18 March 2012
I. Introduction
-- turn in
Bibles to Matthew 28:18-20
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in
heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded
you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
-- turn
over to 2 Timothy 4:5
2 Timothy 4:5 (NIV)
5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure
hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your
ministry.
-- for
several years now, I have been fascinated with the story of St. Patrick -- and
since yesterday was St. Patrick's day, I thought that this morning would be a
good day to share his story with you since most people really don't know
anything about the real St. Patrick
-- St.
Patrick has become a man of legend -- the patron saint of Ireland who drove the
snakes out of the country and used the three-leaf clover to spread the gospel
-- but when you cut through the mists of myth and know the true story of
Patrick, you will see why he is so revered by the people of God and of Ireland
today
-- Patrick
was born in Britain in the fourth century -- the son of a leader in the local
community and church and the grandson of a priest -- this was a time of chaos
and decline in Britain as the Roman Empire was beginning to crumble -- the
Roman forces had withdrawn from Britain back to Italy to protect the seat of
their power, leaving Britain and the other former territories without military
support and vulnerable to attacks from
the Picts and the Irish and the other tribes in that area that had previously
warred with the native Britons
-- in the
power void left by the Romans, these other tribes began raiding the countryside
of Britain -- attacking and pillaging towns and villages and taking young men
and women captive for slaves -- it was in such an attack that Patrick was captured
and carried to Ireland as a slave when he was just 16 years old
-- for six
years, Patrick served as a shepherd in Ireland -- living as a slave in a pagan
land ruled by local chieftains who constantly warred with each other -- it was
here Patrick was first introduced to the religion of the Druids, and realized
how the Druids kept the nation dominated by requiring strict adherence to their
religious practices -- still, Patrick maintained his faith in Christ and spent
his time in the countryside praying and reciting scripture
-- Patrick
wrote in his Confessions that after
he had been in Ireland for six years, he heard a voice telling him that he
would soon go home -- a few months later, the voice spoke again, saying that
his ship was ready -- and Patrick fled from his slave master, made his way to
the coast, where he caught a ship back to Britain
-- while in
Britain, Patrick's faith continued to grow and he began to serve in the
Catholic church, as his father and grandfather had done -- one day, Patrick had
a vision of a group of Irish men crying out to him, "We appeal to you,
holy servant boy, to come and walk among us again"
-- Patrick
realized that God was calling him to leave his homeland and to return to Ireland
-- Patrick
had a choice to make -- he could stay in Britain
and serve God in the church there -- ministering to his own people in his own
land -- or he could follow the vision and carry the gospel to the pagans of Ireland
-- to go to
Ireland meant sure death -- to go to Ireland meant that he would face
persecution and trials and troubles, not only from the chieftains and the Irish
people, but especially from the Druids who had enslaved the island with their
superstitious religion -- still, Christ bid him to go and tell the Irish about
the good news of the cross -- and Patrick went -- facing his fears and the
trials ahead -- and carried the light of Christ to a people living in darkness
-- without
a doubt, Patrick's ministry in Ireland was extremely fruitful -- in his Confessions, he says that he baptized thousands
of people -- he ordained priests to lead the new Christian communities -- and
he founded hundreds of churches throughout Ireland -- almost single-handedly,
Patrick led Ireland from pagan superstition to belief in Christianity -- and,
because of this, Patrick is revered in Ireland to this very day
II. Evangelism
-- every
time St. Patrick's Day rolls around, I find myself getting convicted of a
failing in my life -- you see, when I think of the real story of Patrick, I see
a man who was true to his calling -- a man who lived out his faith despite any
personal hardship that might result -- a man who went to great lengths to share
the love of Christ with a people who were his enemy -- and I realize how I have
failed in that regard
-- in this
passage in the Book of Matthew, we have what we call "The Great
Commission" -- or, to put it in other words, we have here the mission and
the purpose of the church of Christ on earth
-- this
passage occurs after the resurrection -- after Jesus has risen from the dead
and gone into Galilee with His disciples -- these are the last recorded words
of Jesus in the Bible -- and in these words, Jesus told His disciples, and us,
what He expected us to do
-- look
back with me at Matthew 28, starting at verse 19-20a
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you
-- the
first thing we see in this section is the word, "go" -- that's not a
word that is real popular in our churches today -- we're comfortable where we
are -- we're comfortable with coming to church on Sunday mornings -- with
worshiping God with our voices and hearing a nice comfortable sermon and then
going home -- we're comfortable with living out our faith as best we can during
the week -- reading the Bible and praying and trying to not sin as much as
possible -- but our faith is a very private faith
-- if
you're like me -- and I suspect you are -- then your faith is centered around
yourself and your family and your church -- the word that best describes the
church in America
-- how many
of you remember the Kevin Costner movie, "Field of Dreams?" --
remember the catch-line of that movie? -- "If you build it, he will
come" -- well, that's the way we approach Christianity in America today --
if we build a church, then they will come -- if we meet together on a Sunday
morning at a regular time and a regular place, then they will come -- if we
gather together and call ourselves a church, then those who need Jesus will
come and meet us here
-- but,
look around this morning at all the empty chairs -- where are the people? --
why haven't they come?
-- they
haven't come because that is not what the church was told to do -- the church
wasn't told to "sit and wait" -- the church was told to
"go"
-- that's
the same message that Patrick was given when he was serving in the church in
Britain -- he was serving God -- he was doing the things of God -- he was
ministering in that place -- but God spoke to him in a vision and told him,
"Go," and Patrick went
-- but, go
and do what? -- Jesus told us to "go and make disciples" -- now, what
does that mean? -- simply, it means evangelism -- it means telling other people
about Jesus -- it means sharing the good news of salvation and the forgiveness
of sins to people who need to know Jesus in their lives
-- I once
heard a story about what happened when Jesus went back to Heaven -- He was
surrounded by all the angels and they wanted to hear from Him about His
experiences on earth -- He told them about the cross and the resurrection and
how He had won the victory over sin and death for all humanity
-- the
angels asked Him, "Now what?" -- and Jesus said, "I have left my
disciples on earth to tell others about Me and to show them the way" --
the angels responded, "But, what if they don't? -- What is the plan
then?" -- Jesus said, "There is no other plan."
-- there is
no other plan -- Jesus' plan for spreading the good news of salvation is
dependent on us -- not the church -- not the preachers -- not the missionaries
-- but, us -- each and every one of us is responsible for telling others about
Christ -- for sharing our testimony and telling them what Jesus has done for us
and what He can do for them
-- notice
here that Jesus is not asking us to do this -- He is commanding that we do this
-- this is something that He expects -- and this is something that we supposed
to do -- as a church and as individual believers
-- let me
ask you this question -- how many of you told someone about Jesus this week? --
I can't say I did -- there I was in Atlanta
-- a few
years ago, we had a couple of missionaries from Brazil come to our church at
Morven to tell us about their ministry -- they had been in Brazil for a couple
of years, but only had a handful of converts -- when someone in the church
asked why we should be giving these missionaries money if all they had to show
for it was just a couple of people brought to Christ, they turned around and
quieted the whole congregation by asking, "How many people have you
brought to Christ during this same time?"
-- in 2
Timothy 4:5, Paul tells Timothy, "Do the work of an evangelist" --
that is our calling as well -- we are all called to do the work of an
evangelist and to tell others of the hope that we have in Christ because of His
death and resurrection
--
Rick Warren wrote, "As long as you know one person who doesn't know
Christ, you must keep praying for them, serving them in love, and sharing the
Good News. As long as there is one
person in your community who isn't in the family of God, your church must keep
reaching out. The church that doesn't
want to grow is saying to the world, 'You can go to hell.'"
--
the next thing we see in this command of Christ is that we are to go and make
disciples of all nations -- when we read that, we naturally think of people
like Patrick -- men and women who are called to a life of mission -- who leave
their homes and go to foreign lands to share the gospel
--
I admire people like that -- I am impressed with their dedication and the faith
it takes to go into hostile areas to carry the message of Christ -- but, at the
same time, I know that God is not calling all of us to be missionaries in that
sense
--
we are not all called to leave our homes and our families to go overseas -- we
are not all called to quit our jobs and go to distant lands -- so, how can we
fulfill this mandate to make disciples of all nations?
--
well, that's easy -- just look around -- there has never been a time in this
world when it was so easy to communicate with people from other countries and
races and nationalities
--
right here in Valdosta, we have people from Mexico and Central America and
Africa and Korea and other countries right in our midst -- we pass by them
every day -- and while we may not be able to speak to them directly because we
don't know their language, there are resources and tracts in their language
that we could give to them in order to share God's love to them
--
when we were at Wright's Chapel, we bought Bibles in Spanish to give out to
children and youth who were coming to our Vacation Bible School -- how easy
would it be for you to get a few of these or a few tracts written in Spanish
and to pass these out the next time you are at the store?
--
also, think about the internet -- I have a blog where I try to put most of my
sermons and occasionally some other thoughts on Christian living -- I have a
map on there of the world that shows where the people who have visited my site
are from -- I looked at it just yesterday, and I was amazed -- I have people
from Muslim countries in the middle East and from Africa and from Asia visiting
my site -- maybe they only visit once, but they're still getting exposed to the
gospel -- and who is to say what impact that is making on the world?
--
if you share a tract with someone at Walmart and they carry it home to Mexico
-- so, why
don't people witness? -- why don't we go and make disciples like Jesus told us?
-- for most people, it comes down to fear -- we're scared to do it -- we're
scared that we don't know enough or we're scared that we might not say the
right thing or we're scared about what response we might get
-- but the
one thing we need to keep in mind is that when we share the good news of Christ
with another person, we are not doing it alone and we're not doing it in our
own strength
-- look
back at verse 18
Matthew 28:18 "Then Jesus came to them and said,
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.""
-- what
does Jesus mean when He says that all authority has been given to Him? -- what
is He trying to get across? -- basically, He's telling us that we don't have to
fear, because He has the authority and the power to enable us to do what He is
calling us to do
-- remember
that we have all been indwelt with the Holy Spirit -- when we go to tell
someone about Jesus, we don't have to worry because the Spirit is with us --
the very God of Creation -- the Lord God Almighty -- is right there with us and
in us to give us the words to say and the power to speak in His name
-- in 1
John 4:18 we read that there is no fear in love because perfect love casts out
fear -- and in Matthew 10:19, it says that we should not worry about what we
will say because it will be given to us in that hour
-- what
these promises from God means is that when you witness to another person, God
will take the fear from you -- He will give you peace -- He will give you
strength -- and He will give you the words to say that this other person needs
to hear at that moment
-- the
final thing to remember is that you can never save anyone -- it is only the
Spirit who convicts people of their sin and who leads them to salvation -- the
Spirit uses us to tell others about Jesus, but it is the Spirit who is doing
the work of salvation
-- and, if
someone rejects the message -- if they refuse to believe and to repent of their
sins and turn to Jesus -- it's not you they are rejecting, but Jesus Himself
-- real
quick, I want to share three ways that we can evangelize others and fulfill
this commandment of Christ to go and make disciples of all nations:
-- first,
there is direct witness -- that's what we think of when we hear that word
evangelism -- this is telling other people about Christ -- not preaching --
just sharing what Jesus has done for you and telling them what Jesus can do for
them -- as one person has put it, evangelism is just like one beggar telling
another beggar where they could find a piece of bread -- in this case, it is
one sinner telling another sinner where they can find forgiveness and hope and
love
-- second,
there is lifestyle evangelism -- showing God's love to others through your life
and through your actions -- I think a great way to illustrate this is through
the life of St. Francis of Assissi
-- One day
St. Francis of Assissi said to one of the young monks in the monastery,
"Let us go down to the town and preach!"
-- The novice, delighted at being
singled out to be the companion of Francis, obeyed with great enthusiasm --
they passed through the main streets, turned down many of the byways and
alleys, made their way into the suburbs, and at great length, returned to the
monastery gate
-- As they approached the gate, the
younger man reminded Francis of his original intention -- "You have
forgotten, Father, that we went to the town TO PREACH!"
-- "My son, " Francis
replied, "We HAVE preached. We were preaching while we were walking -- we
have been seen by many -- our behavior has been closely watched -- it was thus
that we have preached our morning sermon -- It is of no use, my son, to walk
anywhere to preach unless we preach everywhere as we walk."
--
St. Francis wrote, "preach the gospel everyday -- use words if
necessary"
--
lifestyle evangelism and the change in a person's life after they come to
Christ draws people to Jesus and the cross -- eventually, you will have to use
words to tell them why you live the way you live -- to explain the change that
has happened -- but it all begins with sharing Christ through you daily life
--
the third way is through servant evangelism -- this is through intentionally
reaching out to other people and serving them as a means to share the gospel of
Christ -- giving out bottles of water -- washing people's car windows -- giving
out the candy at the Christmas parade -- all of these are ways to share the
gospel in a tangible, non-threatening way
--
servant evangelism is really putting your faith into action -- it is ministry
in action
--
once again, you will eventually need to use words to explain why you doing what
you are doing -- but people will be drawn to Christ when they see His love
through your servanthood
--
I am a big fan of servant evangelism -- that's where my heart is -- that's my
love language, to borrow the concept from Gary Chapman's book, "The Five
Love Languages" -- that's how I receive and give love, so naturally,
that's where I turn in my ministry and where I find my greatest joy
--
this is my favorite way to share the gospel -- for you, it may be an entirely
different way -- God made us all different and He calls for us to share the
gospel and to go and make disciples of all nations in a way that fits us
--
the important thing is not HOW we do it -- but THAT we do it
III. Closing
-- I want
to close by showing you a video -- I promise, I'm not going to do this every
week, but I wanted you to see this because I've got a point to make as I close
that you can glean from this commercial
-- just
like this dog, we all are born with a purpose -- God has given us a mission to
go and make disciples of all nations -- it's in our heart -- you know it -- you
can feel it
-- something
may be keeping you from living it out in your life -- and we need to do like
this dog and make whatever changes we need to in our lives and in our spiritual
lives so that we can start fulfilling this calling of God
-- this dog
didn't lose weight overnight -- it took time and it took effort -- learning to
evangelize takes time and effort -- some people are born evangelists -- some
people are Type A personalities and have never met anyone they can't talk to --
some people have been given evangelism as a spiritual gift
-- but most
of us are not born evangelists -- it's not who we are -- it's not something
that we are comfortable with -- but it's something that Christ has called us to
do and has empowered us to
--
evangelism is a skill, just like any other skill -- you can learn how to do it
because Christ promises us He will enable us to go and make disciples -- the
key is beginning -- the key is taking the first few faltering steps in faith
and trusting that God is going to give you the words that you need in order to
share your life with another person
-- there
are many resources on the internet and many books in Christian bookstores on
evangelism -- both lifestyle evangelism and servant evangelism and how to
witness and share your faith
-- tonight,
I'm going to be going over a couple of different ways of evangelism -- and I
want to invite you to come out to learn more about it
-- the
point is that we are called to do the work of an evangelist -- we are called to
go and make disciples and spread the good news of Christ to this world -- we
are called to be the body of Christ in this place
-- will you
obey this command of Christ? -- will you fulfill this calling in your life?
-- let us
pray
No comments:
Post a Comment