Session 2- Equip

Scripture:  Mark 5:25-27;  Romans 10:9-15

Subject: Personal Evangelism

Central Theme: Equipped for Personal Evangelism

Objective Statement:  We can be equipped for evangelism by growing in your knowledge in three areas.
Keyword:  Areas

Points:

• Know the essentials of Evangelism.
• Know your engagement in evangelism.
• Know some equipment for evangelism.

Introduction:

Connection:

• She had been suffering with a chronic condition for 12 years.
• She had been to every kind of doctor to fix it, and had received nothing from it but bills and dashed hopes. She didn’t get better.  She got worse.
• She really didn’t have much hope to be healed until something happened.
• She heard about Jesus. Then she responded to what she heard.
• We read about her in Mark 5:27.

Mark 5: 27

(27)  When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. (28)  For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

• Tossing aside all cultural prohibitions, she somehow snaked her way through the crowd to touch Jesus.
• Perhaps with a bit of superstition – but with enough genuine faith that Jesus responded to her – she reached out to touch just the bottom of His garment.
• Something happened to her that no physician could do for her.
• She was healed instantly!

Mark 5:29-34

(29)  And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

(30)  And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?

(31)  And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

(32)  And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

(33)  But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

(34)  And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

• She had place her faith for healing in Jesus.
• Her faith was well placed.
• Jesus healed her completely.
• There is someone in that story that you probably missed.
• The reason you may have missed it is because Mark doesn’t tell us their name.
• We do not know if it was one person, or several people.
• But their work shows up right there in verse 27. “When she had heard of Jesus…”
• We do not know if it was intentional, or just circumstantial.
• Did someone tell her about Jesus because they knew about her condition and thought she could help?
• Did she hear about it in the marketplace as she walked by someone having a conversation about some other healing that Jesus did?
• We do not know. All we know is that she heard about it.
• If she did not hear, she could have not believed and placed her trust in Jesus.

Tension:

• You know you and I are not that different from the woman.
• We had a chronic problem ourselves that no other person can deliver us from.
• It’s called sin and death.
• The Bible says that the soul that sins it shall die.
• Sin when it is finished bringeth forth death.
• The wages of sin is death. A death sentence is placed on every one of us because of our sin.
• For many of us here today though something amazing happened.
• We heard about Jesus. He is the only one that can save us from this death sentence.
• We heard about Jesus and what His death, burial, and resurrection on the cross meant for us, and we called on Him to save us. The good news is he did save us!
• Maybe for some of us that was very recent. We have people even here today that have placed their trust in Jesus Christ within the last few weeks.
• Maybe for others it was some time ago. One of the privileges I experience all the time is to hear stories about how people came to trust in Christ.  I have heard so many stories about Pastor Millioni, Pastor Spann, or Pastor Mike having lead people to Christ.  I’ve heard stories since I have been here of Sunday School teachers, mom’s and dad’s, co-workers…all leading people to Christ.
• It’s a good thing, too, because the consequences to not hearing about Jesus are so dire.
• The Bible says that those who do not believe in Christ spend eternity in the lake of fire, separated from God forever.
• The Great Commission, evangelism and disciplemaking, is way too important to be relegated to just a certain profession. It’s not just for the pastor, or even just the deacon, or just the Sunday School teacher.  Every follower of Jesus ought to be a fisher of men.
• But I have noticed that people tend to do what they are taught and trained to do.
• People tend to do the things their equipped to do, and do not do things that they are not equipped to do.
• Last week, Corey’s agenda was to enlist you into the work of evangelism. We want you to lift up your eyes to the fields that are white already to harvest.
• We are in a battle for the souls of men and women, boys and girls.
• Once a person is enlisted into the army what is the next step?
• Boot camp!
• What is boot camp all about? It’s about training soldiers- equipping them for the battle.
• There is a sense in which that is what we are doing every time the church assembles?
• This church is not merely an event to attend. This church is a fellowship of evangelists and disciple makers.  That’s what we ought to be.
• But it will only be that as we are enlisted and equipped to go do that very thing.
• We can be equipped for evangelism by growing in your knowledge in three areas.

Body:

We can be equipped for evangelism by growing in your knowledge in three areas.

1.    Know the Essentials of Evangelism. (Romans 10:9-10)

Salvation comes by belief in Christ. (V.9-10)

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Belief is expressed in calling to God. (V.11-13)

11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.  13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Here are 5 essential steps that must happen for people to be saved.

Step 5- Calling can happen only when they believe. (V.14a)

• 14How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?

Step 4- Belief can only happen when there is hearing. (V.14b)

and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?

Step 3- Hearing can only happen when there is proclaiming. (V.14c)

and how shall they hear without a preacher?

Step 2- Proclaiming can only happen when there is sending. (V.15)

15  And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Step 1- Sending can only happened when someone is equipped to go.

• This is why every Sunday I make a statement of faith.
• I pray for our church all the time that we would not just be a bunch of church-goers.
• I want us to be a church on the go.
• I believe that we must not be dismissed. I believe we must be sent.
• The process of sending isn’t just what happens when the missionary gets on the plane.
• The process of sending isn’t just what happens when the preacher goes to a town and starts a church.
• The process of sending starts when someone gets saved.
• Every person that consistently shares the Gospel is someone that must know, believe, and proclaim it.
• In my ministry, the people I have seen become soul winners themselves are the people who have been invested in and equipped to go- and then sent out during the whole process.

We can be equipped for evangelism by growing in your knowledge in three areas.

1.      Know the Essentials of Evangelism. (Romans 10:9-10)

2.    Know your Engagement in Evangelism.

• Now when a new recruit gets to boot camp, I do not know everything they do.
• But I do know some things they do to train the recruits.
• They do not start out with hand to hand combat.
• They do not start them out with ranger level training.
• What is boot camp called? Basic training.
• They are concerned with how you make your bed.
• They are concerned with your physical fitness.
• They are concerned with understanding the fundamentals of what it means to be the soldier.
• But they do not send you to the front lines on day one.
• Nor do they grant you the title of Major, General, or even Seargant. You start out as a private.
• The good news is that when it comes to following Christ and making disciples it’s very similar.
• People hear us preach about being a soul winner and sharing their faith and it can be kind of intimidating.
• I want to show you why it is, and how we can help you grow.

8 Levels of Evangelistic Engagement

• This is where many believers in many churches are at when it comes to their gospel engagement.
• They aren’t in the fight.
• Maybe if they are in a church that emphasizes the Great Commission they feel guilty about it at missions conference time, or when the Pastor uses that application, but basically they are unengaged.
• For a lot of people they are there because they haven’t been discipled- they haven’t been equipped to do it.
• Now here is the other part of that- I believe it is impossible to be right with God without intentionally trying to get the Gospel to someone. Who is your one?  Who is someone you are praying for, investing in, and desiring to come to know Christ?

2. Soul Conscious.

• This is a level that other believers are at.
• Maybe they have a “one”. That someone that they are praying for- investing in- inviting to the next right thing.
• Do you see your neighbors as lost or saved? Do you see your coworkers as a precious soul for whom Christ died?
• What about that cashier at the grocery store? Your kids teacher.  That dad that sits in the stands at your son’s baseball games?  There is a season where you have access to that guy, but it may not be forever!

3. Testimony
4. Gospel Expression.
5. Inviter
6. Apprentice
7. Soul Winner
8. Multiplier

• Now this week my goal in this last point is to equip you to get up to number 4.
• I’m going to do that first of all by asking you to write out your testimony.

We can be equipped for evangelism by growing in your knowledge in three areas.

1.      Know the Essentials of Evangelism. (Romans 10:9-10)

2.      Know your Engagement in Evangelism.

3.    Know some Equipment for Evangelism.

Explanation:

• Conversations are better than presentations.
• Questions are some of your best equipment for conversations.
• “If what you are believing isn’t true would you want to know?”
• Can I just show you a few verses?
• Select verses from the Bible Tract:

Application:

Transition Sentence:

Conclusion:

Application:

Inspiration: