Normal Requirements for Successful Evangelism — Peter Brandon

The Biblical Foundation for Normal Evangelism

Normal requirements for successful evangelism. Last night we dealt with the subject of repairing the altar of the Lord and tonight we're going to look at the subject now much more practically and we shall go first of all from Matthew 10 and then we shall work our way through the scriptures.

So would you please turn to Matthew chapter 9. We shall read from the 10th chapter perhaps later. Chapter 9 and we shall read from verse 36. But when he the Lord Jesus saw the multitudes he was moved with compassion on them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd.

Then saith he unto his disciples the harvest truly is plenteous but the laborers a few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he would will send forth laborers into his harvest. Now could we read just the first verse of chapter 10.

And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples he gave them power against unclean spirits to cast them out and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. And the Lord will bless to us that first portion of his word.

When we study the New Testament we find that God has given to us clear guidelines concerning normal successful evangelism. And if we follow those guidelines carefully we shall see the blessing of God.

If we miss these guidelines we shall find ourselves in very very barren soil. And I believe the time has come for us to look at six essentials for normal normal evangelism. You will notice that I'm not talking now about extraordinary evangelism.

I'm just speaking now about the normal conditions. Now as you look at these few verses you will notice that the great emphasis here is on the word pray, pray, pray. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest.

Prayer as the First Essential of Evangelism

So that is the first essential. As you look at the narrative again you will notice that the Lord Jesus was moved with compassion when he saw the multitudes. So the next essential is to have people. First prayer, then people.

Then you will notice that he says that they were to pray the Lord of the harvest that he would thrust forth laborers into his harvest. Now the Lord doesn't tell us to thrust forth preachers, although of course that's inferred.

He uses the word laborers and really the word laborer is far better than preacher as we shall see in a few moments. But I'm going to use the word preacher just in order to keep the P's all together. Now I know the P season is over but it's nice when we have a few P's it helps us to remember the headings doesn't it.

Then you will notice when we come to chapter 10 verse 1 and then if we were to go back through chapter 9 we would see that constantly there are references to power. Power over unclean spirits, power over sickness, power to heal people and power to preach.

Then you will notice as we move from this particular narrative into Acts chapter 2 and we shall look at that in a few moments. We shall see that we need the priests and functional priests. Now by priest I do not mean those that occupy a special religious kind of position in the church.

I am referring to the priesthood of all believers and we need these priests and we need them functioning in a gospel service. And last of all you will notice in this narrative that the Lord speaks of sheep and shepherd and therefore we do need pastors and we need pastoring.

So these are the great essentials in New Testament evangelism and first of all we are to talk about prayer. If we had time to turn to Luke 18 the Lord states something there that is completely what I would call fantastic.

I don't know if you use that word, we always use it in England, but it's a word I haven't often used here. But it's really an amazing chapter and he says that men ought always to pray and not to faint.

Now what has praying and fainting got to do with each other? It's as simple as this. When a man prays he falls on God. When a man faints he falls down and he falls on nothing. And therefore when a man prays he is throwing himself upon God.

When a man faints he spiritually collapses. And that the Lord Jesus knew that it was so easy for his people to collapse that's why he used that particular word men ought always to pray and not to faint.

Now if we watch the life of the Lord Jesus we shall know that the moment he commenced his ministry he was praying. Luke tells us that when the Lord Jesus was being baptized by John and the heavens were open to him he was praying.

And then immediately following that event when the Lord Jesus Christ had done some wonderful cases of healing in order to escape from the crowd he went up into a mountain and spent the night in prayer.

When he was going to choose the twelve apostles he spent again the night in prayer. When the Lord Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration he was praying according to the Luke version. When the Lord Jesus Christ was in the Garden of Gethsemane anticipating the cross he was praying in an agonist.

When he was actually doing his dying he was praying not for himself but for others. Father forgive them they know not what they do. Immediately he was raised from the dead and just before his ascension he took his disciples to Bethany and he was in the attitude of prayer when he went up into heaven.

When he went through the heavens he became a high priest and he's a high priest in the attitude of prayer. For he's able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him. Now note this, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them.

And therefore for two thousand years the great high priest has been praying. What a minister. When we go through the book of the Acts we find the same particular spiritual exercise. In Acts chapter one they were praying with the women in the upper room.

In Acts chapter two when the Holy Spirit came they appear to be sitting but in the attitude of prayer. In Acts chapter two the first church that's recorded in that particular chapter continued steadfastly in prayer.

Acts three they went up to the temple to pray at the ninth hour. Acts four when they had prayed the place was shaken. Acts five it appears that Ananias and Sapphira were judged in the presence of prayer.

Acts six the Apostle says we will give ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word and that's why they appointed deacons. Acts seven Stephen went into the presence of God praying. Acts eight the Apostles come from Jerusalem and they lay their hands upon the Samaritan Christians and they pray for them and they receive the Holy Ghost.

Acts nine we read of Saul behold he prayeth. Acts ten Cornelius is praying Peter is praying. Acts twelve Peter's in prison but prayer was made for the Church of God for him. Acts thirteen the prophets from the assembly in Antioch were actually praying about the mission field when the Lord said separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work were unto I have taught them.

Now can you see by these simple citations that our Lord's life was baptized with prayer and the first century Christians were caught up in the spirit of agonizing unbelieving prayer and perhaps that's why they were so successful.

Now brothers and sisters if we are going to see a movement of the spirit we must pray and there are two things we must remember. The Lord Jesus is not only the Lord of his servants it's the Lord of the harvest and you know what that means.

He knows everyone that's going to be saved in Maryborough. He knows everyone that's going to be saved in Piova. He knows everyone that's going to be saved in Queensland. You see he is the Lord of the harvest and he did not tell us to have great missionary meetings so that we might appeal to the Lord's people to go out in the Lord's work.

On the contrary he said pray ye the Lord of the harvest that he would thrust forth labourers into the harvest. Now that word thrust forth is beautiful. Now I know this is probably rather common and very much London in its origin or perhaps I should even say Cockney in its origin.

But the word means to kick them out and what the Lord was basically saying was this. Don't you thrust them out that's not your job. If you do you'll make a mess of it. Pray to the Lord of the harvest that he would thrust them out.

Now brothers and sisters there comes a time when a man gets a call of God and there is nothing in the universe that will stop that man from going out. When he's sent out by God he is thrust out and then we know that he's a God chosen seven and a man that thrusts out will go on right to the end.

That's what it means pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest. Thrust forth labourers into his harvest. Now that's the great name. Now if a local church soaks its activity in prayer you'll see blessings.

But what do we find today? We go to a particular local church and we find that there's a good worship meeting. If there's a good speaker comes along there'll be a good ministry meeting. But go to the prayer meeting and my word we're babies in prayer.

Furthermore we have got into such a rut that if someone says in a prayer meeting Amen. Everybody looks around and says oh he's a Pentecostal. So we've given the amens and the praises and the hallelujahs to the Pentecostals and all we have is an ignorant grunt.

No wonder brethren there's no power with us. You know when are we going to specialize in prayer? When God can raise up a group of people who really do specialize in prayer. Be sure of this God is working in that local church and the way to test the spirituality of any local church is not to go to their preaching services but to go to the prayer meeting.

And if you have a good prayer meeting in your local church it's well supported and there's a good quality of prayer in it be sure that's a spiritual church. And it's as simple. But then after the prayer we do need the people.

Compassion for the Lost and the Harvest

Now you will notice in this narrative there's a very interesting statement. We read of the Lord Jesus was moved with compassion. Now he just did not have compassion but he was moved with compassion. That simply means the love that he had really moved him.

Now we need compassion but we need a compassion that will move us and move us right into action. And so the Lord Jesus was moved with compassion. Now that is the secret really of getting people. If we have a love for people and we are moved with compassion it will not be long before our respective halls will be packed to capacity.

If we are moved with compassion. Now how can we possibly be moved with compassion? By prayer, yes, but more than that. We must allow the facts of the gospel to really grip us. And this is what the Apostle says.

I was going to turn you to it but if I do turn you to it we will not get through this meeting by at least quarter to nine and I mustn't keep you too long tonight. But the Apostle in the second of Corinthians chapter five said this.

The love of Christ constrained. Now why? He says because we thus judge that if one died for all then we are all dead. Now the word constrain is a very powerful word and there are many connotations of it in the New Testament.

But one of the connotations would be as follows. Do you remember when Peter's mother-in-law was sick of the fever? That is basically the meaning of the word. And when someone is gripped with a malarial fever every part of the body is caught in the vortex of the fever.

I remember being in Nacikanda during my naval days. It was a very primitive part of Ceylon and lots of our fellows were going down with a very very bad form of malaria and I remember seeing one young man and when the fever had got him every part of the body was caught and shaken in the vortex of the fever.

It was pathetic to see him. Now says the Apostle Paul the love of Christ has got hold of me like a malarial fever. Why Paul? Because if I have thus judged that if one died for all then the whole world under the judgment of Now I want to ask a question and I want to ask my own heart this question.

Do I really believe, let me say that again, do I really believe that men and women without Christ and without God are on the way to hell? Do I believe it? Do I believe at this moment there are millions of people in outer darkness who will never see the light of eternity as far as Christ is concerned.

Do I believe that hell is a fear that has been created by God for the devil and his angels? And that fear has been called by Jesus, hell and outer darkness has been called by the Apostle John in its final state the lake of fire.

And do I believe that the people who are there will be in a state of weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth and two of those expressions defy description. Now let me put it to you like this. Have you ever been in a hospital and seen a crowd of spastic children with broken little bodies, distorted little faces, they cannot speak they just grunt.

And as you look at those children your heart goes out to them in sadness. I was once asked to go and see four young men and I didn't really know what had happened to these four men, it was in Glasgow and really I should have been told.

And when I got to the particular ward I discovered that it was a Burns ward. Now I thought it had to do with Burns the poet, I didn't realize it was a deep burn, a literal burn ward. And when I saw these four young men I got such a shock it took me a week to get over it.

When I saw one man being held up he just couldn't sit down and he was totally black with deep burn. And the smell almost turned my mind. When a soul is in hell it is a million times multiplied. What's the matter?

Do we believe it? You see and if we are going to really get people under the sound of the gospel that very fact of a lost soul should grip our hearts. That's why brethren and sisters aren't we stupid to argue about non-essentials when we are trying to save people from the lake of fire.

What would you think of a man who saw some people drowning in water and someone dived in to save them and two people who were watching him were criticizing him because he was doing the breaststroke and not the crawl.

You would say to the people criticizing him why don't you dive in and do it. Of course we wouldn't do it. But remember this mission is just a yard from the lake of fire and if we have that in our mind we shall do our utmost to bring people under the sound of the gospel.

Secondly do I believe that people are not only condemned but totally confused like sheep without a shepherd. Take for instance what happened this morning. One lady stayed behind and really interrupted me from speaking to others.

But that poor soul she was totally and absolutely confused. She had learned about God was totally wrong. The way of salvation that she believed wasn't the way of salvation of the bible it was the way of salvation of her own thinking.

Confused. Then another lady that I spoke to she had a part of the gospel right but the part of the gospel she had all wrong. And one moment she was putting faith in the precious blood of Christ the next moment she was putting faith in her own work.

Totally confused. And I'm sure every person here that's tried to do some soul winning in your own beloved land will know this that there are hundreds of people young and old who are completely confused.

Now once we get a vision like this we shall want our friends to come and sit under the pure gospel so that they can get that. And then we should not only have compassion because they're condemned they're confused they're like sheep without a shepherd.

We should be able to lift up our eyes and see that there's a harvest. You know what the saviour says the harvest truly is plenteous. We don't believe that do we. We begin to say well it's the last days there won't be many saved.

We've got to hang on by our teeth and that's it. Forgetting that there are more souls being saved today than on the day of Pentecost. The pastor says and oh I love these words the harvest truly is plenteous.

Why? Because the day that we are living in is the day called the day of the spirit. It began on the day of Pentecost and the day of Pentecost began at harvest time. And this is a harvest time for God.

And brothers there are souls being saved in hundreds. Thousands are being saved now behind the iron curtain. Thousands will yet be saved in China you see within a few years. Thousands are being saved in Latin America.

Hundreds are being saved in Canada. And we must not imagine that in these last days just two and three are being saved. These are days when the Lord is saying look lift up your eyes and look on the field.

They're white all ready to harvest. And we could see a harvest in Australia. But now how should we look? We want to look at a man and when he comes into the local church we want to see him not only converted we want to see him consecrated.

So that when we pray for that best friend of ours that just don't say Lord we want to see that man converted. That's poor vision. See him consecrated. Pray him in such a way that he becomes a disciple for the Lord.

And I'm not here you know just to make converts. My commission is this. Make disciples of all nations. And I want to see two or three, four or five, six or seven, ten or twenty souls not just becoming mere converts but I want to see them disciples for the Lord.

And let's have this far flung vision for God. Now let's pray that the Lord give us a compassion for the people. Now the reason why I say that is this. You know it's ridiculous to have a gospel meeting when we're preaching to the initiator.

You know quite frankly one man was taken away and put into a mental home. Do you know why? I felt very sad. He was an old man and he loved fishing. But his wife went up and found him fishing in the bathroom.

And she knew at that moment he had gone completely mental. And so they took him away and that's where he is now. Why? Because he was fishing in the bathroom. Don't you think there are many like that in our gospel meetings.

There we are in the bathroom. As they say in Scotland well caught and well kippet. Brethren let's bring the people in. We can do it. If we all had a burden and we all said to ourselves look these people are under condemnation.

They are in a serious state. If they don't hear this gospel they are lost. And then let's be moved because scores of them are totally confused. And then let's be moved because scores of them can be converted.

And if we have that vision we shall bring the people. But now what about the preaching? Now I want to turn you to a particular verse. I'm sorry if I'm going to take you away from Mark 9 but we shall wander into truth.

The God-Centered Gospel of Christ

Let's have a look at Romans 1. There's a verse there we all know off by heart but we want to look at it carefully. We were singing about it now we're going to talk about it. Romans 1 verse 16. For I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.

It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Now I'm interested in those words I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Now I want to ask a question and then I will seek to try and answer the question myself.

Are we ashamed of the gospel of Christ? You say well what do you mean brother Peter? There are now two kinds of gospels among evangelicals being preached. One is the pure biblical gospel and the other is a part gospel.

And it's a very dangerous message. In fact I believe personally that this gospel will bring in the great delusion in the last days. Now what do we mean? There is a gospel and it's a gospel that's man-centered that said something like this.

Look you're a poor dumb-eyed creature. You're totally confused. You've all been broken up because of sin. And quite frankly what you need is peace, joy, love, mercy. And if you come to the Lord Jesus he'll give you peace, joy, love and mercy and you'll be happy ever after.

Why is a man sitting in the congregation that's lovely. That's just what I want. Love, joy, peace. I've always wanted a psychiatrist that will give me peace. And I've always wanted a little bit of a comedian when I'm depressed to make me happy.

And I've always wanted really some kind of lawyer to give me security. I trust Jesus for it. Now that is not the gospel of God. In fact that kind of message is bringing hundreds of people into the great delusion of profession.

It's to be found in the Bible and if we're going to preach the gospel well our minds and hearts must be soaked in the Roman epistle. And that is the gospel of Christ and it's the gospel of God. Now first of all the gospel of Christ which is the gospel of God is centered in God.

And first of all the good gospel preacher will show to the people a concept of the glorious nature of God. That's where it all begins. And then the good gospel preacher will show that whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, whether you are religious or irreligious, you have all sinned.

Why? Because you've broken the Ten Commandments. Then he will go on to show to his congregation the reason why we can't keep the commandment is because we were all born in sin and we are sinners by nature.

And that's the reason why we break the commandments and that makes us a sinner by practice. And because God is infinitely holy he must punish sin and if we die in our sins we are lost. In fact already we are under the judgment of sin which is death and that is separation from God.

Now my dear friends not everybody is going to enjoy that. When that really grips a man in the pew that's going to really hit him. My says a person so I was born in sin and I've broken the commandments.

Well I know that and I'm under the judgment of God. Then after Paul mentions these two great facts in Romans two and three, I shall omit the fourth chapter for a while. Then he gives us about five or six verses on the cross of Christ and he explains that Christ died for the ungodly and Christ died for sinners.

But you see what he does? He spends two long chapters on the facts of sin. He gives us about four or five or six verses on the cross of Christ. Now why? A person will never understand the cross of Christ until he understands his personal sin.

Then having got over that fact to his readers and we of course to our hearers as we preach it. Then in the tenth chapter he explains how a person can be made right with God. He says if thou shalt confess with thine mouth the law of Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved.

Now the word to confess doesn't mean to say well Jesus is Lord. It means to confess with burning conviction. In fact that doesn't really give us the true force of the Greek word. And when a person is going to be really saved the first thing he begins to see is the horrid condition in which he finds himself and he says my Lord I'm in an absolute mess and if you don't save me Lord I'm completely lost forever.

Now when that takes place be sure of it the spirit is working. He doesn't put his hands in his pocket and say well I suppose I ought to trust Jesus. If that's his attitude he hasn't gripped him. Then the Lord takes him to the cross and he begins to see two things.

The deadly seriousness of his sins that caused the agonizing death of Christ. My word the Lord made me feel a sinner but that's horrid to think that my sins caused his death. Then he sees the infinite love of God for him that God loved him in that while he was yet a sinner.

And he comes to the Lord confessing his sin and confessing his need and then he looks up and sees that Christ is on the throne and he is the Lord. And he says right now Lord I want to make you the Lord of my life.

And so he comes to the Lord and he confesses his sin he confesses Christ as his saviour and he makes Jesus to be his Lord. And then deep in his heart he says I know I'm not confessing this to someone that's dead I believe in my heart praise the Lord that God raised him from the dead.

He didn't raise himself from the dead God raised him from the dead praise God he says that's wonderful. I can confess this to a living soul. And the moment he believes in his heart the scripture whispers right into his deep soul praise God he says right with God.

Now when a man does that he is right with the Lord and his genuine. Now what kind of gospel do you want? Do you want this man centred gospel? Or you want this God centred gospel? Well brethren you know the gospel I'm going to preach.

And if we preach that gospel we won't see crowds of profession but we will see some people really being genuinely saved and it will last. And do you know what has sickened me I must say this. To be in a place where about 40 people profess conversion and then to go back in 2 years time and see only 2 remain.

I would have only wished to see 2 people saved in the mission because the 38 that's gone off into the world you won't be able to touch them. And brethren let's get away from this mechanical profession and be very careful you know putting a kind of a mechanical appliance on people and saying something like this.

Do you believe that you are a sinner? Oh yes. Do you believe Christ died for your sins? Oh yes. Do you believe Jesus is God? Oh yes. Are you willing to take him yourself? Yes. Will you ask him to save you?

Oh I will. Will you say this Lord save me? Oh another one saved. There is no more saved than the frog in the water. In fact the frog is more saved than him. That's not conversion. That's not the mighty work of God.

That's something that we are doing. But if we leave this work to the power of the spirit then we will see something. Now you say well brother Peter that's real hard talking but you see this is all to be found in the book.

We need prayer we need people we need preaching but we need the power. Now my dear friends souls are not saved just by getting people there and by getting a preacher there. Now this will surprise you but I want to say it and I want to say it of course to you in love.

It's possible for this building to be packed with people every night. It's possible for the preacher to give an absolute biblical message and not a soul to be saved. Not a soul to be saved. Because souls are not saved just by good biblical gospel preaching.

Souls are saved in an atmosphere where God is. And so we need power and we need mighty power. Now we need this power for conviction we need this power for comprehension and we need this power for conversion.

The Holy Spirit's Power in Conviction and Conversion

Now let's search the scriptures about this point because it's so essential. Would you please turn to John's gospel chapter 60. And when he that's the Holy Spirit is come he will reprove the world of sin.

That word means to convict or it can mean to demonstrate and of righteousness and of judgment of sin because they believe not on me. Of righteousness because I go to my father and you see me no more. Of righteousness because the prince of this world is judged.

Now that's what the Spirit of God will do in the world. But if you look at verse 7 then you will see just what the Lord really meant by this conviction. Nevertheless I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the comforter will not come unto you but if I depart I will send him unto you.

Now unfortunately we have this erroneous idea that the church is here and the church has the Holy Spirit and the world's out there and they have the Holy Spirit and he is operating out there irrespective of the state of the church.

Never. The Holy Spirit comes and he comes for the people of God. The Lord Jesus made it quite clear in John 17 and also in these particular chapters that he would not send the Holy Spirit to the world.

He would send it to his people or send him to his people. And it's the church of God that receives the Holy Spirit and it's the church of God that becomes a habitation of his spirit. And quite frankly it's as simple as this.

If the Holy Spirit is being grieved or quenched in that local church he will not be able to convict people of sin. If the Holy Spirit has purged the local church so that the local church is clean then there will be that conviction of sin.

You say where's your scripture for this? Well the Lord Jesus Christ said out of your innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. And my dear friend in preaching it's as factual as if I go to some areas and there's not that conviction.

Not that. You speak to people who stay behind and you just cannot lead them to the Lord there's no conviction. Sometimes a person will say I would like to trust the Lord but you know within your heart it's all mechanical.

You go into another area where the spirit of God has been moving and you preach the same gospel and whilst you're preaching you see tears and you see people broken. Why? The spirit of God is moving. And could I share this with you?

That has worried us in Australia. We haven't seen the old fashioned conviction we see in the old country and in Canada and especially in South Africa. And it's an indication that the spirit of God is being grieved.

And if we want to see holy ghost meetings, if we want to be in an environment where God is moving then my brothers and sisters we the church of God must be cleansed and purged. And when judgment begins at the house of God then it will move from the house of God right out to the world.

And it's as simple as this. We were having some meetings and I shall never forget this in Belfast. And the Christians in the Harland and Walsh shipyard and we must remember 20 ,000 people work there. Or they did I don't know how many work there now.

They got together to pray for the people in the shipyard. And they invited me over to have a mission in the shipyard for 17 minutes. The trembling gripped him so much he went to the foreman and said look I can't stand there I've got to go home.

He says why? Well he says I'm unwell. He says why are you unwell? Well he says I can't tell you at the moment. But he was petrified with conviction. When he got home he was walking backwards and forwards like a demented man and his wife said I'm going to get the doctor.

Don't you get a doctor he said. And there he was walking backwards and forwards he came to the lunch hour meeting. And while I was speaking he was gloriously converted and nearly hit the ceiling of the boiler house with a mighty hallelujah.

And when they all turned round everyone was shaking. There was this man praising God that he had been gloriously saved and previous to that he was a militant atheist. What did it? The army of preaching?

No. It was the mighty convicting power of the spirit. Beloved that's what we want. But we shall never see that conviction until the church is purged. Right of I to condemn sin in the lives of others and condone it in my own house.

See the point? And therefore the church of God has to be purged and thoroughly cleansed if we're going to see a movement of the spirit. In fact I would take a step further. It's ridiculous for us to have a gospel mission if we're not going to have that purging.

It's hard on the preacher. It's hard on the congregation. In fact brothers and sisters it's just like preaching to a wall. It's hard. It won't end. But the moment God's people have been purged and cleansed and sanctified.

Then the spirit moves and then this mystical inexpressible thing the conviction of sin comes. And that's the secret of it all. And when man is brought under conviction, when a woman is brought under conviction then it's not long before God says to that troubled mind and heart.

Let there be light. God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness will shine in their heart to give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And as you preach the cross there's not only conviction there is enlightenment.