CO – LABOURERS WITH GOD

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TEXT: 1Cor.3:9, 2 Cor.5:18-20, Luke 13:20-21

INTRODUCTION

In Old Testament times when the temple was built, the sound of a hammer, axe,
or any tool of iron was not heard while it was being constructed (I Kings 6:7).
The silence with which those great natural stones were put into place is a natural example of a great spiritual truth. A “greater than Solomon” is now building a greater spiritual temple. This spiritual temple is made up of “living stones” being laid by the Lord Jesus Christ. This temple also is being erected silently, with each stone perfectly fitted together. It is occurring through the silent but powerful process of “leaven-like evangelism.”

LEAVEN-LIKE EVANGELISM
And again He said, whereunto shall I liken the Kingdom of God?
It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. (Luke 13:20-21)
This passage reveals that God’s work does not proceed with a lot of clamor and publicity.
You might expect the Kingdom to spread by external means like subduing armies and conquering continents. But the spreading of the Kingdom of God is as leaven in a lump of bread dough. The leaven may be small and hidden, but it has unlimited potential. Like leaven, the power of the Kingdom is not external but rather internal.
In another example, Jesus compared the spread of the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed:
. . . Unto what is the Kingdom of God like? And whereunto shall I resemble it?
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden, and it grew and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. (Luke 13:18-19)
In a previous parable, Jesus compared faith to a mustard seed. He said nothing was impossible with even a small amount of faith. Similar to the way leaven spreads, a tiny mustard seed develops into a great tree. This example also illustrates the silent, yet powerfully effective way the Kingdom advances.
This is what the parables of the leaven and the mustard seed illustrate.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God will multiply to spread throughout the whole “lump” of the world because of the internal power of the Kingdom which is like leaven in bread
dough.

THE DEFINITION OF EVANGELISM
Evangelism – Greek–Evangelion.ie

The good news,
to proclaim the good news, and
One refers to the “evangelist” or person doing the proclaiming.

Please note:

Evangelism is not just a series of meetings or church services.
Evangelism is not the same as revival. Revival is the Lord at work in the Church. In revival, the emphasis is on the presence of the Lord restoring life to His people.
Evangelism is the church at work for the Lord.
In evangelism the emphasis is on the new birth experience, the beginning of spiritual life.
The renewal resulting from revival, however, sets in motion the forces of evangelism which result in “new creatures in Christ”
So the two are tightly linked together in terms of spiritual life.

Evangelism is:
. . . “Communicating the Gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit in such
a way that men and women have valid opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as
Savior and Lord and become responsible members of His Church.”

(A) The “Gospel” is the message to be communicated.
To “communicate the Gospel” means that:

It must be shared in a way that leads people to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
You must be in contact with those who are spiritually lost in sin,
Evangelism must take place where the sinners are.
Jesus ministered to the physical needs of people in the feeding of the multitudes, healing,
and deliverance. But these works were done within the context of evangelizing. They were accompanied by the teaching and preaching of the Gospel.
The presentation of the Gospel must be the end goal or they become only social programs.

(B) “Through the power of the Holy Spirit” means that:

The message must be communicated not only verbally, but through the demonstration of power. Hear Paul in-I Cor. 2:4-5.
The anointing of the Holy Spirit must be upon the communication of the Gospel, for it takes the work of the Spirit to win converts- John 6:44

(C) “Accepting” means that:

The hearer responds to the message. Information without invitation is instruction. It is exhortation and not evangelism.
In true evangelism, there must be an opportunity for response.
It is not enough to give someone the testimony of your conversion but you must go the extra mile to get a decision for Christ.
True evangelism means introducing people to Christ in such a way that they will see the necessity of a personal decision.
Evangelism results in the born again experience which is also called “conversion” or “salvation and Jesus becoming Lord of the person’s life.
This implies that the new convert moves on into discipleship becoming a responsible member of the Church.
Note that it is “His Church,” meaning the true Body of Christ, not just a specific denomination or organization.

(D) A “valid opportunity” means that:

The message must be sustained long enough in a way that can be understood by an average person.
This means communication must be adapted to the language, educational, and cultural levels of an individual.
This also means that we cannot conclude that a person or village has been evangelized simply because we preached there one time.
The witness must be sustained long enough that understanding and opportunity for response results.
Individuals, a family, tribe, or nation can be said to have been evangelized when they have come into contact with the Gospel enough to have had opportunity to respond to it by faith.
This also implies a powerful message which provides opportunity for people to see the visible demonstration of the Gospel through healing and deliverance.

THE NEED FOR EVANGELISM

Men are lost and will go to hell without Christ. Rom.3:23, Heb.9:27
God does not want that. He has made a way of escape. Rom.6:23, Rev.20:12,15

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THE PROCESS OF EVANGELISM
Evangelism is a process that includes the presence and proclamation of the Gospel, persuasion, planting, perfection, and participation. Let us examine this process:

PRESENCE:
“Presence” evangelism is that which radiates the qualities of Jesus through demonstrating Christian character and concern. The world will not be reached for Jesus without an authentic Christian presence. Believers must learn to build relationships, identify with and serve unbelievers. You cannot win sinners if you have no contact with them.

PROCLAMATION:
Many believers remain “secret-service” Christians, so to speak. They think their presence among unbelievers is enough to fulfill the Great Commission to evangelize the world.
But the command of Jesus is that we verbally communicate the Gospel through preaching, teaching, and witnessing. We must also demonstrate the power of the Gospel through healing and deliverance. These are ways the Gospel is proclaimed.

PERSUASION:
Proclamation of the Gospel does not end the process of evangelism. The Gospel must be presented in such a way that people are persuaded to become believers in Jesus Christ.

PLANTING:
The new convert who has been persuaded to follow Jesus must then be “planted” in a local church fellowship or a church must be “planted” among a group of new believers.

PERFECTION:
As a result of this planting, converts mature spiritually as disciplining is accomplished
within the context of the local church. (Spiritual maturity is called “perfection” in the
Bible).

Dr. Udoh
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