EVANGELISM - FIRST THINGS FIRST

There Is Still Hope

By Pastor Delbert Young

Life Gate Ministries

204 North Main Street, LaFayette, GA 30728

Luke 15:1 Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him.

Luke 15:2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

Luke 15:3 Then Jesus told them this parable:

Luke 15:4 "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?

Luke 15:8 "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?

Luke 15:11 Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons.

Luke 15:12 The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them...

Luke 15:20 So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him...

Luke 15:24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

2 Timothy 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

When the terrorist attack happened September 11, and all those people were missing and dying and dead, we all hurt and even cried. As badly as we hurt, we don't have a speck of understanding as to what those people with those missing loved ones were going through. Do you know why? The answer is because they were not our loved ones.

A few days after the attack I went to get a new watch band put on my watch. The woman waiting on me had a northern accent. So, I asked her where she was from. She looked at me and said that she was from Manhattan. I had that tilted head, surprised look. She said, "Our daughter was supposed to be in the Trade Center that day. She worked there. When we heard about the attack and began watching it on TV, we nearly went crazy." The woman waiting on me told of how she tried and tried to get through by telephone. She went on to say she nearly lost her mind. She was crying and hysterical. She couldn't think. She was panicking and became nauseous. For hours she tried to contact someone, anyone to see if they had heard from her daughter. She and her husband were frantically loading the car to go to New York when the phone rang. It was her daughter. She said when she heard her daughter say, "Mom, I'm all right," she broke down in tears of joy. She said she had never experienced anything as terrifying as when she could not find her daughter. She also said that nothing had brought her as much joy as when she heard her daughter's voice saying she was all right.

I was out on the Gulf of Mexico catching fish with Lance and Pastor Buren when the attack happened. How could I go about my day fishing and vacationing when six thousand people were missing? You know why? The answer is because they were not my kids or my wife or my loved ones. Had it been my kids or my wife, I would have gone crazy to get there. I would have spent my last dime and used my last ounce of energy to get to New York and find my kids. I would have done everything possible. As you know, I am extremely passionate about my kids and grand kids.

Then the thought occurred to me. Every lost soul, every person outside the family of God is one of God's lost kids. Can you imagine a God with perfect love searching for his kids? I mean, isn't that what Jesus teaches us about Father God in Luke 15 and other places?

Allow me to refresh our thinking about the pictures that Jesus gives us of Father God concerning the lost and those away from him. Jesus had this value. It was that sinners were important to God. It was more than an event with him. It was a value. He spent much time with lost people and they began coming to his teaching and hanging out with Jesus. That's what Luke 15:1 says. Sinners would come to his services because Jesus spent time with them.

Luke 15:1 Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him.

Luke 15:2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

The religious people thought this was wrong. Religious people live very insulated lives. To help them understand the heart of the Father, Jesus told three parables. The first shows the Father as a shepherd in somewhat of a frantic state as he finds a sheep is missing from his flock. He leaves everything to find that sheep. He keeps searching until he does find it. When he finds the sheep, he doesn't beat the sheep. Instead, he rejoices. He places the sheep on his shoulders and came back in full stride smiling. He contacts all his friends to tell them that sheep had been found. In those days there were no telephones or e-mail. The shepherd was so happy that he physically went around telling everyone about the found sheep.

Jesus followed that story with the story of a woman who had lost a coin. She had nine other coins, but wanted this one also. She looked everyplace and did everything she could until she found it. She turned her house upside down looking for that coin because it was important to her. Life Gate Church's mission statement is . . . reaching people and making them devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Each of us can ask, "Who am I reaching, praying for, doing something to make a devoted follower of Jesus Christ? When the World Trade center crumbled, they turned that rubble upside down looking for those people. They were important. And before they could heal them of the trauma and wounds, they had to find them first. First things first will be about finding the lost and then teaching them all things whatsoever Jesus commanded us. When the woman in Luke 15 found it, she rejoiced and she too contacted all her friends and told them.

Then Jesus told the story of the prodigal son. You know how it goes. A man had two sons and one took his inheritance and wasted it on bad stuff. The Bible says he wasted it on "wild living." Let's put that in some sort of context for today. What would "wild living" mean today? How about excessive alcohol? How about excessive women? Could it mean possibly pornography, maybe even homosexuality, maybe drugs? It could.

My sister-in-law has these two kids that waste their lives on "wild living." We get so frustrated because of what they do to their mom. We say, "Brenda, why don't you just consign them to jail. Stay away from them. Let them go and do their crazy things and leave you alone." She says, "I can't. They are my kids and I love them."

One day the prodigal came to himself and came home to his father. See, there is still hope. The father did not chastise his kid. He ran to meet the boy, hugged him, and kissed him and gave a huge party. His son was dead, but was now alive.

I have been going to the hospital this week to see Dewey Chandler. In the room next to Dewey's ICU room was a woman. One morning I went to see Dewey. Lonie and the family were not there. So after I prayed with Dewey, I was talking to the son of the woman in the room next to Dewey. He told me that he was from New Jersey and could see the World Trade Center from the building where he worked. He said the massiveness of the crumbled buildings is beyond explanation. He said that TV just can't show it sufficiently. Bill Hybles was talking about it also at the conference I went to in Chicago. He had been allowed to go to ground zero and said he walked for blocks and blocks, but never got around the mass of rubble. The chance of someone being alive in that mass was nearly none.

However, a few blocks from ground zero, a fence was erected. Hundreds of people were there walking around for days and days hoping their loved ones would be found. The fence was several hundred feet long and eight feet high. On every inch of that fence were pictures and information about their lost loved ones. The people waited and waited and hoped and hoped. They walked around handing out photo copies and asking if anyone had seen their loved ones and if they would help them find their loved ones. Why wouldn't they give it up? There is no way anyone could be alive under those tons of concrete and iron. Why wouldn't they give up? They couldn't give up. Those were their loved ones. If your love is deep enough then love doesn't give up. There is still hope.

Picture now, if you will, God's big wall with a photo of each of his loved ones who are missing and he is walking up to you today asking, "Have you seen this person? Will you help me find this person?" We are going to answer, "God, there is no hope. Look at the rubble they are under." He is going to be saying back to each of us, "There is still hope." Don't you wonder why God doesn't write off some people and consign them to hell and be done with it? Why doesn't he give up on some people? There is one incidental problem. He loves them. His love won't let him give up on them.

There Is Still Hope. He is still holding out hoping for those he loves to come home. There is still hope. On God's "big fence" are the pictures of some of our loved ones. Surely each of us has someone's photo stuck in our mind that we are hoping for. There Is Still Hope. He's asking each of us, "Have you seen this one? Can you do anything to help this one be found?" My prayer is that through this series, we will be able to remove tons of rubble and find God's loved ones and our loved ones. There is still hope.

I want to tell everyone that this series will be a really big deal in God's plan for our lives. There will be people whose eternity will be changed because of this series. I'm not talking about my ability to teach. I am talking about what it will mean to our lives and to the lives of our loved ones. I have no doubt that this will be a turning point for each of us.

I want to talk about what the Bible says about evangelism for just a minute. I don't know about you, but I have to work at touching the lives of people far from God. If I am not careful, I will become insulated from people that need my light and my salt. I have to purposefully work at touching the lives of unchurched people. If I am not careful, I find myself so involved with this ministry and ministering to the "saved" that I forget about the lost. This is a problem that preachers and all of us have.

2 Timothy 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

We notice several things from 2 Timothy 4:5, but one of those things that I want to mention today is that evangelism is work. Timothy's primary spiritual gift was not evangelism. A person that has a primary gift of evangelism does not need to be told to do it. They can't help but do it. Sadly, most of us must be told and encouraged to do the work of an evangelist. Another thing we see from 2 Timothy 4:5 is that our ministry, personal and corporate, is not fully proven unless it does the work of an evangelist. It's to be a part of the Christian life.

There are several emotions in this room as I say this. One is something like this. "Here we go. He is going to beat us and try to make us go out and get people saved." Nothing could be further from the truth. I want us all to know that each of us has the spiritual gift of evangelism in us. It may not be your primary gift, but it is in there. How do I know that? Because we all have the Spirit of God within us. We all are being conformed to the image of Jesus. We are created in the image of God. It's in there. We have just been terrorized by the terrorist about using it. I want to talk about that more over the next few weeks. Today, I want us to know that evangelism is personal. Each of us has our very own method or methods. I want to quickly show you six evangelism styles. One of these will be your primary, but all of them are in each of us.

1. Intellectual Style

One type of evangelism is the Intellectual Style. We find a lot of people with eagle temperaments with this style of evangelism. They are usually very educated and intelligent. They have studied and proven that Jesus must be the Christ and the way to salvation. They reason and argue their case. Paul was like this in Acts chapter 17.

Acts 17:17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.

Acts 17:18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.You may know someone with this style. It's the person you think about when you want a question answered about the Bible. It's one of my higher styles, but not my primary. This may be your style. You may not be able to ask your waitress in the restaurant if she knows Jesus. However, if you were asked a question about Jesus, you can give the answer. Some people you may know like this are Steve Weave, Kelly Varner, Judy Young, Terry Williamson.

2. Confrontational Style

This is the style most of us think of when we think of an evangelist. This often appear obnoxious and embarrass the rest of us. This is the person that will ask the waitress if she knows Jesus. This was the style Peter used in Acts 2.

Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ . . .

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

He told them they had rejected and crucified God's son and they were in big trouble unless they repented, received Jesus, were baptized, and received his Spirit. It's an in your face style. Maybe that is your style. Some people you may know with this style are Angie Williamson, and Doug Eaker. They wouldn't do that in a restaurant, but don't challenge them.

3. Personal (Interpersonal) Style

A Biblical example would be Levi (Matthew) in Luke chapter five.Luke 5:29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.

Luke 5:30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

These people are not confrontational because they are relational. They have a lot of friends and have parties or suppers with people far from God and include spiritual people to "rub elbows" together.

4. Invitational Style

The Biblical example is the woman at the well in John chapter four.

John 4:28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,

John 4:29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

John 4:30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

This person has no problem inviting people to church. They invite everyone. They may not feel skilled in sharing scriptural things, but it's easy for them to invite them to where they can be taught. Some people we know like this are Carol Whitener and Linda Eaker.

5. Serving Style

A Biblical example would be Dorcas in Acts chapter nine.

Acts 9:36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor.

These people enjoy helping people. They will keep your kids free or bring you food or cut your grass. They love to serve others. Some people we know with this gift are Linda Eaker, Kevin Robinson, Gailynn Robinson.

6. Testimonial Style

A Biblical example would be the blind man in John chapter 9.

John 9:11 He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.

This is my primary style. I use them all, but this is the one that usually gets the job done for me.

I close with an illustration that just happened. We were on vacation this past September and one of my nephews wanted to go fishing with me. This particular nephew has had it rough. He has suffered a divorce. He has had multiple DUI charges. He has a messed-up life. I took him fishing. All day we just enjoyed catching fish. By his own acknowledgment, he caught more fish than ever. Finally, the conversation turned and I had a door. If we watch, we will see the door opened by the Holy Ghost. Brian began to tell me how screwed up his life was. I told him that it didn't need to be that way. I said, "Brian, church and serving the Lord is more than going to heaven when we die. It's having a good life now. If your aunt Judy and I have tried to show you guys anything, it's that we love the Lord, but enjoy our lives to the fullest." It was very difficult for Brian to argue with me about that. Here he was in my brand new 2500 series Dodge Ram pickup pulling a very nice boat that he had loved fishing from all day. Beyond that, we were in Panama City, Florida on vacation in a luxury Condo for a full month. He had observed my life all of his life. He knew I was telling him the truth. He said, "Uncle Delbert, you have done exactly that. You have shown all of us that we can have a good life and be good people. I want what you have and I am going to have it." It was about that time that we pulled into the parking lot. He went to his mother at the pool and told her that being with me was the greatest day of his life and he was going to get himself straightened out.

I have a lot more stories that I will be sharing during the next weeks. My point is that we all have different styles because we are all made differently. My goal is to help you find yours and help you use it.