Reaching those on the outside …Evangelism
I am restating the words of a pastor whose sermon I listened to recently. I have long thought in my own life and church experience about how “we” the church should reach more than just the people on the inside. I have been in many different churches, many different denominations for long stents of time and have heard preachers say their church was growing but I rarely ever watched a new person walk through the doors. All that I can conclude is that they must have been talking about the kids that were being raised up in the church that were coming to Christ. Please do not misunderstand I love boring testimonies. Testimonies where people have said that they grew up in church, trusted Christ at an early age, and have been following ever since. I wish that this were the case the for everyone, that everyone had that opportunity, that everyone was born with a family that took them to church from birth. This is one of the greatest blessings we have as a church. We have to be realistic in realizing that not everyone will come to faith in Christ this way. Some people live in a world without access or a desire for the gospel. I don’t mean the lady in the jungle but the person in our own towns who don’t’ have someone that has ever been interested in them enough to share the gospel or take them to a place where the gospel is preached. Many times we write these people off as lost causes, they did this to themselves, they won’t listen, they’ll say no. We are not responsible for their response but only for giving the invitation. How many people may be reading this right now that was once a person who someone thought was a lost cause but a friend, a stranger, a family member kept on pursuing, had faith, kept on praying, and turned a lost cause into a story of amazing grace. Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now I’m found. Truth be told we were all lost causes without the intervention of God moving and working all things together for good.
I will end this lengthy introduction with a quote by Charles Spurgeon: It is a very solemn delusion when ministers think they are prospering, and yet do not hear of conversions. Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 14.378
Let us look at Acts Chapter 16….
Lydia Baptized at Philippi 11 Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. 14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.
Lydia is the lady of whom I was speaking about earlier. She had a desire to know God. She was looking for God but was exactly sure where God was in her life or exactly how to access Him. Lo and behold here comes Paul preaching and just like always God gives her an open heart, a craving to know more about Him, a desire to be redeemed and so she was. This is the kid or person who has been raised right, taken to church, and eventually accepts Christ through God opening their spiritual eyes to their heart. There is nothing wrong with this, I came to Christ this way, but we will never reach those on the outside this way. Can we admit there are some people that are just resistant and defiant to church? It is no secret that we are living in a time where the gospel and the church is becoming less and less popular. We do not give up because of this however, we do not just say “well we will take care of those on the inside, get the ones saved who come every week, the ones who bring their children to church.” We live in a day and age where more and more people have no desire to even know God, the world has grabbed their souls, they are at the very least apathetic to anything dealing with God. So what do we do? God gives us an example about three people in Acts 16. Why would God put this in here… you should always ask yourself when reading the scriptures, why is this in here? What am I supposed to be recognizing. God is showing us three drastically different types of people and how they come to know God. The gospel is for everyone, not just those raised in households who were fortunate enough to have Godly parents.
Paul and Silas Imprisoned 16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” 18 And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. 19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
This person is the person is hostile to the gospel. She has no desire to know God. She is being used by evil men for their own gain. She is completely different than Lydia. Lydia seems to have some sort of decency, calm demeanor. Lydia is a wealthy business woman who makes linen for royalty. Lydia is the complete opposite of the second lady. Does this mean that we don’t approach her with the gospel? That we don’t share truth and grace with her? Can we admit if not for God leading Paul and Silas by this woman that the odds of her ever stepping foot in a church is slim? God does not need us but He wants to use us if we’ll let Him. God wants to bring salvation to people through you and the message of Jesus Christ who paid it all and all to Him we owe. There are people that will never come in the doors of a church. They perceive all the wrong notions about Christians, they are skeptical, they can’t afford the gas to drive to church, they don’t fit in, they don’t have the right clothes. Christian in their minds means you have to clean up their lives first, that you must dress a certain way, obey a bunch of rules that make no sense to them, drive a certain car, look a certain way. They need to have a chance to know that Christianity is about knowing the love and acceptance of a God who gave it all for them not that they need to do better. Knowing that many people will never have a desire to come to church what do we need to do? We go to them. It is remarkably easier to lead the people already in church to Christ but to bring the gospel to people who have nothing in common with you to a knowledge and salvation of Christ, that shows off the power and glory of God. How many times have I been at a gas station and the Lord prompted me to speak to a homeless person or someone who looked totally different than myself. How many times I have quenched that call with thoughts of they won’t listen, they are past hope, they don’t care. If I invite them to church they won’t come. Going into a church service for them would be like you going to a Muslim mosque, you wouldn’t go because you believe there is nothing there for you. These people do not perceive that they need God but someone has to tell them, do they not? Our churches do not need newer and better activities for people like this, they do not need a funnier, more intelligent, more charismatic preacher, they do not need a super friendly greeting team or parking lot attendants. Why do these people not need any of this…because they aren’t going to come to church! What do they need? They need a friend, first in you then in Jesus. They need an invitation to your house to sit and eat and talk. They need you to take interest in them. They need just like the woman in the passage above, to be delivered. They need truth and grace. Truth is without grace is arrogant, judgmental, and fundamentalism. Grace without truth is sentimentality. Let me ask you “Christian” would you ever go to a Muslim mosque for any reason? What if you were spiritually low? What if you were needing out of a jam? What if all the people were really nice? What if the “pastor” was really enlighten? What if he was really funny? What if the building was really nice? Odds are none of these would change your mind about going because you don’t see a need right? Neither do some of the unaffiliated religious people in America. The people that are on the outside like this lady in the passage may be hard to deal with at times, notice Paul gets annoyed at her. You may get annoyed and frustrated at times, but we don’t give up because its hard.
20 And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; 21 and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” 22 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods.23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
The Philippian Jailer Saved 25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.
Paul and Silas have been beaten with rods and locked in the inner most part of the prison and have had their feet put in stocks. They however chose to rejoice. Rejoice you say? How can one rejoice in a situation like this? Our ability to rejoice in all things; even the bad, shows how well we understand the gospel. I’m sure you have heard that anyone can praise God when things are going well, when our kids are listening and doing great in school, when our stocks are up, when our marriage is great, when our job promotion comes through, when our family is in good health. How we react to unfavorable circumstances shows how much we treasure God. During the hard times we can rejoice because God is enough. He is our treasure, He is our portion, He is our hope. If we are miserable see in hard times it just means that our hearts have placed an undue weight upon other things, we have created an idol and when our idol has left us we are angry, we are let down, we are depressed. When God is all you need and He is the source of life for you then you can rejoice no matter life’s problems.
Paul and Silas have their bonds broken, they are there on bogus charges are they not? They have been freed by God, they have the right to just walk out do they not? Why then do they stay? Why do they stop the man who has beaten them and imprisoned them from killing himself? Maybe God has a greater plan in your pain and your suffering than freeing you from that suffering. I know this is not a popular message but what if God was more after showing the world His glory through you than freeing you from your situation. How you respond to your pain shows the unbelieving world the greatness of God.
Why did the Philippian jailer come to ask for salvation?
He saw that even through Paul and Silas’ struggles, beatings, and unjust imprisonment that they were still praising God. That they were still rejoicing! That they had a hope he knew he wouldn’t have if he were in the same situation. Does this not magnify the hope that we have in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? The Philippian jailer says must I do to be saved? How can I get what you have? Our lives should be lived in such a way that people ask how can they get what “we” have. The only problem is “you” can’t do anything to be saved, what needs to be done has already been done by Jesus for you. So what does Paul and Silas do? They tell him how, in a very time saving short to the point one statement kind of way… 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” This has got to be the shortest presentation of the gospel I have ever seen, but it worked. Why did it work? The Holy Spirit was already moving the jailers heart the words used just communicated how he needed to place His faith in Jesus. We convince not with out words or eloquent sermons, God convinces with a revelation to the heart that the words that are being spoken are true. We plant, we water but ultimately God gives the increase.
There is no type…
Surely there were more than just three people who came to Christ than just these three while Paul and Silas were in the area. So why point out these stories? It shows us something about the gospel message. Mainly that the gospel is for everyone, as I stated earlier. There could not have been any more different of a type of people than these three. A wealthy religious woman, a slave demon possessed girl, and a Philippian jailer. Have you ever met someone who has stated to you “ Well you know I’m just not religious, I’m not the Christian type” The problem is, is that Christianity is not a type, we all have a common problem [sin] and a common solution [Jesus] The truth of the matter is we are all on the outside, at least until we come to Jesus. We “Christians” are just one beggar trying to tell another beggar where to find bread. Jesus all throughout the gospels was a friend to the outsider, the racial outsider [Samaritan’s], the economic outsider, the gender outsider [women], the immoral outsider [woman at the well]. The church is not a building but a movement. Movements have to move, a church is not a country club for Christians. I know it is hard engaging the lost world but you were lost at one time and someone engaged you. Religion is a “have to” but Christianity is a “get to” religion.
I am restating the words of a pastor whose sermon I listened to recently. I have long thought in my own life and church experience about how “we” the church should reach more than just the people on the inside. I have been in many different churches, many different denominations for long stents of time and have heard preachers say their church was growing but I rarely ever watched a new person walk through the doors. All that I can conclude is that they must have been talking about the kids that were being raised up in the church that were coming to Christ. Please do not misunderstand I love boring testimonies. Testimonies where people have said that they grew up in church, trusted Christ at an early age, and have been following ever since. I wish that this were the case the for everyone, that everyone had that opportunity, that everyone was born with a family that took them to church from birth. This is one of the greatest blessings we have as a church. We have to be realistic in realizing that not everyone will come to faith in Christ this way. Some people live in a world without access or a desire for the gospel. I don’t mean the lady in the jungle but the person in our own towns who don’t’ have someone that has ever been interested in them enough to share the gospel or take them to a place where the gospel is preached. Many times we write these people off as lost causes, they did this to themselves, they won’t listen, they’ll say no. We are not responsible for their response but only for giving the invitation. How many people may be reading this right now that was once a person who someone thought was a lost cause but a friend, a stranger, a family member kept on pursuing, had faith, kept on praying, and turned a lost cause into a story of amazing grace. Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now I’m found. Truth be told we were all lost causes without the intervention of God moving and working all things together for good.
I will end this lengthy introduction with a quote by Charles Spurgeon: It is a very solemn delusion when ministers think they are prospering, and yet do not hear of conversions. Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit 14.378
Let us look at Acts Chapter 16….
Lydia Baptized at Philippi 11 Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. 14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.
Lydia is the lady of whom I was speaking about earlier. She had a desire to know God. She was looking for God but was exactly sure where God was in her life or exactly how to access Him. Lo and behold here comes Paul preaching and just like always God gives her an open heart, a craving to know more about Him, a desire to be redeemed and so she was. This is the kid or person who has been raised right, taken to church, and eventually accepts Christ through God opening their spiritual eyes to their heart. There is nothing wrong with this, I came to Christ this way, but we will never reach those on the outside this way. Can we admit there are some people that are just resistant and defiant to church? It is no secret that we are living in a time where the gospel and the church is becoming less and less popular. We do not give up because of this however, we do not just say “well we will take care of those on the inside, get the ones saved who come every week, the ones who bring their children to church.” We live in a day and age where more and more people have no desire to even know God, the world has grabbed their souls, they are at the very least apathetic to anything dealing with God. So what do we do? God gives us an example about three people in Acts 16. Why would God put this in here… you should always ask yourself when reading the scriptures, why is this in here? What am I supposed to be recognizing. God is showing us three drastically different types of people and how they come to know God. The gospel is for everyone, not just those raised in households who were fortunate enough to have Godly parents.
Paul and Silas Imprisoned 16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” 18 And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. 19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
This person is the person is hostile to the gospel. She has no desire to know God. She is being used by evil men for their own gain. She is completely different than Lydia. Lydia seems to have some sort of decency, calm demeanor. Lydia is a wealthy business woman who makes linen for royalty. Lydia is the complete opposite of the second lady. Does this mean that we don’t approach her with the gospel? That we don’t share truth and grace with her? Can we admit if not for God leading Paul and Silas by this woman that the odds of her ever stepping foot in a church is slim? God does not need us but He wants to use us if we’ll let Him. God wants to bring salvation to people through you and the message of Jesus Christ who paid it all and all to Him we owe. There are people that will never come in the doors of a church. They perceive all the wrong notions about Christians, they are skeptical, they can’t afford the gas to drive to church, they don’t fit in, they don’t have the right clothes. Christian in their minds means you have to clean up their lives first, that you must dress a certain way, obey a bunch of rules that make no sense to them, drive a certain car, look a certain way. They need to have a chance to know that Christianity is about knowing the love and acceptance of a God who gave it all for them not that they need to do better. Knowing that many people will never have a desire to come to church what do we need to do? We go to them. It is remarkably easier to lead the people already in church to Christ but to bring the gospel to people who have nothing in common with you to a knowledge and salvation of Christ, that shows off the power and glory of God. How many times have I been at a gas station and the Lord prompted me to speak to a homeless person or someone who looked totally different than myself. How many times I have quenched that call with thoughts of they won’t listen, they are past hope, they don’t care. If I invite them to church they won’t come. Going into a church service for them would be like you going to a Muslim mosque, you wouldn’t go because you believe there is nothing there for you. These people do not perceive that they need God but someone has to tell them, do they not? Our churches do not need newer and better activities for people like this, they do not need a funnier, more intelligent, more charismatic preacher, they do not need a super friendly greeting team or parking lot attendants. Why do these people not need any of this…because they aren’t going to come to church! What do they need? They need a friend, first in you then in Jesus. They need an invitation to your house to sit and eat and talk. They need you to take interest in them. They need just like the woman in the passage above, to be delivered. They need truth and grace. Truth is without grace is arrogant, judgmental, and fundamentalism. Grace without truth is sentimentality. Let me ask you “Christian” would you ever go to a Muslim mosque for any reason? What if you were spiritually low? What if you were needing out of a jam? What if all the people were really nice? What if the “pastor” was really enlighten? What if he was really funny? What if the building was really nice? Odds are none of these would change your mind about going because you don’t see a need right? Neither do some of the unaffiliated religious people in America. The people that are on the outside like this lady in the passage may be hard to deal with at times, notice Paul gets annoyed at her. You may get annoyed and frustrated at times, but we don’t give up because its hard.
20 And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; 21 and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” 22 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods.23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
The Philippian Jailer Saved 25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.
Paul and Silas have been beaten with rods and locked in the inner most part of the prison and have had their feet put in stocks. They however chose to rejoice. Rejoice you say? How can one rejoice in a situation like this? Our ability to rejoice in all things; even the bad, shows how well we understand the gospel. I’m sure you have heard that anyone can praise God when things are going well, when our kids are listening and doing great in school, when our stocks are up, when our marriage is great, when our job promotion comes through, when our family is in good health. How we react to unfavorable circumstances shows how much we treasure God. During the hard times we can rejoice because God is enough. He is our treasure, He is our portion, He is our hope. If we are miserable see in hard times it just means that our hearts have placed an undue weight upon other things, we have created an idol and when our idol has left us we are angry, we are let down, we are depressed. When God is all you need and He is the source of life for you then you can rejoice no matter life’s problems.
Paul and Silas have their bonds broken, they are there on bogus charges are they not? They have been freed by God, they have the right to just walk out do they not? Why then do they stay? Why do they stop the man who has beaten them and imprisoned them from killing himself? Maybe God has a greater plan in your pain and your suffering than freeing you from that suffering. I know this is not a popular message but what if God was more after showing the world His glory through you than freeing you from your situation. How you respond to your pain shows the unbelieving world the greatness of God.
Why did the Philippian jailer come to ask for salvation?
He saw that even through Paul and Silas’ struggles, beatings, and unjust imprisonment that they were still praising God. That they were still rejoicing! That they had a hope he knew he wouldn’t have if he were in the same situation. Does this not magnify the hope that we have in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? The Philippian jailer says must I do to be saved? How can I get what you have? Our lives should be lived in such a way that people ask how can they get what “we” have. The only problem is “you” can’t do anything to be saved, what needs to be done has already been done by Jesus for you. So what does Paul and Silas do? They tell him how, in a very time saving short to the point one statement kind of way… 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” This has got to be the shortest presentation of the gospel I have ever seen, but it worked. Why did it work? The Holy Spirit was already moving the jailers heart the words used just communicated how he needed to place His faith in Jesus. We convince not with out words or eloquent sermons, God convinces with a revelation to the heart that the words that are being spoken are true. We plant, we water but ultimately God gives the increase.
There is no type…
Surely there were more than just three people who came to Christ than just these three while Paul and Silas were in the area. So why point out these stories? It shows us something about the gospel message. Mainly that the gospel is for everyone, as I stated earlier. There could not have been any more different of a type of people than these three. A wealthy religious woman, a slave demon possessed girl, and a Philippian jailer. Have you ever met someone who has stated to you “ Well you know I’m just not religious, I’m not the Christian type” The problem is, is that Christianity is not a type, we all have a common problem [sin] and a common solution [Jesus] The truth of the matter is we are all on the outside, at least until we come to Jesus. We “Christians” are just one beggar trying to tell another beggar where to find bread. Jesus all throughout the gospels was a friend to the outsider, the racial outsider [Samaritan’s], the economic outsider, the gender outsider [women], the immoral outsider [woman at the well]. The church is not a building but a movement. Movements have to move, a church is not a country club for Christians. I know it is hard engaging the lost world but you were lost at one time and someone engaged you. Religion is a “have to” but Christianity is a “get to” religion.