The Gospel and Personal Evangelism chapter 1 part two

The Gospel and Personal Evangelism                         chapter one part 2                               10/21/12

1.      Philippians 3: 8-9

Paul says he gives up everything for Christ sake. Everything is counted as loss. The Apostle Paul gave up everything including his reputation, history, family heritage, status, job, everything to know Christ and all for His glory. John Piper offers four practical ways he lives this out.

1.      To live this out practically means that whenever I am called upon to choose between anything in this world and Christ, I choose Christ.

2.      To live this out practically it means I will deal with things of this world in ways that draw me nearer to Christ so that I gain more of Christ and enjoy more of Him by the way I see the world.

3.      To live this out practically means that I will always deal with the things of this world in ways that show that they are not my treasure, but rather Christ is my treasure.

4.      To live this out practically means that if I lose any or all the things this world can offer, I will not lose my joy or my treasure or my life, because Christ as it all.

How would you practically live this verse out in your life? How do you count everything else as rubbish? What changes do you need to make now?

2.      1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Paul states that before God’s eyes he is free and only accountable to the law of Christ.

1.      What is Pauls motives here in verse 23?

2.      How can Paul become like a Jew?

3.      How can he become like a Gentile?

4.      How can you personally live this out? How can you become all things to all people?

3.      Twelve steps we can take to grow in sharing the Gospel with others:

 1. Pray- Have you ever prayed for opportunities to share the gospel? Pray that God would bring your unbelieving family member or friend to Himself. (John 6:44, 65)

2. plan-"we can plan to make time to build relationships or to put ourselves in positions we know will be able to talk with non-Christians. We plan for so many less important things; why not plan for our evangelism.”

Think through how you can use your time more wisely. An example may be eat lunch with friends or co-workers so you can share the Gospel with them or invite them over for dinner. 

3. Accept – God has sovereignly placed you in people in your lives. You have access to people that a pastor or other Christians will not have.  People see your lives they trust you, and it is your duty to share the Gospel with them.

4. Understand – still share your faith even though it is not your gift.

5. Be faithful – “Maybe we are more concerned about their response than God’s glory.”- Romans 1:18, Romans 15: 8-9, Romans 1:5, 2 Corinthians 4:15

6.  Risk – Are you willing to risk? One of the idols in America is comfort. (Acts 15:26)

Would you be willing to endure any discomfit so that others might hear the Gospel? If so what?     

Would you be willing to live in lesser neighborhood for the purpose of ministry?

Would you be willing to give up free time or even sleep to share the Gospel?

Would you be willing to give up a few weekends to get to know unbelievers?
Would you be willing to be disliked at work, or with family, or even mocked for sharing the Gospel to see someone come to Christ?
Would you be willing to hang around people not like you for the purpose of ministry?

7. Prepare – Have you ever written out your story of how God changed your life? (1 Peter 3:15-16)  Do you understand the basics of the Gospel? Repentance and faith (Acts 20:21, Mark 1:15).

8. Look – Look for opportunities around you and take advantage of opportunities to share the Gospel.

9. Love – “We share the Gospel because we love people. And we don’t share the Gospel because we don’t love people” (2 Corinthians 5:14-21).

10. Fear – Do you fear what others will think of you if you share the Gospel with them. What is more important God’ s glory or the fear of man?

11. Stop – “We should stop excusing ourselves from evangelism on the basis that God is sovereign.” God is Sovereign over a person’s salvation (Ephesians 1: 1-14). Paul even uses the word predestined twice in Ephesians chapter one (Ephesians 1:5 and 11). Other parts of Scripture show God’s election including John 6:65, 44, Acts 4:28, Acts 2:39,and  Romans 9. Even though God is sovereign over our salvation, we still are to accountable to share the Gospel. Biblically  predestination and human responsibility go hand in hand. We are still responsible and accountable to God for our actions, and he is 100% sovereign. Not a tear drop, cell, or molecule is free from his sovereign control.

12. Consider – A motivation to sharing the Gospel is how God, through Jesus, forgave you of your sins and changed your life. That is one of the reason why Paul says in Ephesians 3:1, “For this reason, I, Paul a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles” – because chapter one and two are about God’s amazing love, grace, and mercy in our lives.