Evangelism

     It's very awkward to be around someone and want to communicate something, yet be at a complete loss of words for what to say.  For the Christian, an excellent example of this can be found in trying to share Christ.  Whether we are with friends, strangers, neighbors, or just about anyone else, we sometimes feel inadequate to do the job.  We want people to come to know Christ, but we aren't always sure what to say.  And sadly, some of us are hesitant to bring the Bible into a discussion, for whatever reason.  We may be afraid of offending them, or we don't know what verses we ought to say.  We worry so much about our delivery that sometimes we forget that the Holy Spirit works in us.  When we don't see instant results, we get mad at ourselves, or God, and wonder what is wrong.  Therefore, we are talking today about evangelism, and what is necessary for it.  You may have no problem sharing the gospel, and if that's the case, than I hope this helps to encourage you.  You may not know the gospel at all, and if that's the case, please keep reading, and thank you for your time.  If you do have trouble witnessing to others, than I hope this clarifies what we need to do it, and gives you motivation to go out and be the ambassadors of Christ.  Of course none of the things below are possible without the help of the Holy Spirit.  You must have Him to make these things work.  But we'll take Him as a given, since every true Christian has Him (by the way, a true Christian is defined as someone who has done what Romans 10:9 says: " That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  Going to church does not make you a Christian any more than going to an arcade makes you a Pac-Man.)  The other given is practicing what you preach, which means acting your belief out in life.  Assuming these are in place, this will hopefully clarify the tools for evangelism.


     As Christians, we are called upon to preach what we know.  In the book of Romans, it says: "But how can they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things!"  (Romans 10:14-15 HCSB)  Paul was pretty clear in showing that someone must go out and preach the gospel to the unbelievers.  And if that's not clear enough, Jesus tells us after rising from the dead in Matthew 28 to "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." (Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV)  We were told by Jesus, basically, to GO!  But what is necessary, besides the help of the Holy Spirit, to do this effectively?   The most basic things are prayer, the Bible, and trusting God for the rest.

     
     If you want to really get anything done, you have to pray.  On your own you can't accomplish anything (Sorry, but it's true) but when you talk to the sovereign God of the universe who is also your Father, big things start to happen.  Of course, by prayer I mean more than the Mother Goose rehearsal prayers:

"Thank You for this day O God,

That the sunshine is so bright,

That there is food on my table,

And everything's all right.

Amen!"

     This sort of prayer is easy to spit out on autopilot, and there's nothing sillier than giving God Mother Goose rhymes and expecting that to be enough.  When I say prayer, I mean the sort of prayer where you trust God to do what you ask, and come to Him knowing that He's listening.  When you stop talking to God like a robot and start praying like you're talking to a God who is your Savior and Father and who loves you more than anything else He created, that's the sort of prayer that can move mountains, make changes, and do something worthwhile.  (Just for the record, the rhyme prayer above is something I made up, so it's unlikely anyone is using those words exactly.  I just used it to make my point.)  The Bible shows us the power of prayer.  

Prayer saves lives:

King Hezekiah of Judah was going to die, God even told him so, but He prayed, and see what happened.  

2 Kings 20:4-7 shows us God's response.  "And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.”’”

Then Isaiah said, “Take a lump of figs.” So they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered. (NKJV)  

Prayer overcomes physical obstacles:

Hannah was a woman who could not have children, but she asked God for a child, and would you believe she got more than one.

"So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord.  And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.  Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.” (1 Samuel 1:9-11 NKJV)

Later in the chapter:

"So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:20)  In case you're wondering, Hannah did keep her word about dedicating Samuel to God, and he grew up to be one of Israel's greatest prophets and leaders.

     That's not all prayer can do.  I like what James says about prayer in the book of James, chapter 5, verses 13-18.   He says:

"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.  Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit." (NKJV, bold face added)

     Just for the record, if you know Jesus, you are righteous.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (NKJV)"  Prayer makes things happen, and though we don't always get the answer we expect, we can trust that no prayer goes unanswered.  If we ever dislike the answer God gives, we have to remember that He's smarter than we are, and sees the big picture.  Pray for those who don't know Jesus.  Pray, and believe that God will move their hearts.  Remember, if God can save you, there's no reason He can't do the same for others.

       The Bible is the next thing we need.  No matter how uncomfortable it sounds, you can't keep the Bible from your witnessing.  The Word of God just so happens to be as relevant and truthful today as it was 2000 years ago.  And for the record, God did not write the Bible just for Christians.  He wrote it for everyone.  We as Christians are supposed to know it's value better than anyone... so why are we so afraid of offending someone with it?  Let me tell you something.  If someone is offended by the Bible, that's their fault, not yours.  One more time: If someone is offended by the Bible, that's their fault, not yours.  This may sound insensitive, but it's not.  The gospel is contained in the Word of God, and if you try to get the gospel across without the Bible, you will fail.  God never told us to make His Word more palatable.  The Bible does not need to be watered down, revised, or made into a teen magazine in order to reach people.  The Bible is meant to be just as it is.  PERIOD.  Regardless of culture, the Bible is still relevant.  And here's why: "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV)  Culture changes, but the Bible does not.  Instead of making the Bible fit the culture, let's make the culture fit the Bible.  Another struggle we often have is not knowing the "right verses".  But get this: God wrote a book which will not return to Him without having done something, so if you think you used the wrong scripture while ministering to someone, think again.  Unless you purposefully did twist the Bible, it will get something done.

As Isaiah 55:10-11 says:

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
     giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."  (ESV)

     We never should think that the Bible is the wrong way to lead people to Christ.  That's bogus.  In fact, it's a lie from the enemy.  And we should never think that only certain scriptures will draw people to Christ.  The gospels contain the good news, but the rest of the Bible is there for a reason too.  We need to study the Bible, so that we can make the most of every opportunity to evangelize.  Study the Bible hard, study all of it, and study often.  If you don't know the Bible, you can't jolly well share it very effectively with others.  Read it with expectation and relish.  It's there to guide you along life, you know.

     Third, we need to trust God.  In today's world, when we don't see instant results, we can get very disappointed, and wonder what we did wrong.  But not everything happens in five minutes, and sometimes there's more happening in the heart than we imagine.  Remember, only God sees each man's heart, and you must trust Jesus that He's doing what you can't no matter how persuasive you are, that is, move an unbeliever's heart.  God is smarter and more perceptive that we are, and with the Holy Spirit working, only He knows what will happen.  Going back to Isaiah chapter 58:8-9, we can see that God has higher ways than ours.

  

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts. (NKJV)

     God knows what He's doing, even when we don't.

      Evangelism is not easy, especially when people are not always easy to approach, but it is necessary, and if we stick at it, God will reward our efforts, whether now or in heaven.  The truth is that evangelism belongs to God, and if we faithfully keep at it, He'll do more with it than we ever imagined!

NKJV means New King James Version

ESV means English Standard Version

HCSB means Holman Christian Standard Bible

Easter

     One of the most interesting days of the year is Easter.  It moves from month to month, unlike Christmas or Valentine's day.  Easter always, without exception, falls on a Sunday.  It's celebrated many ways, although eggs and rabbits and candy are easily the most popular.  But what is Easter really all that important for?  Oftentimes it seems like just another opportunity for stores to advertise and move merchandise.  Wal-Mart is advertising "More Easter for Your Money".  Marshmallow Peeps stare at us from behind their plastic packaging.  Cadbury is having a field day with their seasonal chocolate eggs.  But Easter isn't, and never was, a festival for sugar highs and rabbits that scare little children.  So what is Easter?

      This may seem off topic, but we have to go back to early history to answer the question.  The Bible says that God made earth, and everything else.  (Genesis 1:1)  When He did, He made mankind as well, starting with two people named Adam and Eve.  He only forbade them one thing, and that was to eat a certain fruit from a certain tree.  This is simple enough, and everything was going fine until one day Eve was accosted by the devil, who told Eve that the one thing God said not to do was a good idea.  She bites, literally.  Adam makes it worse by doing the same thing, and blaming her for it.  God is perfect, and can't have wrongdoing near Him, so He had to banish them from His presence.  Prior to that mistake, man was actually friends with God, but that was shattered with the sin of Adam and Eve.  Eventually, Adam and Eve have lots of kids, and it turns out the kids are no better than the parents.  They commit new wrongs.  God knows mankind is in trouble.  The sin that they (and we) commit condemns us to an eternity in hell.  If you doubt such a place exists, take a look at 2 Peter 2:4, or Psalm 9:17.  But man cannot be in a right relationship with God, because our sin is incompatible with his perfection.  However, He won't let the matter rest. 

     God has a Son.  His name is Jesus.  God sent Him to take away our sins.  He came as a man, while at the same time being God, and healed and taught many people.  He knew from the outset what His mission was.  But it wasn't easy.  He had to die in our place.  However, His death wouldn't be a peaceful one.  He died by a means known as crucifixion.  Here's how crucifixion worked.  After the victim was sentenced, the ancient Romans would then force him to carry a large wooden cross to the place of His execution.  They would then take railroad spike like nails and, driving them through the victim's hands and feet, literally nail him to his own cross.  This was humiliating, excruciatingly painful, and brutal.  Upon being nailed, the victim would hang there, in full view of everyone, and bleed freely.  Jesus was sentenced to this in Mark 15:1-15 by a Roman government official named Pontius Pilate.  It says,  "Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate. Then Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” He answered and said to him, “It is as you say.” And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing. Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, “Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!” But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled. Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion. Then the multitude, crying aloud,began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them. But Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them. Pilate answered and said to them again, “What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?” So they cried out again, “Crucify Him!” Then Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!” So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified."

  Jesus is God, but He suffered as a man would.  He wasn't looking forward to it either.  The Bible shows Him asking His Father to make it possible for Him not to have to do it, yet telling Him that He will if that's His Father's will in  Mark 14:36.  It says "And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”

     Jesus did nothing wrong.  Our sin put Him on that cross.  Don't be fooled.  This was not easy.  In fact, it was not just painful for Him, but heartbreaking, because our sin temporarily separated Him from His Father.  Mark 15:34 tells us "And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  He bore our sin, which separated Him from His Father.  At that moment, He was as separated from God as we were.  But at that moment, man was reconciled with God again, as the perfect Man took away the sin of all humanity.  He died after this, giving up His life.  No one took it from Him.  "And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last." (Mark 15:37)  He was then buried by a man named Joseph.  "Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid. (Mark 15:43-47)

     A love like that should make us stop and think.

     But the story doesn't end with His death and burial.  Look at Mark 16:1-6!

"Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.
But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him."

  The chapter continues in verse 9:
"Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons."
   Then in verse 12:
" After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country."

     In verses 14-20 it finishes:
Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen."
    

     This is why Easter is a big deal.  Because God loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us.  After He died, He rose again.  This is what Easter celebrates.  This is what Easter is.

     If you've never accepted Jesus, perhaps you feel like someone is knocking at your heart's door.  If so, it's time to open the door.  In John 3:16 Jesus said "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  This promise is extended to anyone who believes in Who Jesus is and what He did.  Romans 10:9 puts it well when it says "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."  This offer is open to anyone who wants it.  All you have to do is say yes.  So if you want it, say so.  Tell Jesus you want Him.  You could put it like this:


    "God, I'm a sinner who missed the mark of perfection and sinned against you.  I've wronged you.  But I believe in Your Son Jesus Christ, that He is God and that He died on a cross yet rose again.  I confess my faith in You, that only You can save me from my sin.  Please do that for me, and forgive me my sin, and come into my heart.  Thank you for a new life, which you've given me.  In Jesus name, Amen."


     If you just prayed that, congratulations.  You have a relationship with God now, and His angels are rejoicing over your salvation.  Get ready, because He has plans for your life that will blow you away, and a home in heaven that will do the same.

     Easter is a symbol of love and new life, the life that God gives us through His Son.  That's why we celebrate it.  That's why it's a big deal.  Happy Easter.  Praise the Lord!!!