Today, I felt it need to preach on evangelism.
And so the title of this sermon is A Brief Overview of Evangelism, Semicolon, Theology and Missiology.
Theology is just a study of God, and missiology is just a practice within mission.
I think that evangelism is really important in every believer's life, but especially in the life of a new church plant.
One of our values, our mission is the kingdom of God and all of life together.
Evangelism encompasses all three of those things.
We need evangelism to preach God's word for his kingdom.
He allows us to do that within his kingdom.
We do that in all of our life, right?
In different seasons, we must preach God's word.
And we do it together because it's a glorious and joyful thing that we should do together.
So I just want to start with kind of a definition of evangelism,
which evangelism is obeying the command to preach the good news or share the good news of God
to reconcile depraved, sinful men and women to the triune God.
And the goal of this is for us to have a balanced view of evangelism, like a seesaw.
We don't want to be too high on either side.
What we believe about it, how we ought to think about it and applying it to our lives.
So I just want to start with biblical commands and evangelism.
What are biblical commands, right?
What Webster's Dictionary defines it as command as someone giving order or orders to exercise dominating influence over blame.
Right.
So a great image of this is our children.
Within our homes, that is a father and mother's dominion.
We are to dominate over our children, take dominion over them and to rule over our households.
Biblical commands are commands that are given by God.
He is dominating over all creation.
It is his dominion.
And if God commands it, we do it.
It's God who commands it.
So that's a little overview of biblical commands, what they are.
So the Ten Commandments is what we typically go to whenever we hear commands, right?
And, you know, you have a lot of commands.
Do not have any other idols before God.
Honor your mother and father.
Do not lie.
Do not steal.
Do not commit adultery.
And in these commands, I want to focus on language of negative commands versus positive commands.
So negative commands are do not, right?
Do not.
Do not have any gods.
Do not have any other gods before Yahweh.
Do not lie.
Do not steal.
Do not commit adultery.
Positive commands are commands such as obey your mother and father, right?
Physically speaking, positive commands are more difficult sometimes to follow because there's not a line that's drawn in the sand, right?
You're like, physically, I know not to bow down before an idol.
I know not to steal.
I know not to commit adultery.
But in the nuances of obeying your mother and father, that's harder, right?
And here's an example, right, of a famous story of command to forgive, right?
Peter is talking to Jesus.
He says, how often must I forgive my brother who sins against me?
And Jesus responds, you must forgive seven times, 77 times, right?
A positive command, right?
You must do it repeatedly as many times as it takes.
Another example of a positive command or something in this is your kids, right?
You tell your kids, do the dishes.
They're in the other room.
They pretend like they don't hear you.
And then, you know, Max, Max, do the dishes.
Max, playing video games or something, right?
Right?
Not doing it, right?
Or something like that.
Another example is if you're really hungry after church and you turn to your wife and say,
honey, you should pick a place for us to go because I really want you to pick the place.
And 30 minutes later, you're still hungry with no destination in mind.
But there's so much things, right?
So much things that you could do.
It's like, what place should we go to?
I don't know.
Like, how do I obey my mom and dad?
There's no line drawn in the sand, right?
What does this have to do with evangelism, right?
What do positive commands have to do with evangelism?
All right.
I'll start by reading Matthew 28, 16 to 20.
I'm going to be in a ton of different scripture verses.
So I'll just read for you guys.
The 11 disciples traveled to Galilee to the mountain where Jesus had directed them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but some doubted.
Jesus came near and said to them,
all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe everything I've commanded you.
And remember, I am with you always to the end of the age.
So this is a command, right?
It's a positive command.
It's not a negative command.
And so there's so many nuances.
It's just like forgiveness.
You're supposed to do it over and over again, right?
A lot of people would say, like reading this, that go would be the command here.
But unfortunately, that's not the command.
Go is like what's first, but it really should be translated
as a passive or descriptive word, meaning as you have gone or since you have gone or going, right?
Since you have gone, since you are going, make disciples.
The command here is make disciples.
That's the imperative.
It's not a passive.
It's not a descriptive.
It's a command from our Lord to make disciples, right?
And making disciples commanded by our Lord Jesus first begins with repenting,
believing in Jesus as our Lord and Savior,
that he's the only way that we could be saved from our sins.
And that often happens through evangelism.
Now, in Matthew 28, verses 19, one says all nations.
It's not talking necessarily about countries.
It's talking about ethnicities, right?
People groups.
There are millions of different ethnicities within the world, right?
There's hundreds of thousands of people.
Just go to India, right?
There's about 200 plus countries, and I'm pretty sure most of them have the gospel, right?
Matthew 24, 14 says,
The good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations,
and then the end will come.
If that word is meaning nations, I'm pretty sure there are believers in every nation.
But there is not every ethnicity that has believed and heard the gospels.
Does that make sense?
And so Jesus here, talking about the end times, says this, right?
We must go proclaim the gospel to every ethnicity, right?
But with this command, there can be a bolstering of evangelism, evangelism, evangelism everywhere, right?
Let's just make converts out of everyone while there's no support of the church, right?
I've seen missionaries in different countries who will just make a convert, leave the village, and then keep going without coming back.
That's wrong.
That's a distortion of God's word.
And this is how God expects us to do it, right?
So what is God's role in evangelism, right?
We know that we must do it.
But in that definition, evangelism is obeying the command to preach the good news of God,
to reconcile depraved sinful man to the triune God, right?
So that definition, the good news of God, God has to do with everything with evangelism.
So I have kind of two sections that I want to focus on.
One is the triune God.
And then the second is our duty in evangelism.
Then I'll conclude with some application points, right?
My main focus will be on the triune God.
Then going into duty and then going into duty and then try to end with some application and land this plane nicely.
Right?
The triune God, if you ever think of evangelism, the triune God is the means and the ends of evangelism.
I can say that again for those who are taking notes.
The triune God is the means and the ends of evangelism, right?
And so I'm going to go into each person of the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, right?
Their means and ends of evangelism, right?
There are many things in which I could talk about the Father, the Son, and the Spirit
and how they influence evangelism and all these different things.
But there's only, and I'm not doing an entire overview of all that.
There's only a few things that I want to hone in on.
The first is John 6, 44.
Jesus says,
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.
Right?
So the first thing is the Father's role in that verse.
It says,
The Father who sent me draws him, right?
The Father's role in evangelism is one, drawing people, right?
It's not that the focus, whenever we preach the gospel, there should be no pressure on us
if we're preaching the gospel to a non-religious.
Because we don't draw people by our eloquence.
Paul says to the Corinthians,
I came with you without human eloquence, but by the weakness of the gospel, right?
Our presentation is not what draws people.
You can have the most glorious gospel presentation,
and this man or woman still be damned.
The Father is who draws people, right?
In verse John 6, 65, Jesus says again,
This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted to him by the Father.
Again, nothing that we do say can bring someone to be saved.
It is the work, the mystery, the only thing that changes that and that allows that is the Father, right?
Romans 8, 28 to 30, the golden chain, beloved chain by me.
We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
And those he predestined, he also called.
And those he called, he also justified.
And those he justified, he also glorified.
This gives us an even deeper inner working of the election of the Father,
which is so secure because it's already happened.
Does that make sense?
It's so secure in our election because it's already happened.
Paul says we're seeded, past tense, in the heavenly places, right?
God is outside of the boundaries of time.
There's nothing that can change man's election because it's already happened.
And that's why there's no human eloquence that can influence someone being saved.
Because it's already happened.
Because God has already saved him.
But nonetheless, Spurgeon still prays and says,
Lord, save your elect and save even more, right?
Now, that is the means of the Father within evangelism.
He draws those who are his, right?
As the means by it.
The ends of the Father in evangelism is that we are brought into his glorious kingdom to be face to face with the Father.
To ponder the depth and the breath of his glory, his majesty.
To cry out, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty as the cherubim and seraphim do.
To dwell in eternal bliss with our adopted Father.
Our Father who saw us naked.
Our Father who gives us righteousness.
Our Father who predestined us to bring us into his kingdom.
He predestined us to come as the means.
And he brings us in for himself as the ends.
He is the means and the ends of election and of evangelism and of salvation.
Now, the son, John 5, 36.
But I have a greater testimony than John's because of the works that my Father has given me to accomplish.
These very works I'm doing to set, I'm doing to testify about me that the Father has sent me, right?
So there's works that Jesus is doing while he's here on the earth.
But he's sent with a mission from the Father, right?
He's sent from the Father to do a specific mission, right?
What is that though?
What is that specific work, specific task?
John 10, 11.
I am the good shepherd.
The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd, does not own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming.
Then the wolf snatches and scatters them.
This happens because he is hired, doesn't care about the sheep.
Jesus' mission, his work, sent by the Father, is to be one of the good shepherd, right?
Prophesied.
He is the good shepherd that has come to nurture Israel and to bring Gentiles into the kingdom.
Right?
But not only that, he's the good shepherd that lays down his life for his sheep.
Right?
And we all know the story of Jesus' crucifixion.
But I want to read it really quickly.
In Mark 15, 20 to 32.
They let him out to crucify him.
They forced a man coming in from the country who was passing by to carry Jesus' cross.
He was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.
They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means place of skull.
They tried to give him wine mixed with myrrh, which he did not take.
Then they crucified him, divided his clothes, casting lots for him.
They decided what each would get.
Now it was nine in the morning when they crucified him.
The inscription of the charge written against him was the king of the Jews.
They crucified two criminals with him, one on the right and one on the left.
Those who passed by were yelling insults at him, shaking their heads and saying,
Ha!
Ah!
The one who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days.
Save yourself.
Come down from the cross.
In the same way the chief priests and scribes were mocking him among themselves and saying,
He saves others, but he cannot save himself.
Let the Messiah, the king of Israel, come down from the cross so that we may see and believe.
Even those who were crucified with them taunted him.
How awful, how brutal, right?
Like nowadays we wear a cross, but imagine in Roman culture on a hill, right?
Let's just say Briarcliff, right?
We just have people who die there, right?
They torture people and throw them up on Briarcliff.
There's no one who would want to go up there, right?
Let's go smell the stench and people who are dying there, right?
Let's go see the Romans, crucify them.
This is not something that's good.
That you want to talk about in a normal everyday life experience.
It's like talking about the electric chair in like normal conversation.
Like crucifixion then was awful.
It was brutal.
39 times was our Savior whipped.
That usually tears skin.
It usually tears muscles.
Carried our cross.
The Father predestined that he would come.
He predestined that we would be saved by this man.
By the Son of God.
Our Good Shepherd laid his life down for us
because the Father sent him to provide a means by which we could save.
Be saved.
The Father predestines us as the means.
And the Son lays his life down and is raised three days later
as a means that we might be saved.
The Son is the end of evangelism as the Father is.
Revelation 5, 11 and 14.
11 to 14.
I'm just going to read.
Verse 12.
They said with a loud voice,
Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered
to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and blessing.
Right?
We will worship the Lamb as we worship the Father.
The ends of evangelism with the Son is to worship him.
It's to say,
Praise be our older brother, the firstborn of all creation,
who was raised from the dead.
Praise be that Lamb.
Do you not long to dwell with the Son?
For him to come?
He ascended the cross that the blind would see,
that we would see,
that the deaf would hear,
that the prisoner in bondage and sin would be set free.
The one who says,
I am with you,
to the end of the age,
our Savior and champion,
who can sympathize and empathize with our pain,
died because he loved us.
Right?
He died as a means so that we could be saved.
And he's the end of our evangelism,
of why we're here.
Right?
Like, we're not waiting.
Like, if our hope is just,
like, let's just sit around and wait for something to happen,
I'll keep going to church,
do my religious duties,
then what's the point of it all?
We have a hope that's reserved for us in heaven.
The Father longing to glorify him,
the Son longing to glorify and worship him.
And that brings us to the third person of the Trinity,
the Spirit.
John 16, 7-11,
Nevertheless,
I'm telling you the truth,
for it is for your benefit that I go away.
Because if I don't go away,
the Counselor will not come.
If I go,
I will send him to you.
When he comes,
he will convict the world about sin,
righteousness,
and judgment.
About sin,
because they do not believe in me.
About righteousness,
because I'm going to the Father,
you will no longer see me.
And about judgment,
because the ruler of this world,
has been judged.
The Father has sent the Son,
and now the Son,
as he ascends,
sends the Spirit.
And says,
it is better.
It is for your benefit
that I go away.
Right?
I long to dwell with Jesus,
but Jesus,
God himself,
says that it is better.
It is a benefit to you.
That I should go away,
and I should send the Spirit.
Now,
those who believe in Jesus' work
on the cross,
who have repented and believed,
are saved for the day,
are sealed and saved
for the day of judgment
by the Spirit.
And about sin,
that we are lost sinners,
and cannot be in a relationship
with God.
About righteousness,
that we have none,
but need Jesus.
And about judgment,
that Christ has defeated sin,
and death,
and was raised from the dead.
That is the Spirit's work.
Right?
The biggest one
is to seal us,
to sanctify us,
to keep us
for the day of reckoning.
Right?
And not only that,
but he convicts the world
of sin,
of righteousness,
and of judgment.
Right?
The Spirit of God,
triune God,
the most powerful being
in the universe,
Paul writes in Ephesians,
God is more powerful
beyond what we can think.
Right?
Like,
think about a hundred million
burning suns.
God is more powerful
than that.
Right?
Beyond what we can think,
it's given to us
as a gift.
And he dwells
within us.
2 Timothy 1,
7,
tells us God has given us,
not a,
has given us,
not a spirit of fear,
but of one of power
and love
and sound judgment.
We have access
to God's
power.
If we are in Christ,
the,
the Spirit is already
convicting the world.
But how will they hear?
You know,
Spirit's convicting the world,
but how will they hear
if a preacher
is not sent?
How will they see
if evangelism
is not happening?
The Spirit
gives us
the power
to preach,
to share the gospel.
Right?
The Father
has sent the Son
to die
and be raised again
for sinful men.
Those who
believe in the Son's
sacrifice
become sons themselves.
Daughters
are given
the inheritance
of sons.
And he,
he's called
the helper,
the comforter.
We live in evil days
so that we would not
lose heart.
Our foe is powerful.
Right?
Satan is powerful.
He,
he's an angel.
Magnificent being
created
by the Lord
and evil,
depraved,
sinful,
tactful
enemy
who loves
to dwell
and cause
men to sin.
that's why
the helper
was sent
so that we
would fight
against them.
The Spirit
is the means
of evangelism
as the Son
and the Father
is,
that men
and women
would dwell
in the holy
dwellings
of the Spirit
of God
is something
awesome to behold.
The Spirit
hovering over
the chaotic
waters
at creation
that helped
bring order
then,
now,
bring orders
to our lives
and even
greater order
whenever we
are in heaven
with God
sealing us
for that day
of reckoning.
Great
are the
works of the Spirit
and wondrous
are the works
that we would
be brought
in
the glory
with the triune
God for the work
of the Spirit.
So,
that's the Father,
that's the Son,
and that's the Spirit.
The triune God
is the means
and the ends
of evangelism.
We cannot
have
redemption
without the
Father,
Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
They have
different roles,
they are all
saints,
that's into God.
And now,
at the end
of all this,
there's one question
that I want to
focus on a little bit,
right?
Why is God
the ends
of evangelism?
Right?
Why is God
the ends
of evangelism?
He provided
the means.
Why is He
the ends?
Why aren't
the ends
just meant
to be saved?
Isn't that enough?
Doesn't it
make God
seem a bit
needy?
If the ends
of evangelism
is just
that we have
to worship
Him in heaven?
Short answer
is,
because it
wouldn't
complete salvation.
salvation
because we're
created
as beings
that are meant
to praise,
to worship,
to glorify.
Salvation
would be
incomplete
if we didn't
have an object
to worship.
And I think
C.S. Lewis
says it best.
I think we,
C.S. Lewis
talking,
I think we delight
in praising
what we enjoy
because the praise
not merely
expresses
but completes
the enjoyment.
It is
its appointed
consummation.
It is not
out of
compliment
that lovers
keep telling
one another
how beautiful
they are.
The delight
is incomplete
till it is
expressed.
It is frustrating
to have discovered
a new
author
and not be
able to tell
anyone
how good he is
to come suddenly
at the turn
of the road
upon some
mountain valley
of unexpected
grandeur
and then
have to
keep silent
because the
people you
care for
care no more
for a tin can
in the ditch.
To hear a good
joke and find
no one to
share it with
the Scotch
catechism
says that
man's chief
end is to
glorify God
and enjoy him
forever.
But we shall
know,
but we shall
then know
that these
are the same
thing.
Fully to enjoy
is to glorify.
In commanding
us to glorify
him,
God is inviting
us to
enjoy him.
Right?
The reason
why God
is the
end is
because we
are meant
to enjoy.
We are
meant to
glorify him.
At the
beginning of
creation,
we were
created to
worship,
glorify God.
Right?
That is God's
original intent
and purpose
for us,
and that has
not changed.
So,
that's the
first part.
We're going
to the second
half,
which is the
joyful duty
of evangelism.
I love
evangelism.
Many have
said that I
have the
gift of
evangelism,
but evangelism
is a command.
Praise God
for the
Spirit.
Right?
Faith is a
gift, but
faith is
something that
we need.
Right?
We need
faith.
We need to
believe it.
Right?
But we
are commanded
to believe
in God,
and we
are commanded
to evangelize.
Right?
From the
intro, I've
established that
evangelism is a
command, and
something that
we must do,
like the
worship service
of the
Levites,
they're commanded
by God to
do things
within the
service,
within the
temple,
and if they
don't do
those certain
things,
then they're
breaking the
law,
breaking God's
commands.
And so
one thing
that I
want to
hit on
with positive
commands,
and especially
the command
to evangelize,
is the
sin of
commission,
and the
sin of
omission.
Right?
The sin
of commission
is really
easy to
see.
Right?
It is,
examples of
this is
lying.
Right?
It's actively
doing it.
Lying is
a sin of
commission.
Stealing.
Committing
adultery.
Right?
You can see
it.
It's tangible.
Sin of
omission can
be a little
trickier to
detect.
Right?
Because it's
admitting
something.
Matthew 25,
verse 40
to 46,
says,
Jesus talking,
And the
king will
answer them,
Truly I
tell you,
whatever you
did for one
of the least
of these
brothers and
sisters of
mine,
you did
for me.
Then he
will also
say to
those on
the left,
Depart
from me,
who are
cursed into
the eternal
fire,
prepared for
the devil
and his
angels.
I was
hungry,
and you
gave me
nothing to
eat.
I was
thirsty,
and you
gave me
nothing to
drink.
I was a
stranger,
and you
didn't take
me in.
I was
naked,
and you
didn't
clothe me
sick,
and in
prison,
and you
didn't care
for me.
Then they
too will
answer,
Lord,
we did
not see
you,
hungry,
thirsty,
or a
stranger,
without
clothes,
or sick,
or in
prison,
and not
help you.
Then he
will answer,
Truly,
I tell you,
whatever you
did not
do for the
least of
these,
did not
do for
me.
Then they
will go
away into
eternal
punishment,
but the
righteous
into
eternal
life.
There's a
great example
of the
sin of
omission,
right?
Not
seeing,
not doing,
right?
Like Jesus,
we never
saw you
out there
begging,
right?
I mean,
we saw a
beggar,
but we
didn't see
you.
We chose
to ignore
him.
Another
example of
the sin
of omission
is the
parable of
the Good
Samaritan,
right?
There's a
man who's
beaten,
right?
Laying
there,
not like
so weak,
can't do
anything.
A
Levitical
priest goes
by,
right?
walks away,
and then
a Good
Samaritan
comes,
right?
Takes
care of
this man,
bandages
his wound,
takes him
to an
inn,
and have
the innkeeper
look after
him.
That
Levitical
priest is
showing a
sin of
omission,
not loving
his neighbor,
not taking
care of
him as he
shouldn't.
And then
another
example of
this is
not
forgiving
when we
should.
Right?
Talked about
earlier,
Jesus and
Peter,
like we're
commanded to
forgive,
but sometimes
we withhold
them,
right?
It's within
our hearts,
can't really
see it,
but we're
not doing
it,
we're
admitting
it,
and it's
a sin.
And yet
another
example of
this is
not
evangelizing,
sin of
omission,
because
evangelism
is a
command,
something that
we must
do,
and not
doing it
is sinning,
it's a
sin of
omission.
Now some
might think,
hey Zemir,
sounds like
you're bordering
legalism here,
talking about
Levitical
priests and
everything.
Well let's
go there.
What is
legalism,
right?
I put,
it's a
practice of
working within
a set moral
code of
commands in
order to
do good
for yourself
to get to
God,
right?
In other
words,
legalism is
focused on
the self.
The object
of one's
worship is
directed towards
how well
or how much
he can
obey a
set of
commands,
right?
It's set
on him.
He's the
object of
his worship
so that
he can
get somewhere,
right?
I totally
disagree with
legalism.
Don't
practice
legalism.
The object
of our
affection within
evangelism
must be
God.
Whether we
are evangelizing
someone or
offering
forgiveness as
we're commanded,
like, we
don't forgive
someone so
that they
would see how
well we
are, right?
If we're
forgiving someone
so that they
can see how
good we are,
it's not true
forgiveness,
right?
If we're
fasting so
that other
people would
see, like,
our piety,
like, Jesus
says, your
reward has
already been
given to you
by men.
Our
evangelism must
be God-centered
and God-focused,
right?
Now, what I
do want to
note in
legalism and
evangelism and
the command to
evangelize is
that it doesn't
have a limit,
right?
It's not
evangelize 10
times and
you're good,
right?
Or forgive
77 people and
you don't have
to do it again.
it's
lifelong.
It's
lifelong God-centered
obedience,
just like
there isn't
an amount
to how many
people you
should forgive.
Right?
So,
some conclusions.
So,
landing the
plane,
coming to
an end,
is,
if you guys
want to turn
with me to
Ephesians 6,
verse 10 to
19.
Paul writes,
finally,
be strengthened
by the Lord
and by his
vast strength.
Put on the
full armor of
God so that
you can stand
against the
schemes of
Satan.
For our
struggle is
not against
flesh and
blood,
but against
the rulers,
against the
authorities,
against the
cosmic powers
of this
darkness,
against evil
spiritual forces
in the
heaven.
For this
reason,
take up
the full
armor of
God so
that you
may be
able to
resist in
the evil
day.
And having
prepared
everything,
take your
stand.
Stand,
therefore,
with truth
like a
belt around
your waist,
righteousness
like armor
on your
chest,
and feet
sandaled
with the
readiness
for the
gospel of
peace.
In every
situation,
take up
the shield
of faith
with which
you can
extinguish
all the
flaming arrows
of the
evil one.
Take the
helmet of
salvation
and the
sword of
the spirit,
which is
the word
of God.
Pray at
all times
in the
spirit with
every prayer
and request.
Stay alert
with perseverance
and intercessions
for all the
saints.
Pray also
for me,
that the
message may
be given
to me when
I open
my mouth
to make
known the
boldness,
the mystery,
boldness,
with boldness,
the mystery of
the gospel.
For this,
I'm an
ambassador
in chains.
Pray that
I might
also.
Pray that
I might
be bold
enough to
speak about
it.
I
shouldn't.
Right?
So,
I have
seven
application
points.
The first
is pray.
Prayer is
the first
thing.
Paul says
it three
times.
Pray at
all times.
Then in
verse 18,
then 19,
pray also
for me.
Then in
20,
pray that
I might
be bold.
Three
times in
the same
section.
If we're
not praying
towards being
bold,
toward saying,
God,
I am so
weak.
I need
your help
to go out
and preach
the gospel.
A man
like Paul
who's asking
the Ephesians
for prayer,
then we'll
always be
weak.
Right?
The beginning
of that is
we're against
our struggle
is not
against
flesh and
blood.
It's
against
the
cosmic
rulers.
Right?
Satan
wants to
suppress
that desire,
that urge
to go and
preach the
gospel.
If we're not
actively fighting
against that,
we won't do
it.
Truly,
prayer is
our greatest
weapon and
defense by
saying,
Satan,
I rebuke
you in the
name of
Jesus.
And then
the second
one is
go evangelist.
Do it.
Right?
It doesn't
matter.
It doesn't
matter like
where you
go,
what specific
thing you're
doing,
do it.
I love
going door
to door
and evangelize.
I love
taking people
with me
because they're
so squirmy.
But it
takes away
so much
fear.
Right?
People who
are like
have so much
pent up
fear within
them because
like Satan
is coming
against them
saying,
why are you
doing this?
Puts them
out of their
comfort zone.
They don't
want to do
it.
It's so
squirmy.
Right?
If you're
not equipped
with prayer,
right,
you will not
do it.
You truly
will not.
Whether you
have the gift
of evangelism
or not.
Right?
We must
depend and
rely solely
on the power
of God
to preach
the gospel
because we're
not against
flesh and
blood.
When we are
preaching the
gospel,
when we are
evangelizing to
that person,
we're also
like preaching
against all
the demons
that are
whispering lies
to them
saying,
why do you
want to
believe this?
Like you
are doing
good yourself.
Like you're
trying to
get them to
believe and
you yourself
must gird
your loins
prayer.
One of the
biggest stoppers
for people
going and
evangelizing
is fear,
guys.
It's what
people,
whether they
can think
about me,
like I
don't want
to do it.
Like it's
fear.
People are
pent up with
fear.
They don't
want to do
it.
And so you
need to pray.
That fear
is not
from yourself.
That fear
really is
from cosmic
powers.
That's
ungodly
fear.
Right?
As I've
said earlier,
the spirit,
the most
powerful being
in the
universe is
given to
us.
Right?
And it's
given to
us with
power,
not a
fear.
Right?
If we're
fearful of
doing something
spiritual,
it means that
that is not
from God,
not even
from us.
either from
our flesh
or from
Satan.
Right?
Pray against
that.
A word
for men,
single and
married.
Right?
How is
your evangelism?
Right?
How is
your evangelism?
How are
you leading
your family
in evangelizing?
How are
your practices
now to
teach your
sons and
daughter that
evangelism is
important?
Single men
who have
more time
on their
hand than
married men?
What does
your time
look like?
Right?
Is this a
priority for
you?
Truly.
Word of
God,
our life is
but a
breath,
but a
vapor.
Like,
what are
you doing?
That's not
to condemn,
that's truly
for you to
reevaluate.
Like,
what is
most important
to you?
a word for
women,
single and
married.
I know
that women
mainly take
care of
kids,
right?
And my
wife does
as well.
But let
that not be
an excuse.
Take
opportunities
to go and
preach the
gospel.
Like,
everyone here
goes to the
grocery store.
I love
talking to
clerks or
just random
people who
are grabbing
the same
can as
me.
Oh,
you get
that also?
Then strike
up a
conversation.
You can.
You,
women,
you do not
have to go
door to
door and
preach the
gospel.
That's not
for everyone.
But you
can,
in your
day-to-day
routine,
be intentionally
trying to
preach the
gospel,
going to
the same
store,
trying to
preach to
the same
grocery
store
clerk,
trying to
bring someone
from your
ballet class
to hang out
with them,
or your
soccer team,
trying to
get to
know those
parents and
family.
At
Bellico's,
there was
a family
who was
saved because
of soccer
practice.
Right?
Women,
you can do
this.
Single
women,
especially,
more time
on your
hands.
Again,
don't be
foolish,
don't go
door-to-door
knocking,
maybe do
if the
Lord's
leading you
that way,
but you
have more
time on
your hands.
Word for
kids,
you kids
who are
saved,
who believe
that Christ
is the
only way,
preach the
gospel to
your friends
who are
not saved.
Let them
repent and
believe,
to your
siblings as
well,
because it's
life and
death.
Though your
kids,
our life is
but a
vapor,
right?
We're
here for
a second.
Do you
guys remember
when you
were three
years old?
Now you're
like 10?
Like,
life goes
by super
fast.
Preach the
gospel to
your friends.
Second thing,
put it on
your calendar.
If you do
not plan a
time to
go and
actually go
out and
evangelize,
you will
never do
it.
I say
that from
experience
because if
there is
fear,
that fear
will suppress
what you're
doing,
right?
What you
want to
do.
Do it
with someone.
Put it
on your
calendar.
Put it
on your
calendars
together.
Don't
just say,
I really
want to
evangelize.
Be a
man of
your
word,
a woman
of your
word,
and go
out.
Set it
on your
calendar.
If you
don't do
that,
it won't
happen,
right?
It'll be
spontaneous,
and if you're
not already
spontaneous preaching
the gospel,
you're not
praying for
that,
actively
seeking
that,
then it'll
be hard
if it's
not on
your
calendar.
It's
my
encouraging,
put it
on your
calendars.
And then
number
seven is
have your
feet ready
to preach
the gospel,
gospel of
peace.
Always be
aware of
who you can
preach the
gospel to,
especially
around Christmas
season,
around family
members who
are caught
in sins,
who don't
believe the
gospel,
amongst,
like,
it's time
where you
don't talk
to family
members that
you can't
talk to,
because it's
not weird to
call them
out of the
blue,
right?
Merry Christmas,
how are you
doing?
How's your
life going?
Can I pray
for you?
It's not
weird.
And so,
I want to
end really
quickly by
I think a
song that
sums up
evangelism,
gospel,
and
praising God
at the
end of
our days.
Well,
this is
Amazing Grace.
Amazing Grace,
how sweet the
sound,
has saved a
wretch like
me.
I once was
lost,
but now I'm
found,
was blind,
but now I
see.
So it's
grace that
taught my
heart to
fear,
and grace
my fears
relieved.
How precious
did that grace
appear,
the hour I
first believed.
The Lord
has promised
good to
me.
His words
my hope
secures.
He will
my shield
and portion
be as long
as life
endures.
When we've
been there
10,000 years
bright,
shining as
the sun,
we've no
less to sing
God's praise
than the
day we
first begun.
Amen.
Lord,
I thank you
for this
day,
O Lord.
I pray for
this church
plant.
I pray for
your hands
to be upon
it,
O Lord.
I pray that
we would
not be a
people who
are fearful,
but a
people of
power.
I pray that
your spirit
would truly,
O Lord,
bless us,
fill us,
O God.
I pray that
we'd be
people of
prayer,
O Lord.
I pray that
we would be
people who
act, O
Lord,
not only talk,
O Lord,
that as James
says, that we
would be people
of faith and
of works,
O Lord,
that we would
actively go out
and evangelize.
I pray for
our kids as
well.
We pray for
their salvation.
Please save
them, O Lord,
from the
damnation of
hell, O Lord,
and our
family members.
Amen.
through the