BACK TO THE BASICS - EVANGELISM

Introduction

I.   God has equipped us with the senses we need to function in life.
     A.   The ancient philosopher Aristotle distinguished the 5 senses as sight, hearing, smell,
          taste, and touch.
     B.   And all of these senses are important, and they work together.

II.  But more important than these physical senses, we need to possess spiritual senses.
     A.   We need spiritual senses to fulfil the challenge and command of the great commission
          (Mat 28:18-20).

III. In this lesson we will identify what I call the "Six Senses of Evangelism."

Body

I.   SENSE OF AWARENESS.
     A.   We must be aware of what the world values.
          1.   Economics and self are the objects of most people's faith.
               a.   Walking by sight.
               b.   Ask parents what they want their children to grow up to be: financially
                    secure, doctors, bosses (Col 3:2).
               c.   U.S. News reported: "For many individuals, the primary struggle will
                    be with loneliness and the quest for human love in the world
                    overwhelmed by too much information." (John 13:35).
          2.   Even the revival of interest in religion is many times deceptive.
               a.   There is a lot of talk about God, but there is very little commitment
                    (Mat 10:34-39).
               b.   People are trying to mold God into what they want.
                    (1)  A God without moral principles.
                    (2)  A God without religious convictions.
                    (3)  A God without judicial power (2 Thess 1:7-9).
               c.   People don't really know who Jesus is.
     B.   We must be aware of the fact that people are lost.
          1.   There are 2 categories in which we place the lost.
               a.   Alien sinners and erring children of God.
     C.   We must be aware of the value of a soul (Mat 16:26-27; Prov 11:30).
     D.   We must be aware of the value of the gospel (Rom 1:16-17; James 1:21).

II.  SENSE OF RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION.
     A.   A zeal for God's cause must consume us (John 2:17).
          1.   The love for Christ is our motivation (2 Cor 5:14-15).
          2.   The importance of God's cause must be realized (Phil 3:7-11).
          3.   Courage must accompany our efforts (John 16:33).
          4.   A hatred for evil must accompany a love for God (Rom 12:9).
          5.   Evil must be exposed (Eph 5:11).

III. SENSE OF COMPASSION.
     A.   Compassion must accompany righteous indignation (Rom 9:3).
          1.   We must never take delight in the fact that people are lost (Luke 19:41-44).
          2.   Our primary goal must be positive (2 Pet 3:9; John 3:17).
               a.   Compassion refuses to ignore needs or label people.
               b.   Compassion sees no "undesirable."
               c.   Compassion reaches out to everyone.

IV.  SENSE OF URGENCY.
     A.   The dictionary defines "urgency" as "requiring immediate attention or action."
          1.   We just don't know when Jesus will return or when people will die.
          2.   The world's death rate is: 64 million a year; 5 million a month; 176,000 a day;
               7,000 an hour; 123 a minute; 2 every second.
     B.   The Bible tells us we're responsible for teaching the lost (Ezek 3:18-21).

V.   SENSE OF DEDICATION.
     A.   we must be dedicated to winning souls to Christ.
          1.   This requires sincerity (Rom 10:1).
          2.   This requires study (2 Tim 2:15; 1 Pet 3:15).
          3.   This requires sacrifice.
          4.   This requires supplication (Phil 4:6).
     B.   We must be dedicated to finding ways to awaken people's interest in the gospel.
          1.   We must get to know where the lost are coming from (1 Cor 9:19-23).
          2.   We must overcome the problem of procrastination.
          3.   We must rely on God as our primary source of strength, rather than: programs,
               methods, the group, or anything else.
          4.   We must go to the turf of the lost, because they will not come to us (Lk
               19:10).
          5.   We must not let our light be covered by ineffective communication, improper
               attitudes, or a sectarian outlook.

VI.  SENSE OF VISION.
     A.   We must never loose our vision of leading the world to Christ (John 4:35).
          1.   Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see.
          2.   And we can reach the masses if we don't loose our vision (Phil 4:13).
          3.   But when we loose our vision, we will begin accepting status quo.
               a.   In 1899 the director of the U.S. Patent Office urged President Wm.
                    McKinley to close down the office because "everything that can be
                    invented has been invented."
     B.   We must have a seen of direction for our vision.
          1.   We must know where we're going and how to get there.
               a.   We must practice proclamation evangelism and personal evangelism.
          2.   We must remember that soul winning is a process of planting, cultivating and
               reaping (1 Cor 3:6).
               a.   So we need to realize what phase of the process we are dealing with.
     C.   We must be persistent.

Conclusion

I.   When we use our Six Senses of Evangelism, we will be able to fulfil the challenge and
     command of the Great Commission.
     A.   That doesn't mean we will save everyone we talk to, but it does mean we will be taking
          to those who are not saved.

II.  Jesus wants to save everyone.


**   If you have any questions or if you would like to become a Christian, please let us know.

Alan C. Cole
26th St. Church of Christ
101-26th Street
Huntington, WV 25703
Phone - (304) 522-0717
E-Mail - Cole8@marshall.edu
Homepage - http://mupfc.marshall.edu/~cole8/