Sunday, January 24, 2016
pm
EVANGELISM 2016
Obstacles to winning souls – Without (1)
Last year, we addressed the importance of reaching the lost our fourth
Sunday evenings of the month (most months).
We want to continue that this year not only by talking about how
to reach the lost, but addressing some topics that we are likely to
encounter as we study with them.
In
November 2015 we presented a lesson dealing with obstacles to winning
souls – within. By within,
we meant misconceptions (such as a failure to trust God and the gospel,
as well as thinking that no one is interested), faulty attitudes
(including – a lack of boldness, lack of zeal, discouragement, etc.)
and faulty motives (prejudice, turning our heads, losing sight of
eternity, selfishness & laziness, as well as misunderstanding about the
church) that keep us from getting to work.
The challenge is for us to examine ourselves and where we find
such obstacles, to work at overcoming them.
In
our lesson tonight, we want to continue looking at some obstacles to
winning souls by noticing obstacles without.
By without, we mean those outside of the body of Christ.
a.
Worldliness has always
been a problem. It was dealt
with in the days of the Bible and every generation, both before and
since then. Worldliness is
having affection for this world and its ways and letting the ways of the
world govern how you live.
1 John 5:19 – the world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
Romans 1:21 – is a good description of why there is worldliness – even
those that knew God did not glorify Him, but were foolish and futile
Romans 8:5-8 – they live according to the flesh and perish.
1 John 2:15-17 – all that is in the world is not of the father but is of
the world.
James 4:4 tells us that
friendship with the world is enmity with God.
b.
Another problem with
worldliness is OUR worldliness – do we let our love of the world stand
in our way of influencing others?
Does it keep us from presenting the whole truth, lest we expose
ourselves? Does worldliness
keep us so distracted that we neglect the weightier matters of truth?
Matthew 13:22 – the thorny ground.
c.
Worldliness is an
obstacle to reaching the lost because following Christ means you have to
be willing to give up this world and the things in the world
- 1 John 2:15-17 – do not love the world.
Consider the rich, young ruler – Matthew 19:21-22.
Far too many, for far too many reasons, are simply unwilling to do that.
And such as always been the case.
John 3:19-21 – men loved darkness rather than light.
d.
We need to be different-
we have to show them that living for Jesus is worth it.
Romans 12:1-2 - We need to be careful that the world does not influence
us.
Colossians 3:1-2 – set your mind on things above!
2 Corinthians 6:14-17 tells us to be separate.
BUT, the answer is NOT to isolate ourselves – there is a
difference between isolationism and being separate, 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
bears this out. AS Jesus
prayed for His apostles, He made the distinction -
(John 17:13-16).
IN Matthew 5:13 Jesus said we are the salt of the earth, “but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it then be seasoned?”
Is this calling for us to be a good and appealing example for the
Lord?
"The best argument for Christianity is Christians; their joy, their
certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against
Christianity is also Christians--when they are somber and joyless, when
they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecrations, when they
are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths."
– Vanauken
a.
WE are living in the
time of technology and gadgets, which is supposed to make our lives
easier. Instead, we are
busier more now than ever before.
Some have their lives so planned out that every hour is
“budgeted”. When something
unexpected comes along there is chaos.
There are also so many choices of what to do.
Cable companies can have hundreds of channels, movie theatres
have dozens of screens, etc.
Children’s activities keep parents running from sun-up to beyond
sun-down.
b.
And that is not just the
world. It might be us as
Christians as well. While
business can be a good thing (since laziness is clearly condemned, and
if you look at Jesus you find One who was very busy as He went about
doing good – Acts 10:38), it is possible to be so busy with stuff, that
what is really important is crowded out.
c.
We are commanded to
redeem the time – use it wisely (Ephesians 5:15-16, Colossians 4:5)
1 Thessalonians 4:11 speaks of leading a quiet life – while this is more
about not drawing undue attention to yourself, it also involves solemn
time.
Matthew 6:6 – we are told to find time to privately go to God in prayer.
d.
Evangelistically, it is
sometimes a challenge to find time to study with others – THEIR time and
OURS!
e.
What can we do?
i.
We need to show priorities. Even if you are
busy, God needs to be first in your calendar.
Matthew 6:33 still applies.
Matthew 22:37 – what is the FIRST commandment?
Our brethren need to be a priority in our lives – we prefer one another.
This is another example of letting our light shine!
ii.
We need to show that the sacrifices we make for the Lord are worthwhile
and that our life is better because of it.
Make it as appealing as possible.
It is already difficult to serve God in an ungodly world as it
is, but our attitude and actions can possibly cause others to pause and
consider.
iii.
We need to work on being flexible so that we can study with others when it
is convenient for them – what would you give up to study with others?
We may need to sacrifice some activities to have more time to do
spiritual things – 2 Cor. 13:5 – we need to examine ourselves.
How often can we do this?
NOTE: This doesn’t mean you can never plan anything recreational, etc.
It is about being so busy, you have no room for weeks on end.
Life is about balance!
iv.
Don’t burn yourself out – don’t overcommit.
This too can be a challenge.
Is it possible to do too much of a good thing?
What if it means neglecting other good things?
Think of Mary and Martha – Luke 10:38-42.
Sometimes we have to say “NO!” and sometimes we have accept that others
say “No!”
a.
Communications today are
so advanced, that in a second, we can carry on a conference with
numerous parties around the world.
I am a part of as many as 3 online Bible studies a week – each
with multiple hosts from all over the United States.
That is the wonder of technology.
Cell phones and social media have allowed us to connect &
reconnect with old friends at virtually no cost.
We can have as many “friends” as we want.
Yet for many, the number
of actual friends they have that they interact with on a regular basis
is minimal. And it can stand
in the way of being able to reach others with the gospel.
Why? Because we don’t
know who our neighbors are and our circle of friends/acquaintances is
very small.
YET, we are also
constantly in contact with so many people it can be overwhelming and
difficult to develop personal relationships with few, if any of them.
I am not opposed to social media and participate in it regularly.
In fact, much good can be done and many of my “friends” on a
regular basis post thoughts that lead me and others closer to Christ.
In fact, whether we like it or not, social media is here to stay
and should be considered as we seek exposure.
But I realize it is NOT a substitute for real interaction with
people, nor is it as effective!
b.
NOTE: Hebrews 10:24-25,
1 Corinthians 14, etc. One of the benefits of assembling with the saints
is personal interaction with others of like precious faith.
That is what edification is about.
But even that can become impersonal, if we don’t take the time to get to
know each other better.
ONE of the best things we can do to reach others is to act like
the family of God we are supposed to be!
Consider what Jesus said in John 13:34-35.
c.
The impersonal nature of
many is a challenge to reaching the lost.
And it might be a contributing factor as to why we cannot win
everyone. BUT that does not
give us an excuse to not try and win ANYONE.
d.
The best way to reach
others is through personal contact!
Every survey I have seen on why people come to a worship service or a
gospel meeting AND those who obey the gospel is overwhelmingly (90+%) at
the invitation of a friend or acquaintance.
In the Bible, every act
of conversion was based upon a personal conversation.
Even occasions that involved miracles and direct intervention
from God (Pentecost, the Eunuch, Paul, Cornelius, the Philippian jailer,
etc.), someone was still sent to verbally tell them what they needed to
do to be saved. 2 Timothy
2:2 reminds us that is by passing down the message that souls are won.
Acts 8:4, when the disciples were spread, they went everywhere preaching
the word.
e.
To overcome the
impersonal barrier, we need to care about and interact with others –
sometimes this includes those that others might avoid – James 2:1-4.
It is no mistake that Jesus often associated with “sinners” –
Luke 15:1-2, Matthew 9:10-11, John 4:6-10, etc.
1 Corinthians 9:19-22 – Paul became all things to all men that he might
save some. That’s what we
need.
a.
This world is broken in
so many ways. There seems to
be a great emphasis on self.
The moral compass seems to have been damaged.
There are problems with broken families, unscriptural marriages,
addictions, etc.
Sometimes, people’s problems stand in their way of turning to God. The
problems themselves can be overwhelming.
At times they lead to attitudes that are difficult to overcome-
bitterness toward God, doubts, despair, etc.
b.
There is no easy answer
when you are faced with such.
As Christians there are things we need to keep in mind:
i.
Continue to be the godly example they need
- there is nothing better than that when you are dealing with those who
are hurting. Perhaps by your
good works, perhaps they will glorify God in this – Matthew 5:16
ii.
You have to love them! Genuine love
cares and has compassion.
Again, consider the example of Jesus who had compassion – Matthew 9:36,
14:14, 15:32, 18:27, 20:34, etc.
Jude 22 tells us to have compassion on some.
iii.
Try to be a friend to them. Be there for
them. BUT, be cautious and
don’t get caught up in sinful conduct if you are dealing with that -
iv.
Be careful in your judgments! As we have
already noted, Jesus was harshly and wrongly judged by egotistical
leaders. He warned us in
Matthew 7:1-5 to be careful in judging others.
While we know this doesn’t mean we never judge, but it does mean
we need to not render harsh or prejudicial judgments.
v.
Pray for them.
They need the prayers of the righteous – James 5:16.
Matthew 5:43-44 – while dealing with enemies, it also would apply
to those struggling.
vi.
Be patient –
problems don’t go away overnight.
1 Corinthians 13:4 – love suffers long.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 calls for us to be patient with all.
Colossians 3:11-12 – put on…longsuffering, bearing with one another….
There are other obstacles that we need to be concerned about.
Next month we will address some more of them.
Our point in addressing obstacles is to be aware that they do
exist. 1) With trying to
reach the lost, you will face resistance and objections.
2) But there is also a proper way to deal with these things which
we have seen and will continue to see.
The
improper way is to do nothing!
May we pray to God to help us do what we can to reach as many as
we can. Think about it.