Corporate Evangelism and Witnessing – Lesson 7

The story is so common that it appears to have lost some of its impact. Jesus was sharing one of the greatest sermons of all time commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount. As He nears the end of His astounding talk He references those who, because of religious ceremonies, practices and experiences, expect a positive response from Him. Looking down through time Jesus quotes Himself saying, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:23. Mercy.

He then goes on to say, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” Matthew 7:24, 25.

This week, as we discuss Corporate Evangelism and Witnessing, there can be no greater outcome than to insure that we are hearing and doing what Jesus has said; building our churches upon rock. Everything the lesson touched upon is true; communication, planning, teamwork, pulling your share and unity. Yet, the key to unlock the power of the church (and our churches need power) is hinted on in the memory verse. Click to continue…

Sequential Evangelism and Witnessing – Lesson 5

Let’s dig a little deeper today. First, let’s all agree that we should be smart in our outreach efforts and know how to meet people where they are. Before we try to teach about the Mark of the Beast and the 7 Last Plagues we should first build our foundation on the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. That’s just common sense. However, I will be the first to admit that as a teenager, having embraced this message, too many times I was that person with “a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge”. I had to learn the hard way that when Jesus said “if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me”, He was speaking both literally and figuratively.  “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:11 NKJV.  It’s the Son that sets souls free. Agreed?

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way we can explore a little more deeply the process of spiritual growth; not for the new babe in Christ but for those of us who have been on this journey for awhile. Our memory text gives a hint of a problem that Paul was addressing to the church. “I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it” 1 Corinthians 3:2, NKJV. Click to continue…

Spiritual Gifts for Evangelism and Witnessing – Lesson 3

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat”. That was uttered by the character Sheriff Martin Brody in the iconic movie “Jaws”. In search of a killer shark, it was an admission that they had underestimated the size of their target. Similarly, at my first glance at this week’s title I expected that I would share routine thoughts about discovering one’s gift; what you think you may be good at, what others say you’re good at and/ or what you want to be good at. Determine that and join an auxiliary in the church that can use it. Boy was I underestimating the target. I’m gonna need a bigger boat…

The manifestation of spiritual gifts in the church is essential. The proper appreciation of all spiritual gifts in the church (not just preaching and singing) is necessary for unity and growth in the body. However, outside of the organizing of the early church during the days of the apostle Paul, the silence of the biblical record (Genesis to Revelation) of believers trying to determine identifiable spiritual gifts is deafening. Click to continue…

Defining Evangelism and Witnessing – Lesson 1

I was sitting in the second row of the church this past Sabbath. It was Communion Sabbath and our church, as normal, was packed with more than 2000 souls. Our guest speaker for the day would only have twenty minutes. He used ten of those minutes to present two moving musical selections, one before and one after his message. The title he had given his message was “The Paramount Purpose of the Church”. In the ten minutes he spoke, Wintley Phipps injected a dose of sobering reality that left me stunned and amazed.

Using Matthew 23 as his foundation, Pastor Phipps began to outline the contentious relationship Jesus had with the religious rulers and leaders of His day. In a manner that must have shocked His hearers, Matthew 23:15 records Jesus declaring “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.” Pastor Phipps concluded that Jesus was saying to their evangelistic efforts “when you get through with them they look more like you than they look like me”. Click to continue…