Good morning. If you have noticed, over the past several weeks we have been hitting on evangelism and the whole idea of the great commission; taking God’s word to those who need to hear it. We have been challenged through God’s word to accept our callings and to do the will of the Father.
The reason behind these sermons is that at the beginning of the year we said that we wanted to make an effort to witness to others and that we wanted to focus on evangelism for the year to come. Well today, we have a similar topic as we examine Romans 1:1-17. If you want to go ahead and turn there, we will be looking at that in a moment.
This morning we will be looking at an example set forth to us by the Apostle Paul. Paul had a passion to share the gospel with all people; rich and poor, educated and non-educated, Jew and Gentile. In Philemon we see that Paul shared the gospel with a run-a-way slave. In Acts we see Paul sharing the gospel with King Agrippa. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, we can feel the passion that is burning in his heart to share the gospel in Rome. Eventually, his heart’s desire will be fulfilled and he will go to Rome to share the gospel. He will go to Rome as a prisoner and will be martyred there for Christ and the sake of the gospel.
But here in the beginning of the book of Romans, Paul expresses that desire so that everyone knows what he is all about. As we look at this passage today, as Christians, we should make this our theme passage as well.
As a church that desires to witness to others, this passage should mean even more to us. Before we read this text though, let’s open our time with a word of prayer. Let’s Pray!
Romans 1:1-17 says, “1”
Now, I’m convinced that God wants to use us more than we realize, and He wants to accomplish more with us than we know. As we look at the history of the church in this world, there is something about the book of Romans that has often been the spark that gets the fire going. So today, let’s look at the beginning of this great book. I believe that it provides 3 insights for those wanting to change our world. For those of you who are genuinely concerned about evangelism, this message is for you!
First, You Need To Respond To Your Calling.
We can find this idea in the first 7 verses of our text this morning. Here in Romans 1:1-7 it says, “1”
We are all called to be conveyers of the gospel. In these verses, Paul introduced himself and then greeted the church in the city of Rome. In doing so, he used the word “call” 4 different times. We are all called; we are called to call others, to guide them to Jesus. It is as if God is sitting up in Heaven leaning over and saying, “Hey, you! Yes you. I want you to go and talk with that person.” Or “I want you to share your story with this group of people.”
You see, you never know when God may use you to plant a life-changing seed in someone’s heart. That is our calling; to share God’s word with those we come in contact with in our lives.
The question is, are you willing. Last week we talked about Isaiah being called, and before he even knew what the calling was, he said, “Here am I. Send me!” For some of you, your calling is to be involved in ministry of some kind. You help with services, you volunteer whenever and wherever people are needed; you may take responsibility as a leader of this church. For others of you, it may be a calling to set a good example in the places that you work. Plenty of people are called to do just that; to be a light in the work place.
And still for others, it may be actively speaking to those around you about your faith. Sharing with them your story, and helping them to begin writing a story of their own; a new story of a saving faith in God.
Now some of you may say, “But Josh, you don’t know what kind of a life I use to live. No one will want to listen to me and follow in my footsteps toward God.” To that, all I have to say is remember what kind of a person Paul use to be. He was first named Saul, and he was the guy that went around persecuting Christians. Saul would find Christians and he would torture, and beat, and sometimes even kill them because they followed Christ in their lives.
But then, one day, just like you, he came to know God for who He really was. At that time, he changed his name to Paul, and he began to do the will of God. So no matter what you have been through in your life. No matter what sins and lifestyle you came from, God is only concerned about your future. He has a calling for you, and He can still use you. So, whatever it is that God has called you to do, I would encourage you to embrace it and to respond to the calling.
Second, You Need To Pray And Plan For Open Doors.
In Romans 1:8-15 Paul tells us that, “1”
In this second section of Romans, we lean something else. We can’t just wait around for witnessing opportunities to happen by accident. We cannot assume that things are just going to happen on their own. When we assume things, we can encounter problems.
We cannot assume for one moment that people are going to automatically decide to call out to God. Assumptions can be quite dangerous. For example, the photographer for a national magazine was assigned to get photos of a great forest fire. Smoke at the scene hampered him and he asked his home office to hire a plane. Arrangements were made and he was told to go at once to a nearby airport, where the plane would be waiting. When he arrived at the airport, a plane was warming up near the runway. He jumped in with his equipment and yelled, “Let’s go! Let’s go!”
The pilot swung the plane into the wind and they soon were in the air. “Fly over the north side of the fire,” yelled the photographer, “and make 3 or 4 low level passes.” “Why?” asked the pilot. “Because I’m going to take pictures,” cried the photographer. “I’m a photographer and photographers take pictures!” After a pause the pilot said, “You mean you’re not the instructor?”
You see, we need to be intentional about our witnessing, and we need to pray for open doors. As we look at the example set here by Paul, he was very strategic. In brief, we can say that from about A.D. 47-57, Paul evangelized the eastern half of the Roman Empire during 3 great missionary tours. As he finished his last tour in Acts 20, he stopped in Corinth where he rested for 3 months in the home of a Christian friend named Gaius, and there he planned his next move.
Paul had dreamed of evangelizing the western half of the Empire, so he devised a plan to go to Rome and from there on to Spain. So in Corinth he composed the book of Romans and sent it on ahead of him as a way to prepare them for his visit.
But what is neat, is that he was praying for open doors. He was asking God to send him to Rome, to Spain, and to the West. He was pleading for more opportunities to share God’s word with others. So what does all of this mean to us? What can we gain form this desires that Paul had in his life?
Well, if you have never shared Christ with another person, let me suggest this simple prayer: “Lord, open some doors for me. Guide me to someone who needs to hear what I have to say. Give me someone to share Your message with.”
Simply pray for open doors. Make it an earnest, and daily prayer habit to pray for opportunities to share the gospel with others. But I will give you a warning here. Only pray for it if you really want the opportunities. Because I will guarantee you that I you pray to God for open doors, you will be completely surrounded by doorways that God wants you to share in. So pray for the opportunities.
Then begin thinking strategically. Begin planning things out. Say to yourself, “As I send out Christmas cards, is there a way that I can evangelize to my non-Christian family and friends? As birthdays and graduations approach, is there something that I can do or give that will lead them to the story of Christ? What can I do to show the people around me the message of God?”
So, pray for the open doors and the opportunities to share with others. And then plan out what you are going to do in those opportunities. But guess what, it doesn’t end there. Then you need to go out and share the gospel with others.
There was a peculiar fisherman from Minnesota who was very well prepared. I mean this guy really knew how to fish. He had everything that is needed in order to be a good fisherman.
He had the best poles, the biggest nets, the most productive bait, and he even had a really nice boat, but this fisherman had a problem. You see, for all his preparation he never caught anything. Not one fish. Not one, not ever. And you know why he never caught any fish? Well the answers is easy: He never went fishing. He had all the knowledge and all the equipment, but he never got into the boat, he never left the dock.
Today, you have everything that you need to begin sharing with others. All you have to do is do it. That brings us to our 3rd point for this morning.
Finally, Share The Gospel Without Shame.
In Romans 1:14-17 it says, “1”
It would have been easy for Christians in first century Rome to have felt embarrassed about the gospel, because they were such a strange little group. Just a few years later, in fact, Emperor Nero would blame them for burning part of the city of Rome, and they would be viciously persecuted. But Paul in a way said, “It doesn’t matter what others think of me. I have a job to do; I must share the message of Christ with others.”
In actuality, Paul said something that every Christina should be able to say. In verse 16 he says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation for everyone who believes…”
So, are you willing to take on the task of sharing God’s word with those around you? In order to do so, we all need to respond to our calling, plan and pray for the open doors to be able to share, and then share the gospel without embarrassment or shame or fear. Be proud of the Lord. Boast in Him alone. Brag about how good He is. Tell others about Him. You never know what’s going to happen when you share the gospel like that.
As one gospel song says:
“I’ll shout it form the mountaintop, I want my Lord to know.
The Lord of love has come to me. I want to pass it on.”
As we close this morning, that is the challenge. Go out and share the good news with those around you. This week I found an interesting definition of the word Evangelism. If you will notice, in the middle of the word is the word “Angel.” The word angel actually means “messenger.” And the prefix “ev” means “good.” So if you break it down, the word evangelism means: “Good-message-ism.” And an evangelist is someone who shares the good message with someone else. And that can be anyone. That can be you, and you, and you, and you, and every one of you in this room.
God has called you to something this morning. I would encourage you to accept the call, pray and plan for opportunities to share, and then share without shame or fear. Go out and be someone who shares the good message with everyone. Don’t be the fisherman who has all the “stuff”, but never leaves the dock. Be the fisherman who gets the boat wet and brings back a great catch! Be fishers of men! Let’s Pray! |
