Redemption Ministries Weekly Bible Study Outline 24 August 2021 – Evangelism: God’s Heartbeat 4
Redemption Ministries
CHURCH OF THE FIRSTBORN
WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY
August 24, 2021
TOPIC: EVANGELISM: GOD’S HEARTBEAT (4)
RECOVERING THE LOST ART OF PERSONAL EVANGELISM
BIBLE TEXT: MARK 16:15-20; ACTS 1:8; JOHN 3:1-7; 4:5-29.
Memory Verse: Go ye therefore, and TEACH all nations, baptizing them in the name of the FATHER, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Matt. 28:19.
Redemption Ministries Weekly Bible Study Outline 24 August 2021
Personal evangelism is the person-to-person sharing of the gospel of Christ with sinners with the aim of leading them to salvation. The primary purpose of Christ coming into the world was to die for the salvation of man (John 3:14-18; 1 Timothy 1:15). He came to seek and to save the lost. He could not allow any other thing to becloud His vision of saving the lost. He came for that purpose and died for it (John 6:15; 19:37; 1 John 3:8). Christ preached to great multitudes who came from many regions to hear him (Luke 15:2; Matthew 4:23-25). He also used the personal evangelism strategy to reach individuals and families. He used different approaches to reach different people.
1) With Nicodemus Christ used a direct approach: “Ye must be born again” (John 3:1-7).
2) With the Samaritan woman, He used an indirect approach: “Give me to drink” (John 4:5-7).
3) With the woman caught in adultery by the Scribes and Pharisees, He used a situational approach (John 8:2-11).
He applied the same approach with the informants who told Him of the Galilaeans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. “Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:1-3).
Jesus reached out to His twelve disciples, whom He called apostles, through personal evangelism (John 1:29-51; Matthew 4:19-22; Luke 6:13).
For a local church to grow, the members must go and preach the Word right where the sinners are. Many sinners do not go to church, therefore, the church must go out to meet them where they are: in their houses, offices, town or village square, civic centres, playgrounds, hospitals, prisons, schools, market places, etc. (Acts 20:20; 17:16-31; 16:20-34). No other business should thrill the heart of a New Testament believer than personal evangelism. Winning the lost is a task that must be done; failure to carry it out carries great consequences.
1. CONSEQUENCES OF NEGLECTING PERSONAL EVANGELISM: John 3:16-18, 36; Ezekiel 3:17-21; 18:4; 33:1-16; Romans 1:14-16; Matthew 10:32, 33; John 4:35-38; 9:4; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31. Sinners cannot get saved without the preaching of the gospel. It is the soulwinner’s duty to preach to them.
The implication of neglecting personal evangelism includes
(1) The loss and waste of ripened harvest,
(2) Requirement of sinners’ blood from negligent soul-winners (Ezekiel 3:17-21; 33:1-16),
(3) Christ being ashamed of Christians that neglect to witness (Mark 8:38),
(4) Loss of soul-winners’ reward (Daniel 12:3; Proverbs 11:30),
(5) Spiritual decline and stunted growth of local churches, and
(6) Delay in answer to prayer.
The consequences of neglecting personal evangelism on the part of the sinners, the soul-winners and the church are so great. Every believer must therefore, wake up to this great responsibility. We must rise up to renew our first love for Christ (Revelation 2:1-5).
STUDIES TO BE CONTINUED NEXT…
