“Do the work of an evangelist”!

 

2Timothy 4:1-5 “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”

 

Paul tells Timothy that as he goes about the work God had given him to do that several KEY RESPONSIBILITIES stood before him:

 

1-        Preach the Word (God’s word)!

2-        Be instant in season, out of season! (always be ready to testify to God’s grace)

3-        Reprove, rebuke with all longsuffering and doctrine (use God’s word consistently and with it rebuke and reprove)

4-        Watch thou in all things! (don’t let your guard down!)

5-        Endure afflictions! (trials will beset you as you serve God)

6-        DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST!!!                                                                                                              

7-        Make full proof of THY ministry! (are we living out that ministry daily and weekly?)                                                                                                         

 

Many believe that Timothy was an evangelist. I have always felt that Timothy was a teacher! Each of us have TALENTS (PHYSICAL and SPIRITUAL GIFS) with which to Serve our Lord, Jesus Christ! YOU and I have PERSONAL ABILITIES with which you and I are privileged as children of God to serve our Lord! We have been equipped with Physical Abilities, as well as Spiritual Abilities to enable us for that service! REGARDLESS of the MINISTRY that God has given us; we are to follow Paul’s direction in that we are to DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST!

-          We can comfort for all eternity in heaven!

-          We can teach the saints for all eternity in heaven!

-          We can lead in worship for all eternity in heaven!

-          We can exercise ALL of the spiritual gifts for eternity!

-          ONLY IN THIS LIFE CAN WE WIN THE LOST FOR CHRIST!

 

First comes PREPARATION! Each of us are to be PREPARED TO TELL OTHERS OF JESUS CHRIST! Peter wrote in his first Epistle that we are to integrate this into our daily lives: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” 1 Peter 3:15 This requires PLANNING, PREPARATION,THOUGHT, ACTION, and OBEDIENCE! IF WE PREPARE TO GIVE AN ANSWER FOR THE HOPE THAT IS IN US; GOD WILL GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST!  How can you be ready? How can you do the work of an evangelist?

 

FIRST OF ALL: Learn how to share the Gospel!

1.        Be ready to tell others how YOU WERE SAVED! Only you can give your testimony! BE READY TO GIVE YOUR OWN TESTIMONY! Put some effort into it- practice over and over until you are CONFIDENT that you can share the gospel from YOUR  TESTIMONY!

2.        Learn some basic SCRIPTURES that tell the Gospel to the lost!

 

John 3:16 can be used by itself to share the Gospel:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life”!

 

You can use the ROMAN ROAD as the method of sharing the Gospel:

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”

Romans 10:9-10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man beleiveth unto righteousness (justification before God), but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (in the eyes of men)”

Romans 10:13 “For whosoever calleth upon the Name of the Lord, shall  be saved.”

 

You can use the GOSPEL ABC’s to share the Gospel:

A: All have sinned: Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”

B: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ: Acts 16:31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”

C: Confess Jesus Christ among men: Mark 8:38 “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

 

Now let’s talk about some METHODS that provide us an OPPORTUNITY to SHARE JESUS CHRIST WITH OTHERS!

1.        Use Gospel Tracts: Put them in your bills each month, hand them out as you go to the doctor’s offices, carry them with you and leave them with your tips in restaurants, send them with your letters and cards, etc…

2.        Put a business card together with your personal info on one side and put the Roman Road on the other!

3.        Have a stamp made that allows you to “stamp” the outside of your letter envelopes with the Gospel

4.        If you own a business, put tracts in the bags that sales items are placed in. You could send them out in your invoices to customers as well.

5.        Put adds in the Newspaper, Sales magazines, etc…

6.        Go high-tech and put the gospel on your own personal website! Mine is www.GloryLandBooks.SpreadTheWord.com (if you want to buy Christian books, buy from www.Faith-Baptist.com, not my site)

7.        Set up a table at the Flea Markets with Gospel tracts to hand out from Faith Baptist Church

8.        Use Nativities at Christmas time in your yard

9.        One man has spent his life erecting 3 crosses in different areas of the country

10.      If you’re a singer, make some tapes and CD’s to give away with songs on one side and the message of the Gospel on the other.

11.      Read Christian books and then give them to others afterwards with a gospel tract bookmark

12.      Have Home Bible Studies with your neighbors, friends and family members

13.      If you are artistically talented, set up a chalk easel and “paint the gospel” in  a public place

14.      Join Gary Birdsong from Faith Baptist for some “street evangelism”

15.      Go out on Monday night Visitation and distribute the visitor’s bags that have the gospel in them

16.      Do some door-to-door visitation by walking and handing out tracts

17.      Have some money? Put up a Gospel billboard!

18.      “Earn the right” to share Christ with those you spend time with by the way you live around them

19.      What time is it? (Man in New York)

20.      Friendship Evangelism: spend time befriending people and inviting them to church

21.      Send people on the Internet to www.Faith-Baptist.com and the church has a witness there!

 

Remember: Paul admonishes us through his words to Timothy:

-          ALL of us have a PERSONAL MINISTRY!

-          ALL of us have a responsibility in the Gospel to the lost!

-          ALL of us are commanded to DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST!

 

Thought from the Old Testament showing the correct attitude of a soul winner! Psalm 126: “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Our motivation for SOWING THE SEED OF THE GOSPEL must be love for lost souls! We should be moved to tears because of their lost condition! We have to care more for them than our own ease in comfort! We have to put forth planning and effort to have an opportunity to SOW THE SEED of the gospel in an effective way with them! We must remember that we bear PRECIOUS SEED when we carry the Gospel of God’s saving grace to the lost! Paul wrote to the Romans in: Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…” If we go forth with the right MOTIVATION (Weeping in our hearts over the lost) and if  we bear the PRECIOUS SEED OF THE GOSPEL, we will DOUBTLESS COME BACK HOME (to Heaven) with REJOICING OVER SOULS WON FOR CHRIST and BRINGING THOSE WE POINTED TO CHRIST with us! I conclude with the words of an old hymn written by Charles Luther in 1877 that so stirringly speaks to my own heart on this subject:

“Must I go, and empty handed,” Thus my dear Redeemer meet? Not one day of service give Him, Lay no trophy at His feet?

“Must I go, and empty handed?” Must I meet my Savior so? Not one soul with which to greet Him, Must I empty handed go?

Not at death I shrink or falter, For my Savior saves me now; But to meet Him empty handed, Thought of that now clouds my brow.

O the years in sinning wasted, Could I but recall them now, I would give them to my Savior, To His will I’d gladly bow.

O ye saints, arouse, be earnest, Up and work while yet ’tis day; Ere the night of death o’er take thee, Strive for souls while still you may.

“Must I go, and empty handed?” Must I meet my Savior so? Not one soul with which to greet Him, Must I empty handed go?