Title: The Evangelizing Church (Acts 13:1-12)
Contents
Evangelizing Church (Acts 13:1-12)
Our church's motto this year is "Becoming a growing believer." There are many things to do as a growing believer. One of them is evangelism. The book of Acts gives several lessons about the growth of the church. Chapters 1-7 It is about the evangelization of Jerusalem. Chapters 8-12 are about the evangelization of Judea and Samaria. And from Chapter 13, Paul's missionary journey is recorded, and the process of spreading the Gospel to Rome is recorded. The book of Acts reveals that the church grows and that evangelism is a big part of God's plan. God is waiting for the church to evangelize.
In today's time, we want to share grace by examining what evangelism is in order to do evangelism.
1. Evangelism is propaganda.
When we believe in Jesus Christ and have the assurance of salvation through Jesus, we have joy. Promoting this joy to others is called evangelism. If you watch TV or newspapers, you will see a lot of propaganda. Sometimes it's not very good, but it's great. Then it is right for us to advertise to our parents, brothers and children, and to our neighbors and those around us.
① To advertise, you need to know exactly what your product is.
Can a seller sell without knowing about his goods? Also, we can do good propaganda only when we are convinced that our products are good. If we do not know about Jesus, we cannot evangelize.
②People who do propaganda must be zealous to convey to others. No one puts propaganda advertisements in places where people can't see them. They do propaganda while figuring out where they can be easily seen by others. Likewise, those who evangelize must have a passion for sharing the gospel.
2. Evangelism is teaching.
Jesus came to this earth and taught the gospel to many people. Teaching the truth of God to people whom Jesus did not know is evangelism. Evangelism is teaching to those who do not know, to those who know but do not know what is right. Many people do not know about God. They do not know about the Bible. They do not know about Jesus properly.
Many people say they know about Jesus, but there are many who do not know. Evangelism is to teach Jesus correctly to those who do not know correctly.
3. Evangelism is to be a witness of Jesus.
The last words Jesus said to His disciples as He left this world are Acts 1:8, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." You did.
The words “be my witnesses” here are to evangelize. Witnesses must not lie. They must tell the truth about what they have seen and know. We must be witnesses of Jesus. You have to be the one who makes it clear that you claim to be the Savior. Witnesses must not lie. They may even suffer to be witnesses.
In order to become witnesses of Jesus, we sometimes face pain and suffering. The word “witness” in the Bible has the same meaning as “martyr”. If you read it, you will know how the church evangelized. Also, the book of Acts can be said to be a record of martyrdom.
Jesus is telling us to evangelize. Let's become Jesus propaganda. Let's be Jesus teachers. And let's be witnesses of Jesus. Jesus also sent his disciples to evangelize in pairs. Evangelism is It is a work that God is pleased with, and it is a mission that must be done for those who have been saved. Next Sunday is going to be a Sunday with husband and wife. Let's take this opportunity to lead an unbelieving husband and wife to church. We are going to hold a meeting. Let's take this opportunity to share the gospel with our neighbors. I hope that you will become believers who save the dying by spreading the gospel of God.