Good Evening/ Talk about how things are going with me now.

In a way I am continuing on with what came after the Easter Story, yet I a reusing something that I have done at Fly Branch.

I would assume that things are the same here as they are at Fly Branch.  Tonight I want to address those of the congregation that are usually here.  If I were in a youth group, the kids that are always there would be referred to as the core group.  I would assume that on Sunday Nights it is usually the core group of adults here as well.

The aspect that I want to look at tonight is the idea of evangelism, or out reach.  The definition that you would find when looking up the word Evangelism is “a good answer.”  An evangelist announces the good news about Jesus.

The story is told of a man leaving his house for church one Sunday, just as his neighbor was loading his golf clubs into the car.  “Henry the neighbor called, come play golf with me today.  Henry answered firmly, I always go to church on the Lord’s day.  After a pause the golfer said, you know Henry I’ve always wandered about your church and I really admire your faithfulness.  But I’ve invited you 7 or 8 times to go play golf with me, and you, you have never once invited me to go to church with you.”

Wow, what an eye opener if you think about it.  How many of us are in the same boat, I mean we have people that we should be inviting to church, but for some reason we don’t do it?  For all of us Henry’s in here, what are we waiting for? 

People aren’t just going to invite themselves to come to church.  That is our job.  Sadly many times we don’t realize that fact.

The Barna Research Group is responsible for many religious related polls.  The Barna Research Group took not too long ago a survey of a group of churches.  The church members were asked what they thought the purpose of the church was.  89% responded that the church was there to meet their own needs.  Only 11% responded that the purpose of the church was to win others to Jesus.  Then the ministers of these churches were asked the same question.  In complete contrast 91% responded that it was to win others to Christ.  And only 9% said that it was to meet members needs.  It is no wonder that the churches are not growing and there are many ministerial changes in churches.  It is sad to look at, but the average tenure of a minister in a church is only two years.  When just Christian churches/ churches of Christ are polled the average tenure is still only 3 years.

Now I want to take time now and read what follows Jesus’ resurrection.  If you will turn with me to Matthew 28:19-20.  Here in these verses we find what we know as the “Great Commission.”  In Matthew 28:19-20 it says, “1”

Now the emphasis of the Great Commission is to go and “Make Disciples.”  That means leaving the 99 and chasing after the 1 lost sheep.  That means going beyond these walls and talking to others about God and trying to get them inside these walls.  That is our purpose. 

We are to reach out and become “Fishers Of Men” not simply Keepers Of The Aquarium.  You can not clean a fish until you catch it.  We need to be out there, and catching people so that we can bring them in here to be cleaned.

Many churches are re-evaluating everything they do, to see if they are accomplishing a biblical purpose in their ministries.  It is said that the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.”  Yet that is what we do, we do nothing to invite people to church over and over again, yet we expect people to show up.

The average church size in the United States is around 91 people.  Fewer than 12% of all Americans regularly attend church.  Some like to blame the church not growing on the fact that Jesus does not move in the same way that He use to.  However, in Hebrews 13:8 we hear that Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  So the only excuse for the church not growing falls on our lack of evangelism.

Without compromising the Bible are we willing to do whatever it takes to reach those outside of the church?  Paul said in I Corinthians 9:22, that he would become all things to all people so that he may reach others. 

The story is told of an ancient ascetic holy man who covered himself in ashes as a sign of humility and regularly sat on a prominent street corner of his city.  When tourists asked permission to take his picture, the mystic would rearrange his ashes to give the best image of destitution and humility.

A great deal of religion today amounts to nothing more that rearranging ashes to impress the world.  The Bible has something to say about this as well.  In Matthew 6:1 we see Jesus talking, here in Matthew 6:1 it says, “2”

If we you inviting people to church and wanting them to come so that you can be a bigger church, then you are doing it for others to see you and to look good, not to grow God’s kingdom.  As we read that will not be honored by God and we will not receive His blessings for us if that is our true motive.

Now how do we do this the right way?  How can we effectively reach out to the unchurched without doing it for our own benefit?  The first thing that we have to do is simply develop relationships with non-Christians.  People always want to grow, but they don’t want to be around non-Christians.  How do you think Jesus got started?  We must build time into our schedule so that we can socialize with non-Christians.  We must have trusting relationships with them in order to be able to share the Gospel with them.  We are to be the Salt of the Earth, but if we want to be salt to the earth, we have to Get Out Of the Shaker in order to do any good.  This is when you can be creative and do what you are good at in order to meet those who are outside of the church. 

It is necessary for us to have relationships with non-Christians in order to do outreach.  Whatever it is that you like to do, pray about how you can do it for God, and then get out there and do it.

The second thing that we have to do is begin talking about spiritual matters.  If we do not make a transition into spiritual matters than what we are doing is useless.  We have all heard the saying, “preach about God everywhere you go, use words if necessary.”  Well, that is a great saying, but I don’t believe it is always accurate.  I feel that it is important that we use word so that they hear the message of God.  I feel this way because I know that it is hard for them to hear it without us using words sometimes.

After all of that it is important that we explain the Gospel.  We have to explain who is in it, who it is to, and how it applies to them today.  We also then need to impress on them the importance of attending church.

Calvin Coolidge was vice president of the United States between 1921-1923, under President Warren Harding. He was not a very active vice president, but he took great pleasure in presiding over the Senate. One day, as he was presiding, one senator angrily told another to go “straight to hell.” The offended Senator openly complained to Coolidge as the presiding officer. Coolidge was leafing through the book of rules as he made his complaint. He looked up from the book and replied: “I’ve looked through the rule book. You don’t have to go.”

That is the good news that we have to share with the world and at times we may need to explain it to them. We have looked it up in God’s book.  No one has to go to hell, for the Bible says in I Timothy 2:4 that he, “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

There are 3 final things that we must understand when it comes to ministry and evangelism.  The first thing is that People Are Eternally Lost Without Christ.  Without Christ in our lives we are going to be lost for eternity.  John 14:6 says this the best.  In the past two weeks I have been stressing this scripture during all of our services.  John 14:6 says, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the father except through me.”  Without Christ we are lost for eternity.

The second thing we must understand is that Lost People Matter To God.  Jesus was called the friend of sinners in Matthew 11:19.  Some of his followers were tax collectors, prostitutes, thieves, and murderers.  He did not love their sin, but he did love them. 

As I read the 15th chapter of Luke I am reminded of God’s incredible love for the lost. This is the chapter of lost things: there is a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son.  In each case God is pictured as searching and longing for what has been lost.  When the sinful and rebellious son comes to his senses and repents and returns home, the father runs to embrace him.  He says to his servants in Luke 15:22-24, “Quick!  Bring the best robe and put it on him.  Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Bring the fattened calf and kill it.  Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 

For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”  And a great celebration followed.  Jesus said in Luke 15:7, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”  Lost people matter to God.

Now the third things that we must understand is that Lost People Should Matter To Us. Some Christians act as though they hate sinners instead of loving them.  They look down on liars, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, drug addicts, and alcoholics as though they were not redeemable.  There is a sense of smug spiritual superiority instead of a concern and a desire to reach out to them.  We fail to see other people through God’s eyes.  We fail to remember where we used to be and what God saved us from.  We forget how patient he was with us until we came around.  We look at the sin rather than the person behind that sin.

If our character is to model the character of God then we have to have the same compassion he has.  We have to love like he loved.  We have to overlook the sin in order to reach the sinner and express our love for them and to show them God’s love for them.  If these people are not important to you then they will remain lost.  They will die without God and without hope.

You don’t have to be a theologian or a biblical scholar.  All you have to be able to do is to tell your story.  You may not be able to quote all the scriptures, but you can tell people how your life has changed and what God has done for you.  Just by doing that you can make an eternal difference is someone’s life.

In closing in would like to read a selection from Our Daily Bread.  Here it says, “3”

Our duty is to reach out to those outside of the church.  We are to be salt of the earth.  And like I said earlier, in order to do that we must first get out of the Shaker.  So the question that is yet to be answered is, Are you Out Of The Shaker or Are You Willing To Get Out Of The Shaker?

Let’s pray.

At this time we offer …