Portable Bible School Evangelism Lesson Seven

Evangelism Lesson Seven Who Evangelizes? “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:21). FOCUS: Explain scriptural pictures of evangelists and the spiritual qualifications. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED Scriptural pictures of a personal evangelist:  Witness (Acts 1:8; 22:15). We give a testimony or evidence of what the Lord has done in our lives or an incident that has happened.  Newspaper (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). We are like newspapers that can be read by non-Christians. We are to spread the good news.  Publisher. The evangelist is a publisher of the good news (Psalm 68:11; Mark 13:10; Acts 13:49). He is a part of the five-fold ministry of the church (Ephesians 4:11-12). His tools are the Word of God, prayer, fasting, and spiritual gifts. Evangelism gifts include working of miracles, gift of faith, and gifts of healing.  Fisherman (Matthew 4:19). Fishermen know their fish. He learns the right techniques of catching as many fish as possible. He knows where to go to catch the most fish. He studies the habits of the fish. He fishes often (not just a couple of times a year). He will try new methods. “And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men” (Luke 5:10). This was not only a command. It was a promise that applies to our generation. Rev. J. R. Richardson, Africa Region Director, said, “We are to be fishers of men but have become keepers of the aquarium. We feed the fish we have, change the water, and take care of them but are doing little to reach the entire world. The Lord desires to change that in us. We do not have the right to tell the same people the truth over and over again when most of the country has never heard it.”  Farmer (Matthew 13:1-43). We must cultivate, sow and reap. Matthew 13 reveals that every person without Christ is soil to be cultivated.  Fireman (Jude 23).  Ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:11-6:10). We are called to be the ambassador for the King of kings. We have been commissioned as His personal representatives.  Friend (Matthew 11:19). We need to hate sin, but love sinners. Jesus loved people and spent time with them (Luke 22:37). Jesus ate in the home of sinners, witnessed to the Samaritan woman, and spent time with Mary Magdalene. Douglas Shaw in Sharing Jesus suggests His target audience for His strong love as the despised (Matthew 9:9-13), the depraved (Luke 19:1-10), and the deprived (Luke 4:18). It is such a privilege to be a soul winner. Every member and minister should become involved in evangelism. Charles Spurgeon, as quoted in Effective Evangelism said, “Even if I were utterly selfish, I would choose, if I might, under God, to be a soul-winner; for never did I know perfect, overflowing, unutterable happiness of the purest and most ennobling order till I first heard of one who had sought and found the Saviour through my means. No young mother ever so rejoiced over her first-born child, no warrior was so exultant over a hard-won victory.” Qualifications of Spiritual Farmers “The harvest is so great, and the workers are so few," he told his disciples. “So pray to the one in charge of the harvesting, and ask him to recruit more workers for his harvest fields” (Matthew 9:37-38, TLB). God is a great employer and is looking for the best in potential workers. His recruitments should possess the following qualities: 1. Passion for the Lost. God’s heart for the lost is a theme that runs throughout the Scriptures. Evangelists need to have an importation of God’s heartbeat for the lost. The motivation for evangelism must be, at the heart, a passion for souls and a desire to see souls saved. Jim and Carol Plueddemann in Witnesses to All the World state, “Of thirty-five missionaries who went to Ghana between 1835 and 1870, only two lived more than two years. Some nineteenth-century missionaries packed their belongings in coffin-shaped boxes that could also be used for their burials, since death was so common.” A lighthouse keeper watched as a terrible storm erupted at sea. Suddenly the man saw a small ship in distress. He turned to his apprentice and told him, “Let’s go!” The frightened apprentice answered, “But, if we go out there, we may never come back.” The lighthouse keeper responded, “We have to go out. We don’t have to come back.” 2. Disciplined. He has a call and is a man of prayer and fasting. 3. Prepared. Be instant in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2). 4. Work. “Do the work of an evangelist” (2 Timothy 4:5). Besides evangelizing the lost, the work includes equipping people to share their faith. Evangelists stir up a passion for the lost and help the church keep focused on the primary mission of the church. Through your witness, you will take souls to heaven with you. Through failure to witness, souls will be left to die in their sins. 5. Faith. An evangelist should be convinced that when the gospel is preached, people will come to God (James 1:6-7). J. Oswald Sanders tells a story about an early student at Spurgeon’s College who came to him one day and lamented, “I have been preaching for several months, and I do not think I have had a single conversion.” Spurgeon asked, “Do you think that the Lord is going to bless you with souls being saved each time you open your month.” “No, sir!” was the student’s reply. “That is why you do not have souls getting saved under your ministry. If you have had faith and believed, the Lord would have given you the blessing.” It is important that we seek the lost, bring them to church and provide an evangelistic service for them. Altar calls should be a common occurrence in our services, giving sinners the opportunity to make peace with God. Effective evangelists believe in the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16). They know that God’s Word is cross-cultural and will work anywhere it is preached. They also believe in the power of the name of Jesus (Philippians 2:10; Acts 3:16; 4:12). 6. Burden. It is difficult to teach someone to have a burden. It comes through prayer and seeking God’s will and loving the way He loves. The early church was consumed with a burden to affect their generation with the gospel. All Asia heard the Word within two years (Acts 19:10). 7. Love People. Evangelism is people business. People matter to God. They should matter to us too (Luke 4:18). 8. Caring. God cares about people. Each lost person that is found receives a heavenly party (Luke 15). It has often been said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” 9. Vision. Jesus announced His purpose in coming to mankind, “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). We would do well to have the same vision. Evangelists realize that soul winning is their main business. (It should be the main pursuit of every Christian.) Paul said, “I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). 10. Patience. This is one of the most outstanding characteristics of an evangelist (Luke 21:19; Galatians 6:9). He never gives up. 11. Study. An evangelist is self-disciplined. He becomes more effective through Bible study (2 Timothy 2:15). He also studies church growth principles and evangelism methods. 12. Self-encouraged (1 Samuel 30:6). Discouraging times will come when the evangelist will need to encourage himself in the Lord. 13. Innovative. Willing to try new methods and be creative. The evangelist is constantly searching for new and effective methods of winning souls. 14. Time. The evangelist gives priority time to soul winning. 15. Committed. The following was found among a young African pastor’s papers after he was martyred. “I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of His and I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. “My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I am done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals. “I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, or first, tops, recognized, praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power. “My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear. “I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. “I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. “I won’t give up, shut up or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ. “I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He’ll have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear!” 16. Boldness. It is easy to stand for truth when everyone is agreeing with you. It is harder to stand for truth when others do not agree. R. M. Buie once said, “Evangelism is embracing those who are in error while maintaining your anchor in truth. It is extending God’s love while maintaining your foundation in the Word of God.” Norman Cates shared a story of a man who prayed each morning, “Lord, if you want me to witness to someone today, please give me a sign and show me who it is.” One day he was sitting on a bus when a huge man sat beside him. The shy, fearful Christian anxiously waited for his stop so he could get off the bus. Suddenly, the man beside him burst into tears and cried out, “I need to be saved. I’m a lost sinner and I need Jesus. Won’t somebody help me to be saved?” The believer bowed his head and prayed, “Lord, is this a sign?” This humorous story hits on a true point. We often are fearful of witnessing for Christ. We need to pray for boldness (Acts 4:29-31; 2 Timothy 1:7; Hebrews 13:5-6). 17. Wisdom. It takes wisdom to witness effectively and lead someone into the truth. The wise man said, “He that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30). “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:5-6, NIV). 19. Adaptable. Paul said, “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23, NIV). Farmers plant a variety of seeds based on the soil, climate, and season. Youth—Potential Work Force The youth of our churches are untapped labor forces and resources. Our young people have tremendous strength, abilities, and powerful testimonies. Their energies should be mobilized for the task of world evangelism. “I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one” (1 John 2:14). “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy 4:12-16). When he was well over seventy, John Mott said, “We must be constantly weaving into our organization the new generation. My work the world over and across many years has shown me that young people can be trusted with great loads and great responsibilities. Youth have never disappointed me when I have put heavy burdens on them.” Ron Luce, founder and president of Teen Mania says, “Our greatest natural resources—the vision and energy of a whole generation of youth—are being squandered.” (Taken from A Force in the Earth by David Shibley). Why not allow the Lord to use you today? WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED? 1. What are five scriptural pictures of a personal evangelist? Provide a scripture for each. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. What was Jesus’ target audience (according to Douglas Shaw)? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. What is the twofold work of an evangelist in the church? __________________________________________________________________ 4. What are ten qualifications of spiritual farmers? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Why should we mobilize youth for the work of world evangelism? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________