Matthew  9_35-38      Witnessing About Jesus

Rev. David Holwick   ZR                                              #1067

First Baptist Church

Ledgewood, New Jersey

December 10, 1989

Matthew 9:35-38


WITNESSING FOR JESUS



  I. Evangelism is hard.

      A. Most Christians know they should, but hate to do it.

          1) Rebecca Pippert:    "Evangelism is something you shouldn't

                                    do to a dog, much less a friend."

          2) Dick Innes prays, "Lord, I hate to witness!"


      B. People resist it, especially old styles.

          1) "Ring the Bells" concert.

                People leave throughout invitation.

                  Evangelist:  Ask those next to you to come forward.

                Even more leave.


II. Evangelism is important.

      A. Eternity determined by our decision.

          1) Salvation is not automatic.


      B. Do we really care for those around us?


III. Jesus sets the example.

      A. Methodical.                         Matt 9:35

          1) Village by village.

          2) Not whole world, but your neighbor.


      B. Whole person.                       Matt 9:35

          1) Teaching, preaching, healing.


      C. Compassion for lost people.         Matt 9:36


IV. Jesus orders us to do it.

      A. The harvest is ready.              Matt 9:37

          1) Most of the world unreached.

              a) Modern missionary movement began only 150 years ago.

                  1> Africa, Asia almost untouched till then.

              b) Much more to do.

          2) Local opportunities.

              a) We assume most aren't interested.

                  1> Or they belong to another religion.

              b) Could Jesus change their life?


      B. But workers are few.               Matt 9:37

          1) Everyone a missionary?

              a) Don't feel God has sent me out.

                  1> He has, but you aren't listening.

              b) Not all are missionaries, but all are witnesses.

          2) Therefore Jesus asks those who are witnesses to pray for

                more witnesses.

              a) Only a few will make a huge difference.

          3) Urgency of Jesus' instructions.

              a) Don't take extra coat, or even greet people on road.


      C. Show people way to shepherd (Jesus).

          1) What we don't have to do:

              a) Save them.

              b) Solve their problems.

              c) Answer all their questions.

          2) We must point them to Jesus.

              a) Andrew is best witness in Bible.

                  1> He brought his brother Peter.     John 1:41

                  2> He introduced boy with loaves.    John 6:8

                  3> He brought some Greeks.           John 12:22


  V. Different ways to evangelize:

      A. Bottle evangelism.


      A fellow in Alaska has been throwing the Word of God into the ocean

         for a third of a century.

      Missionary Everett Bachelder has tossed more than 1,000 mayonnaise

         jars and ketchup bottles into the Bering Sea.

      He has crammed them with Scripture messages written in 100 languages.

      Wind and waves have carried the story of God's love to the far

         corners of the earth.

      He has received responses from as far as 10,000 miles away.


      Kids from the various area churches help him fold the messages and

         put them in the jars and bottles.

      A man in Singapore, distraught over a romance gone sour, was about

         to commit suicide by jumping into the waters from a cliff.

      But he saw a bottle wash up against the rocks below.

      Deciding to leap when the bottle broke, he watched it hit the rocks

         again and again without breaking.

      Curious, he climbed down the cliff,

              saw the messages,

              opened the bottle,

              discovered it related to the Word of God,

              sought out a missionary in Singapore,

                and got saved!

                                                                     #315


      B. Airplane evangelism.


         Tony Campolo likes to watch people on the plane with him.

         On one flight he saw a man sits next to good-looking woman.

            He began to make his moves on her.

         Unexpectedly, the beautiful woman pulled a book out of her purse.

         It was her Bible.

            She read him verses on salvation.

         Upon landing at Philadelphia airport, Campolo saw them bowed in

            prayer as the man accepted Christ as his Savior.

                                                                     #786


      C. Best approach for each person is their own way.


VI. Essentials of evangelism.

      A. Know Jesus yourself.


      B. Be able to explain the bare facts of the gospel.

          1) God's love for us.

          2) Our rebellion in sin.

          3) Jesus' death on the cross.


      C. To evangelize you must care about people.

          1) Many people are hurting.

              a) Depressed woman calls me from the phone book this week,

                   looking for encouragement.

              b) Everyone has these opportunities.

                  1> Take advantage of them.

          2) One caring student.


             Bob Laurens is a teacher of the New Testament at the American

                Baptist school, Judson College, in Illinois.

             He often gives message to teenagers in the area.

             After one of these meeting a young girl came up to him to

                speak but he was too distracted to notice.

             She wrote him a letter saying his talk helped her because she

                was a loser and had been contemplating suicide.


             This really shook Bob up.

             In a class soon after, he announced a pop quiz in the last

                five minutes.

             They all moaned.

             He read the letter from the girl, and stopped.

                The bell rang.

             The Christian students waited a while, then shrugged and left.


             One stayed behind.

             With tears in her eyes she asked Laurens for the girl's name

                and address.

             He gave it to her and she wrote several letters.

             The other girl accepted Christ and became a student in Laurens'

                New Testament class at Judson College in 1988.

             Out of a whole class of Christians, only one girl took the

                time.

                                                                     #356


VII. Unlikely conversions:

      A. Witnessing can teach us about God's sovereignty.


      B. Unmarried couple lived in city.   Promiscuous, drug addicts.


         The man went to church, converted.

           She refused to attend, they separated.

         In two years they were married, expecting baby, off drugs.

         Alone she had listened soberly to a TV evangelist preaching

            in a perspiring rage.

         Every sin he named she had committed.

         She prayed to the Christ who receives sinners, convinced that

            he would accept her.  Their lives will never be the same.

                                                                      #78


      C. Rick Foss, atheist in my high school, next met him in lunch line

           at seminary.                                             #1066



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