Memory Verse: … “Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. 2 Timothy 4:2 (NLT).
Text: Romans 10:13-15 – 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[a]14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
Spiritual Emphasis: One business that every believer has been called to do is Evangelism – 2 Corinthians 5:17-18. 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.
Evangelism is the act of preaching the gospel, to share the Good News about our Lord Jesus Christ. Put simply, evangelism is to be busy, active, and innovative with preaching of the gospel of Jesus. Different channels must be used to preach and reach the lost with the gospel of salvation. The preaching of the gospel is a serious business assigned to us by the Master. It must be consciously, consistently, and conscientiously done by all believers – Must be planned and deliberate.
Our Business Too
- Jesus was anointed to preach the Word – So are we
Luke 4:18; 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
Luke 4:43; 43 But he replied, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.”
Matthew 28:18-20; Proverb 11:30.
- Every soul is so precious and important to God –
Matthew 18:11-14; And the Son of Man came to save those who are lost. 12 “I
f a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! 14 In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.
Luke 15:7. 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!
- God has a very high premium on every soul –
Matthew 18:3; 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Luke 23:39-43 39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”
40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” 43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
1 Peter 2:9; But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,[a] a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
Acts 8:4; John 3:16-17;Numbers 14:18; 2 Peter 3:9;
- What is your attitude towards soul winning –;Galatians 2:20. 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ.[a] It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.(We must have a selfless attitude)
1 Corinthians 9:16-17 16 Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News! (We must have an urgent need to tell others about the Goodnews).
Luke 15:7; Colossians 1:29;
17 If I were doing this on my own initiative, I would deserve payment. But I have no choice, for God has given me this sacred trust.
- Sowing the seed of the Word is our business too
John 4:34; 34 Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.
Mark 16:15 And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.
Luke 9:60 60 But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead![a] Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” (Jesus is more concerned about the living)Eccles. 10:10; Acts 5:42.
- Sowing the seed of the Word must be strategic –
Find a common ground to connect with your audience – Acts 17:23 “For as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about”.
Acts 26:27-29; 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do—”
28 Agrippa interrupted him. “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?”[a]
29 Paul replied, “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains.
Acts 26:22 “But God has protected me right up to this present time so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen.” (The common denomenator here is the Prophet)
Bring yourself to the level of others in order to win them to Christ, but not compromising your faith – 1 Corinthians 9:19-23; 19 Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. 20 When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. 21 When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law,[a] I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.
22 When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. 23 I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.
2 Timothy 4:2.
- We must be focused and emulate the lifestyle of Jesus – Jesus must be our focus point
We must not lose focus on Jesus – 1 Corinthians 2:2 – 2 For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified.
1 Corinthians 11:1 – 11 1 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
Romans 1:14-15; Galatians 2:20;; 2 Corinthians 3:2-3.
- The Father’s business must flourish in our hand –
Acts 8:5-6; 5 Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah. 6 Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did.
2 Timothy 2:2 “ You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.”
- Daniel 12:3; 2 Timothy 1:5;; Colossians 1:27-28.
Questions/Activities: How can we motivate and encourage one another in doing the Father’s Business? What are some of the strategies we can adopt when doing the Father’s Business to ensure that the business flourishes in our hand?
Conclusion
Evangelism is a serious Kingdom business. Be actively involved. The trademark of this business is Jesus, who is the sole message. Time is of the essence in business, do not delay preaching Jesus to the lost.
Shalom!
Self-Study: 1 Corinthians 9:16; 1 Corinthians 1:17a; Matthew 4:19; Matthew 9:36; Matthew 10:7; Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15; Luke 14:23; Luke 15:10; Luke 19:10; John 4:35-36; John 14:15; Acts 1:8; Acts 5:42; Acts 22:15; James 4:17; Jonah 3:2; Matthew 10:7; Luke 4:18; Acts 10:42; Romans 10:8; 2 Timothy 4:2.
Leave a Reply