Evangelism Study - Messianic Literary Corner

(ITim. 2:1-4, 2Cor. 1:11, Phil.4: 6)

II. Principle 0f Sharing The Message 0f God's Reconciliation

(2Cor.5:l8, Col. 1:19-20, Rom. 5:10, Is.58: 6-9)

III. Ability To Stand Against The Enemy

(Phil. 1:27, Lk.9:1, Lk. 10:17-20, Lk. 21:15, Rev. 12:10-11)

All of these verses relate:

a. Boldness without agitation

b. Absence of fear of the enemy

IV. Direction And Purpose 0f The Holy Spirit Relating To Our Witness

(Eph. 3:7-12, Mt. 10:1)

V. Power To Share The Word

(Acts 1:8, Luke 21:15)

There is power, freedom and joy when we are fulfilling God's calling for us.

1.   2 Corinthians 10:3 - For though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly warfare, for the, weapons of our warfare are not worldly   but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey the Messiah.

2. Matthew 11:5- the poor have the good news preached to them

3. Luke 21:15 -For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

4.   1 Peter 2:9 -But you are a chosen race, a royal priest-hood, a holy nation, God's own people that you may declare the wonderful deeds of  him  who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

5.   Jeremiah 1:17 -But you, gird up your loins; arise, and say to then everything that I command you, Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay  you before them.

6.   Matthew 28:19 -Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

7.  Luke 19:39-40 - And some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to him,  Teacher, rebuke  your disciples." He answered, "I tell you, if these were  silent, the  very stones would cry out,"

8. Titus 2:15- Declare these things: exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

9.   Isaiah 54:17 -No weapon that is fashioned against you-shall prosper and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.

1. Matthew 10:16 -Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. (explanation-  Jesus wants us to be wise to Satan's deception and intimidation and not to give in to those tricks. Satan wants to spoil your witness, so  know  your enemy.)

2. John :24- Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement. (Explanation-   Jesus is telling us not to judge by what we see or hear, but discern from an understanding of the motives behind people’s actions. God gives us this discernment through His Word and our experiences.)

3. Proverbs 27:17- Iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another (explanation- Through witnessing experience and brethren exhorting you as you go along,  Jesus will give you more insight.)

4.    Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 -Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil, For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow (explanation- It's good to witness in pairs )

5.   1 Thessalonians 2:4-5 -For our appeal does not spring from error or uncleanness, nor is it made with guile, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please men, but to please God who tests our hearts.

6.   1 Peter 3:13 -Now who is there to harm youif you are zealous for what is right? But even if you do suffer for righteousness sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts reverence the Messiah as Lord.

7. Proverbs 3:27- Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.

8. 1 Corinthians 3:7 -So neither he who plants nor he who reaps is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

9. Proverbs 29:25- The fear of man lays a snare (trap), out he who trusts in the Lord is safe.

10.   Proverbs 25:26 -Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a   righteous man who gives way before the wicked. (explanation- When witnessing, a person might want you to agree that some wrong thing that   he is doing isn’t wrong. Don't do it. If you do, he will pat you on the back and walk away satisfied.)

11.  Proverbs 21:22- A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust. (explanation- the unsaved person puts his pride and trust in various false hopes.  His  proud way of life is the city (analogously). The strong- hold is  the  false hope or hopes that the man or woman centers his or her pride in.  The walls of the city are his weak arguments to defend his stronghold.  Don’t be concerned with his arguments. Gently show him his  stronghold  (false hopes) are weak. There is no hope in putting his  trust in  something that must fall.)

12. Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 - If clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth (explanation- Clouds naturally empty themselves on the earth when they are full and then they become full again. Since we are filled with Gods Spirit, we should give of ourselves with all our might, and our minds, and our souls. Surely, God will refill us with everything we need.)

13.   1 Corinthians 9:24- I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air, but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (explanation -If we hide from our sins, then we become hypocrites, and our witness is useless.)

14. 1 Corinthians 16:13 - Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.

15. Proverbs 25:15- With patience a ruler may be persuaded and a soft tongue will break a bone.

16. Proverbs 20:18 - Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war. (explanation - Brethren need to be unified in spirit and purpose to spread the gospel effectively.)

17. Romans 8:15- For you did not receive the spirit slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship.

18. Proverbs 12 :17 -He who speaks the truth gives honest evidence. (Explanation- Always be ready to prove that everything you are saying is true. Therefore, study the scriptures)

19. Proverbs 10:10 -He who winks the eye causes trouble, but he who boldly reproves makes peace. (explanation-  Don’t close your eyes to wrong things, especially when witnessing.   Boldly stand on the truth; he will appreciate it greatly if he accepts  the Messiah because of your honesty and care.)

20.   Jeremiah 29:7 -But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

21.   Colossians 4:6 - Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication on with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God,  And the peace of God, which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Jesus the Messiah.

1. John 7:18 -He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory. (explanation-  When witnessing, the unsaved will want you to accept them as an authority, so they can give themselves glory. They will say, "I respect you for your beliefs, you should respect me for my beliefs," What they are really saying is "I’ll let you be your own authority, if you let me be my on authority! " Jesus is the only true authority, and you can gently but reasonably show them that their presumed authority comes from their pride.)

2. Amos 5:10- They hate him who reproves in the gate and abhor him who speaks the truth. (explanation-  In some cases this is true, the unsaved will be envious of your righteousness through Jesus and hate you, even if you gently expose their hearts true intentions to them.  Express your care for them, and explain why you are exposing their hopeless situation to them.

3. Isaiah 59:15 -Truth is lacking and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. (explanation- That's the way it really is. When you speak the truth, expect adversity.)

4. Proverbs 25:9 -Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

5. Proverbs 29:9- If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only laughs, and there is no quiet.

6.   1 Corinthians 1:20 -Where is the wise man? Where is the debater off this age?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (explanation-  From the high school student, to the nuclear physicist, they all say   the same thing; "I know how to direct my life !" People hate to reason about Jesus and their lives. Very few people are normally open to reasoning about their salvation, until they can understand that they  are  just guessing their way through life.)

7. Psalm 14:1- A fool says in his heart, "There is no God. "

8. Proverbs 21:24 -"Scoffer" is the name of the proud, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride.

9. Proverbs 22:10 -Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and abuse will cease. (explanation-  When witnessing to an unsaved person or a group of persons, Satan will often times have a scoffer join the group to make you and the gospel look foolish. It becomes necessary to show the scoffer to be what he really is, in front of the group you are witnessing to. Their acceptance of the gospel could depend on you standing firm and exposing the fool.  Don’t fear, Jesus has control, and the scoffer would look extremely  foolish in front of his friends, if he hit you for Jesus’  sake.)

10. Philippians 3:2- Look out for the dogs, look out for the evil workers (explanation - When witnessing, avoid the perverts and avoid the people that night want to hurt you. Don’t debate with them.)

11.  Proverbs 18:2 -A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his own opinion.

12. Proverbs 18:1- He who is estranged seeks pretexts to break Out against all sound judgement. (explanation-   estranged means "separated from". Pretexts means “desires". So, when a   person is separated from God because he is unsaved or backslidden, he will not want to reason with you, He will avoid using sound judgment.

13. Proverbs 26:4- Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. (explanation-   In most cases, don't seriously debate with a foolish person, You will mostly waste your time, and end up caught in his foolish nonsense.

14. Proverbs 26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes. (Explanation- In these cases, it would be helpful to correct a person speaking foolishly. He could respond to reasoning.)

15. Proverbs 1:17 For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, (explanation-   A bird will fly away when it sees the trap. When you first start to talk to unsaved people, don’t let them know that you want them to  accept Jesus right there. They would just run away. Don’t let them know they  should pray for salvation until you are sure that they are  convicted in their hearts that they need to accept the Messiah Jesus.)

16.   Isaiah 29:21 Who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a  snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right, (explanation- 0ften, when witnessing,  the unsaved person will try to catch you doing something  wrong. If he finds an argument to show that you or God is in the wrong,  he will  justify himself in his own deceitful heart. After he has made  you look bad in front of his friends or in his own eyes, he will go his merry way.

1. Overcome Satan's temptation to stay silent, and begin a conversation with the person leading to the gospel.

2.   The unsaved person decides to reason with you about the gospel. (It  depends on the individual you are speaking to. Some people will readily reason with you, some will argue before deciding to reason with you, while some, are too proud to ever reason with  you  in that conversation.)

3. Explain the gospel to the unsaved person, so he understands what salvation is all about.

4.   When the unsaved person understands that he or she needs to be born-again, explain to him or her that need to commit themselves to following Jesus and pray to be "Born of the Spirit, " (This is often when there is an inner battle in the person, whether to commit themselves to Jesus or not. When the person understands the seriousness of his or her commitment, they are often greatly tempted by Satan to avoid praying for salvation. The person often makes silly excuses why he shouldn’t pray for salvation. Explain to then the roots of their  fears.  Don’t be too pushy. You could do more harm than good. )

5.   Either lead the unsaved person, by prayer, to Jesus, or break off the witness so he or she will seriously consider salvation. Remember, most of all to be considerate. You can't twist their arm so the will accept the Messiah. Try your best, and pray to Jesus while you’re witnessing.   If the person doesn't get saved right there, you have planted a seed.   Don t ever be discouraged of what happens and always welcome the unbeliever as a friend.

(NOTE:  Sometimes an  unbeliever will cover all these steps in one day,  sometimes these steps will take days, weeks, months, or years to finally  progress to a  commitment to Jesus, We should be ready for anything to  happen though.)

Don't let this study give you the idea that to witness, you have to clobber   someone with the gospel. Those verses cited previously are designed to   give some insight to what could happen. In most cases though, you will find that people are very curious about you and the gospel, when you  are  witnessing. Most people have never had anyone witness to them in  their life. You will draw many questions from many people. Youths especially,  are innately attracted to someone that speaks with authority. They don’t know it, but they can’t help but want to know the  truth about their lives. They haven’t humanly developed a complacency about life vet, This doesn’t mean that older people are hopeless, it just means that you  often have to deal with the complacency before you  can seriously witness to them. Just be confident in Jesus and the Scriptures, and stay on top  of all those questions. Be bold and be gentle, Jesus understood those weaknesses in men and he directed his witness towards many of those weaknesses.  He knew that people don’t really want the truth, but He  drew them by His love, understanding, and  boldness. You won’t always be  able to witness so boldly, as I am explaining to you. With friends,  relatives, and business associates we need to use more wisdom to witness. Since we see them frequently, we don’t want then to be afraid to be around us. Use discretion in your techniques for witnessing. There  are times when verbal witnessing is productive, and there are times when it isn’t. There are so many predictable questions people ask you  when you are witnessing. The more we witness, the more we become aware  of this. Most of all, when a  brother or sister becomes a confident witnesses, they will see the Holy  Spirit use them in tremendous ways.  Their faith will be increased, they will add new lives to the  congregation, and they will be more  aware of "Spiritual Warfare" and how  they can be responsible .

Let's remember Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things in Him who strengthens me."

Your brother in the Lord,

Marshall Beeber