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| Next | lftd05 Sept.20.05 - Lftd - "EMP3: Perspectives For Success In Evangelism" Course : EVANGELISM MADE PERSONAL -- Mark A. Copeland --------------------------------------------------------- Study 3 "PERSPECTIVES FOR SUCCESS IN EVANGELISM" I- God "open door" for prepared Workers! II- Prayer is the "Catalyst" in Evangelism! III- The power is in the Seed (God's Word)! IV- The results depend upon the type of Soil! V- The Place of the Sower VI- The Principle of Sowing and Reaping VII- Quite often, one Sows and another Reaps! VIII- Conclusion -------------------------------- Maintaining A Positive Attitude It is important to maintain certain perspectives while engaging in the enterprise we call "evangelism." Many people start out with great enthusiasm, but often get discouraged and in some cases become apathetic. This happens even to those who are highly skilled in teaching others. What follows are some perspectives that have helped me to keep a positive attitude about doing personal work. THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD IS AT WORK! In nearly every example of conversion found in the Book of Acts, God worked in some way to create the opportunity for the person to hear the gospel. For example, Philip was sent toward Gaza where he would meet the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8). The Lord saw to it that Saul and Ananias would get together (Acts 9); likewise, that the household of Cornelius would have a chance to hear the gospel from Peter (Acts 10). The evangelization of Europe that started with the conversion of Lydia and the Philippian Jailor occurred after the "Macedonian Call" led Paul and his companions in that direction (Acts 16). Granted, these circumstances are in keeping with the miraculous events in establishing the Lord's church, but I believe they illustrate a principle that is just as valid for us today. That principle is this: The Lord, who knows the hearts of all men and seeks those who are seeking Him (cf. 2Chr 16:9), will make sure that those who "hunger and thirst for righteousness" will somehow be "filled" (Mt 5:6). It encourages me to know that we are not alone in our efforts to lead the lost to Christ. God will see that every soul who has an honest, good, and seeking heart will one day come across someone who is prepared to explain the Gospel to him or her. Indeed, when we engage in evangelism, we are "God's fellow workers" (1Co 3:5-9). Of course, how useful we can be to the Lord leads us to the second perspective for success in evangelism... I- GOD "OPENS DOORS" FOR PREPARED WORKERS! * 1Corinthians 16:9 - (great door opened at Ephesus) * 2Corinthians 2:12-13 - (Door opened at Troas) * Revelation 3:8 -(Door opened at Philadelphia church) * 2Timothy 2:19-21 - (God prepared His workers) The principle of preparation applies to both individuals and congregations. Individuals must prepare themselves to be able to teach, or to lead souls to those ready to teach. But congregations must also be ready to assimilate new converts into the family of God where they can be nurtured and protected during a vital stage of their new found life. (I fear that many congregations do not find "open doors" to reach others because they have not prepared themselves to be a place where "babes in Christ" will be cared for properly.) II- PRAYER IS THE "CATALYST" IN EVANGELISM! Acts 10:1-6, 9 - (God answered Cornelius' prayers) Colossians 4:2-4 - (Paul asked believers to pray for God to open door for his message) Now for some "perspectives" that are especially crucial to maintaining a high level of enthusiasm and persistence in evangelism. From "THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER" and elsewhere in the Scriptures we can learn some more things that can help: a- Remove the discouragement and prevent the apathy that paralyzes so many today b- Instill enthusiasm in serving as laborers in the vineyard of the Lord! The parable itself is found in Lk 8:4-8, and the explanation is found in Lk 8:11-15 (please read). The first principle we can glean from this parable is that... III- THE POWER IS IN THE SEED (God's Word)! The "Word of God" has always been capable of influencing people, accomplishing its intended purpose: Isaiah 55:10-11 - (.. My Word .. will accomplish ....) Hebrew 4:12 - ( the word of God is living & active ..) Roman 1:16 - (Gospel is the power of God for salvation) If people are going to be truly converted, it will not be through smooth speech or fancy presentations involving "hi-tech" equipment, but through the life-changing truth of the gospel. We can certainly use modern aids to present the gospel, but we must make sure that they are faithfully communicating the Word. IV- THE RESULTS DEPEND UPON THE TYPE OF SOIL! In the Parable of The Sower, we see that the same seed, when sown, produced different results. One result was no reaction whatsoever. Two others had only temporary success. Only one out of the four resulted in bearing fruit! Where lies the blame? * Upon the SEED? the SOWER? No! But mostly the TYPE OF SOIL? This illustrates where the area of responsibility lies. The SOWER fulfills his responsibility by sowing the seed (Ezekiel 3:17-19). If the SOIL rejects the seed, the soil is responsible; the sower should not feel accountable if they sowed with Love and Prayers. (Mt 10:14-15; Ac 13:44-46). The positive implication is this: Every time we sow the seed with Love and Prayers, we are successful! If a person rejects it, we have not failed, they have! Closely related to all this is the perspective concerning... V- THE PLACE OF THE SOWER As illustrated in the parable and elsewhere, we are simply "SEED-THROWERS" and "WATER-BOYS" (1Co 3:5-7). One may plant the seed, another may water, but it is GOD (through His Word in a receptive heart) Who gives the increase! Because of this, there is no place for boasting about numbers of people being converted. But there is another significance to this. God can even use "DEFECTIVE" seed-throwers (Ph 1:15-18). Not only defective in MOTIVE (as seen in the text), but also in EXPERIENCE! This is because the POWER is in the SEED, not the SOWER! Therefore we should not feel like we have to be an accomplished salesman to present the Gospel. Even those who tremble and may not be eloquent can be used by the Lord to reach others (1Co 2:1-5). And then there is... VI- THE PRINCIPLE OF SOWING AND REAPING In 2 Co 9:6 we find this principle stated, and it easily seen in many different areas of life: a- In SALES, the ratio of success is often one sale out of nine calls. b- In ACTING, the ratio can be as high as one job out of thirty auditions, even for successful actors. c- In THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER, only one out of four produced favorable results. Successful people in different walks of life understand that the key to success is to increase the number of their efforts. The conclusion for us is obvious: If we desire to REAP more, we must be willing to SOW more! Many people fail in the area of evangelism because they "sow sparingly" and get discouraged by the meager results. If we increase the level of SOWING, the level of REAPING will rise proportionately. But again, to avoid discouragement, we need to set goals on how many are being TAUGHT, not on how many are CONVERTED! Finally, one last perspective for success in evangelism... VII- QUITE OFTEN, ONE SOWS AND ANOTHER REAPS! (John 4:37) Winning souls involves both "sowing" and "reaping." Jesus used these terms in talking to His disciples as recorded in John 4:35-38 : " .... I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. ..... so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying` One sows and another reaps' is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor." What is important to appreciate is the statement quoted by Jesus in Jn 4:37, "One sows and another reaps." Those who sow do not always witness the reaping that may one day occur. And many times those who reap are benefiting from the efforts of those who did the sowing before them. In evangelism, this means that oftentimes you will be sowing the seed and it may appear that you are not getting any results. But some time later those souls you were trying to reach may decide to finally obey the gospel and another Christian may actually do the reaping in your place! Then again, there will be times when people just sort of "fall into your lap," ready and anxious to obey the gospel with little effort on your part. In this case, you are reaping what others have sown! The point to keep in mind is that evangelism involves both "sowing" and "reaping," and there will be times when what you sow will be reaped by someone else. Let this be an encouragement to you when it appears that you are not reaping as you would hope. You might actually be making it much easier for some brother or sister in the future! VIII- CONCLUSION An important element of success in personal work is perseverance. Those who persist in sowing the seed eventually bear fruit. The problem with many people is wrong perspectives and negative attitudes. That translates into failure, no matter what the task is at hand. I hope that the perspectives shared above can help us maintain the positive attitude necessary to persevere until Harvest Time is no more! -- Matthew 5:6 |