Building a solid foundation on the Word of God
Aiming for Koinonia
•~Evangelism~•
Determining our Direction and Purpose
Matthew 28:19-20 & Selected Scriptures
• The Church:
The church is a body/group of sinners who have been given:
• repentance from their sins &
• belief in the gospel
Resulting in salvation. It’s all by grace.
• Purpose 1: Exaltation of God
Assembling, Worshiping in Spirit and Truth, Praying, The Exposition of God’s Word, Singing,
The Ordinances, Giving
• Purpose 2: Edification of the Body
Prayer, Discipleship, Knowledge,
The Bottom Line is Koinonia
1 John 1:3
• Purpose 3: Evangelism of the Lost
The Definition: To proclaim the Gospel to sinful people hoping that they might repent and believe in Him as their only hope.
We’re not just sharing something nice. Sharing a feeling, or a warm story. We’re not merely making a presentation of some information that we’ve done a little bit of research on.
• We are proclaiming the most important thing that anyone will ever hear.
We proclaim God’s Word to people. Because it is God’s Word that saves.
James 1:21, 1 Peter 1:23, Romans 10:17, Ephesians 1:4, John 17:17
Repent - metanoia - change of mind that leads to a change in direction/behavior/action.
You must acknowledge that you’re sinful, deserve God’s wrath and are headed for hell.
Believe - trust in, rely on, cling to Christ alone
The Central Passage:
Matthew 28:19-20 – Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
• Go is a participial verb - action verb. An “ing” verb (running, playing, doing).
• It’s also aorist, a snapshot, an action picture. Looking at something as it is happening.
Here’s how we should think about this verse’s instruction to us:
• As you are in the course of your daily life - you are to be all about making disciples.
Simply put: We must to be involved in Evangelism.
• Elements of Evangelism
1. Prayer (always central)
Pray for God to be glorified
First and foremost pray for God’s glory.
Salvation has always been about God’s glory
Ephesians 1:13-14
Pray for your fellow believers in their evangelistic efforts.
Ephesians 6:18-19, Colossians 4:2-4
Pray for the lost to be saved
Romans 10:1, 1 Timothy 2:1, Matthew 5:44• Prayer is the foundation of evangelism.
Prayer is essential.
2. A Right Foundation (Sola Scriptura)
There is only one Gospel. – Galatians 1:6-7
Sola Scriptura is called the formal principle of the Reformation because Scripture is what forms everything. If you’re not committed to Sola Scriptura - you’ll end up with another gospel really quickly.
• Evangelism is a proclamation - the proclamation of a specific message.
Mark 4:1-20 – “The Parable of the Soils.” Jesus’ main teaching on Evangelism.
The farmer sows the seed. We don’t see the farmer doing anything but sowing the seeds.
How do the seeds grow? That’s a mystery. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7
• Farmers sow seed – That’s what they do.
• Believers share the Gospel – That’s what we do.
The Great Commission is the summary and natural conclusion of who God is.
George Peters - The great commission is the command that gives life to all other commands given to the church.
1 Corinthians 9:16 – necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
Learn this from Paul’s Evangelism:
1. You’re a herald, a proclaimer
1 Corinthians 1:23 – we preach (kerysso) Christ crucified,
• Preach (kerysso) – to blaze everywhere what you have been told to make known.
Paul’s divine mandate was to deliver the Gospel message precisely, faithfully, passionately, adding nothing, removing nothing, changing nothing.
2. Proclaim: the only Gospel
He was specific. He proclaimed the whole truth.
Paul one time preached all night. Romans is the full exposition of the Gospel.
3. Goal: See Sinners Saved
He wanted to see people saved. Acts 26:18, 20
Look back at the definition of Evangelism. You’ll see Paul’s example.
3. Actual Proclamation (not theoretical)
• We all need to be able to communicate the gospel clearly, and accurately using Scripture.
Acts 1:8 – But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
you will be - indicative - it simply says what is.
• When we have been truly, deeply affected by the Gospel (when we’ve been saved), we will be reaching out to others.
It starts next door, but it always been a proclamation with a global intent.
Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47, Acts 1:8
• The Bottom Line:
1. Responsibility
We must think of Evangelism as a responsibility.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2. Privilege
It is the good news, the news that brings joy.
Luke 2:10, John 15:11, Acts 13:52, 1 John 1:3-4 (so that our joy may be complete.)
• It is such a joyous privilege to share the gospel.
God could have chosen any means He wanted to announce the gospel. He could have written it across the sky. But He chose to use people like us to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.
One question:
• Will you be engaged in Evangelism?
Almost everyone who doesn’t share the Gospel has one of two reasons:
1. Not sure what to say.
2. Afraid of how it will make them look
• Evangelism is never presented as an optional activity.
The bottom line is:
Will you be obedient and proclaim the Gospel to others.
Or....
Will you be disobedient?
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