1 evangelism maintaining a positive attitude. 2 3 providence of god at work in nearly every example...

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Evangelism

Maintaining a

Positive Attitude

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Providence of God at Work

• In nearly every example of conversion, God worked in some way to create the opportunity for the person to hear the gospel.

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Providence of God at Work

• Philip & the Ethiopian Eunuch

• Saul and Ananias

• Cornelius’ Household & Peter

• The evangelization of Europe

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Providence of God at Work

• The Lord knows the hearts of all men and seeks those who are seeking Him –cf. 2 Chronicles 16:9

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2 Chronicles 16:9

“For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is

completely His...”

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Providence of God at Work

• The Lord knows the hearts of all men and seeks those who are seeking Him –And He will make sure that those

who "hunger and thirst for righteousness" will somehow be "satisfied" (Matthew 5:6).

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Providence of God at Work

• When the Lord knows there are people who would be receptive to the gospel,

• He will "open doors" –Corinth – Acts 18:9-11

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Acts 18:9-11

“And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid any

longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; …”

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Acts 18:9-11

“… 10 for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you,

for I have many people in this city." 11 And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God

among them.”

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Providence of God at Work

• It’s encouraging to know we are not alone in our efforts to lead the lost to Christ. –When we engage in evangelism, we

are "God's fellow workers" 1 Corinthians 3:9

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God “Opens Doors”

For Prepared Workers!

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God “Opens Doors”

• Scriptures often speak of the Lord "opening doors" for those ready to serve Him. –1 Corinthians 16:8,9

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1 Corinthians 16:8,9

“But I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; 9 for a wide door for

effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.”

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2 Corinthians 2: 12-13

“Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I

went on to Macedonia.”

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Revelation 3:8

“'I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one

can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and

have not denied My name.

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2 Timothy 2:19-21

“Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord

knows those who are His," and, "Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness."

…”

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2 Timothy 2:19-21

“… 20 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but

also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and

some to dishonor. …”

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2 Timothy 2:19-21

“… 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good

work.”

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God “Opens Doors”

• Applies to both individuals and congregations.–Individuals must prepare

themselves to be able to teach, or lead to others ready to teach.

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God “Opens Doors”

• Applies to both individuals and congregations.–Congregations must also be ready

to assimilate new converts into the family of God.

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God “Opens Doors”

• Many congregations do not find "open doors" –Because they have not prepared

themselves to be a place where "babes in Christ" will be cared for properly.

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God “Opens Doors”

• We must "prepare" ourselves to be useful to the Lord, ...

• Then God’s providence will "open doors" of opportunity to reach those who have honest & good hearts seeking for the truth.

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Prayer is the “Catalyst”

• It is easy to see that prayer plays an important role. –In the conversion of Cornelius

• Acts 10:1-4, 9

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Acts 10:1-4

“Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what

was called the Italian cohort, 2 a devout man and one who feared God

with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed

to God continually. …”

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Acts 10:1-4

“… 3 About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, "Cornelius!" 4 And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and alms have ascended

as a memorial before God.”

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Acts 10:9

“On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter

went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.”

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Prayer is the “Catalyst”

• It seems sometimes preparation for evangelism is no different from preparing to make a sales pitch.

• Paul taught the Colossians to pray God would open a door for the Word –Colossians 4:3

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Colossians 4:3

“praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door

for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ,”

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Prayer is the “Catalyst”

• Prayer is a "catalyst" that starts the process of God's providence in bringing together the lost, seeking soul with the prepared, seeking servant.

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When we have prepared ourselves to be useful to the

Lord and diligently pray "Lord, lead me to some soul today" ...

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Doors will open and we will begin to find souls who

themselves have been praying and who will be receptive to the

gospel!

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Perspectives

• From “Parable of the Sower”–Remove the discouragement

–Prevent Apathy

–Instill Enthusiasm

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Luke 8:11-15

“Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. 12 "Those beside the road

are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not

believe and be saved. …”

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Luke 8:11-15

“… 13 "Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of

temptation fall away. …”

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Luke 8:11-15

“… 14 "The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have

heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit

to maturity. …”

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Luke 8:11-15

“… 15 "But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and

hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”

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The Power is in the Seed!

• The "Word of God" has always been capable of accomplishing its intended purpose–Isaiah 55:10-11

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Isaiah 55:10-11

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And

making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread

to the eater; …”

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Isaiah 55:10-11

“… 11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing

what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

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Hebrews 4:12

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged

sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both

joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the

heart.”

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Romans 1:16

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation

to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

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The Power is in the Seed!

• True conversion will occur only if we plant the proper "seed." –But even when we plant the proper

seed …• We often do not see the desired results.

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Results Depend Upon Soil!

• In the Parable, we see that the same seed, when sown, produced different results.–One result was no reaction

whatsoever

–Two others had only temporary success.

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Results Depend Upon Soil!

• Where lies the blame? –Upon the seed?

–Upon the sower?

–Upon the type of soil?

No!

No!

Yes!

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Results Depend Upon Soil!

• This illustrates where the area of responsibility lies.–The Sower fulfills his responsibility

by sowing the seed• Ezekiel 3:17-19

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Ezekiel 3:17-19

“Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel;

whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. …”

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Ezekiel 3:17-19

“… 18 "When I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked

from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his

iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. …”

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Ezekiel 3:17-19

“… 19 "Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his

wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have

delivered yourself.”

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Results Depend Upon Soil!

• The Sower fulfills his responsibility by sowing the seed–If the soil rejects the seed, the soil

is responsible;

–The sower should not feel accountable• Matthew 10:14-15

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Matthew 10:14-15

“Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off

your feet. …”

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Matthew 10:14-15

“… 15 "Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment

than for that city.”

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Acts 13:44-46

“The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds,

they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming. …”

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Acts 13:44-46

“… 46 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first;

since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life,

behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.”

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Results Depend Upon Soil!

• The positive implication is this:–Every time we sow the seed, we are

successful!

–If a person rejects it, we have not failed, they have!

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Results Depend Upon Soil!

• What is the significance of this perspective of evangelism?–We need to learn the joy of sharing

the Word for its own sake!• There is joy in sharing Christ with others, whether or not people accept Him.

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Results Depend Upon Soil!

• What is the significance of this perspective of evangelism?–Our Goals

• They should center on how many are being taught, not converted!

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The Place of the Sower

• "Seed-Throwers" & "Water-Boys“–1 Corinthians 3:5-7

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1 Corinthians 3:5-7

“What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you

believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. …”

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1 Corinthians 3:5-7

“… 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who

causes the growth.”

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The Place of the Sower

• “Seed-Throwers” & “Water-Boys”–One may plant the seed, another

may water, but it is GOD who gives the increase!

–Because of this, there is no place for boasting about numbers of people being converted.

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The Place of the Sower

• But there is another important part to this.–God can even use defective seed-

throwers • cf. Philippians 1:15-18

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Philippians 1:15-18

“Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some

also from good will; 16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am

appointed for the defense of the gospel; …”

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Philippians 1:15-18

“… 17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress

in my imprisonment. …”

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Philippians 1:15-18

“… 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth,

Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,”

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The Place of the Sower

• But there is another important part to this.–God can even use defective seed-

throwers• Not only defective in motive, but also in experience!

• This is because the power is in the Seed, not the sower!

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1 Corinthians 2:1-5

“And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the

testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus

Christ, and Him crucified. …”

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1 Corinthians 2:1-5

“… 3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 4 and my message and my preaching were not in

persuasive words of wisdom,…”

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1 Corinthians 2:1-5

“… but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith

would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”

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Principle of Sowing & Reaping

“Now this {I say,} he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap

bountifully.”2 Corinthians 9:6

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Principle of Sowing & Reaping

• It is easily seen in many different areas of life: –In sales, 1 out of 9

–In acting, 1 out of 30

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Principle of Sowing & Reaping

• In the Parable of the Sower–Only one out of four produced

favorable results.

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Principle of Sowing & Reaping

• The key to success is to increase the number of their efforts.–If we desire to reap more, we must

be willing to sow more!

–We need to set goals on how many are being taught …• Not on how many are converted!

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One Sows and Another Reaps!

• Winning souls involve both "sowing" and "reaping."–Jesus used these terms in talking to

His disciples as recorded in John 4:35-38

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John 4:35-38

“Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are

white for harvest. …”

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John 4:35-38

“… 36 "Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows

and he who reaps may rejoice together. …”

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John 4:35-38

“… 37 "For in this case the saying is true, 'One sows and another reaps.' 38 "I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”

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One Sows and Another Reaps!

• Sowing is the work necessary to one day being able to reap! –In which hearts are being prepared

for the reception of the gospel

–In which hearts are first introduced to the gospel and its principles

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One Sows and Another Reaps!

• Reaping is the actual "harvesting" of what has been sown.–In winning souls, reaping is that

harvesting which occurs when souls who have had the Word planted in their hearts decide to obey it!

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One Sows and Another Reaps!

• Those who sow do not always witness the reaping that may one day occur.

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One Sows and Another Reaps!

• Many times those who reap are benefiting from the efforts of those who did the sowing before them.

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