The Evangelistic Calling of the Church

The announcement we make in evangelism is that the salvation and reign of Christ has broken into history.

Scripture: Acts 8:26-35; 2 Timothy 4:5; Ephesians 4

Sermon Notes:

1. It is the gospel, shared with us and applied by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, that has transformed our lives.
2. Till the end of the age the gospel will have life-trans-forming power and we’re to tell it to the next generation.
3. To set the background for salvation by Christ, we first need to share that there’s a holy God who will judge sin.
4. Evangelism is more than just saying the sinner’s prayer.
5. The announcement we make in evangelism is that the salvation and reign of Christ has broken into history.
6. Jesus’ ministry involved conquering the power of sin, death, and Satan, and establishing His reign of righteousness and blessing.
7. We can be confident that Christ already has the victory, and that God’s Word will not return void (John 16:33).
8. The good news of the reign of God is to be made intelligible to our hearers. Philip explains the gospel.
9. People need to understand the truthfulness of the biblical worldview to see their need to be saved.
10. We are not to defend the faith by merely sharing our experience (important as that is). We are to give a reason (1 Peter 3:15).
11. In declaring the kingdom of God, Jesus spoke individually to the heart of each person’s spiritual condition.
12. The gospel is that we are under the just judgment of God because we are lawbreakers, and we need to be saved by Christ’s redemptive work at the cross.
13. God gave the unchanging truth once for all time, to His holy people, that we might bear light to the world.
14. We have a marvelous opportunity to teach the nations.
15. People are aware of their guilt, but they are unsure how to deal with it. We are called to share God’s solution with them.
16. The Scriptures as a whole are an evangelistic document.
17. The Bible tells us who we are, what the world is, why it is this way, what God has done to redeem all of life.
18. We’re called to reorient all aspects of our lives by the truth.
19. We hear the voice of God throughout the Scriptures, making known His requirements.
20. Jesus never appeals to human expertise or authority; He is the source of truth and His unchanging character is to speak the truth.
21. When we converse and share the gospel, we know that conscience confirms the gospel message.
22. We are to speak, imitating God when we do so (Jn 1:1-2).
23. Pray that we may manifest the gospel of the kingdom.
24. The blood of Christ and the Word of God by the Holy Spirit will do His own work of reconciliation.

Application Questions:

1. What is the work of the evangelist according to Ephesians 4 and 2 Timothy 4:1-5?
2. What can we learn from Philip’s example in Acts 8:26-35?
3. Contrast the full message and implications of the gospel with the truncated easy-believism gospel.
4. What biblical worldview background is necessary to make sense of the good news of Christ’s atonement for sin?
5. How will we use the Christmas season to minister the life-changing power of the gospel to those around us?
6. Why don’t we like to hear that we need to be redeemed?
7. Do we speak and live the gospel in all our activities?
8. What is the purpose of Christ’s coming? John 10:10
9. Give examples of how we can speak in terms which are comprehensible to a biblically illiterate culture?
10. What are the “big questions” that the Bible answers?
11. How is it essential that Christ be Lord of us individually, before we can declare Him to others?