Pastor Railton would consider it a privilege to talk with anyone about the church, living the Christian life, how to become a Christian or any problem or discouragement you may be experiencing. Let him know and he will be glad to either come to your home or meet in the office.
Bring a Friend!
I. LIFE NEED / INTRODUCTION
A. There's a story about little Johnny who had great difficulty saying the letter "R". The school enrolled him
in speech therapy to help him master the "R" sound. Well the teacher worked with him a bit, and then gave
him the following sentence to practice on his own: "Robert gave Richard a rap in the rib for roasting the
rabbit so rare." A few days later when he went back to speech therapy, the teacher asked how he'd been doing
with the practice sentence. Little Johnny rattled it off, "Bob gave Dick a poke in the side because he didn't
cook the bunny enough." Little Johnny found the "R" sound difficult so he avoided it altogether. This morning
we'll talk about something most of us find difficult.
B. Evangelism, or outreach is one of the primary functions of the church, yet many of us avoid it because we find it
difficult. The natural tendency is to drift away from evangelism, never toward it. It's normal to turn our eyes
inward to be concerned about us and our needs. And yet this is such an important command from Jesus, to preach
the gospel, to tell the good news. But you see, the sick have to be called on, the bulletin has to be printed, the
lessons prepared, teaching positions filled, the phone answered, problems dealt with, the members kept happy.
If church members are neglected, they feel slighted. If they're not being fed, it's someone's fault. If they're not
satisfied, not entertained or pleased, or if they don't like the way things are done, someone will hear about it. The
squeaky wheel gets the attention. But those whom the church hasn't reached, our neighbors and friends who
haven't heard the gospel, they never rise up to
complain that no one is sharing the gospel with them. Which need is greater?
II. BIBLE STUDY
A. The Great Commission
1. Matt. 28:18-20
2. Mark 16:15,16
3. Luke 24:45-49
4. Acts 1:1-9
a. Jerusalem
b. Judea
c. Samaria
d. The ends of the earth
B. The Apostles Obeyed. Progress reports.
1. Acts 2:1-11, 37-41; Acts 6:7
2. Acts 9:31
3. Acts 12:24
4. Acts 16:4,5
5. Acts 19:20
6. The book of Acts ends with the Apostle Paul
imprisoned in Rome. But he continued to preach.
(Acts 28:23-31) Incidentally, this pretty well sums up the gospel message of the New Testament. - the
kingdom of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the message we have to get out to others! Some will listen and
believe. Some will refuse. We must continue to witness . . .
III. BIBLE APPLICATION
The kingdom of God is taught throughout the Old and New Testament. God's wanted this for mankind since the
beginning. He's planned it. He's promised it. He's working toward it. Jesus is the means for our entrance
into that kingdom. It is only because he died on the cross that anyone will have eternal life. Jesus is in heaven at the
right hand of God, but every NEW TESTAMENT. writer spoke of his return. Jesus is coming back to earth to give immortality
to the saints and to establish the kingdom. This message has been neglected too long. We need to get it out.
A. Let's Apply These Scriptures To us Today!
1. Let's go back to Acts 1:8
a. The apostles were to begin in Jerusalem, then
branch out.
b. We need to begin here. This is our Jerusalem.
South Bend, Mishawaka, Elkhart, Granger, Osceola. The apostles are no longer here.
They're dead and buried. It's up to us!
2. Acts 5:27,28. We need to fill Michiana with Biblical
teaching. So many teach only the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. That's an essential portion of
the gospel, but the rest of the story is just as essential - the kingdom message. Unless we develop a burden
to preach that gospel it'll never happen.
3. Why shouldn't the ministry of TBC be just as far
reaching? Why can't we fill Michiana with Biblical teaching and then move on to Judea, Samaria and
the ends of the earth? Why can't we have an impact on many. Why can't hundreds and even thousands
be in the kingdom because of the ministry of this church. It can happen and you can be a part of it.
We must accept our commission to preach the gospel, to make disciples, to teach, etc. I'm hoping
when members move away they'll take the gospel of the kingdom with them. I'm hoping our young people
will take the gospel with them to college or to follow their careers. I'm hoping some of our people will
enter into full time ministry, taking the gospel of the kingdom near and far. If this is to happen, we must
acknowledge this as part of the primary purpose of the church. More than acknowledge, we must
actively obey. If you're part of the body of Christ, you're commissioned to be involved in evangelism.
B. The Early Church Penetrated Society
1. Earlier we read some progress reports in the book of
Acts. We saw how the word spread, how the church grew. They grew from a small band of dedicated
men to literally thousands in just a few years. How did they do it? They penetrated society!
2. Let's just look at a few examples:
a. Acts 11:19-21
b. Acts 13:1-3
c. Acts 17:17
d. Acts 20:20
e. Acts 28:23
3. You see they penetrated society. They were the salt
of the earth, the light of the world. They acknowledged their mission to go. They obeyed.
They began in Jerusalem and even stayed in
Jerusalem but the word went out because of their
ministry. The church grew by multitudes. We talked a few weeks ago about us being the light of the
world, the salt of the earth. We have a purpose. May we fulfill it!
4. God forbid that we should be so selfish as to be
content to hear the gospel and not share it with others. If you're part of the body of Christ, you're
commissioned to be involved in evangelism.
C. Evangelism Is A Lifestyle
1. Think about Jesus. His life and ministry was a
lifestyle of evangelism. There was not one thing he did that wasn't toward this end. We need such a
commitment!
2. Consider a few verses which speak of our lifestyle
and the witness it can be.
a. I Corinthians. 10:31-11:1
b. Col. 4:2-6
c. I Thessalonians. 4:11,12
d. I Peter 2:12
e. I Peter 3:1,2
f. I Peter 3:15,16
3. Begin to think of everyone as a prospect for the
gospel. If people are convinced by our lifestyle, they'll be receptive to our message.
4. We'll never know how many are turned off to the
church because of the church. Inconsistent lifestyles!
IV. LIFE RESPONSE
Let's Turn To Just One More Passage, Matt. 9.
A. Matt. 9:35,36.
1. Jesus taught and preached the message of the
kingdom. Remember that was the focus of his ministry.
2. He also gave them a taste of the kingdom.
a. He healed the people.
b. He had compassion. That's what drove him. He
loved the people more than himself.
B. That's What Leads To His Challenge, Matt. 9:37,38.
1. The harvest is plentiful. He's talking about the world
of people who need to hear the gospel message. He's talking about people who are going to be lost if they
don't hear the good news. He's talking about our family and friends, if they're not in the Lord. He's
talking about people we work with, people in our neighborhoods.
2. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
Now he's talking about the workers who are going to harvest the people. Who is going to represent the
Lord to the lost? Who is going to witness? Who is going to win these people for the Lord? Who is
going to teach them? Who is going to give them a taste of the kingdom? Who will give their lives, so
others may live?
3. Bring a friend!