Today’s message summary of October 8, 2017 from Pastor Gus Brown:
Church and salvation goes with evangelism, which is reaching out to other people. It is to be understood, then, that one who wants to evangelize must be willing to “go.”
You will only practice what you truly believe. If you don’t believe that there is a world of people who are lost, you won’t go out and speak with them about the gospel.
If we, as a church, are to be taken seriously of our desire to reach people for Jesus, it must begin by being believable first to ourselves, and then to others. Next, we must ask how successful have we been in teaching the Bible to adults in such a way that they believe the Word of God to be true–to the extent that it influences behavior.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.
Matthew 28:19-20
“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, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The Lord told us not to “go” and save people, but to go and teach others. You are taking a journey. In the journey, you will discover what God is doing for you. In the going, the teaching will make disciples of other. The teaching is beneficial for the teacher, as well, in being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Being a disciple is like being an apprentice. All apprentices have to have a master teacher. All learning takes place upon receiving instruction from the one who is leading you.
You have to be willing to “go.” There’s no specific direction that you are being given, but you at least need to go and step out into areas where you have never been before. Either way, you can’t be obedient to God by just “staying put” (John 20:19, 26).
You are, as a servant of Christ, both a priest and a teacher. You are being equipped by the Holy Spirit to learn and be able to serve Him in these ways.
A new believer in Jesus Christ must prepare to serve Him. He is not ready to teach immediately. He has to learn what it is to serve and minister to others. Over time, he can share his experiences with others in giving instruction.
Mark 16:14-17
Later, He appeared to the Eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table. He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who saw Him after He had been resurrected. Then He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Acts 1:3-5
After He had suffered, He also presented Himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during 40 days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While He was together with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “This,” He said, “is what you heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
You can’t do anything in the flesh that will bring glory to the name of Jesus Christ, but when you go in the power of the Holy Spirit and speak the gospel, the name of Christ will be proclaimed, and that is whether the hearers of the Word choose to respond or not.
The “go” indicates a willingness to go.
John 3:17
For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
Luke 5:27-32
After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” So, leaving everything behind, he got up and began to follow Him. Then Levi hosted a grand banquet for Him at his house. Now there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were guests with them. But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to His disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus replied to them, “The healthy don’t need a doctor, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
In His going, Jesus met Matthew.
- He went out and saw a tax collector (see the tense of the word “went” from “go”).
- Matthew saw Jesus as being observant–giving careful attention.
- Levi had a banquet for Jesus and invited his friends (Jesus’ disciples were also there. They were learning by observing Jesus’ behavior).
- The Pharisees saw them as sinners.
- Jesus is not blind or ignorant of their lives. He knew the depravity of their lives (immoral people).
What did Jesus do?
- He loved and welcomed them into His life.
- He offered them a refuge–a safe place.
- Jesus is going after the real person–the one that was hidden behind the tax collector and sinner (the word used by the Pharisees).
- Jesus is going after that person who is fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God (Psalm 139:14).
The people of the church are to look at people in this same way. To see people in the world, beneath their facades and protection, and help them to see Jesus Christ.
How many of you are studying the needs of your community? You want to understand the community’s basic human needs, and how the details of their lives correlate into their lifestyle.
To serve, we must open our eyes to the people around us and know their needs. Think about what is important to them and how might the message of Jesus intersect with their needs.
Our community is a target for service.
The word “target,” according to Webster’s Dictionary, refers to one or a group who are to be changed or influenced by action or an event; therefore, we target our community to manage the perception of a person or group (1 Corinthians 9:20-22). Paul is saying that all people will not see things in the same manner. We, as a church, are the ones who change first, in the power of the Holy Spirit, in order to bring about change.
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