Biblical Understanding of Evangelism

What Is A Healthy Church - Chapter 9

Sunday, February 10, 2008

"What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." (1 Corinthians 3:5-7, ESV)

1.Healthy churches are marked by expositional preaching, biblical theology, and a biblical understanding of the gospel and conversion. That means when churches don’t teach the Bible and sound doctrine they become unhealthy. (Pg 89)

2.An unhealthy church is one where the sermon’s often veer into cliche and repetition. Worse yet, they become moralistic and me-centered, and the gospel is recast as little more than spiritual “self-help.” Conversion is viewed as an act of human resolve. And by varying degrees, from bad to worse, the culture of the church is indistinguishable from the secular culture around it. (Pg 89)

3.If our minds have been shaped by what the Bible teaches about God and how He works, as well as by what it teaches about the gospel and what sinful human beings ultimately need, then a right understanding of evangelism will generally follow. (Pg 90)

4.One sign that a church may not have a biblical understanding of conversion and evangelism is that its membership is markedly larger than its attendance. (Pg 90)

5.According to the Bible, Christians are called to care, to plead, and even to persuade unbelievers. Yet we are to do so by “setting forth the truth plainly,” which means “renouncing secret and shameful ways.” (Pg 91)

" Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others." (2 Corinthians 5:11a, ESV)

"But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God." (2 Corinthians 4:2, ESV)

6.Evangelism is not about doing everything we can to get a person to make a decision for Jesus, much less about imposing our views. Attempting to force a spiritual birth will prove as effective as Ezekiel trying to stitch dead dry bones together to make a person (Ezek 37) or as likely as Nicodemus giving himself a new birth in the Spirit (John 3). (Pg 90)

7.Evangelism is speaking words, sharing news. Its being faithful to God by presenting the good news - that discussed last week - that Christ, by His death and resurrection, has secured a way for a holy God and sinful people to be reconciled.. God will produce true conversions when we present this good news (John 1:13; Acts 18:9-10). (Pg 91)

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13, ESV)

"And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people." (Acts 18:9-10, ESV)

8.In short, evangelism is presenting the good news freely and trusting God to convert people and remember that “Salvation comes from the Lord.” (Jonah 2:9) (Pg 91)

"One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul." (Acts 16:14, ESV)

9.Another important mark of a healthy church is a biblical understanding and practice of evangelism. The only true growth is the growth that comes from God and through his people. (Pg 92)

Who Should Evangelize?

How Should We Evangelize?

•Tell people with honesty that if they repent and believe they will be saved—but it will be costly.

•Tell people with urgency that if they repent and believe they will be saved—but they must decide now.

•Tell people with joy that if they repent and believe the Good News they will be saved. However difficult it may be, it is all worth it!

Why Should We Evangelize?

•A Desire to Be Obedient to the Great Commission

•A Love for the Lost

•A Love for God