God's Love for the Lost

"I tell you there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10).

In Luke 15 we find three parables of Jesus that concern our mission to seek the lost. It is interesting to notice the context of these parables. We read in verse 2, “But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ ” It was the outcasts and pariahs of society who flocked around Jesus, while the dignitaries of society were critical of Him.

The Pharisees held to a rabbinic tradition that asserted “salvation by separation.” They believed that by keeping themselves away from sinners, they could secure their own redemption. So, rather than being involved in a passion for outreach, it was part of their philosophy to isolate themselves. Jesus directly confronted that tradition by openly associating with rejected elements in society.

Jesus tells three parables to rebuke the Pharisees. In each of them He stresses God’s concern over the lost, and the rejoicing that should accompany the conversion of the lost. The first parable is that of the lost sheep. The shepherd goes out of his way to find the sheep, and then he throws a celebration with his neighbors when he has found it. The second parable is that of the lost coin, and the same point is made: When the woman finds the coin she calls her friends and says, “Rejoice with me” (v. 9).

The third parable is of the lost son. This story describes just the kinds of sinners Jesus associated with, provoking the criticism of the Pharisees. It shows the father yearning for his son’s return. When through repentance the son returns, a great feast is celebrated; but the older brother is resentful (vv. 11–32). Through this parable the Pharisees realized that Jesus portrayed them as the older brother. Just as the older brother was lost while in his father’s house, so they were lost within the household of faith.

Why is it that we don’t feel greater concern over the lost? Is it because deep down we really don’t believe they are truly lost? Or is it that we simply don’t care much about them, so that their lost estate does not distress us? Be certain today to read the “For further study” showing God’s incredible love for lost sinners. Ask God to soften your heart with compassion for these still lost in sin.

The Basis for Our Evangelistic Mission

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3:17).

The church’s mission to take the Gospel to the lost has its origin in the activity of God Himself. It was God the Father who sent Jesus Christ to us, and following upon that it is Jesus who sends us. Notice that God did not send Jesus on a mission to destroy or judge the world, but rather on a mission to save it. That is also the mission Jesus has given His people. Toward the end of John 3 we see that Jesus came speaking God’s Word and ministering by means of the Spirit.

When we turn over to John 17:8, we find Jesus praying for His people: “For I gave them the words You gave Me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me.” The issue before the Jews in Jesus’ day was this: Who sent this man? The Pharisees and others thought that Jesus was of Satan and spoke the words of Satan. The disciples, however, recognized that Jesus had been sent by God, because they recognized the words of God.

Toward the end of His prayer, Jesus says, “As you sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18). How did God the Father send Jesus? As we have seen, God sent Jesus with the Word of God. Thus, we are sent with the Word of God. Why did God the Father send Jesus? God sent Jesus to save the world, not to condemn it. Thus, we are sent to proclaim that same saving intention.

This is the biblical foundation for mission: The Word of God spoken with divine authority. God sent Jesus, and Jesus sends us. Just as Jesus came in the power of the Spirit, so God has sent the Spirit upon the church, after Pentecost, to empower her for world mission.

Christians need to be the aggressors in a culture which increasingly seeks to contain the church. We are sent to proclaim the message of salvation to the world. We do not use weapons of steel, but rather the armament of the Gospel: the Word of God, changed lives, and a new community. If you have fallen into feeling that you are on the defensive before an aggressive world, ask God to restore your sense of mission and to send you forth again!

Mobilized for Evangelism

"On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.… Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went" (Acts 8:1, 4).

Early on in my ministry, I was hired to be an “education.” Since I was a better teacher than an evangelist, I went to an evangelistic training seminar.

At the seminar, the leader trained us in the outline we were to memorize, the questions we were to ask, and the steps we were to follow. The word that came to my mind was 'canned'. To me, the truth was something profound and deep, and the idea of canning it and packaging it and using it the way a salesman uses his spiel was offensive to me. The more I heard about this, the more opposed I became.

Of course, I had to put into practice what I had learned with the people of this church. I saw normal laypersons sharing Christ and people responding to the Gospel. The more I watched, the more amazed I became. People from the church were going into the community and changing it. And I began to change my mind.

I remembered that when you study the sermons in the book of Acts, you find that every sermon has the same pattern. Moreover, you find that it was a “simple Gospel” that was proclaimed, with detailed instruction coming after conversion to the faith.

I also realized what the New Testament means when it says that the ascended Christ has given “some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:11–12). As in Acts 8, it is supposed to be the people of God who are mobilized for evangelism.

Have you ever learned an evangelism presentation, or memorized an evangelistic outline? If not, think about the value of being trained in using this skill. Talk with your minister about opportunities to become better equipped to present the Gospel. Investigate the many books, film series, and seminars designed for this purpose.

Energized for Evangelism

"But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens" (Exodus 18:21).

When Israel came out of Egypt, Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, came out to meet them. When he saw that Moses was sitting all day long to teach the people and to judge disputes, he told him that what he was doing was unwise. Jethro’s advice was to organize the nation with elders over tens, fifties, hundreds, and thousands, and to leave only the toughest cases for appeal to Moses himself.

The importance of this kind of organization can be seen from the history of World War II. A tiny and impoverished nation, already defeated in World War I, took on virtually the entire world. Germany challenged France, Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union—and almost won. One reason Germany was so successful was because of its strong military organization, an organization that resembled what Jethro set up for Moses.

Being organized, however, is not enough. Just as an organized army needs armaments as well, so the church also needs power. We see this in Numbers 11, where the people complained about the manna. Moses responded by complaining to God that he was unable to bear the burden of carrying the people alone. God responded by distributing to 70 of the elders of Israel the Spirit which had formerly been exclusively with Moses. Some of Moses’ loyal supporters were upset when they saw others prophesying, but Moses said, “I wish that all the LORD’S people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit on them!” (Numbers 11:29). Moses’ wish becomes a prophecy in Joel 2, where that prophet predicts that in the new covenant all people would be given the Spirit. In Acts 2, on the Day of Pentecost, the empowering of God’s army became a reality.

Evangelism is a worldwide effort on the part of God’s Spirit-empowered army, the Church. God gives wisdom to organize and strength to perform in response to prayer. Take some time today to pray for worldwide evangelism, and pray specifically for missionaries you know. If you do not have a list of missionaries to pray for, take steps to make one.

The Gift of Evangelism

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

In our popular language, we often equate witnessing with evangelism, but there is a distinction in the way the New Testament uses these two different words. Basically, the difference is this: Witnessing calls attention to Jesus Christ in many ways, and is very supportive of evangelism. Evangelism is the proclamation, either orally or in writing, of the message of the person and work of Christ.

We are called to righteous living, and sometimes people say, “I do my evangelism by how I live.” In the biblical sense, however, this is a form of witnessing but not of evangelism. After all, how many times have you seen someone go up to a Christian and say, “I’m amazed at how you live! Tell me your secret!” That does happen from time to time, but not very often.

Giving personal testimonies is not evangelism either. It is witnessing. It is telling people something true about what Jesus has done for me, but it is not the same thing as proclaiming the work of God in the salvation of the world through Jesus Christ. My personal experience may or may not be relevant to you, but the “personal experience” of Jesus Christ is always relevant to everyone.

Don’t misunderstand me. Personal testimony is very important, and we see it in the New Testament in many places. One such account is when the man born blind told people Jesus had healed him. In the strict sense, however, this is not evangelism. Similarly, inviting people to church is very important, but it is not evangelism.

Finally, I don’t believe every Christian is called to be an evangelist. The church is a body with various gifts in it, but not everyone has the gift of evangelism. Every Christian is called to bear witness, but not every Christian is gifted to proclaim the message of the Gospel to men.

While not every Christian is an evangelist, it is every Christian’s responsibility to help see to it that the evangelistic task is carried out. Clearly, the New Testament biblical model encourages each believer to be a participant, not a spectator in the work of the Gospel. What specific things are you doing to help? Make a list of ways in which you do, or should, help carry out the evangelistic mission.

How to cultivate a culture of Evangelism (Ken Mbugua)

Being Intentional about Evangelism

Some years ago, theologian Norman Geisler wrote a candid article in which he wrote the following:

“I have a confession to make. I was a director for a Christian youth organization for three years, a minister for nine years, a Bible college teacher for six years, and in all that time I did not witness for Jesus Christ. I scarcely ever shared my faith one-to-one with other people.” Geisler offered several reasons for this: He didn’t think he had the gift of evangelism. He felt instead his gift was that of teaching the Word to those already Christians. He had read a book that had turned away his zeal for personal evangelism. He had known someone who had practiced impersonal, cold-turkey evangelism, and Geisler had determined that “lifestyle” evangelism was more desirable. But as a result, he lived a Christian life but seldom vocalized his witness to an unsaved person.

Eventually, Geisler became convicted by the words of a little song that said: “Lead me to some soul today, / O teach me, Lord, just what to say.” Those words became a sincere prayer for him, and his life began to change.

One day, having prayed that prayer, he was approached by a girl from the college where he taught. She had spiritual needs in her life, and he was able to lead her to Christ. (She later went to South America as a missionary).

Shortly afterward, Geisler volunteered to participate in a Monday night visitation program at his church. On his first outing, he found himself knocking on the door of a man who turned out to be an atheist. “Do you mind if we ask you a very serious spiritual question?” asked Geisler, when the man came to the door. After a long conversation and a couple of visits, the man prayed to receive Christ and then was baptized. (He is now a deacon in a church with his family committed to Christ as well.)

Of evangelism, Geisler says: The most rewarding experiences I’ve had in my Christian life, have not come from teaching, shepherding, or ministering around the world. They have come from meeting with non-Christians and seeing one after another come to know Christ.

Perhaps it was for the joy of sharing Christ that Peter once wrote the following…

“Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” – 1 Peter 3:15

O to be an evangelist! O for the chance to give an answer for the hope that you have! In this post I want to think about evangelism and how we do it.

D.T. Niles once said that “Evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where he found bread.” The great Puritan writer and preacher John Bunyan once said that an evangelist is “a man who has his eyes up to heaven, the best of books in his hand, has the law of truth written upon his lips, and he stands as if he is pleading with men.”

And we must be intentional as we plead with the lost of this world. But of course, it is God who is most intentional as we share the gospel. In fact, success in evangelism is simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, then leaving the results to God.

So, how do we share the gospel? Well, I want to give you three things you must do to be more intentional in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with your family, your friends, and your neighbors. I believe that if you will take hold of these three things, you will be more intentional as an evangelist of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. SHARE YOUR STORY

Now when I say, “Share Your Story” that is exactly what I mean. Whether you know it or not, you already possess the most powerful witnessing tool that God ever invented. It is not an extravagant evangelistic program, and it is not something that takes a lot of training. What you have, that no one else has, is the story of how you became a Christian and how God is presently working in your life – That’s it!

Once Jesus healed a demon-possessed man & the man begged to go with Jesus on His travels – "No, go home to your friends, and tell them what wonderful things the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been." – Mark 5:19 (NLT)

What did Jesus tell the man he had healed? Jesus said, “Go home & share your story.” Now how do you tell your story? My friends, you simply tell your friends and loved ones what Christ has done for you, how you have repented of your sinful life, and how God is working in your life today. You don’t have to be a walking theological encyclopedia to tell others your story. I’ve had people ask me how long they need to be a Christian before they begin telling others about Christ – my answer: About two seconds! Once you’ve experienced salvation yourself, you are ready to tell others about it.

2. LOVE THE UNCHURCHED

One of the most important questions we can ask as a church is this: Do we want our church to be a New Testament church? Now, most of us will unequivocally say yes. Now, when we say we want to be a New Testament church, I believe we mean this: we desire for our church to be characterized by a vibrant, evangelistic spirit that witnesses the power of God transforming lives.

So, what would it look like if it we patterned our ministry after churches in the New Testament? Would we expect God to transform those who are enslaved to immorality, those addicted to drugs, or those enmeshed in difficult relationships? Of course we would! God doesn’t just work in the lives of good people who just need a little "tweaking"?

God is ready to transform lives! But unfortunately many churches are not reaching the unchurched because they do not have a church culture that encourages intentional efforts to bring the lost to Christ. They do not have a church that loves…the unchurched. And yet God has called to unequivocally love the lost.

All newness of life is from God, who brought us back to Himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. – 2 Cor. 5:18-19 (NLT)

Don’t you want to tell that message to others? Don’t you want to love the lost of this world enough to tell them the Gospel and share your story? The great English evangelist Charles Spurgeon, once said, “Our great object of glorifying God is to be mainly achieved by the winning of souls…” 

Be like the anonymous elevator operator at a hospital in Nashville who once said, “I’m just a nobody telling everybody about somebody who can save anybody.” If you’re going to be intentional about being an evangelist, you’re going to love the lost; you’re going to love the unchurched. Pray to God to have a heart for the lost. Commit also to developing relationships with the lost.

3. COMMIT TO EXPLAINING THE GOSPEL IN GREATER DEPTH.

Let me give you an example of explaining the gospel in greater detail. This is but one way, and there are many variations. Here we go...

God created us for his glory

God made us to magnify his greatness - the way telescopes magnify stars. He created us to put his goodness and truth and beauty and wisdom and justice on display. The greatest display of God's glory comes from deep delight in all that he is. This means that God gets the praise and we get the pleasure. God created us so that he is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

"Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth,... whom I created for my glory." (Isaiah 43:6-7)

Every human should live for God's glory

If God made us for his glory, it is clear that we should live for his glory. Our duty comes from his design. So our first obligation is to show God's value by being satisfied with all that he is for us. This is the essence of loving God (Matthew 22:37) and trusting him (1 John 5:3-4) and being thankful to him (Psalm 100:2-4) It is the root of all true obedience, especially loving others (Colossians 1:4-5).

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)

All of us have failed to glorify God as we should

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

What does it mean to "fall short of the glory of God?" It means that none of us has trusted and treasured God the way we should. We have not been satisfied with his greatness and walked in his ways. We have sought our satisfaction in other things, and treated them as more valuable than God, which is the essence of idolatry (Romans 1:21-23). Since sin came into the world we have all been deeply resistant to having God as our all-satisfying treasure (Ephesians 2:3). This is an appalling offense to the greatness of God (Jeremiah 2:12-13).

All of us are subject to God's just condemnation

"The wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23)

We have all belittled the glory of God. How? By preferring other things above him. By our ingratitude, distrust and disobedience. So God is just in shutting us out from the enjoyment of his glory forever. "They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might" (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

The word "hell" is used in the New Testament fourteen times—twelve times by Jesus himself. It is not a myth created by dismal and angry preachers. It is a solemn warning from the Son of God who died to deliver sinners from its curse. We ignore it at great risk.

If the Bible stopped here in its analysis of the human condition, we would be doomed to a hopeless future. However, this is not where it stops...

God sent his only son Jesus to provide eternal life and joy

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..." (1 Timothy 1:15)

The good news is that Christ died for sinners like us. And he rose physically from the dead to validate the saving power of his death and to open the gates of eternal life and joy (1 Corinthians 15:20). This means God can acquit guilty sinners and still be just (Romans 3:25-26).

"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18).

Coming home to God is where all deep and lasting satisfaction is found.

The benefits purchased by the death of Christ belong to those who repent and trust him and are baptized into His triune name

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out" (Acts 3:19). 

"Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31).

“Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

Forgiveness of sins.

Salvation.

The Gift of the Holy Spirit.

"He who believes in me," Jesus says, "shall never thirst" (John 6:35). We do not earn our salvation. We cannot merit it (Romans 4:4-5). It is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is a free gift (Romans 3:24). We will have it if we cherish it above all things (Matthew 13:44). When we do that, God's aim in creation is accomplished: He is glorified in us and we are satisfied in him - forever.

My prayer for you is that you will be more intentional as an evangelist. I pray that you will share your story. I pray that you will love the unchurched. Finally, I pray you will come to understand the Gospel in a deeper way.

The great Puritan preacher Richard Baxter once cried out:

“O, if you have the hearts of Christians in you, let them yearn towards your poor, ungodly neighbor. Alas, there is but a step between them and death and hell. Many hundreds of diseases are waiting, to seize on them, and if they die unregenerate, they are lost forever. Have you hearts of rock that cannot pity men in such a case as this?

Let us have hearts that would serve the Master.

Go Fish! Having a Heart Like Jesus for Evangelism

"While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." (Matthew 4:18–22)

One day as Jesus walked by the lakeshore He thought about the symbolism of the Sea of Galilee. It was a large, lovely lake, ringed by villages, nestled in the hollow of the hills, but Jesus saw more than blue water and bobbing boats. To His perceptive mind that lake represented the world. Watching the boats floating in the water, he thought of the local churches He would establish in the world. As He saw fisherman, He thought of His followers. The nets represented His evangelistic appeal, claiming souls for eternal life. Coming upon some fishermen that day, Jesus issued the first invitation in the New Testament: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

One of the questions I’d like to ask the Great Physician, were it possible, is why we are not winning more of our friends, relatives, and associates to Christ? Why are we not better witnesses? According to (now-dated) surveys by George Barna, only about half (53 percent) of born again Christians feel a sense of responsibility to tell others about their faith. In other words, nearly half of us don’t think it’s our personal responsibility to share our beliefs with those who don’t know Christ. But this couldn't be farther from the truth! In reality...

1. We’re To Be Followers of Christ. Jesus spoke much about our following Him. The word “follow” occurs 92 times in the Gospels (NKJV).

• “He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:38).
• He told the rich young ruler, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Matt. 19:21)
• He evangelized Levi the tax-collector with just two words: “Follow Me” (Luke 5:27).
• “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).
• “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).
• His last words to Peter were similar to His first words: “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me” (John 21:22).

Following Christ means we make Him Lord of our daily lives, seek out His promises and claim them, seek out His commands and obey them, and offer ourselves as living sacrifices for Him (Rom. 12:1–2).

2. We’re To Be Fashioned By Christ. “... and I will make you.” The parallel account (Mark 1:17) says: “I will make you to become....” As we follow Christ, He makes us to become. He begins to carve us into His type of people.

A school teacher who was bypassed for a promotion went to her administrator and complained, “I have twenty years of experience, and you promoted someone who had only been teaching five years.” The administrator replied, “No, you don’t have twenty years of experience. You have one year of experience twenty times. You’re still teaching the same things and in the same way you did your first year. You haven’t grown in your profession.”

Christ wants us to grow, to develop, to become effective representatives of Himself.

3. We’re to be Fisherman for Christ. “...I will make you fishers of men.”

Some years ago the New York Fire Department had a great parade. Included were buses loaded with people from all walks of life. The sign said: “All of these were saved by our Fire Department from burning buildings.”

In Paul’s letters, he said that those he had won to Christ were his crown and joy, his trophies of grace.

How can we be better witnesses for Christ?

• Ask God to give you a burden for a handful of people who need to be saved, and begin praying for them.
• Live a consistent Christian life, letting others see the hope within you.
• Be ready when asked to give a reason for that hope (1 Peter 3:15).
• Seize opportunities for inviting others to church. If you invite enough people, some will come. And if enough come, some will be saved.