Evangelism Training at Church - Week 8

Tonight was the last lesson of the Way of the Master Foundation Course - Idolatry - The Darling Sin of Humanity. We had 69 people there (still lower in numbers the past couple of weeks from the high being 139 to a low of 65, I believe). This was a really good lesson to finish up the course with.

I discussed that there is no mention of a "gift of evangelism" in the Bible. The closest is Ephesians 4:11-12, which says, "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."

That isn't referring to being a witness for Christ to unbelievers. And that it is every Christian's obligation to follow the commands of Jesus to preach the gospel to every creature.

I said that I was going to challenge the Christians now, by saying:
As Christians, we can even create a god in our mind to go along with our Christian lifestyle, instead of the God of the Bible Are we creating a god in our minds that doesn’t make it a priority of sharing or faith with others? Are you doing what Jesus commanded you to do…to seek and save the lost, sharing your faith with others? Are you planting God’s Word in other people’s lives throughout your day?

Do you care that 150,000 people are dying each day, and the majority of them are going to hell and will burn for eternity? I believe you do. You are here at the church learning how to witness to others. I thank God for you.

God is calling Christians to seek and save the lost. We can answer the call, or we can muffle the sound of our conscience and go back to our lifestyle of “cozy, comfortable Christianity”.

It’s good to give money to missions because you may not be able to travel to another country to share your faith. However, just because you are giving money to missions, don’t think that is a reason you don’t have to share the gospel as Jesus commanded . You you can talk to your friends, family, co-workers and even complete strangers on the street about your faith

We finished up by reading a letter that a friend of mine wrote. His name is Tony Holland.

Counting the Costs in Evangelism
I can’t begin to count the number of Christians that I have talked to since I started sharing my faith with others. There have been different opinions on what should be said and how the Gospel should be presented, but there is always one common thread. Every Christian that I have talked to does believe that “someone” should be telling
the lost about Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, when that is compared to the number of Christians that I have spoke with that actually share their faith, I have seen a massive variance. Why do other Christians hesitate to share the Good News? It’s evident to me that most have counted the cost of evangelism and have decided that cost is to great. They choose to engage in other activities with a lower cost.

What does evangelism cost us? It can cost us our friends, as they may be uncomfortable or convicted by your service to the Lord. It may cost you your family for the same reasons. It will probably cost you money, as materials are not always free. It will most certainly cost you your pride, your coolness, and maybe even your name in the community or at work. Suddenly you will go from being “one of the guys/girls” to being referred to as one of those “Jesus Freaks”. No doubt that if you share your faith consistently you will be mocked, laughed at, spit
upon, rejected and cast out from worldly groups.

What a tremendous cost you may be thinking. You realize that it is important to share your faith, but not sure if it is worth all of this.

First, consider this. If you had $100.00 it would be valuable to you. You wouldn’t want to lose it or give it away….you may need it for something. On the other hand, if you gave it to a missionary in Africa would that money be more valuable in their hands? There would be no question that it would be much more valuable than if you had used it for yourself.

Just like the $100.00, our own “costs” are much more valuable when we give them to the Lord for His use. No one realized this better than Paul. In Philippians 1:12-14 Paul said, 12Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

Paul’s costs were greater than most of us will ever face. Paul’s costs for preaching Christ were beatings, stoneings, and in this scripture passage, his freedom. Paul didn’t whine about how much these things cost him, he knew that the costs were better spent by the Lord. He knew that though his costs were great, that the gospel was being
furthered even by his suffering in prison.

Around 150,000 people leave this earth every day. How many do you think that are not saved? One fourth? Half? Even if it was just one what is it worth to you for that person not to have to spend eternity in Hell? Would it be worth even more if that person were a family member or a close friend? What costs are you willing to pay to save them?

The truth is this. As a Christian, we shouldn’t be considering the costs at all in evangelism. As children of God we aren’t to consider and ponder over our Father’s commands. We are to obey God’s word when we are told to “Go and preach the Gospel”. Paul continued to do that in the face of enormous costs, but he didn’t count them, he just did as his father told him. Do we do the same? Are we faithful each and every time that God calls us to speak?

I pray that we all stop counting the costs in sharing our faith and simply be obedient to the Lord.

We reminded the class that we go out into the streets of Branson to witness. We would like some of them to begin going out with us. We would be willing to train them further, etc.

We also mentioned the ongoing "Winning Evangelism" Sunday School class that we started up two weeks ago, implementing the Way of the Master training.

We had quite a few people come up and tell us how much they enjoyed and learned from the class. Some even said they would come out with us sometimes.

I had a Christian biker (tough guy) come up after service (just there visiting tonight). He and his wife travels all over the country, witnessing, etc. He said that if he had one of the 2% white, black and red patches, he would give me one. It is given only to those that go out and actively share their faith in Jesus (only 2% of Christians share their faith). He related it towards the 1% hardcore bikers that don't listen to man or their laws, or anything. They have a 1% patch, I guess. Tough crowd. He encouraged me.

The Foundation Course ended well. I think, with the Holy Spirit's prodding, that Christians were all convicted once again in their heart to go out and be a witness for Christ.

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