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1. Title slide
We are in the middle of looking at disciple-making.
2. Disciple-making, 2 halves
Disciple-making is much bigger than evangelism. Evangelism is only the first half but mention disciple-making and many people think only of evangelism and we don’t like evangelism! I’ve heard Christians refer to “the e-word”. Evangelism is something we don’t mention. Many Christians have simply concluded “Well, I’m not doing it.”
3. Monkey
Some of us will be gifted evangelists but for most of us, evangelism seems confrontational, abrasive, unnatural and unloving and requires quite personal conversations with strangers, and we just don’t like it. It doesn’t sit easily with us. In fact, it just feels rude. We maybe feel that the first requirement for being an evangelist is that you have to be obnoxious.
Or, we feel that we have to debate with people and back them into a corner with clever arguments and we do not feel equipped for that and we just don’t like it. You have to be clever… and obnoxious!
Preachers keep telling us we should be evangelising and we just don’t like it.
People make excuses.
· I’m not an evangelist. That’s not my gifting. I’ll leave it to others.
o That is possibly true… but it is used as an excuse for opting out altogether.
· Or, I don’t talk about Jesus. I trust people will know I’m a Christian from my lifestyle.
Some people are gifted evangelists
· More comfortable speaking to strangers
· More comfortable raising spiritual things
· More confident
· More effective. They are genuinely gifted for it. God uses them.
Praise God for them. But what about the rest of us?
We believe no one is interested – we are forcing something on them that they don’t want.
4. What did Jesus do?
But is that what we see in Jesus? He is our model. Was Jesus an obnoxious smart-aleck? If not, might Jesus-style evangelism sit much more easily with us?
5. Jesus’ crowd ministry
We think no one is interested but Jesus was incredibly attractive. Crowds travelled long distances to experience Jesus’ ministry. How come? How come Jesus was so attractive and the gospel was so attractive but it seems to be different now?
6. Attract
Jesus’ mission started with Attract.
Why did those huge crowds flock to Jesus? (pause)
7. Reasons
· Miracles – healings, deliverances, raising the dead, miraculous feedings, calming storms…
· Needs were met
· Wonderful stories
· Profound, authoritative teaching
· Compassion, warmth, welcome, acceptance. He loved them.
· Women, children, outcasts…
· “Friend of sinners”. Interesting! Today Christians are often perceived as being judgemental.
· Sins forgiven
· People experienced God
Jesus did not use gimmicks.
Everything Jesus did revealed the presence of God.
· Miracles revealed the power of God.
· Compassion and love revealed the love of God.
· Stories and teaching were about the nature of the Kingdom of God.
· Forgiveness was something only God could offer.
People experienced God.
People were not attracted by gimmicks. They were attracted by the Kingdom of God.
Jesus gave over and over, asking very little of the crowds. He said he had come to serve.
8. Can we be like Jesus?
Can we…
· Build relationships
· Love and respect people
· Show compassion, warmth, welcome…
· Be a friend of sinners (rather than repulsed)
· Model community – forgiving, serving…
· Serve people
· Meet practical needs
· Tell great stories. Have great conversations.
· Could there be miracles? Healings? Answered prayers?
Can we follow Jesus’ model?
That is, can we be extraordinarily nice? Can we serve in ways that wow people? In ways that reveal the presence of God?
What if evangelism is not about being aggressive but being attractive?
What if evangelism is not about blasting people but blessing people?
This church serves in many ways. I don’t even know all that we do serving the community – things like the carnival and Christmas Eve and the community work done by SHIFT and Little Groovers and the youth ministry, and Turning Point Counselling, and on and on and on. It starts with serving.
But here’s a question: How can our lives be so different that people notice and are intrigued? Can people experience the presence of God through the way we serve them?
When people saw Jesus, they were amazed. We are only amazed at things that are not normal. If we are just ordinarily nice, no one is going to notice.
9. What does “extraordinary” mean?
(pause)
10. Beyond the ordinary
11. How can we be extraordinary?
12. When it is Holy Spirit empowered.
13. Extra-ordinary = super-natural
Extra-ordinary means beyond the ordinary. A very similar word is super-natural. “Super” means…” Above. Above the natural.
14. I will be with you
The challenge for us is to reveal the supernatural. But the supernatural is exactly what Jesus promised. “I have all authority in heaven and on earth… and I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.”
He had said, “Do not leave Jerusalem until you have received the Holy Spirit.” Don’t try to do this without supernatural empowering.
The Holy Spirit is available to all Christians. All we have to do is ask. Jesus said, “If you, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask?” (Luke 11:13)
Evangelism starts with being extraordinarily nice – wanting to serve people, being compassionate and showing respect. Extraordinary requires being empowered by the Spirit.
God intends our mission to be supernatural. He intends it to be beyond the ordinary and, by the gift of the Holy Spirit, He has made it possible.
15. Examples
One biblical example of being extraordinary is Jesus’ crowd ministry.
Another is the life of the early church.
Acts 2:42-47
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Immediately after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the life of the church was extraordinary. This was Holy Spirit stuff.
· The unity and the community
· The love and sharing
· The joy
· The love for God and the worship
· Signs and wonders
Is that attractive? Is that attractive?
N.B. they enjoyed the favour of all the people
· That is probably hyperbole. It is never going to be all of the people. Even Jesus didn’t enjoy the favour of all the people.
· But it tells us that people looked at what was happening and they liked it. It was attractive.
In this summary of the life of the very early church, there is nothing about evangelism. Is that surprising?
And yet, the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
· Undoubtedly, they talked about Jesus.
· But it seems the life of the church drew people and revealed the presence of God.
o When people look at us, do they see something very attractive? Do they see God?
16. Church Planting Movements
There are places where churches are multiplying very, very fast. One strategy:
· Christians go around the streets praying
· If they meet people say, “We want to bless this community, so we are praying”.
· Not asking for anything. Just serving.
· Maybe ask, “If God was going to answer a prayer for you, what would you want it to be?”
· Not “Can I pray for you?” which might be a bit confronting (although is often appreciated)
· A way of finding out what this person’s needs are.
· Praying – and God tends to answer those prayers.
· Examples
i. A person has lost his job.
ii. Washing machine just broken down.
· Imagine the impact – experiencing God.
· Visiting again, so as to follow-up on that.
Serve in ways that people experience God, then talk about it.
17. Thai Mission strategies
· 2-year study of missionary groups in Thailand.
· 2 categories.
· Blessers – went with the intention to, first, serve people.
· Converters – went with the intention of preaching the gospel.
· Results
· The blessers had done a huge amount of social good.
· The converters had done very little social good. That was not their thing.
· But what about conversions?
· The blessers had had 48 times as many conversions as the converters!
18. Are our actions enough?
Our lifestyle is not enough. An extraordinary lifestyle will raise questions but it doesn’t answer those questions.
The blessers in Thailand must have done more than social work. Social work does not lead people to faith in Jesus unless it is accompanied by talking about Jesus.
What did Jesus do?
19. Challenge
Jesus’ actions raised a question: “Who is this man?”
That requires an answer.
Periodically, Jesus challenged those crowds with the gospel and the need to make a decision.
· Follow me
o Invitation + challenge
o Will I or will I not?
· Who do you say that I am?
20. Mark 8:34-36
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.
Note it starts with a crowd.
It is as if Jesus now says, “OK, you have experienced God. You have seen the miracles and known my love and compassion and received free food. Now what is your response? It is decision time. Do you believe in me? Will you follow me? That will be costly but the rewards far outweigh the cost.”
The crowds loved receiving. It was great fun being in the crowd. But that could be very selfish but the challenge was, “Who is willing to deny themselves and follow me?”
Jesus attracted but He didn’t leave it there. He then challenged. “I will enable you to experience God but then what is your response to the God you have just experienced?”
Our lifestyle is not enough. An extraordinary lifestyle will attract and intrigue. It will raise questions. We need to be ready to answer those questions.
21. 1 Peter 3:15
15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
If we revere Christ as Lord, we will be living Christ-honouring, Christ-obeying lives. That is the start. Then, be ready to explain that. Why do you act like this? How come you have such peace, such hope? That’s when we talk about Jesus – not aggressively but with gentleness and respect.
22. Colossians 4:5-6
5 Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Col 4:5-6 starts with our actions. Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders. Be intentional about this. Think about it every time. Make the most of every opportunity.
But then it assumes words. Let your conversation be always full of grace – gentle, respectful, honouring, caring… seasoned with salt. Let there be something deep, or godly, or challenging in it too.
23. Luke 10:1-11
When Jesus trained the disciples for evangelism, did He teach serving supernaturally and then speaking?
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
We do not have time to look at this in detail. Let’s just note that it starts with there being a great need for harvesters. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
24. Luke 10:1-11b
5 ‘When you enter a house, first say, “Peace to this house.” 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
8 ‘When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal those there who are ill and tell them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 “Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God has come near.”
Look at the sequence here!
Go to bless. “Peace to this house”
Stay in that house. Don’t flit around. Build relationships.
Heal those who are ill.
· Serve supernaturally. Bless people.
· Heal the sick is probably just shorthand for all of the things they had seen Jesus do. If someone needed deliverance, they wouldn’t have said, “Sorry, we are only allowed to heal.” If someone needed friendship, they would have received that.
· It starts with supernatural minister to people. It starts with serving.
But then tell them the Kingdom of God has come near.
· “You have experienced the Kingdom of God. God has been close to you. How are you going to respond to that?”
· Some will respond positively. Some will not. But the point is, in both instances, that they had experienced God through the ministry of the disciples.
25. Blank slide
If we look at Jesus, evangelism starts with being extraordinarily nice. Beyond the ordinary. That happens when we go empowered by the Holy Spirit and God does extraordinary things.
But serving is not the end. Then it is a case of asking people how they are going to respond to the grace of God that they have just experienced.
How do you feel about serving empowered by the Holy Spirit? How do you feel about being extraordinarily nice?
Most of us will not feel comfortable with evangelism that is aggressive and abrasive and awkward.
But can we feel comfortable with being extraordinarily loving, with building genuine relationships?
AND looking for those opportunities to talk – gently and respectfully – about Jesus? Does being nice sit well with us?
What is God calling you to do about that?
· Is there someone you can serve in a selfless way? Can you just go and be extra-ordinarily nice?
· Is God asking you to take the risk of praying with someone for some need that they have?
· Is there a lonely person you could befriend or a struggling person you could give some money to?
Is there someone you already have a genuine relationship with and now is the time to talk about Jesus – with gentleness and respect, because you love him/her?
26. Next week: Spiritual parenting
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