Life Verse
• Mark 1:17 follow me, and I will make you fishers of men…
Message Transcript
I mentioned I was a terrible fisherman a few weeks ago.
But this past summer I did have a chance to go with a number of pastors on a short retreat to Montana where during a portion of our time there we went Fly Fishing.
It was really pretty interesting and super relaxing.
We had guides who helped us who really knew the river
• They understood
• the ecosystem
• what the temperature needed to be,
• What time of day was best to fish
• And each of them carried a whole tackle box of lures.
And if one type of lure wasn’t working they would switch it up to see if there might be better success using a different method.
I think evangelism is a lot like that and over the past few weeks I have made the case
That every christain should be fishing..
• That it is important to understand the ecosystem we find ourselves in or maybe better stated the culture in which we live in.
• What’s the temperature of the people?
• Where can they be found?
• What lures will best connect with them?
• And maybe its smart to have a number of different lures to try out at different times to see if they bite. 😊
Some of the lures we have discussed:
• Prayer evangelism (which we call intercession and are presented with a very important finish line opportunity this coming Thursday night – please fast/please pray)
Our testimonies
• Digital evangelism
• Our unique gifting’s, callings, even our hobbies.
Today I want to discuss relational evangelism.
Before I do, I want to note that I’m obviously oversimplyfing things with the fishing analogies.
In all that we are discussing God it is always sovereign it is God alone that does the saving.
Yet he allows us Philippians 1:5 says – be a partner in the gospel
We also need to maintain a level of purity to God’s message
While at times I am speaking of methods –
• which have to change with each generation –
• we never should compromise the message of God.
Perfect example in this was using the internet to communicate the gospel –
• that method was not available even a generation ago.
• Yet this week you reached thousands with your testimonies
So the lures we use need to be relevant to the culture we live in yet the message of the gospel itself remains unchanging..
Today I want to introduce a very simple definition of relational evangelism
• and connect it with the concept of a house party that I lovingly pray you will host –
Relational Evangelism: Connecting with people who are far from God with the hope of seeing them come to know Christ.
There is a tendency that we need to combat where by
• the longer we are Christians the more all of our friends are Christians,
• when in fact you see a bit of the opposite in the bible.
• You see a lot of people strategically positioning themselves amongst un believers with the express intent of sharing the gospel.
I will give you 3 examples of this as found in the new testament today.
I think this is a great place to start.
Luke 19:19 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
I need you to think back for a moment to before you got saved..
• You were living your life
• No thoughts of Jesus
• Then someone mentions his name maybe you had heard it 50 times before and there was no urge to respond but for some reason that time you said sure I will take a look and try to learn a bit more about this Jesus you keep talking about.
Zacchaeus – most unlikely of people to get saved.
• Universally hated for his profession but he was a baller..
• Chief Tax collector – had a powerful job.
• He was rich.
• He may have been a party animal.
But in this day in verse 3 it said he was seeking to see who Jesus was.
Hmm.. very interesting –
Have you ever seen a dead thing come back to life- doesn’t happen.
We are all spiritually dead – to have a desire to seek and see who Jesus is is actually a gift from God.
He didn’t know it at that point but the holy spirit was already working in his heart
Softening him and preparing him for this moment where everything would change.
So he climbs up the tree- checking out the scenery.
Same thing happened to many of us.
• Might not been up in a tree – for me I was in a church at a highschool checking things out
• Just there to observer no intention to stay
• And then like Zacchaeus Jesus gripped my heart.
“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.
7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
If the people in church who were there that day knew my back ground maybe some of them would have felt the same way – Fortunuately I did not show up at a legalistic church, but at a church like ours today who absolutely lovees the lost. Yes I was a sinner, but they embraced me and actually welcomed us into their homes.
8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
This is what happens when people really get saved –
Repentance – turn from – run from – totally go in a different direction
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
His new found faith is rewarded as salvation comes to his house.
V 10 so critical
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
First off I pray that God give us this same kind of a spirit in relentlessly perusing people who are far from God;
2nd As much as you or I want to see those we love come to know Jesus – He wants it even more –
In fact god is the initiator – it was God who sought out Zachaeus and planted the seeking in his heart to persue him.
In fact that is the gift of salvation that he gave to all of us. He made our cold dead hearts come alive.
This was not the only time.
Mark 2:13 He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
Here we go again – follow me..
While there is some debate the word Levi is Matthew most likely the matthew of scripture.
Another Sinner saved
15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of[a] the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat[b] with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus goes to his house – think crazy house party – maybe not once Jesus showed up.
But Levi obviously had a lot of unsavory friends and Jesus the king of the universe goes there to hand out and eat with them
What blasphemy and what beauty,.
Why would he do such a thing.
17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Yes it is great and good to hang around our Christian friends, but it is so important to continue with wisdom to have many people in our lives who don’t know Jesus with the express hope that the Jesus in you would rub off on them.
Just use caution as well. Don’t be foolish as at times it is a lot easier to pull someone down than lift them up.
You have to do this in context, with wisdom, and safety not allowing yourself to fall back into old patterns of behavior but rather ensure that you are being a light in the midst of darkness.
I don;’t have to much time to go into that today but hopefully you get the point, if you are a newly recovering alcoholic or addict don’t go by yourself without someone else in recovery back to a bar for instance – your just asking for trouble.
Quick pit stop here:
House Party – Small groups please consider doing one and intentionally invite other people who are far from God to come hang out- just eat, talk, have a good time. Connect relationally creating avenues to share the gospel.
Not like Levi? Not a party animal – invite another indivual or couple out to coffee or a dinner, start to build relationships where you have an opportunity to share your story.
Be a friend of sinners..
Final example
The Parable of the Great Banquet
Av team I am actually going to start at v 16.
Luke 14: 16But he said to him, "A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' 18But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.' 19And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.' 20And another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' 21So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.' 22And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' 23And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.'"
Other scriptures where it says if you share the gospel and the people don’t receive shake the dirt off your feet and walk on as there are people in your life whom God is preparing like Zachaeus and like Levi who are ready to receive the gospel with great joy.
Don’t feel defeated if you invite people and they don’t come
Go out into the streets
I want you to see Jesus heart – he has a big table a big big table waiting to be filled.
He wants us to do the inviting.
There is always room for one more..
Lord let us reach out to the one more.. Would you do that this week..