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Sunday, October 25, 2015 pm                                                Evangelism 2015 Index

 

EVANGELISM 2015
Building Courage to teach others

 

This year we have been emphasizing our need to reach the lost.  We have examined motivations associated with it.  Last month we talked about prayer in evangelism.  Tonight we want to address the subject of courage.

As we have noted, the desire to reach others is typically not an issue.  The challenge is in how to find someone to teach and what to say both to get started and as we teach them.  There are fears of the unknown, including rejection and reactions in speaking to others.   But, we must remind ourselves, is such a justifiable excuse to not act?  I think of the one talent servant who answered that he was afraid and went and hid his talent (Matthew 25:25).  That did not excuse him of his accountability. 

Whatever we are capable of doing (and probably that is more than what we think we are capable of), we must find a way to do it.  It takes courage to speak to others about these things.

 I.                    The need for courage

a.        What is courage?

                                                   i.      Random House[1] dictionary defines it as 1. The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. without fear; bravery.  3.  To act in accordance with one’s beliefs, especially in spite of criticism. 

                                                  ii.      As we speak of courage, we speak of boldness, confidence and bravery to speak up or stand up for one’s faith, in the face of real or potential danger (which includes anything from actual harm to simple rejection or ridicule).

                                                iii.      In evangelism, it is saying something to someone about your faith in a less than ideal situation, where you do not have complete or even reasonable control of the outcome.

b.       Why we need courage –

                                                   i.      Because the Bible tells us to be courageous – 1 Cor. 16:13 calls for us to stand fast in the faith, be brave and be strong – all attributes of genuine courage.
Philippians 1:27-28 – standing fast, with one mind, striving for the gospel

                                                  ii.      Because souls are lost – 2 Cor. 5:10-11

                                                iii.      To save ourselves and those who hear us. 

                                                iv.      Because the gospel is worth defending – it is God’s word.

 II.                  Courage in the Bible

a.        Daniel displayed courage as he prayed to God – in courage, he let his light shine and continually served God.  Daniel 6

b.       Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego showed courage against sinful practices – in Daniel 3, they refused to bow to the king’s idol. 

c.        David stood up to Goliath with courage – even when no one else would – 1 Samuel 17.  He did so because of his faith in God – 1 Sam. 17:45-47.

d.       Nathan went to David and exposed him telling him what he needed to hear, even though it was unpleasant and could have yielded consequences  - 2 Samuel 12.  He was not alone in this. 

e.       Stephen challenged the council and high priest with their hypocrisy, to the point of death – Acts 7.

f.         Peter and John stood before the council with boldness that they perceived – Acts 4:13-22

 III.                Building up courage

a.        Seek to please God rather than men – trust Him.  This really is key to courage – how much do we trust Him
Hebrews 11:6, without faith you cannot please God – faith involves trust! 
Galatians 1:10 speaks of seeking to please God rather than men.
Romans 8:31, if God is for us, who can be against us?
ALSO, how much do we trust the word to do its work – Romans 1:16, Heb. 4:12

b.       Don’t take rejection personally – Luke 10:16, 1 Thess. 4:8, 1 Peter 4:14-16

c.        Pray about it - Acts 4:29-31 – after Peter and John were let go and joined their brethren, they prayed.    Ephesians 6:19-20 we pray that utterance be given to boldly speak.
Hebrews 4:16 – come boldly before the throne of grace.

d.       Become familiar with teaching resources - the word of God.   
There is no substitute for Bible study!   The more familiar you become with the word of God, the more confidence and boldness you will have in using it. 
Practice using resources  and answering questions and objections with others.  When you study with someone it is common to have a resource that ties the scriptures together – a workbook, pamphlets, a series of scriptures, etc.  Find something that works for you (another lesson) and become so familiar with it that you have complete confidence in its use
Practice!  LITERALLY – practice – with a brother or sister in Christ until it becomes natural. 

e.       Be a godly example at all times.   Matthew 5:16 – let your light shine so that God will be glorified.  How does this happen?  Eventually, your “light” leads to conversation.
Furthermore, when you know you are doing the right thing it gives you confidence.  BE sure of your faith!

f.         Learn to love people and their souls - realize that everyone will spend eternity somewhere.  If you could have an impact on their destiny what would you do? 
Consider how much God and Jesus loved us  - John 3:16, Rom. 5:8
But also consider 1 John 4:18 – perfect love casts our fear.  While ultimately this text applies to our perfected love for God, but what about if we love others the way we ought to?  Furthermore, if you LOVE God, use that as incentive to cast out your fear of seeking to teach others.

g.        Begin with indirect approaches – leave a tract or invitation with someone or someplace – with your contact information on it.  The courage is in leaving a way for further studies/conversations with you.

h.       Look for opportunities to share your faith - Bring up your faith in conversations.  Pray in public. 
Have a Bible with you – note here we find advantage to an old fashioned Bible as opposed to a tablet, iPhone Bible.

i.         As you develop a friendships and acquaintances,  just ask someone if they would like to study the Bible.  Hand them a tract, appropriate bulletin, card with your name on it, etc.   Give them a copy of a sermon on a subject you think is important to them.  Create opportunities to study – such as a community study – and invite your neighbors.    NOTE: This is the actual step leading to a study – when you do this you are courageously sharing your faith with others.

j.         When possible take someone with you.  Eccl. 4:9-12, two are better than one.  We often use this to describe a godly marriage, but does not also apply to other avenues.
Jesus when He sent out His apostles and later the 70, He sent them in pairs – Mark 6:7, Luke 10:1.   When you have a like-minded friend with you it can build up courage because you are not totally alone.
Also, go with someone else who is teaching.  Most private home study teachers love for someone to go with them, if for no other reason than as an observer.  In fact, could this be an application of 2 Timothy 2:2? 

k.        Get to work! – There is no magic pill or motivation that I can give you that will automatically provoke you to be effective at seeking others.  I wish there was (as with a magic pill for Bible study, morality, prayer, proper attitudes, etc. do not exist).  So the bottom line is you have to face your fear and with courage to step up and do it!  Clearly this is what God wants us to do.

Note: The more you do this, the easier it will become.   Like most things in life, “practice makes perfect.”  At first you will stumble (at each new step of a juncture), but the more you prepare and the more you “practice”, the easier it will become – both to deal with the setbacks and to avoid them. 

 

We need courage in many ways as Christians.  This includes working toward sharing our faith with others.  We still live in a time where we can openly do this.  How long that will last we do not know, but let us work diligently to do as much as we can NOW.  Romans 13:11, “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”   2 Corinthians 6:1–2, “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. ² For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

When it comes to sharing His word with others, how is your courage?