place to share my faith as often as I can, but in recent weeks, I have been “too busy” to share at all. Needless to say, The Lord has pointed out several opportunities that I have missed to me.

In our passage, Paul gives us several reasons why The Lord calls us to evangelize others.

Let’s read verse 11a: Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others.

We are to persuade others “knowing the fear of the Lord.” Does this mean we are to evangelize out of fear that God will punish us if we don’t? Not necessarily, but the word for fear in the Greek is phobos where we get our word phobia from. In the context it means to be in awe and have reverence for the Lord. I think this is something we have been lacking in the American Christian church for some time. We don’t have a sincere idea of what reverence for the Lord is. Part of it is because of preachers like me who love to pepper our sermons with jokes and lighthearted anecdotes. Part of it is that the gospel has been watered down to the point that the warnings of hell are not even mentioned by preachers who want to have a good attendance in their churches. We are like children. Children often need a little encouragement from their parents to do things that they ask. Children like me needed a lot more “encouragement” to do things. My mom had to play the role of two parents, so she had to be tougher at times, but eventually I learned to submit and do what she said. I did not only have to be forced to do what I was told, many times I did things out of love for my mom. It is similar with God. If we remember who God is, and what He has done in our lives, and what He is capable of, we will submit to His Great Commission.

Let’s read verse 14-15: For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

The second motivation for evangelism is out of the love of Christ. Notice, that it does not say our own love, but that it is the love of Christ that compels us. It is His love that produces love in us.

Charles Spurgeon challenged his congregation: “Do you want arguments for soul winning? Look up to Heaven, and ask yourself how sinners can ever reach those harps of gold and learn that everlasting song, unless they have someone to tell them of Jesus, who is mighty to save. But the best argument of all is to be found in the wounds of Jesus. You want to honor Him, you desire to put many crowns upon His head, and this you can best do by winning souls for Him. These are the spoils that He covets, these are the trophies for which He fights, these are the jewels that shall be His best adornment.”

Read 1 John 4:7-21

We love, because He first loved us. Christ’s love, as demonstrated on the cross, is what should produce a love in us for others. He came for the lost, weak, wounded, hurting, evil, outcast, sinful, hateful, horrible people. He loved them and us enough to give His life, and He calls us to have that same kind of love. 1 John 3:16 mirrors John 3:16: By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

We aren’t necessarily going to die for someone else, but are we willing to?

I like to say that I would die for someone, but I know that isn’t the case. I can’t even sacrifice my comfort to share the gospel with someone. It seems like I always have an excuse ready for not sharing the truth.

There is the common fear of being rejected by people we know or those who are our friends. Who are you more afraid of, God or man? Another common excuse is that people don’t know how to share their faith. Might I ask, how did someone lead you to Jesus? If you know how someone led you to Jesus, you know enough to lead others to Him as well. Some people feel that most people have already heard the gospel and thus they don’t feel the need. Did you know that it takes an average of 7.6 times for people to hear the gospel before they become a Christian? Since we don’t know what number we are, we should have no problem planting another seed, watering a previously planted seed, or seeing the fruit of other people’s labor by leading them to Christ right there.

We have been given this “ministry of reconciliation” from God. We are ambassadors for Christ and God is using us to reach the lost for Him. The “troubles” we will endure on our end, could result in life for many others, if we will endure them.

Read 2 Corinthians 4:7-12

Note verse 12 that “death is at work in us, but life in you.” Paul says that his suffering and subsequent death resulted in life for others, just as Jesus’ suffering and death had resulted in life for us.

The point is that we need to be willing to suffer and give of ourselves so that others may live.

So what will we do as a church?

The next couple of weeks I am going to be sharing our vision for Vintage Life Church which will include plans we have to live out each of our core values. Remember to invite new people!

Prayer