Fellowship and Evangelism- Part 1

Evangelism and Fellowship

Primary Text: 1 Corinthians 3:5-9

Intro: When speaking of evangelism, many times we may be tempted to immediately begin speaking about how to do evangelism. However, before we can speak of evangelistic methods and strategies, we must first understand the motivation for evangelism. In other words, the HOW of evangelism must be grounded in the WHY of evangelism. My goal today is to provide evidence through Scripture that evangelism is not a task that is merely reserved for a few qualified, professional ministers or specially gifted saints, but rather it is a privilege and divine command for the entire body of Christ to do. Next week, we will look more at the practical ways in which we can engage our own culture and context with the gospel.

Before explaining the evidence for community evangelism in Scripture, it will be helpful to define what evangelism IS and what it IS NOT.  We must not confuse good things with the good news.

·         Evangelism is NOT inviting your friend to church to hear your pastor preach a sermon.

·         Evangelism is NOT the same thing as sharing your personal testimony.

·         Evangelism is NOT social action or public involvement.

·         Evangelism is NOT apologetics. Defending the faith is different from declaring the good news of Jesus.

·         Evangelism is NOT preaching the gospel by your actions and using words if necessary. This is “A Sissy” way of defining evangelism. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing requires words to be spoken.

So what is evangelism? We must not confuse it with these other “good” and necessary things. We must be careful not to confuse the results of evangelism with the act of evangelism. To “evangelize” does not mean to win converts… but simply to announce the good news, irrespective of the results.

Here is my working definition of evangelism, taken from the 1974 Lausanne conference for evangelists:

“To evangelize is to spread the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures, and that as the reigning Lord he now offers the forgiveness of sins and the liberating gift of the Spirit to all who repent and believe.”

With that in mind, let’s now look at how the Bible portrays evangelism within the context of fellowship.

I.        Evangelism is a task to be accomplished, not by lone Christians, but the entire community of faith.

a.       Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly displayed his character in a corporate people.

                i.      God accomplishes his own mission of redemption within the fellowship of His Triune nature.

              ii.      God does not create Adam alone. He creates Adam and Eve. The picture of Christ’s redemption and sacrificial love for the church is meant to be displayed in the covenant union and unconditional love between a husband and wife.

             iii.      God promises Abraham that he will bless him by making him into a great nation.

            iv.      God displayed his character through Israel via his covenants and Law. (Ex. 19:6, “Kingdom of Priests”)

              v.      God reveals his nature today through the Church that was purchased with Christ’s blood. (Eph. 3:10)

b.      Christ’s church is intended to be a Spirit-created society in the midst of a fallen, cursed world to bear witness to the gospel.  (Philippians 2:14-15)

      “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”

                i.      We are light in a lost, dark, evil world. (Matthew 5:14)

              ii.      We are salt in a flavorless, bland, decaying world. (Matthew 5:13)

II.                  Evangelism is not a special calling for some but a divine command for all.

a.       Israel was to be a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:5-6)

     “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

                i.      According to Deuteronomy 33:10, Levitical priests had three responsibilities:

1.       “They shall teach Jacob your rules and Israel your laws.” – We teach the word.

2.       “They shall put incense before you.” – We intercede for others in prayer.

3.       “They shall put whole burnt offerings on your altar.” “We show others how to get to God through an atoning sacrifice (the cross).

b.      The church is also a royal priesthood and a holy nation. (1 Peter 2:9)

    “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

               i.      As priests, we bring the people to God.

             ii.      As priests, we bring God to the people.

III.                Evangelism cannot be separated from discipleship and the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

a.       Without evangelism, there is no discipleship.

b.      Without discipleship, there is no evangelism.

c.       We don’t evangelize and then make disciples. Evangelism is simply a step in discipleship.

d.      Jesus never commanded us to simply make converts.

IV.                Evangelism seeks to connect believers not only with Christ, but with his church.

a.       The sacraments of the church naturally display the communal nature of the gospel.  

                i.      We are baptized into the body of Christ. (1 Cor. 12:13)

            “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”

              ii.      The very nature of the Lord’s Supper is that it be taken together as a community of faith. (1 Cor. 11:33)

            “So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another…”

b.      Biblical evangelism should never produce lone-ranger Christians separated from Christian fellowship.

c.       Watching TBN is not a substitute for church membership.

d.      You cannot claim to love Jesus and hate his Bride. If this is true, you also have a problem with the Bridegroom.

V.                  Evangelism is most effective when the entire congregation is unified in its message and mission.

a.       Peter did not preach alone at Pentecost. He stood “with the eleven” in one accord.

b.      Deacons were appointed in service to support the apostles’ preaching.

                i.      The deacons’ work was not less important than the apostles. They were both doing the same work, just with different roles.

              ii.      The same idea is portrayed by the Holy Spirit (our Helper) and a wife to her husband (helpmate).

c.       The church grew in number not only by the apostles’ preaching, but through the church’s fellowship. (Acts 2:42-47)

d.      Evangelistic fruit most often is the result of several faithful witnesses, not just one. Paul preached and planted the seed of the gospel. Apollos later watered and fertilized the seed, and God gave the increase. We are fellow workers. He who plants and he who waters is one. (1 Cor. 3:5-9)

e.      Acts 11:19-21 speaks of “some guys” who were scattered during the Jerusalem persecutions who began a church planting center in Antioch. They were unnamed, Spirit-filled, laymen of the church who boldly preached the gospel, and Antioch became the central missionary agency to the Gentiles.

                i.      Evangelism is not for famous saints, but for faithful servants.

              ii.      Evangelism will not be successful by human persuasion but by the Spirit’s power.

             iii.      Evangelism must not be done by a few ministers but by every member of the church.