Evangelism I

1. THE GOSPEL HAND
I Thessalonians 1:4-5, Knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.  For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.

The Thumb

1:4, election by God.  God, knowing man’s recalcitrance to His will and ways, determined to save some before they ever existed.  God is about people being saved!  Man is bent away from God – is God’s enemy and detests God’s rule – but God has opted to bring some to repentance and into a loving relationship with Him through faith in Jesus.

The Fingers – the tools God uses to bring one to salvation

1. 1:5, in word.  Speak the truth – God’s word is truth (John 17:17). Without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb 11:6), faith comes by hearing the Word (Rom 10:17), the Word does not return void (Isaiah 55:11), and the Word is to be presented/told (Rom 10:14).  And the Word is Jesus (John 1:1) who is the only truth, life, and way to God! (Jn 14:6)
2. in power. God uses the power of nature such as storms, birth and death, and chemistry.  He uses pain, loss, and death to make men realize their inability to rule life and thus their need of Him.  The suffering of God’s people reveals to the lost His presence and power to live in joy (II Cor 12:9) and their boldness marks them as indwelt by God the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:16).  God allows and uses life’s issues to push men to their knees in confession, repentance, and belief.
3. in the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit is necessary to bring conviction and repentance (Jn 16:8).  It is the Spirit moving God’s people to pray and touch others that is used to move the lost to salvation.
   in assurance. Trust in the Word’s power (not return void, Is 55:11), trust in the power of God to transform, and trust in the work of the Spirit should give boldness.
4. know what kind…we were among you.  Changed lives and lives sold out for Jesus make a huge impact on the lost.  A gentle and quiet spirit (I Peter 3:4) is a great testifier (Luke 21:13).

Thus there are five components to seeing people saved and blessed with eternal life – God’s decree, speaking the Bible, creation and the bumps and bruises of life, the Holy Spirit, and the witness of transformed lives.  With those “tools”, God moves, draws, and brings the lost to repentance, faith, and a crying out to God for salvation.

2. GARDENING
“We are God’s gardeners” (Greg Koukl).  We are to be faithful gardeners knowing that it is solely of God to give the increase (I Cor 3:6).  God is “the Lord of the harvest” (Matthew 9:38).  It is not for us to demand a harvest, to sing enough verses of an invitation song to get a response, or to be discouraged if there is not an immediate commitment.  We are called to be gardeners – let’s be faithful in our role of gardening.

So what does gardening entail?

1. soil preparation – be around non-believers and be full of Jesus, happy, hopeful (Acts 2:5-12).
2. planting the seed – we must clearly declare the truths of God’s holiness, our sin and debt, Jesus’ work, and a call to repentance and submission (Acts 2:36).
3. watering – invite questions and press them toward Jesus, the Living Water (Acts 2:38).
4. fertilizing – introduce them to other Christians, Bible studies, and pray for them.
5. weeding – note sin and talk about sin, and be aware of hard soil, weedy soil, rocky soil.
6. critter protection – realize Satan, the world, and the flesh can snatch the seed, so pray!
7. God produces the fruit – God gives the increase and God regenerates the lost to life.

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.   1 Corinthians 3:6