Boldly Preach The Gospel

Introduction

Good morning. If you will, open your books to the book of Haggai. Open your Bibles to the book of Haggai, please. As we consider this morning why we are worshiping here, I hope we recognize and think that we serve an awesome God. Amen? If we serve that awesome God, that’s going to change our lives. It’s going to change everything about how we think from day to day. It’s going to change how we act from moment to moment. And most importantly, to those touched by the grace of God, to those who recognize our great and almighty God made us special in his sight, made us in his image. We are going to boldly preach the gospel. I think when we think about evangelism, though, we get scared because we think of it as some sort of technical scholastic exercise.

And a lot of us say, well, I’m not qualified for that. I found the words of one preacher interesting. Evangelism is not an expert telling an amateur what the amateur doesn’t know. It’s more like a beggar telling another one where they can find bread. I think if we thought about what the gospel message is, it would change the way we approach this. I think if we’re all honest, from everyone from the front row to the back, we’re going to think and say, I could do better about spreading the good news of God. Yes, in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 16, Jesus says we should let our lights shine so that others may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven. And that is a form of showing people the goodness and graciousness of God.

Jesus even says so. But I want to know why don’t we do better? In a church that at the eleven o’clock hour will have over 200 members here at this local body of Christ. Why don’t we do better? Why don’t we do more? And not why do the elders not do better, not why do I not do better, but why do we as individuals not do more to help others learn about God? I think when you look at the book of Haggai, it’s interesting because these were the Jews who were just coming back from Babylonian exile. Of course, you know, around 536 BC they came back, and Haggai was among the first in that group. And their mission was to rebuild the desecrated and destroyed temple.

And of course, it’s around the time of 520 BC that Haggai is prophesying, and note in verse two, beginning of Haggai chapter one, and think to yourself, is this a people who really cares about the work of God or not? These certainly were a people who understood that they were born into Babylonian captivity because of their father’s sin, their father’s rejection of God and his promises. But what about these people who had come out of the land of Babylon and were returning to the promised land? And verse two, thus says the Lord of hosts, these people say the time is not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord. Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet. Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins?

Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, consider your ways. You have sown much and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough. You drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. Thus says the Lord of hosts, consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house that I may take pleasure in it, and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? Declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.

I think that’s a strong rebuke from Haggai from receiving this message from God to the people. And of course, it’s highlighted in verse 4. The point is the temple of God, his home, you might say, was lying in ruins. Their place of worship that should have been their first priority was laying in ruins while they lived in what? Paneled houses. They were living in luxury, they were building up their lives. In fact, God was even striking them for that, trying to show them, get back to the work. You see that in verse 6. You have sown much, but you harvested little. And it doesn’t matter what they did, they weren’t truly prospering from it because they weren’t with God. They were leaving the work of God to do what made them comfortable, what made them content in this life.

Rather than focusing first and foremost on the mighty God, whom they and we both can serve. I think it’s interesting because when we think about evangelism, we get scared or we build up these excuses. We think, well, I’m not qualified, I don’t know enough people, I can’t do this, I can’t do that. This morning I want to talk about a few things that determine really why we do or do not evangelize. Why do we leave the work of God to lay in ruins or to lay on the side for somebody else to do? When it is very clear from the gospel message that this is good news that shouldn’t be contained within our souls, that we should be bursting forth to tell others about. This morning, consider first, do we care about evangelism?

1. God Expects It From Me

And I’m going to give us three simple reasons that we probably know of why we should care. And then we’ll talk about executing it. We should care because frankly, God expects it from me. If you look in Acts chapter 8, turn there with me. I want to play where are the apostles. Consider in Acts chapter 8. Let’s try to focus on where are the apostles. Certainly it was the apostles to whom specifically was given the great commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel. And of course, when we think about that, sometimes we let ourselves off the hook. But consider in Acts chapter 8, where were the apostles in verse 1? Saul approved of his execution, speaking of that of Stephen. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem.

They were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the Apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church and entering house after house. He dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Isn’t that powerful? And we often focus on verse 3. Of course, Saul is going door to door and he’s persecuting the church. He’s dragging off Christians to jail. He had just approved of the execution by stoning of Stephen, and we say, wow, they stood up to persecution and they went about preaching the word. But I want to focus on something found in verse 1. When that great persecution arose, what does it say about the apostles?

It says, they all, the Christians were scattered except the apostles. And in verse 4, note who it was that went about preaching the word. Those who were scattered. Certainly the apostles had a unique position in the early church, a unique foundation as the close disciples of Christ who were blessed with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. But if you note it was the disciples of the apostles. It was those Christians of the church who went about preaching the word. But also I find it interesting in the book of Philippians, chapter 1, and as we study evangelism, there’s no better model than Paul. But note what Paul’s influence did to those who were around him. In the book of Philippians and chapter 1, as Paul is writing this in its imprisonment, as we will see, note the impact of his love for Christ and his fervor in teaching the lost.

In verse 12, beginning in Philippians chapter 1. I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. So that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Again, we have kind of a similar circumstance. There’s a persecution that’s happening, and because of the influence of the apostles and the message they taught about Christ and Christ crucified, what was happening to those around in verse 14? Most of the brothers is not just all the apostles. It was the Christians. They became confident in the Lord.

2. God Deserves It

We need to understand that God expects us to be teaching the good news because we benefit from that. If we don’t think about every single day how great God is and what he has done for us, are we truly committed to God? And if we don’t think about spreading this great news, just being bursting at the seams to talk about our Lord and Savior and what he did for us, can we really say that we are doing what God wants? Because the truth of the matter is not only does God expect it, the truth is God deserves it. In John 14 and verse 15, Jesus says, If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And that doesn’t just mean, okay, I’ve got to show love for Jesus, so I’m going to do what he says.

It means that because of my love for Christ, because I know what he did for me, I’m going to submit to him. Because he is my king, he is my savior. I wonder sometimes if we think about Jesus and God as some sort of rule keepers in the sky who are looking out, ready to strike us down. Maybe perhaps like the security monitors in a mall or some large location. We think God’s just kind of watching us, waiting for that misstep, and he’s going to reach down and say, Gotcha. That’s not our God at all. We know that we have a gracious, merciful God, yes, who is just, yes, who knows the thoughts and intents of man’s heart and certainly sees our actions. But God deserves not only our praise, but our telling of him to everyone who will listen.

3. Others Need It Too

If we really believe that God is great, that God is truly an awesome God, then we will tell everyone about it because we just can’t contain it. God deserves it, and he certainly expects it. But can we make this point in Romans chapter 10? Certainly God expects it from me, and yes, God deserves it being the Almighty God who is loving and gracious and who sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins, but with this great gospel message, which is the power of God and the salvation to everyone who believes, as Paul writes in the first chapter of the book of Romans, notice that others need it too. In Romans chapter 10, look there with me. We’re going to slow down as we get to some application.

But turn your Bibles with me and see in Romans chapter 10. And verse 14, the question is there, it’s for us and for the Romans. How then will they call on in him whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent as it is written? How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news? Verse 14, that question should be haunting us. How are they to hear without someone preaching? You know, the truth of the matter is, if we really examined it, the excuses for evangelism that we offer or that we think about are really lame.

Really lame. Consider this. If you work in an office setting and you and you happen to work with somebody who’s not a Christian, and if I ask for a show of hands, basically everyone’s hand would go up, except hopefully not Miss Marion’s. When we think about all of the lost who are around us every day, let me ask just one simple question. How are they going to learn about God if I don’t tell them? Who is going to teach them? How are they going to know? Yes, we have an individual responsibility and obligation to seek out God. In Romans chapter 1, Paul tells the Gentiles that they should have known him by his creation. They should have been able to tell his eternal power and divine nature from the things that were made.

But we have a responsibility to teach others about Christ. And if I don’t do that, who is going to reach them? Who is going to reach out to your coworker? Who’s going to reach out to the man down the hall? The truth is, the likelihood is that nobody will if I don’t, because this is my opportunity, my responsibility. You name the word, it’s our job. It’s our it should be our enjoyment. Should it not be something we look forward to? Teaching others about Christ? Perhaps there’s no greater moment in my personal work than when I can study with someone and they say, I want to do what Jesus says, and they are baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. And we all have that joy at that one moment, but we don’t like all the workup that gets us there because it can be awkward, it can be hard.

4. Willing to Talk About God to Anybody Who Will Listen

Again, we kind of think of it as that scholastic exercise. But the truth of the matter is we should be busting at the seams out of our joy, out of our obligation, and out of our love for others. You see, there’s no reason for us not to be making some strides in this field. But I want to think about some tests, because I think when you look at the Bible and you look at Paul’s example, you know Paul was serious about evangelism. And I wonder if we’re anywhere close to Paul’s level of zeal for God, his zeal for teaching Christ. And yes, I know that Paul was an apostle. But certainly we can learn from his example. We should be, like he told the Philippians, imitators of him.

Consider these tests as we consider Paul’s seriousness. Are we willing to talk to God about to talk to God to anybody who will listen? Did you see that in Philippians chapter 1 and verse 12? Who was it that Paul was speaking to? Well, in verse 12, as he was in his imprisonment, in verse 13, the whole imperial guard knew why he was in chains. Can you just imagine being chained up to Paul or having to watch over him constantly? Do you think Paul might have a message or two about Christ in that time that you were watching him day after day, shift after shift? I bet no guard in the whole world’s history has ever known more about Christ than those guards who had to constantly watch over Paul.

And yet sometimes I’m with people who even want to talk about God, who may even bring up how awesome God is, and because I’m afraid of our spiritual differences, I won’t say anything, or I’ll say the least amount possible to get out of it and have no problem. That’s not like Paul. And I think if we truly examine it, we know that that’s not like Christ, and it’s not how God wants us to be. Paul was willing to take any opportunity to anyone who will listen, including and up to during his imprisonment. And we in our freedom of speech in this country, uniquely blessed by God at this time in history, we reject our opportunities because we’re afraid of failing, we’re afraid of the awkwardness, or we’re afraid of what will happen if we speak up about Jesus.

5. Serious About Evangelism, Pray for Open Doors

That cannot be. Consider, secondly, people serious about evangelism pray for open doors. I said these were tests, and if I think about talking to God to anyone who will listen, I realize that there’s a lot more people who will listen than I actually talk to. And I need to do better about that. But for those of you who say, just evangelism isn’t for me. I can’t teach, I can’t preach, I don’t know these things. Let me ask a question. If you are serious about evangelism and not just excuse making, how many people have you prayed by name for, hoping that somebody would come and teach them the gospel? How many times have you written down a list of people you care deeply for, knowing that without God their soul is in the same jeopardy ours is without God?

And praying that an opportunity may be found for you to talk to them or for anyone. Because if we’re not praying for them, if we’re not seeking that opportunity, how can we say that we are serious about evangelism? It may just mean what we fear is that when we say, I’m not able, what we’re really doing is just excusing ourselves from this responsibility and opportunity that God has blessed us with. You saw that in scripture reading. Look in Colossians chapter 4. Again, note Paul’s example here as he’s writing to the Colossians in what we have as our last chapter, we will begin in verse 2. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us that God may open to us a door for the word to declare the mystery of Christ on account of which I am in prison, that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of your time. Let your speech also be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Paul prayed for every level of evangelism and requested those prayers from the Colossians too. Did you see that in verse 2? Yes, being watchful is part of this prayer. But he prayed that God would open to them a door in verse 3 to declare the mystery of Christ. And in verse 4, he not only declared that there would be an open door, but that when he goes through it, that he can speak clearly. Paul trusted that God would be there for him. That Paul’s devotion to God each and every day, and knowing the law, knowing the prophets, and knowing the message of Jesus Christ, with God looking out for him, providing the opportunity that he could do this.

He could make the difference. And in verse 5, he wants us to walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Isn’t that interesting that in this little request of prayers for evangelism that verse 5 has found, make the best use of the time to walk in wisdom toward outsiders. This is our goal. This is what Christians do. If we as a church or as individuals of this local body do not evangelize, we are just failing on a major part of our mission. We are not here just to keep church, just to keep the doors open. As Christians, we should be looking for opportunity, praying for opportunity, and then going through the open door. Paul did all of those things. And I have to be honest.

6. Proactively Search and Take Opportunities

Throughout my life I have not been great about praying for open doors. And the truth is there is no excuse for why I cannot make a list of people who need to know the gospel, who need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ, and pray for them. There is not one single excuse that would take any able-bodied person here out of the running to be able to make that list and pray for an opportunity and wisdom that someone, if not myself, can walk through that door and be with them. If I’m not doing that, can I say that I am serious about evangelism? Consider thirdly, I need to proactively search and take opportunities. I wouldn’t call what Paul did in Philippians chapter one proactively searching.

I would say he’s definitely taking the opportunities given. But what about Acts chapter 26? When you think about Paul, he also had this run in with several different officials, but I wanted to pull this example in Acts chapter 26. Look in verse 24, as Paul is before Agrippa, this famous account. Know what Paul is doing as he’s giving his defense, you might say. Notice how this moves towards a conclusion. In Acts chapter 26 and verse 24. And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, you are out of your mind. Your great learning is driving you out of your mind. But Paul said, I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words.

For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice. For this has not been done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophet? I know that you believe. And Agrippa said to Paul, In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian? And Paul said, whether short or long, I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am, except for these chains. Even in this moment of defense, even as Paul, two chapters before in Acts chapter 24 was before Felix, he was reasoning with Felix about the ways of righteousness. Paul took every opportunity, and it wasn’t just about headhunting for Felix or for Agrippa.

Who was it in verse 29 that he hoped would answer the call to God? Everyone who would hear him. Do you see how that’s a little bit different? When Paul says, I hope anybody who hears me will respond to the call of the gospel, and Mebu says, I hope I can find one person that I’m able to talk about the gospel with. How far have we dropped off from the zeal of the great apostle Paul as it comes to evangelism? Certainly Paul was a man of faults. Paul was a man who had, as we already read in Acts chapter 8, had been persecuting Christians before his pathway to Damascus, where Jesus spoke to him and requested, Why are you persecuting me? Changing Paul’s life and setting him on a course to be a light to the Gentiles in particular, but also to the Jews and to the kings.

Conclusion

I wonder if I have even a tenth of the ounce of zeal that Paul had. But worse yet, I want to consider do I have even a tenth of his care? Do I care about what God has done for me? If I do, I will be bursting at the seams. I want us to consider for a moment, in the book of Haggai, we notice that in chapter 1, there was a great laziness among the people. They were dwelling in paneled houses in verse 4 while the house of God lay in ruins. But as we get to the end of that chapter, they begin their work. They begin to focus on building up the house of the Lord, and we know from history that as it turns out, they do build the temple.

And although the reactions are mixed, they accomplished their goal as they had been turned to it by God. I wonder if God treated us the way he did the people who had returned from Babylonian exile by hurting all of our efforts and hindering all of our worldly pursuits. If he might have our attention about evangelism. The truth is, when we consider what was just happening to the people, and we think about Paul, there’s a big difference in those who let the house of God lay in ruins and those who did not. You think about what it takes to be a true evangelist. It takes a commitment to doing what God has said. It takes an understanding of what God has done for me. Do I really care?

I want to ask you this morning, do you care about what God has done? Because if you do, we can act. We can do a few things, but first we have to be honest with ourselves. Sometimes we don’t actually truly care about what God has done for us. And that’s a pity. And above all, that we should be ashamed. And the truth is we would never admit that, but our actions tell that story. If we don’t teach about Jesus, how can we say we care? If we don’t think about and praise and honor God, how can we say that we love Him? Consider with me as we conclude some tests of how we might be serious about evangelism. The first point is to remember the awesome nature of God.

When you read in Genesis chapter 1 and verse 1, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. We understand that what he has done is miraculous, that God is in control, that there is no other like him. And that’s our God. That’s the God who, when we were sinners, demonstrated his love towards us and sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. That’s amazing. That’s powerful. And when you think about Matthew chapter 18 and the parable of the unforgiving servant, what was the message at the end of that? Our Heavenly Father will not forgive us if we do not forgive others their faults as well. We read that story of Matthew chapter 18, and we are very frustrated with that unforgiving servant.

You remember that servant who in Matthew chapter 18 was forgiven the unpayable debt. And they turned around to his servant who owed him something that could have been paid. And he choked him saying, Pay what you owe. God has forgiven us an unpayable debt. God is the creator of the heavens and the earth. We need to remember that and meditate on that every single day. One, so that we will know him, and we will have the strength, courage, and perseverance to continue on this life. But two, so that we may know how to explain our awesome God to anyone and everyone who will listen. Consider a second point with me of application. First of all, we need to remember who God is. But secondly, we should make a list of people who need to hear the gospel.

It might be family members, it may be co-workers, it may be somebody that you see at a drive-thru just about every week. We need to make a list. Write it down and pray for them. There’s no reason that every single one of us could not be prayed for the work of the Lord to increase. Not just in the world, although that’s an important thought to give to God. Not just in this city, although that’s an important request to make known to God. But that my uncle, my cousin, my co worker, will come to know the goodness of God. But we need to be more like Paul in that request and not just be that somebody miraculously happens to stop on their path, that Bob doesn’t happen to stop by the door of your coworker or your uncle or aunt, but that I may know how to reason with them, that I may know how to talk to my family and my friends, or at a minimum invite them to a study or to a church that can teach them the ways of the Lord.

We can all do that. Consider finally, we need to just take action. We just need to do something. When you see in Colossians chapter 4, I want to conclude with that passage one more time. In Colossians chapter 4, if you note Paul’s request, it was for them to continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful with thanksgiving, as verse 2 says. Paul was actively looking for opportunities. He actively took the opportunities, whether it be Felix or Agrippa or those who were imprisoning him, as is the case as he was writing the book of Philippians. Is my faith anything like that? Do I really care? I think the truth of the matter is we don’t. Because when you look at the reasons to evangelize, we found three. God expects it, God deserves it, and others need it.

You know what’s missing from that list? My name.

How often do we think about sports, television, or movies? First, how often do we sit and meditate on the goodness of God? How much do we really care about others? Famous actor, comedian, and atheist Pin Gillette once said, I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe there is a heaven in hell and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward, how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate someone to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? If I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you and you didn’t believe it, that that truck was bearing down on you, there’s a certain point that I tackle you, and this is more important than that.

And brothers and sisters, that message is from an atheist. He was approached by a man who simply gave him a Bible that contained the that contained the New Testament and the book of Psalms. And he respected that because even an atheist understands that if you are a Christian and you believe everlasting life is possible, and hell is awaiting those who reject God and live a life of sin instead, and we do nothing, that does not show a love for God, it doesn’t show a respect for God’s authority and what he has done for us, and it shows zero love for those whom we withhold that great news from. How can they believe unless somebody goes? How can they repent unless somebody teaches them? How will someone be baptized if they never hear about, understand, or are taught why Jesus came to this life?

Why Paul could say in 1 Corinthians 15 that the matters of first importance were Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. If we believe that because Jesus lives, we also can live, we need to spread that message every day. I need to stop thinking I can do better. I need to start doing better. Consider in your mind right now, this moment, what can I do today? Not what can I do later, not what can I hope I evolve into. How can I spread the good news of God today? There is zero reason that I and this church cannot be selling out the doors, busting through with individuals. Because if the 200 of us, each invited five people a month, a thousand people would be invited. If we even had one out of that a thousand, that’s.

And we did that every month of the year. We’d have 12 visitors. Even if we had.

Do we care about others? It starts with our care about God. No one would say I don’t care about others. No one would say I don’t care about God. But the truth is our actions do speak louder than words. We’ve heard that adage since we were young, but it holds true with life, and it certainly withholds to our relationship with our Heavenly Father and others. Let’s be better. Let’s teach the good news. The gospel is the power of God and the salvation to everyone who believes. So let’s teach it to everyone so that they might believe. Will you go to God and pray with me? Our dear God and most gracious and loving Heavenly Father, we thank you for showing us such love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

We pray that you forgive us of when we have done wrong, when we have trespassed your law. And that as we bear our souls to you in confession that we will turn from that, and you give us the strength and the boldness to be better, to defeat the one who has the power of temptation, to defeat the temptation itself. Thank you so much, O Lord, for allowing us to live in a country where we can freely proclaim your gospel, that we can read the words of life and constantly come to a better understanding of you and grow closer to you in the relationship that you so amazingly offer to us. Forgive me, forgive us of when we don’t take the opportunities we should. We pray that as we go out into the work in this community, that as we make our list, that you will bless us with not only the wisdom of how to approach them, but the wisdom of when, how, and which words of life to offer.

Jesus has done all for us, and we thank you for his great sacrifice. We pray that we continually not only worship you as you see fit, but that like the New Testament church, that we evangelize, that we have a zeal for teaching others about your goodness and your grace. Thank you for loving us. Help us to likewise show love, grace, and mercy to all who ask and all that we come across. We pray all these things in the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen. We’re now dismissed to our Bible classes.