The Purpose of The Church: Evangelism
Church people and God’s people are not the same thing.
Church people go to Church.
God’s people are “The Church!”
That’s what I’ve been trying to get across for the last two months
Evangelism of the gospel Alistair Begg
“I’m cautioning myself about falling into a trap, and it’s this: confusing one’s ability to tell people about the benefits of receiving the gospel or warning them about the dangers of rejecting the gospel.
While at the same time never actually telling them what the gospel is.
So, I have to remind myself that the gospel is what God has done for us in Jesus to save us from sin, and from death and from hell.
And that it is that gospel that we must believe; if we were to be saved and believe in the gospel, this doesn’t simply mean making certain intellectual facts, but it means the commitment of our life, our entirety, on the strength of who Jesus is and what he has done. The gospel really is good news.”
So, this is the one thing that we are asked to do that sends shivers up most of our spines?
Evangelism is one of the most intimidating of the purposes of the Church. The command is to tell everyone about Jesus. To evangelize means to share the good news about Jesus with other people. And sometimes at an enormous cost!
That’s not just done with your words; it’s done with your actions also.
You know Peter denied Jesus three times, and then a few weeks later you hear him doing this in the very town square where they held Jesus’ trial. And it brings us to the text that we’ve been using through this whole series.
This is Peter talking to them, the Ones that crucified Christ
Acts 2:36-47 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, (He’s also addressed us) both Lord and Christ.” 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
And now that brings us back to our text:
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
In Matthew, we are called to evangelize the world. We are called to reach out to the whole world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 28:18-20 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Authority = ex-oo-see’-ah. Translated it in English Words used in KJV: power 69 authority 29 right 2 liberty 1 jurisdiction 1 strength 1
?from <G1832> (exesti) (in the sense of ability); privilege, i.e. (subject) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (object) mastery (concrete magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence :- authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength.?
19 Go therefore and make disciples Students of all the nations, everybody in the world not just the Jews baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Buried with him in death raised to walk a new life 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
He’s not gonna leave you. He’s not gonna forsake you. He’s going to enable you to do what you’re commissioned to do, and that’s go and evangelize the world
You’re not asked to do this on your own power. You’re being told to do this under the authority of Jesus Christ himself. This is a commandment as much as the Ten are!
So, He, God, has given us the power to be able to tell people about Jesus; we must be able to attract people. This is true of the Church and of each of us individually.
And everyone needs to do it without excuse. We’re all called to evangelize the world!
As a Church, we can have all the programs that look good, but if we do not follow the principles that Jesus used to pull people in, we will not get the opportunity to use the wonderful Gifts that God has given us.
I want to focus in on what we need to do in order to appeal to people so that we can share the gospel with them.
And that’s the bottom line; that’s what it’s all about
How do we do this? Do we compromise the message? NO!
Did Jesus compromise His message to attract people? NO!
Why do Churches struggle with growth? Is there something wrong with the message or messenger?
Too many times, Churches that do not appeal to people wear that as a badge of honor, a testament to the fact that they do not compromise the Gospel.
They say stuff like: Well, the only reason people are going to the big Church is that they tell them what they want to hear.
Until you have sat in one of those services, don’t be saying stupid stuff like that. I’ve served as a part of one of those churches for years now.
I teach a small group on Thursday nights. From Labor Day to Memorial Day, I’ve seen hundreds, if not thousands, of souls in the last 10 or 11 years as part of that Church come to the saving knowledge of Christ.
So, when people say, well, people are not going to Church anymore, they are going. And I promise you the truth is being preached there just as much as is being preached here.
What this scenario really paints is a scene of a Church that does not care enough for people to reach out to the lost around them.
Sometimes Churches do not reach out because they do not really want to grow; they are comfortable with the way they are, and they do not want other people rocking the boat.
Sometimes fear holds us back:
fear of rejection,
fear of being made fun of,
fear of not having ALL of the answers to ALL of the questions.
Listen for God’s voice because:
God’s voice stills you; Satan’s voice rushes you. Rush, or Peace be still.
Dr. Charles Stanley said: Now remember this:
“Romans 8:28 (NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
If God allowed it, God intended it to turn that pain, that hurt, that loss, that difficulty into something good in your life. Now watch this because I’m hurting at the moment. I’m not even interested in any good at all. All I want is to get rid of this, in other words, Get Me Out of this, God!
Get me out of these circumstances, but here’s what’s happening: I must be willing to trust him in the midst of it, because I know on the other side I’m to be able to look back, and I don’t mean the other side of heaven, I’m talking about now on the other side, I’m going to look back and say well God you were in that the whole time.
Why? I can see your hand in there. This is what you were doing. You made me wait, and God, Lord, forgive me for being so impatient. You know what? He doesn’t get upset when you say, God, what’s going on? God is very silent and just says You know, I’m just doing things the way I promise to do them.”
God’s voice stills you; Satan’s voice rushes you.
God’s voice leads you; Satan’s voice pushes you.
God’s voice reassures you; Satan’s voice frightens you.
God’s voice enlightens you; Satan’s voice confuses you.
God’s voice encourages you; Satan’s voice discourages you.
God’s voice comforts you; Satan’s voice worries you.
God’s voice calms you; Satan’s voice obsesses you.
God’s voice convicts you; Satan’s voice condemns you.
If there’s condemnation in it, it ain’t of God.
John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Romans 8:1-2 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
So, whose voice are you listening to?
Sometimes false views of evangelism affect us.
God will do it, or we hire someone to do it, or someone else will do it.
No, it is your job; it’s my job to reach a lost and dying world
I want to examine three principles that Jesus used to entice people, allowing Him to reach the lost sheep He so sought after.
What do we need to do in order to make our evangelism, or outreach efforts, more effective?
For Evangelism to be successful, we must….
I. WE MUST HAVE LOVE FOR THE PEOPLE.
When you study the ministry of Jesus, He attracted crowds because of His love for them.
Matthew 14:13-14 13 When Jesus heard it, (The death of John the Baptist) He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.
That’s it, Church, you got to have compassion!
Jesus and the Rich young ruler.
Mark 10:21 21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
Matthew 9:36-38 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, (Listen, this is it) “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
That’s us. That’s our job
When Jesus looked at the people, He loved them so much that He wanted more people to be reached with the Gospel.
As I said about the song that says, reach up with one hand to God, reach back with the other hand to the needy, those needing the gospel; bring them along with you. As I keep saying, you can’t take it with you when you go, but you can send it on ahead
1 Timothy 2:4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Jesus did not look at the people like they were a bunch of losers, but instead He looked at them with love. He did not despise them. He pitied them.
Correct motives flow from a correct attitude.
• Compassion. This was God’s motive for sending Jesus. Compassion is the ability to put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
Compassion is just man’s way of showing God’s grace. That’s compassion.
- Burdened. Feeling a heavy heart for the lost. We see non-Christians as victims of the enemy instead of seeing them as the enemy.
Charles Spurgeon: “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped around their knees. If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our efforts, and let no one go unwarned or unprayed for.
We need Paul’s Burden:
Romans 9:1-5 1 I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.
Listen how much he cares for the people; he’s willing to give up his own salvation if he could for them.
3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; 5 of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
- Zeal. Enthusiasm, excited about who Jesus is.
- Love. Christians should be the most gracious, sweet witnesses the world has ever seen.
• Love for Jesus should motivate us the most.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
- Love for the lost should motivate us.
Appreciation that someone shared with us should motivate us also.Motive and attitude relate to how we will or will not act.
• It will help us not to be obnoxious
• It will help us not to be hostile
• It will help us not to share out of obligation.
• It will help us not to share to exalt self.
• It will help us to be judgmental.
• It will help us not to be too judgmental
• It will help us to be fearful.
• It will help us not to be too fearful.
And in the movie Magnum Force, Clint Eastwood kept saying, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” - It will help us to remember our limitations. It’s not about what we do but about what Christ does through us (1 Cor 3:6)
1 Corinthians 3:5-8 5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
Remember the 4 soils. Wayward, the rocky, the weedy, and the good soil, and in the good soil we see tares coming up when satin sows his seeds.
Evangelism is:
Sometimes He multiplies the loaves and fishes
Sometimes He lets the perfume be poured out
Both are worship
Sometimes faith looks like multiplication
Sometimes faith looks like surrender
Sometimes God fills your hands
Sometimes He asks you to empty them
Fruitfulness is God’s responsibility
Faithfulness is ours
God’s job is outcomes
Our job is obedience
God’s job is result
Our job is response
God doesn’t call us to control the Harvest
He caused us to be faithful in the sowing
Jesus never said Well done, good and successful servant
He said Well done, good and faithful servant
I don’t think efficiency is a bad thing at all
But I think God values devotion over efficiency
Efficiency is good, but it’s a terrible God
If you’re a follower of Jesus
Love is not a method
It’s a command
If love is just a strategy, we will abandon it when it doesn’t work
If love is a command, we practice it even when it costs us
Our theology is only as good as the love it produces
Good theology without love is bad theology
We plant, we water, but only God brings the growth,
1 Corinthians 3:9-11 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Oswald Chambers said: “One of the worst traps a Christian can fall into is to become obsessed with his own exceptional moments of inspiration!”
Never say Look what I have done but look at what God’s done through me.
As years ago, working with the Sweet Spirit Band and seeing over 570 young people make a profession of faith in one year, God got the glory, and that was a ministry of this Church…
It’s not about who gets the credit as long as God gets the Glory.
- It will help us not to be discouraged by God’s timetable. You hear me, stop rushing God to get a pastor
- It will help us to be tactful. Jimmy at the restaurant guys at the bar.
- It will help us to be prepared.
There’s a little Bible called Share Jesus Without Fear. They use this in Truth In Nature a lot. My buddy Tim Croft is the one who got me using it. They have all these questions in the appendix that people will ask, and then it tells you the page to go to. It’s one of the best evangelistic tools I’ve ever seen. I highly recommend that if you’re gonna try to talk to people about the Lord, to get you one of these little Bibles
1 Peter 3:15-17 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
- It will help us not to be lazy. It takes an action on your part.
Dr. Charles Stanley says: “I don’t believe God tolerates laziness. I don’t believe he puts up with laziness. And people who are always looking for an excuse not to serve Him. And to do a poor job, if you don’t know any better, I understand, but if I do the best I can in my job and what I ought to be doing. If that’s the best I can do and it’s not good enough, somebody needs to help me, and train me, and encourage me along, but if I’m just sloppy and wanna do as little as I can to get by, as long as I can. I’m gonna tell you what people don’t realize is that you may be a Christian, you may be a believer, I’m gonna tell you, you will have to answer to God for poor Service as a Christian. I don’t care what you do.”
- It will help us not to be guilty of direct disobedience to Christ’s direct command.
For Evangelism to be successful, we must….
WE MUST HAVE LOVE FOR THE PEOPLE.
II. NEEDS MUST BE MET.
- How many people want to hear a sermon when they are hungry or sick?
In Psychology class, it is taught a thing called Maslow’s pyramid of needs. Basically, it says that we have different levels of needs, and until one level is satisfied, we cannot get past that level.
He draws it as a pyramid.
At the bottom are the physiological needs (air, food, water, sleep, etc basic human needs)
Then you have safety and security
followed by love and belonging,
Esteem and self-esteem
Self-fulfillment
A person is concerned with the level they are on.
If your safety is threatened, you cannot worry about feeling loved, or if you are starving, you are not worried about self-esteem.
I am not promoting Maslow, but I do think there is some truth in what he says. Jesus knew this principle also.
No one cares how much you know until they see how much you care.
EX: Westridge Church sent people to Burkina Faso (Be-kee-nuh faa-sow), Africa, to first build wells, and after building the wells, they received the gospel. You have to meet a need and then present the gospel
Tim Croft Truth in Nature… Taking care of the fatherless boys and seeing an increase
Operation Christmas Child needed people to come out here once a month on Thursdays, gather stuff up and put it in a box; God supplied. And then you, as a Church, helped supply the need for the finances last Sunday night, and they still need more. And God gets the glory!
- What did Jesus do for people before He taught them? He took care of needs. He found out what their needs were and addressed them. Jesus earned the right to be heard!
- When you look at the ministry of Jesus and the Apostles, you will see that they did not try to cram a message down people’s throats without regard for their needs.
Jesus just dealt with a Gentile woman, and then he heals a bunch of people, and from there we see in Matthew:
- Matthew 15:29-32 29Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them. 31 So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. 32 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”
- Look what Jesus did in Luke: the ones who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured.
Luke 6:18-19 18 as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all. - John 6:2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.
Jesus did not make people feel bad because they had a need. He did not judge some needs as being more legitimate than others
Jesus often met a need to establish a beachhead for evangelism in a person’s life.
A hungry, hurting person does not want to hear a message unless you earn the right to share it with them.
Studies have shown that 70%-90% of all people who come to Church because a friend or relative invites them. We saw that this morning when the man was here because of Jeff Hodges… This happens because a friend or family member has the respect of a person because they have been there for the good times and the bad.
Faith Without Works Is Dead
James 2:14-17 (cf. Gen 22; Josh 2:1) 14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. NKJV
My cousin Peggy was the best at taking care of people’s needs and then presenting the gospel to them…
A young boy, on an errand for his mother, had just bought a dozen eggs. Walking out of the store, he tripped and dropped the sack. All the eggs broke, and the sidewalk was a mess. The boy tried not to cry. A few people gathered to see if he was OK and to tell him how sorry they were. In the midst of the words of pity, one man handed the boy a quarter. Then he turned to the group and said, “I care 25 cents’ worth. How much do the rest of you care?” James 2:16 points out that words don’t mean much if we have the ability to do more.
For Evangelism to be successful, we must….
WE MUST HAVE LOVE FOR THE PEOPLE.
NEEDS MUST BE MET.
III. THE PRESENTATION OF THE GOSPEL MUST BE PRACTICAL AND INTERESTING.
The woman at the well in John 4
The woman at the well didn’t take an evangelism course
The woman at the well had no theological degree, yet an entire town came to Jesus through her. How? When Jesus met her, she wasn’t a Bible teacher. She wasn’t a disciple. She wasn’t even living a godly life.
In fact, she had a bad reputation John 4:16-18, but after meeting Jesus, she left the water jar behind and went into the city, saying Come and see a man who told me all that I ever did John 4:28-29
She didn’t have all the answers; she simply pointed people to Jesus.
Notice what she did not say: she did not say
Come hear my theology,
come hear my testimony,
come hear my argument.
She said exactly what we all need to be saying: Come see this man Jesus. Because of her testimony, the Bible says many Samaritans came to Jesus, but then something amazing happened. They told her it is no longer because of what you said, but what we believe. John 4:42. The woman’s testimony brought people to Jesus.
Jesus’ word brought people to faith.
You don’t need all the answers; you don’t need years of training.
You simply need to point people to Christ and then let Christ do what only He can do.
Jesus attracted crowds by teaching in an interesting, practical way.
• Matthew 7:28-29 28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
- Matthew 22:33 And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
- Mark 11:18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.
Mark 12:37 Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?” And the common people heard Him gladly.
Jesus preached the TRUTH.
• Today, truth is relative. Too many preachers have let themselves be sucked into this thinking. Truth is truth. We can attract people with the truth that is preached in love.
Jesus accepted people, but He did not accept their actions. Jesus always lovingly confronted their sin. Love the sinner, not the sin.
Jesus related truth to life.
• Jesus used everyday language. He was understood by the common people. He did not break into some jargon that no one could understand without a dictionary.
• Jesus used everyday situations to relay the truth to people.
Parables
- A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
That’s what I try to do in my books. Just tell modern-day stories with a heavenly meaning
• Let us be a Church that loves people, a Church that is willing to meet people’s needs, and a Church that presents the Word of God in an interesting and relevant way.
- We do not have an option when it comes to reaching out to the lost.
- If we are not making the effort to evangelize. Each one of us has a responsibility to reach out to the lost.
If we don’t reach them for Christ, the world will get them.
- I bet most everyone of us has a neighbor or a family member who does not belong to Jesus.
We can start with our neighbor. If we all did that, then at best we would make more disciples. At worst, at least when a person dies outside of Jesus, they will not be able to say that no one cared enough to share.
- Let us be a Church that loves people so much that we hurt when we know someone is lost.
- LUKE 15:7 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
You can say, well, I’m just a nobody. That’s exactly who God uses. All through the Bible is a bunch of nobodies
“One of my favorites “minor characters” in American history is a man named Edward Kimball. There aren’t many people who could tell you the historical significance of Edward Kimball. After all, he is so unfamous that he doesn’t even have his own Wikipedia page. But through his simple service to God, he has had a worldwide impact.
In 1854, Kimball was a Sunday School teacher in Detroit, and one day he went to visit a 17-year-old boy who was in his Sunday School class and had little interest in God or religion. During his visit with this young man at his job in a shoe shop, he led the boy into a relationship with Christ. That young man was D.L. Moody, who went on to become one of the greatest evangelists in the world, sharing the gospel with 100 million people, as well as founding Moody Bible Institute and The Moody Church in Chicago.
But the story doesn’t end there. Through his ministry, Moody was responsible for a London pastor named F.B. Meyer coming to faith. Meyer was responsible for J. Wilbur Chapman coming to faith, and Chapman influenced Billy Sunday, another prominent evangelist of the 20th century. Billy Sunday was essential in a man named Mordecai Ham coming to faith. And Mordecai Ham was the preacher responsible for leading a young man named Billy Graham to Christ.
Why is it important to be an evangelist and to go into the world and speak to everyone you look at? Everyone you look in the eyes is whom Christ died for.
You need to understand and know this: there is not a person you will ever see, no matter if you like them or not, that Jesus Christ didn’t die for, and it’s our job to tell them about our Savior
As I said when we started tonight, “Sometimes fear holds us back: fear of rejection, fear of being made fun of, fear of not having ALL of the answers to ALL of the questions.”
Have you ever noticed what happens when you ask someone who believes salvation can be lost, just ask them this one simple question?
How do you know you’re saved today?
Listen carefully to the answer
Many don’t point to Christ; they’ll point to themselves
I prayed
I’m faithful
I repented
I studied the Bible
I obey
I’m baptized
I practiced the sacraments
I’ve surrendered
I’m staying committed
I’m producing fruit
The conversation gently shows from what Jesus did to what they are doing
Isn’t that ironic? Don’t you think?
The very people warning others not to trust in easy believism often reveal that their assurance is resting in the hardest thing imaginable: their own performance.
Paul warned about this in Romans
Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
Notice the issue isn’t that they love holiness too much. The issue is that they are trying to establish a righteousness of their own instead of submitting to the righteousness God provides.
The gospel never tells you to inspect your obedience to discover eternal life
It tells you to look at Christ
My obedience varies
My discipline varies
My emotions vary
My consistency varies
But Jesus Christ does not
The one who perfectly obeyed; the Father did so on behalf of sinners; the one who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Did you get that? It’s not what I do; it’s what he did!
If my standing before God depends even one percent on my ability to keep myself saved, then my assurance will always rise and fall with my performance, and the worst part is that salvation becomes impossible
But if standing depends entirely on Christ finishing the work on Calvary’s cross, then my assurance rests where it belongs: on the faithfulness of the Savior, not in the stability of the sinner.
This is a call to stop carrying a burden Christ already carried.
Stop trying to maintain what Jesus promised to give freely
Stop looking inward for proof that you deserve heaven. Because we don’t.
Look to the cross
The warning is this: be careful that in trying to prove your righteousness you don’t miss the righteousness God offers
Rest in the one who obeys where you fail
Rest in the one who became your righteousness
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ have received a gift He purchased not by your discipline, but by his obedience
Evangelism or discipleship
Most people think being a witness for Jesus means having all the answers. The Apostle Paul seems to think otherwise.
Paul assumes three things.
1. Christians will have meaningful proximity to people who don’t follow Jesus.
2. Their lives will be interesting enough to raise questions.
3. Their speech will be gracious enough to keep the door open.
In Colossians 4, he doesn’t tell believers to simply win arguments, dominate conversations, or become expert apologists. Instead, he tells them to be wise, to make the most of every opportunity, to let their speech be gracious. That’s a different posture entirely.
Wisdom means paying attention, discerning what this particular person needs in this particular moment. Sometimes that’s an answer. But sometimes it’s a question or encouragement.
Sometimes it’s just a little listening ear.
And then Paul adds this beautiful phrase: let your conversation be “seasoned with salt.”
Salt does so many things. It preserves, and it enhances. Salt brings out what is already there.
In Rabbinic literature, ‘salt’ is often used to refer to ‘wisdom.’ In fact, some scholars assert that the language Paul uses here implies something that is “not dull or flat but is interesting and well-chosen.” It’s not about being witty, but the flavor of our conversations.
Do our lives evoke thirst?
Followers of Jesus should be the kind of people whose words bring life. Our conversations should make people curious. They should reflect both truth and grace, conviction and kindness.
And the reality is that every day presents dozens of opportunities to represent Jesus, at work, around the table, in a text message, at the ball field, in the checkout line, over coffee with a friend.
I buy six Donuts every time I order from Walmart just so I can give them to the delivery person along with a tip, just to show kindness, and then I give them one of those little Jesuses and tell them about the Lord
It’s OK to leave a track with your tip, but make sure you leave a decent tip. You are representing Jesus Christ. So be careful about how you look
Most of those moments won’t feel dramatic. But they are significant Kingdom moments.
The Kingdom often advances through ordinary conversations with ordinary people who are paying attention to the Spirit.
You don’t need a microphone, a platform, or all the answers to every obscure objection.
You simply need to be present, attentive, and willing.
Make the most of every moment and every encounter.
Someone’s experience of Jesus may be shaped by the way you speak today.
Evangelism is just sharing that good news, and I encourage you to do that very thing
Pray
Calvary Baptist Church August 2nd 2026 PM
