CHAPTER
1
NEW
TESTAMENT EVANGELISM
A. THE GREAT
COMMISSION
At
the Beginning of His Earthly Ministry:
Jesus
said, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19;
Mark 1:17; Luke 5:10,27).
At
the End of His Earthly Ministry:
The
risen Christ said, - "All power is given unto Me in
heaven and in earth..."(Matthew 28:18).
Matthew
28:19-20 - "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to
observed all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you
always, even unto the end of the world."
Mark 16:15 -
"And He said unto them,
Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."
Luke
24:46-48 - "And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved
Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that
repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His Name to all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things."
John
20:21 - "Then said Jesus
to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me,
even so send I you."
Acts
1:8 - "But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon
you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and
in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
BIBLICAL TRUTH: The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded every believer
to share the good news (gospel) with
every man, woman, boy, and girl on planet Earth.
|
The
Command From Heaven
We build big beautiful churches with
cushioned pews, air-conditioned auditoriums, robed choirs, and
well-trained preachers and then advertise, 'Come and hear," when all
the time God says "Go and tell." There is nothing wrong with all of these,
if we are obeying the command, "Go". The Christian does
not need to pray about whether to witness or not; the command has been
given, it needs to be heard and heeded, "To refuse to witness of a
saving gospel to a lost world day by day is nothing short of high treason,
spiritual rebellion and inexcusable disobedience to God's holy
command" (Scarborough). God's commands are not a smorgasbord to
choose what one wants and leave the rest.
Who is to go? Who is to witness? "Ye!" Don't throw this verse to
the missionaries like a a bone to a dog and say go to it. This means
"You" as much as "My God shall supply all your need."
(Phil. 4:19) means you. If every believer would claim this verse as much
as he does Rom. 8:28, the world would be evangelized in a few short years.
Every baseball team could use the superb player who plays every position,
never makes an error, nor strikes out. The only trouble is you cannot get
him to come out of the grandstand and get in the game. Many want church
growth without personal involvement.
Notice the command is to go to "all
nations." Of course, this means every individual, for "the
Lord...is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to
repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). He wants His Gospel to reach
"to the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Every believer
should be concerned about getting the gospel to his neighbor, the service
station attendant, the one next to him on the bus or train, the clerk in
the store, the mailman.
Look what we are to teach new converts: "to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (v. 20). The
first thing commanded is "Go ye." Too often it is made last!
Teach doctrine but this as well. "He that hath my commandments and
keepeth them, he it is that loveth me" (Jn. 14:21), "And his
commandments are not grievous" (1 Jn. 5:3).
(Dr. C. Sumner Wemp - Fishing
For Men - New Life Tract Society -page 6).
|
B. EXAMPLES OF PERSONAL EVANGELISM
1.
Practiced by Jesus Christ.
The
greatest example of witnessing is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 4:18,19 - "Follow Me, and I will make you
fishers of men."
BIBLICAL TRUTH: If you are not fishing for men, you are not
following Jesus Christ.
a. Zacchaeus - Chief Tax Collector
- Luke 19:1-10
b. Nicodemus - Religious Leader
-
John 3:1-21
c. A Samaritan Woman - Social Outcast
-
John 4:1-30
The
story of Zacchaeus, Nicodemus, and the women at the well illustrates that God
seeks all people regardless of gender, race, physical appearance,
education, occupation, social status, or financial worth.
2. Practiced by Other Christians.
2 Timothy 2:2 - "And
the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou
to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."
a. Andrew Led His Brother (Peter) to the Lord - John 1:40-42
b.
Philip Led the
Ethiopian Man to the Lord - Acts 8:26-39
c. Paul Led the Prison Jailor to the Lord - Acts 16:25-32
C. SHARE IN THE MINISTRY AND PASSION OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Personal
Evangelism is sharing in the ministry and passion of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 19:10 -
"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
that which was lost."
John
17:18 - "As thou hast sent Me into the world (the mission of Christ), even
so have I also sent them (the mission of every believers) into the world."
John
20:21 - "Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My
Father hath sent Me, even so send I you."
The primary purpose for Jesus coming to planet
Earth was to
seek and to save the lost. As believers we can share in this
mission. We are His ambassadors. He has given us a mission to
fulfill.
2
Corinthians 5:18-20 - "And all things
are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given
us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and
hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though
God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ stead, be ye reconciled to God."
Acts
20:24 - "But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear
unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry
(ministry), which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of
the (free) grace of God."
Every
believer is in full-time Christian service, regardless of our vocation or
profesession. You are a royal ambassador. You were appointed by the King of Kings, Lord of Lords
to represent Him on earth. Personal evangelism is sharing in the ministry of reconciliation. It is being obedient to the Lord's command to share
the gospel with every living human being.
THERE
IS NO REASON FOR ANY BELIEVER TO FAIL IN THIS MISSION:
The
Lord Jesus promise before He ascended to heaven (to reassumed His glory and
enthronement) that He would not leave His people comfortless (John
14:17-26).
The word comforter (parakletos) literally means "one called
alongside to help." Just as Christ was the comforter to the twelve,
the Holy Spirit is to all believers in this age.
The
Work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Believer
Notice
what happens at the moment you trust in Christ to save you:
1. The Lord gave the Holy Spirit to seal every believer at the moment of
salvation.
A
seal indicates possession and security. The Holy Spirit is your guarantee that
you are saved and that your salvation is not dependent of you in any way.
It is all about who and what Jesus is, and what He has done for you on the
cross.
The
seal is:
(1). A sign of a finished transaction - (Jer.
32:9-10; John 17:4, 19:30).
(2). A sign of ownership - (1 Cor. 16:19-20; 2 Tim.
2:19).
(3). A sign of security - (Dan. 6:17; Eph.
4:30).
Ephesians
1:13-14 - "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the
word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed,
ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of
our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the
praise of His glory."
2. The Lord gave the Holy Spirit to indwell every believer at the
moment of salvation.
1
Corinthians 3:16 - "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the
Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
1
Corinthians 6:19-20 - "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of
the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your
own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body,
and in your spirit, which are God's."
3. The Lord gave the Holy Spirit to baptized every believer at the moment
of salvation.
The
baptism of the Holy Spirit places you into the body of Christ.
1
Corinthians 12:13 - "For by one Spirit we (believers) were all
baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slave or free, and we
were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Notice
what happens during your spiritual journey as you live for Christ:
4. The Lord gave the Holy Spirit to teach every believer to live for Christ.
John
14:26 - "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send
in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to
your remembrance, whatsoever I have said to you."
5. The Lord gave the Holy Spirit so every believer could be Spirit-filled.
Ephesians
5:15-21 - "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as
wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do
not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk
with wine wherin is excess; but be filled (control) with the Spirit; Speaking to
yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in
your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the
Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to
another in the fear (out of reverence) of God."
Every
believer is sealed, indwelt, and baptized, but not all are filled with the Holy
Spirit.
The
Greek word (pleroo) translated "be filled" is full of meaning:
(1). Always the term is used in connection with a member of the Trinity in
the Book of Ephesians.
Ephesians 3:19 - "And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,
that ye might be filled with
all the fulness of God."
Paul's
prayer for the believer is that the life, character, and virtues of God Himself
would be fully developed in your life.
Ephesians 4:7-10 - "But unto every one of us is given grace according to
the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore He saith, When He ascended up
on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that He
ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of
the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above
all heavens, that He might fill all
things.) And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, pastor
and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ; Till we all come in the unity of
the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto
the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ..."
Christ
is the agent of filling and the one who gives at least one spiritual gift to
every believer and gives gifted ministers to the church to teach, train and
build up all in the body to be effective ministers demonstrating the fulness of
Christ by our lives.
Ephesians 5:18 - "And be not drunk with wine wherin is excess; but be
filled (control) with the Spirit."
Believers
are to be filled by means of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit working from
the inside, out!
All
Believers are commanded to be filled by Christ by means of the Holy Spirit with
the content of the fullness of God.
(2). It is in the imperative mood, which means it is a positive command
for all believers.
Every
believer without exception is given the distinct duty to be control by means of
the Holy Spirit.
(3). This verb is in the Greek present tense and it is a repeatable
action that means keep on being filled moment-by-moment by means of the Holy
Spirit.
God's
word speaks of an abiding reality. Yesterday's filling will not do for
today. The apostles and some Christians were repeatedly "filled"
according to the New Testament.
Acts
4:31-32 - "And when they (believers) had prayed, the place was shaken
where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the
Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the
multitude of them that believed were of one heart..."
(4). This verb is in the passive voice, the voice that presents the
subject as receiving the actions, rather than doing the action.
The
filling is what God does. When we are willing to let the Holy Spirit
saturate us He will pervade our entire being with the presence and power of
Christ.
Philippians
2:13 - "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His
good pleasure."
1
John 4:4 - "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because
greater is He (The Holy Spirit) that is in you, than he (Satan) that is in the
world."
(5). The filling is about the Holy Spirit having all of you.
The
filling is not a question of having more of the Holy Spirit, but a question of
the Holy Spirit having all of us. When we are disobedient we "quench"
(Eph. 4:30) and/or "grieve" (1 Thess. 5:19) the Holy Spirit, but that
does not mean that we have less of HIm. We were given all of Him at the moment
of salvation.
We
give more of ourselves when we as believers obey and yield to the Lordship of
Christ.
Romans
6:12-14 - "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should
obey it in the lust thereof. Neither yield ye your members as
instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as
those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye
are not under the law, but under grace."
Romans
12:1-2 - "I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that
ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is
your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
6. The Lord gave the Holy Spirit to empower every believer so we could accomplish the mission
of being His witnesses on the earth.
Acts
1:8 - "But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon
you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and
in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
We
Will Be Witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ:
(1). In Jerusalem - The people closest to me.
(2). In all Judea - The people near, but different from me.
(3). Unto the uttermost part of the earth - All people in the
world.
D. WHAT IS PERSONAL EVANGELISM?
Personal
Evangelism is communicating the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins
and rose from the dead with the intent of leading the
unbeliever to faith in Christ, and with the ultimate intent of
instructing the convert in the Word of God so that he can become a mature
believer.
Evangelism in the New Testament did not just present the facts of the gospel. The first
century Christians presented the facts of the gospel in order to secure a
decision for Christ.
We must inform and invite.
Personal
Evangelism is communicating the gospel (good news) and inviting the hearer to
trust in Christ alone for eternal life.
The most effective method of evangelism is "one - on -
one." Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with one person at a time. This
is personal evangelism.
Eighty-five to ninety percent of the people being saved are the
result of a friend or acquaintance sharing the gospel "one on one." Only
fifteen percent of new conversions are the direct results of attending a church or revival
service and then responding to the invitation to trust in Christ for eternal
life. The majority of these were invited by a relative or friend to attend a
church-type service. This is why it is so important for every believer to
do his part in evangelism.
1. Everyone Evangelizing.
a. Acts 8:1 - "And Saul (who later became known as the Apostle
Paul) was consenting unto (Stephen's) death. And at that time there was a great
persecution against the Church which was at Jerusalem; and they were
all scattered abroad through out the regions of Judea and Samaria, except
the Apostles."
The word translated "preaching" is the Greek word, euaggelizo
which means evangelizing. They were proclaiming the good news of Jesus
Christ with anyone, anywhere, at anytime!
b. Acts 8:4 -
"And they that were scattered abroad went
everywhere preaching the word."
Notice who is spreading the gospel to all the world: The church
leaders did their share of evangelism, but verse 1, says the
Apostles remain in Jerusalem. The point here is that it was the
fleeing Christians that were spreading the gospel to the people of these other
cities!
2. Everyone Evangelizing and Working Together.
Ephesians 4:11,12 - "And He (Christ) gave some, apostles; and some,
prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, (pastor-teachers);
For the perfecting (equipping) of the saints; for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ."
Christ's
gift to the church is gifted leaders who's purpose is to train, develop
and equip believers to be mature minister/servants in the body of Christ.
Every member
is to do the work of the ministry. All parts of the body of Christ functions together to evangelize
the world. Not everyone is called to be an evangelist or a pastor of a local
church, but we are all called to be a minister/servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Everyone Evangelizing and Developing Disciples.
Matthew 28:19,20 - "Go
ye therefore, and teach (MAKE DISCIPLES of) all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am
with you always, even unto the end of the age."
The main command is to make disciples of
all the nations.
The main verb, "to make
disciples"
tells what is to be done, and the three participles, "going,
baptizing, and teaching tells how it is to be done.
a. The word "teach"
(make disciples) is the main verb in the text.
It comes from the Greek word, Matheteuo, which means "to instruct with the
purpose on making disciples". The basic meaning of
"disciple" is a pupil who learns and follows a teacher. A
disciple of Jesus Christ is a believer who does that and more. He not only
learns and is teachable, but his attachment and love for the Lord should
motivate him to follow the Lord in doctrine and conduct of life.
b. The word "go" in the passage is a participle
and means more than just a command to "go." It assumes that you
are going. The followers of
Christ will proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ with anyone, anywhere, at
anytime. It could be translated, "As you are going, make
disciples..."
c. The word "baptize" is the Greek word, Baptizo.
This means "to immerse, submerge for a religious purpose, to
saturate." In the New Testament the believing sinner was baptized as a
testimony of his new identification with Christ and the church.
When
a person hears the message about Jesus and trusts Him as Savior, he has
eternal life.
John 3:36 -
"He that believeth on the Son
(Jesus
Christ) hath everlasting life..."
Then he is to
follow the Lord in believer's baptism and church membership.
Acts
2:41-42 - "Then
they that gladly received His word were baptized: and
added unto
them about three thousand souls. (Notice
what else they did so they would grow in Christ)
And they continue steadfastly in the
apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in
prayers."
d. The word "teaching" is the Greek word, Didasko. This
means to instruct by word of mouth. Personal instruction is given to the
new believer so he can be obedient to Christ as he grows in the grace and
knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice
what we are to teach a new Christian: "To observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you" (v.20).
The first
thing the Lord Jesus Christ commanded was to share the gospel with all the
world, to often it is made last. We are to teach Bible doctrine - yes! But don't forget to teach the new believer to witness.
E. The Great Commission
Strategy:
1. Evangelism - We must inform and invite others to trust in
Christ alone for eternal life. We believe every Christian
should know how to win the lost. Surveys have shown that 80% of all evangelical
Christians do not know fully how to lead someone to the saving knowledge of
Christ.
2. Nurture the new believer in a good Bible teaching Church - Following
the Lord in Believer's baptism and belonging to a good church is
vital in the nurturing of a new Christian.
3. Discipleship
- Instruct the new believer in the commands of Christ. To
be a follower of Jesus Christ. The
ultimate goal is spiritual maturity. Sharing
the gospel takes only a few minutes to a couple of hours. Discipleship
takes hours on hours - a lifetime.
4. Ministry - The church must be able
to Nurture and Disciple those won to Christ, and then through the
equipping process, release them to effective ministry involvement. Maturity in
Himself was what Jesus had in mind when He said, "Go make disciples."
The
results are everlasting. Acts 2:47 - "...And the Lord added to the church
daily
such as should be saved."
F. A WORD OF CAUTION ABOUT MIXING SALVATION AND DISCIPLESHIP
Eternal Life
is free. Discipleship is taking our new life to the next level of spiritual
growth and maturity.
|
There is a vast difference between coming to Jesus for salvation and
coming after Jesus for service. Coming to Christ makes one a believer, while
coming after Christ makes one a disciple. All believers are not disciples. To
become a believer one accepts the invitation of the Gospel. To be a
disciple one obeys the challenge of a life of dedicated service and separation.
Salvation
comes through the sacrifice of Christ, but discipleship comes only by
sacrifice of self and surrender to His call for devoted service. Salvation
is free, but discipleship involves paying the price of a separated walk.
Salvation cannot be lost, because it depends upon God's faithfulness, but
discipleship can be lost, because it depends upon our faithfulness -
(M.R. Dehann - Hebrews - Zondervan Publishing House,
1959 - page 117).
|
| There is no more piously subtle
abrogation of the Gospel than to tell a sinner that he must not only believe in
the Savior, but dedicate himself to do God's will, crown the Savior Lord of his
life, etc., etc. Obviously, dedication and
service are highly desirable, but they are the privilege and the duty of the
saved, never a condition of salvation for the unsaved (cf. Romans 12:1, 2).
(Merrill F. Unger - God is Waiting to Meet You - Moody Press, 1975
- pages 117, 118). |
G. THE BENEFITS OF PERSONAL EVANGELISM
Personal
witnessing is necessary for your spiritual health. This is the key to
a healthy Christian life.
Witnessing
Will Cause You To:
1. To love the Lord with all that is in you.
Your
relationship with the Lord will be the most important aspect of your life.
Your love for the Lord is the real motivation for serving Christ. The
only way to really develop into a healthy, growing, mature Christian
is to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment (Mat. 22:37-38).
2. Pray to
God.
You will be seeking the Lord for guidance,
power, opportunity, boldness, and for the right words to share as you witness to
a unbeliever. The
only way to really develop into a healthy, growing, mature Christian
is to have an active prayer life.
3. Read, Mediate, and Study God's Word.
You will become a Bible student.
You will move from being a baby Christian who is spoon fed and only able to
take bottled milk to a mature growing disciple feasting on a seven course meal. The only way to really develop into a healthy, growing,
mature Christian is to know God's word and applied it in your life.
4. Be involved in a Bible believing church.
In Matthew 16:17-18
Jesus said, "I will build My Church..."
The
church
was very important to Christ, and it will be to those who commit
themselves to sharing the gospel. The word church
means, "called out ones." It refer to all
believers who make up the body of Christ, but the word is used
more often to denote a local group of believers. A local church is a group of baptized
believers who voluntarily join together for Biblical instructions, fellowship, worship,
evangelism, and service (Acts 2:42-47). The only way to really develop into a healthy,
growing, mature Christian is to join and be active in a good local church.
5. Be a committed disciple who's goal and purpose is to be more like
Christ.
1
Peter 3:18 - "But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever. Amen"
Personal
witnessing is the trigger that releases God's power in your life. Share the
gospel and He will give you the power to conquer any fear that is hindering you
from being an effective witness. The only way to really develop into a healthy,
growing, mature Christian is to be a committed disciple of Jesus Christ.
