Sharing the Gospel
24 June 2018 AM – Mark 16:15 – Mr17 – Scott Childs
Introduction: Before the Lord returned to heaven, He gave us a commission. (Mark 16:15) “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” That commission is not just for preachers. It is for every true Christian.
According to one statistic, “Ninety-five percent of all Christians have never won a soul to Christ. Eighty percent of all Christians do not consistently witness for Christ. Less than two percent are involved in the ministry of evangelism. Seventy-one percent do not give toward the financing of the great Commission.” Perhaps the three main reasons that Christians do not share the Gospel are: 1) They lack knowledge because they have never learned how or don’t know how to start; 2) Apathy or lack of compassion, they are selfish and don’t care enough to do it; 3) Fear, they are afraid of other people’s reaction, afraid they may ask a difficult question, or simply afraid to be identified as a Christian.
If you are among the eighty percent who do not consistently witness for Christ, today’s sermon is for you.
Transition: I hope to equip you with the basic information needed to be a witness for Christ by answering three questions.
1. How did the Apostle Paul Witness?
Read Acts 17:22-34 commenting on the text as I read
2. What do N.T. Conversions have in Common?
a. The N.T. gives us several conversion examples.
1) As I went through the book of Acts, I found 12 example of people hearing the Gospel and trusting Christ to save (or rescue) them from hell. Each one is slightly different, but in each, someone believed on Christ for salvation.
2) Let me quickly list them for you. Acts 2:37, 41 – 3000 saved; Acts 8:12 – Samaritans saved; Acts 8:37 – Ethiopian saved; Acts 9:6 – Saul saved; Acts 10:42-44 – Cornelius and household; Acts 13:12 – Sergius Paulus; Acts 13:47-48 – Gentiles heard and believed; Acts 16:13-14 – Lydia received Christ; Acts 16:25-32 – wicked Jailor was converted; Acts 17:34 – Dionysius and Damaris and others were saved; Acts 18:8 – Crispus was saved; Acts 19:4-5 – Twelve Ephesian followers of John were saved.
b. What did these have in common?
Some of these examples give more details than others. I am not trying to read into them something that is not there, but I believe each had the following things in common.
1) They believed in God: They accepted that God is their Creator, He is holy, and man is accountable to Him.
2) They heard the Gospel: We will each answer to our Creator on Judgment Day. Jesus the God-Man came to earth to save mankind. The death, burial and resurrection of Christ as substitutionary payment for our sin is man’s ONLY means of escaping hell. (Ro 10:13-14)
3) The Holy Spirit convicted them: (Ac 2:37; 16:14; Jn 16:7-11). This is a mystery to us. We cannot force the Spirit to convict. God uses His Word to prick hearts (Ro 10:17).
4) They repented: They had a change of mind and heart. They need God’s salvation and cannot save themselves. (Lu 13:3; Ac 3:19) Religion and good works do not save.
5) They believed on Christ: There belief was not just a mental agreement but an internal reliance. They placed their eternal future totally in the hands of Jesus Christ. What is included in believing on Christ?
a) Admitting that they are guilty sinners justly heading for hell (Ro 6:23; Ecc 7:20; 2Th 1:8-9)
b) Knowing that they cannot fix their sin problem. We do not need reformation; we need God’s transformation. (Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5)
c) Believing that Jesus shed His blood, died, was buried, and rose again to pay for our sins and eternal life (Ro 5:8-9; 1Pe 3:18)
d) Placing one’s faith – that internal reliance – on Christ’s payment alone to save from hell and transform his life.
e) Calling on the Lord to receive His salvation (may be audible, public, private, silent) (Rom 10:9, 13; Ac 3:19; Jn 1:12)
6) After believing, they were baptised as a testimony of their faith in Christ. Because Jesus paid for 100% of our salvation, baptism does not complete salvation, it testifies of salvation.
3. How can You Share the Gospel with Others?
a. Begin with preparation
1) Recognize in your heart the need
a) Believe that unbelievers will really spend eternity in a real hell.
b) Accept that God has commanded you to witness
2) Learn a basic approach
a) Here are the basics: God > sin > judgment > Christ’s payment > repent > believe > receive
b) Use a good tract with which you are VERY familiar. Read it with the person if given the opportunity.
c) Memorise basic verses (e.g., Romans 3:10, 3:23; 5:12; 6:23; 5:8, 10:9; 10:13). Share them if they will listen.
3) Carry tracts to make your witness easier and clearer
4) Daily ask God for help
a) Ask Him to give you opportunities to witness
b) Ask Him to give you courage and boldness
c) Ask Him to guide your words. Use Bible verses.
d) If able to share, pray in your heart as you speak. The Holy Spirit must prick their heart.
5) Be looking for opportunities (e.g., bank teller, checkout person, salesperson, delivery person, friendly person you meet, neighbour, person walking in the park, put tracts in letterboxes, knock on door and offer tracts, invite a person to church, workmate, etc.)
6) Be bold and speak even when you lack courage.
a) Often I lack courage, but when I speak anyway, I am glad I did. Ignore the devil’s excuses.
b) Always be polite so you do not harm the next Gospel witness.
7) Never take a negative response personally. The person rejected God’s gift not you.
b. I have asked Gerhard to help me illustrate
There are several ways you may approach the situations we will illustrate, but we will give you one way to consider.
1) Checkout person in shops or Delivery person at your door BOX (I attend the NBC in Quinns Rocks. Here is a paper that tells you how you can know for sure you are going to heaven. Would you have a read of it?)
2) Meet a person in the park or Invite a neighbour to church HAT (Do you ever go to church? I go to the NBC in Quinns Rocks. I would like to invite you to come along. Here are the details [on back of tract])
3) Knock on doors (Hi, I am from the NBC and I am passing out a paper about heaven. Could I leave one with you?)
a) Not interested, go away!!!
b) Polite but “No thanks”. Be cheerful. Wish them a good day.
c) Receives tract with no comment. If possible, try to say more.
d) Receives tract and begins looking at it. Ask a lead question (do you go to church, believe in God, etc.).
4) Leading a person to Christ. God > sin > judgment > Christ’s payment > repent > believe > receive. If you can sense that the Holy Spirit has convicted the person, then review the Gospel. Ask if they understand. Ask if they would like to pray and receive Christ right now. If they cannot or will not pray, they are not ready.
Conclusion: The Lord commanded us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. If you are a Christian, you should and CAN be a witness for Christ. Following what I have outlined today can help you.
If you do not yet know for positive you are going to heaven, I would be happy to explain it more to you. Just let me know you would like to have a talk.
For further study, download this sermon notes from our website and look up all of the verses. Study through these notes until you have confidence in what to say as you witness.
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