Why Evangelize? (Part 1)

No Compromise Radio

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:05

Feel like I should write some lyrics for this you're this is recording. I know welcome to no -compromise radio

00:11

Oiler alert jumps in for the first time ever in the history of thousands of shows and he talks first But something's wrong if you could rename the show, what would you rename it the

00:22

Tuesday guy? probably Well Steve only one time

00:30

I've had someone call in this button over here You can do a Bluetooth and people can call in and it goes straight in We don't have to have them call that funny call box anymore.

00:40

Did you know that? No, I did not I mean, you know you you went to the 21st century on this

00:47

This machine and I have no idea what's going on. I think it started with someone. I can't remember the guy's name in Canada Thanks for the ministry appreciate it

00:58

Your sound system is awful Have you ever thought of getting something else now?

01:03

They were nice about it and they were right Did they suggest this machine and say you can even put sound effects on it?

01:09

You can do like a dr. DeMeadow show You know who has a lot of sound effects is the

01:16

Heidel cast He's got you know Iverson's we're talking about practice not a game not a game and then he's got

01:23

Batman And then he's got more cowbell. He's it's a whole cornucopia of And you do mentors you're not even trying to compete

01:34

How could I well you could try I? Would lose I think I need some updated sounds though because some of these boys not like good set phasers on stun

01:43

You know, I mean, you know just you know You can come up with all kinds of good stuff And if you were a kid and you could play with phasers or a tricorder, which one would you play?

01:51

Oh phasers? No question about it Well, can we try that can we play with the phasers just make sure they're set on Sun stun stun

02:01

Sun Steve our topic today is not This introduction we're gonna talk about evangelism in just a little bit

02:09

But I came across a little article called why I never eat. Oh, okay.

02:14

Hi. Yeah eating is bad for you And it's a take on not attending church.

02:20

So the same excuses that we Use for not attending church. What if we applied those to the eating realm and then it kind of gets comical, okay

02:30

I don't eat anymore because I was forced to eat as a child Mmm Yeah What's the first what's the worst thing you had to eat when you were a kid from your perspective and you were forced to?

02:41

Eat it. I I don't know the the list would be long and cauliflower for me

02:47

It might have been that I mean, you know, I I think mom really kind of You know grew in her cooking to where she stops doing things and that helped a lot

02:56

You know where everything didn't have the consistency of mush. So now we know why people say stop stewing over that.

03:03

Oh I don't eat anymore because I Used to eat but I got bored and stopped

03:12

I Don't eat anymore because I only eat on special occasions like Christmas and Easter Well, I mean we can do a whole show about you know going to church

03:21

I mean, that's because people that I think even sometimes the motivations for people going to church

03:29

Are sometimes not the best let's just put it that way And we would say in light of that if you don't feel like going to church and you've got a bad motivation to go

03:39

But you're a member and you're a Christian or even if you're not a member, but you're a Christian you just go anyway and ask

03:45

Lord to change your feelings and your motivations and you think I'm just going to go and then Usually probably in the middle of worship.

03:51

You'll probably be reoriented. Is that that way? We're just about everything I don't feel like doing this.

03:57

Okay. Well Feelings let's not go all Morris Albert here. That's so true

04:04

We were driving to New York City last week I think with I was driving with Maddie my daughter and Kim my wife and we put on Pandora Hall -and -Oates station and I don't pay for any

04:18

Pandora extra So I have to get the ads and you know, I can't pick what I want They play them for you, you know songs in light of and I think we had 16 in a row

04:26

We liked and then Morris Albert came on Whoa, whoa feeling it.

04:32

Can I just tell you? Yeah, absolutely like the very first full -time job I had was working in a warehouse

04:38

Where you know, I thought I was gonna be moving boxes around. Nope. I was fixing a little

04:45

Music boxes that played feelings. Oh How I came to hate that song

04:52

I did I've known you for a long time. I did not know that Oh boy, do I hate that song lastly for today? Why I never eat.

04:58

I don't eat anymore because restaurants and groceries Grocery stores only want your money

05:04

Yes, it's true It's true So today let's talk a little bit about evangelism

05:12

Steve the evangel what is the evangel? Why are we supposed to evangelize what pops in your mind when you think of evangelism pick any of those questions?

05:20

Well, we have good news We want to share that good news with people who I mean just think about the world we live in the news is

05:30

Depressing right? It's it's always bad. We just heard a little clip before we came on here

05:35

You know what's happening now, you know live in the moments and well the the news of the moment is rarely good

05:41

We never you know, I mean what was the last time we had like VE day or something, you know

05:46

VJ day Right. I go to citizen free press or you can go to any news outlet

05:52

Maybe you like I don't know if you like powerline blog or if you like Fox News if you like Breitbart, whatever you like Maybe you maybe you're left -winging

06:01

But I don't really get too much good news, it's pretty rare because bad news sells hey, there you go

06:08

Spurgeon said if you have no wish for others to be saved then you're not saved yourself be sure of that and You said earlier

06:15

Steve that when you get saved by Christ Jesus in his work You want to tell other people about it?

06:22

Because as you remember probably it wasn't that a good feeling and wasn't that a good experience?

06:27

And didn't you think rightly after God changed you and made you alive? I mean some of the most amazing.

06:33

I Immediately, I think after I got saved. I mean within a short period of time. I was taking

06:40

Discipleship evangelism at Grace Community Church, you know just the opportunity Even though most of the time, you know that the evenings would be a bust or whatever

06:49

But whenever you got to sit there and tell people about Christ and you know

06:54

Sometimes it was people who loved Benny Hinn, whatever. It didn't matter. You know, I wasn't there to correct theology

07:01

I was just there to to you know, share the good news of Christ and it's so Encouraging and even if I get his ramble for a minute

07:11

Even a Shepherd's Conference this year. I was somebody stopped me and wanted to talk to me and We spoke for a minute.

07:19

He goes he may not remember this and I didn't he goes but 20 years ago You know you were teaching an event a class on evangelism and he goes this is how it impacted my life and I listen

07:30

I go Wow, you know praise the Lord for that because I'm like I I don't know if I'm a good teacher now

07:38

But I know I wasn't a good teacher then. So, you know, the Lord is really good and gracious. I Was putting some lime on our lawn yesterday because here in New England with acid rain and other things you have to lime up You're lard.

07:52

You're That's pretty good there was there up your lard There was lard in the refrigerator the other day and Kim needed for some special recipe.

08:02

I thought we're buying lard I thought people like get rid of that We bought lard making doughnuts or something

08:11

And a lady and a younger lady came up the driveway and I thought here we go probably

08:16

JW's or something and they said we're selling eggs and we're undercutting the grocery stores prices and we're selling organic eggs and It seemed like there was the mom and the younger daughter

08:31

And I said, well, you know what? I'd love some eggs. And what do you charge for them $3 a dozen?

08:37

Are they fresh? Yes, and Then I said, okay, I'll take three dozen. I'll go get the money.

08:42

I had the money The one older lady walks across the street and while the younger ladies halfway in my driveway waiting

08:48

So then I began to talk to her and she was a sweet little down syndrome lady and I said

08:55

You know how long you've been selling the eggs and did do you crack them at all? Do you break them?

09:01

You know, I just small talk and then the other lady came back and I said, well I'm a pastor down at Bethlehem Bible Church And I said we love to tell people about the good news and the

09:10

God that made that son up there that's just coming out now he made you and he made me and The bad news is we're sinners and that's why the

09:18

Lord Jesus had to come to rescue sinners like us and live and die on the cross and be raised from the dead and You know what afterward

09:26

I thought I should probably should have bought four or five dozen It just hey they came to my door and I thought

09:31

I'd like to have an attitude of I don't have to read the entire book Of Romans to them, but just get in as much as I could

09:37

And it was sweet. Wait, you don't have to read the entire book of Romans. I'm doing things wrong It's not called the

09:43

Romans Road, it's you're not a good evangelist unless you read Romans in Greek coin a

09:48

Greek people So we've got a list of why you should evangelize here on no compromise radio and Steve and I'd like to talk about those

09:55

How about Steve I read why we should and then maybe a comment and then you you run with the line

10:03

Okay, why should you evangelize in no particular order? Although this is probably right at the top.

10:08

It is a command of Christ Jesus came up and spoke to them Matthew 28. All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth

10:17

That's kind of a cool Marism, by the way heaven and earth and everything in between Go therefore and make disciples of all nations

10:24

Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you and lo

10:31

I'm with you always even to the end of the age And so we have a great commission. Jesus commands it.

10:37

So is that a good reason to evangelize? That's a great reason I mean if you love the Lord Jesus Christ, which you should if you're called a

10:43

Christian, right and he said go do this well It's a good thing to do.

10:51

It's a good thing to obey if he has all authority and he does Right. It's a good thing to obey him.

10:56

I mean, we wouldn't want to be known as disobedient Christians So true

11:02

I mean The motivation is not well, we want to obey him because if we don't we'll lose our salvation and if we don't somehow

11:11

You know, we'll be in limbo when we die or something outcasts right out of gratitude

11:16

Right back to guilt grace gratitude out of gratitude. I mean, can you imagine what would the

11:21

Lord Jesus on earth? Say to Peter post -resurrection that Peter would say

11:28

I'm not going to do that I Sorry, sorry Lord, I've got my limits, you know now maybe the old

11:36

Peter Yeah But the new Peter you see what he'd he actually obeyed the Lord Jesus and in the book you're preaching through The second book

11:43

Luke writes off he goes it's amazing in Acts how he how he just is so brave I mean you just I'm just like he's just like the

11:53

You know the old Gunslinger in the West. I mean Peter Peter just walks into the

11:59

Hornets nasty. He's like, yeah. Yeah. Yeah Sure, they're gonna shoot at me, but I've read the script Nothing bad happens yet Steve telling people the good news about a

12:09

Savior who forgives sinners here in the Great Commission we're to be

12:15

Going out the Lord sends us Steve tell us a little bit about the difference between Well, the church gathering to be edified and then scattering to evangelize in other words

12:26

Do we need big programs at the church? evangelistic outreaches Witnessing programs.

12:33

What's the strategy here? Well, I mean the constant Work of the church is to equip the

12:39

Saints for the work of ministry That's what we do. So whether it's Sunday school, whether it's even in the sermons what's happening

12:47

Well, we're preaching the Word of God. We're teaching the Word of God. We're exhorting with the Word of God.

12:53

Why? Because that's what we as Christians need Really here's what

13:00

I would say We come on Sunday and we should get Our tank filled up not in the sense that some people say well

13:08

I just like to get my tank topped off or whatever, you know spirit spiritual feeling but we should leave church with an

13:15

Overflow of knowledge of zeal of joy for the Lord so that when we go out

13:20

We're not just excited to talk to people about Christ But we want to give them the gospel and we have the means to do it because we've learned that at the church

13:29

Right that that's that's why we come to church on Sunday. That's why that's what's wrong with the seeker sensitive model is because on Sunday Well, there are several things wrong with it.

13:39

We come to worship the Lord, which we don't do if we're more concerned about the visitors but we also want to give people the tools that they need the knowledge that they need to go out and Share the gospel of Christ with the world even if Steve they only

13:56

Know what they got from that sermon. Yeah, you learn enough from that sermon to say Oh, we just run

14:02

Luke chapter 1 and Mary is a wonderful lady She received grace and she received favor from God Grace means sin and then now you've got a

14:12

Catholic neighbor and she wants to talk about Mary I mean there's there has to be something there, right? And and you know, like you said there's just especially since we live in such a

14:21

Roman Catholic Catholic area here. It's it's good to even to just dwell on these things and to think about them and to think about well,

14:31

I Do have some common ground with my Roman Catholic neighbors, but there are a lot of Significant differences where I can use those differences to get to the gospel.

14:42

Amen talking about evangelism today Why evangelize and the first reason is because God? Commands us to evangelize

14:49

Steve. Tell me your strategy when it's Appropriate to evangelism.

14:56

Here's my strategy. I try to look at the mailman the mailwoman The people the grocery store that I often go to Friends neighbors the auto mechanic.

15:06

I'm just trying to look at all of them as a mission field now Maybe some of them are already saved I don't know but I'm trying to think well,

15:12

I'd like to act godly and kind and nice that doesn't save anybody But I don't really need to be a jerk, right?

15:18

I want to be adorning the gospel Well, but isn't that better a better strategy and attitude then?

15:26

Well, the church is gonna put this big program together. And these are the five ways we're gonna do outreach I I just want everybody in the church

15:34

To think oh, I have friends that I should evangelize contacts exactly and I you know,

15:41

I I mean really to my shame a lot of times I have to put myself in the

15:47

Mindset of evangelism. I have to you know, go wait a minute You know,

15:53

I mean I can remember being I Being in Portland once and just looking at how bizarre people looked

16:01

And you know just marveling at it for a while. And then I thought wait a second. I'm not thinking about this rightly

16:06

I should instead of thinking how bizarre how bizarre I should be thinking these people need Christ They need to hear the gospel.

16:14

They I mean, yes, they look odd But they have souls and one day they're going to stand before the

16:20

Lord and they're going to have to give an answer for What they did with Christ, right? And if I'm Not going to be faithful to Give them the gospel.

16:31

I'm essentially holding their hand while they go to to hell and I don't want to do that Steve you brought up brought up a good point when it comes to these people in the world

16:41

So many people have false ideologies and they're promoting awful things whether it's diversity equity and inclusion

16:48

All these systemic racism this that and the other mean Transgender issues abortion

16:54

I mean the list could go on and on the sin vice list that people seem to promote call evil good

17:00

I think we got some kids in the background there. Yeah, that's that's weird Then they made it on the no compromise radio and we're just gonna have to just keep going

17:10

Is it the phone thing going on? No. No, that's the kids from the ladies Bible study. That's just kind of loud

17:16

It sounds like it's directly into the Well, it must be the good equipment that we have no, okay If I'm not careful

17:24

I I think of the ideologies that they promote which I hate and Then I don't want it to turn into I hate this person so much

17:32

That I'm not going to tell them the good news or I'm not gonna think about them as image bearers

17:37

I won't think of them as well. You know what? I was an awful person before God saved me as well

17:43

It's it's so important to be able To constantly remind ourselves to separate the actions

17:52

From from the person in the sense that whatever they've done, right? Whether they're a murderer or rapist, whatever they've done there's still an image bearer and We're commanded to go to image bearers not to really good people not to people that we like, right?

18:10

We'll think of the Lord Jesus the sinners, yes the tax collectors The prostitutes those kind of people he didn't go affirm their sin.

18:18

He went there to Proclaim the good news. He himself incarnate. So I'm with you number two

18:27

Why evangelize I've got here on my list Steve because evangelism gives glory to the

18:32

Father in other words You don't need to save people because you can't you don't need to say to yourself

18:38

I failed in evangelism because they didn't sign the line Sign the bottom line the

18:44

Lord wants us to go evangelize and it's his prerogative to save or not to save Matthew 5 says let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify

18:54

Your father who is in heaven walk us through Why it still honors the

19:01

Lord when you preach the gospel and people maybe don't respond positively well, if the father sent his son

19:08

Which he did the son came into the world Took on took to himself a human nature

19:15

We want to proclaim these truths Whether or not, you know anybody ever believes it

19:21

I mean, you know, if we talk about the prophets of old, you know, Isaiah Ezekiel I mean these these men told the truth and did they have you know

19:30

Thousands and hundreds of thousands come to faith the answer is no Well, then why did they do it because they they were commanded to because it brought glory to God right by their very obedience even sometimes when we think

19:47

I'm not even that obedience. I'm not even that good. I'm not even that bold. I'm not even whatever well,

19:55

I I can there are myriads of examples not just in my life, but Throughout church history where even the most feeble effort was used mightily by the

20:07

Lord and We it shows that we trust him it shows that we believe him these are all important things to do

20:18

For for ourselves, but they also glorify the Lord and honor him Steve I think we could apply the same principle to preaching

20:27

Is the Lord glorified and honored if we preach a sermon and nobody Likes the message everybody disagrees with the truth

20:36

They're in and maybe you're at the jail and you preach a sermon and there are 20 guys there and they all say

20:41

I don't believe It at all is the father still glorified because we've talked about the son that he sent.

20:47

Yes Exactly. I mean what this is the purpose, you know, the Holy Spirit is pointing to the

20:52

Lord Jesus Christ The father sent him the son willingly came and You know all these things so the the triune

21:00

God is glorified When we obey when we do the right thing

21:05

I think it's an encouragement where I say to myself your wife is peeking through the window waving

21:12

She's like, where where are they? That's the first time I've ever seen that Janet at the window.

21:17

Oh, there's Colt. Uh -huh. Yeah there they are trying to look This is called live radio podcast

21:25

I'm just encouraged that if I I meet somebody I say something on the plane I say something at the driveway and they don't really respond.

21:32

I still think the Lord is honored. Yes. I'm happy for that I love second Corinthians 4 It says for all things are for your sakes that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God and Certainly sometimes when we preach people do respond positively and the

21:51

Lord Makes them alive again, and that gives him glory

21:57

Wesley said though. I'm always in haste. I'm never in a hurry I never undertake any more work that I can go through without perfect calmness of spirit.

22:06

Why would that be in my notes? Mm -hmm. Well, I mean, that's what's that doing? well, I mean it but it's good right because if we let ourselves get

22:16

Frazzled or or emotionally consumed in any kind of way Then we it's easy to lose track of the main thing and what's the main thing?

22:24

It's the souls that are out there that need to hear about the Lord Jesus Christ. Good rescue. Thank you

22:30

Remember the Lord was gonna go heal the daughter the 12 year old daughter and then the other lady that had a 12 year old issue comes up right and she's the bleeding lady and You think about the

22:42

Lord Jesus he was always working But it was all according to the sovereign plan you think about the timing of everything

22:49

You know good for Wesley that he wanted to proclaim the truth Remember that old quote that I found here.

22:55

It is Steve a One -legged schoolteacher from Scotland came to Jay Hudson Taylor and said

23:01

I'd like to serve in China with only one leg Why do you think you could do that as a missionary asked

23:07

Taylor? George Scott replied. I do not see those with two legs going.

23:12

There you go See both of us are are Examples of how the

23:20

Lord can use the least expected and the most unqualified people That's not searching for a compliment either.

23:27

No, I know I took it exactly as the way you meant it When applied to me, but yeah,

23:35

I mean I I Know false humility at all. I am I'm constantly stunned, you know when anybody says anything

23:43

You know, I I just think man if you just knew how dopey

23:48

I am and you know, how much I wrestle with things and You know even to put together a sermon or whatever.

23:55

I'm doing, you know I I'm just like the Lord is good and you know, I'm I'm a doofus

24:02

That's one of the key words we use around this place is doofus yes and doofus I which everyone knows is the plural

24:10

Why evangelize lastly for today? Steve Because you get to What an honor,

24:18

I mean Seriously, I mean the idea that we are ambassadors for the

24:24

Lord that we get to preach Christ in him crucified You know why? It's his appointed means but I mean it just it it boggles my mind, you know to think yes

24:36

He uses these cracked vessels these clay pots clay pots and you know, just uses us to do

24:46

Really the the work of reclaiming or Rejuvenating or bringing back to life, you know,

24:54

I mean he uses us in some way to Bring life to dead people and it's amazing

25:01

Steve while angels made certain proclamations, of course on a regular basis hmm

25:07

The gospel goes out not through angels I mean the specific strict gospel about Jesus is through people not through angels

25:15

Which would it would make more sense at least the angels are without sin and you know, they could say hey

25:20

Will you seen Jesus, you know? So, let's take that example on the driveway that I had yesterday this lady and this other lady that I thought it was her daughter

25:28

But she wasn't they were just friends and they invited me over to the 30th birthday party for this young down syndrome

25:35

Oh nice, you know, I should probably just go. Yeah, right and all of a sudden I'm thinking to myself

25:40

All right. I'm talking to them. I'm just kind of fishing talking being sweet creator general sin

25:49

What if I was an angel and I and and what would their response be they would be afraid Right, then they would be cowering and they would you know

25:56

I just don't have the gravitas as a name that an angel would but so he uses us. Anyway, that's pretty amazing it says

26:06

In first Thessalonians 2 for but just as we have also been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel

26:12

So we speak not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts to be entrusted with the gospel

26:20

I Mean years ago. I said to you if Kim and I die I entrust you and Janet to raise my children

26:27

That's as good as I got. Yeah, and we said we'll be praying for you guys That would have been a busy household

26:39

Yeah would have been uh -huh, maybe you would have turned my kids into instead of Jack Russell lovers

26:44

They'd they'd love those toxins at the end. They probably would yeah, and they probably love

26:50

UCLA basketball I'm sure they would love you. I can't believe you'd do that to me Dishonor me in my death

26:58

Dear folks it is a privilege to be an ambassador for the Lord Jesus Dick Lucas said

27:04

God only had one son and he made him an evangelist Do you talk about what would Jesus do here this great evangelist and now we get to and he doesn't even have to use us

27:13

Remember when Jesus said I tell you if these stones be if you become silent these stones will cry out.

27:19

Mm -hmm If you won't do it, I'll have stones do it and he wasn't talking about the Rolling Stones I Am an ambassador of Jesus Steve Cooley an ambassador for the

27:34

Lord Jesus It's an amazing, you know, I I mean I think to myself I don't deserve that title and I mean

27:40

We know that we don't deserve that title But you know, it's like I'm sometimes

27:45

I have to remind myself. I'm not the incognito ambassador for Jesus My wife has a relative who's a minister of Parliament and we had a tour by him and he took us behind the scenes and we went inside and Where they meet in Parliament, what's that called in Britain?

28:02

Parliament Kind of those green seats, you know and all that and I thought you know, this is he's a kind of a big shot

28:10

We got we got the royal treatment almost royal and I thought I have a higher calling than than that man does

28:17

Minister of Parliament our president I get to be an ambassador. I like that for the King of Kings Lord of Lord All right.

28:24

Well today on no compromise radio as Steve so rudely started the show. I'm gonna let him rudely in the show

28:32

Well, I I haven't written the lyrics yet gospel Tell them about their problem.