A PASSION FOR JESUS

Text: Matthew 28:19-20

I. Illustration - Lost Child:

If the police came into out church this morning and told us a child was lost in the woods behind the church most of us would go help them look for the child while the rest remain her praying.

Point: is a lost child of any more value than a lost soul?

Jesus spelled out the purpose of the church in the Great Commission. How do we fulfill this purpose?

Witness and evangelize! Yes, but how do we do that effectively? For one thing we aren't doing it effectively now. What isn't being done? What are we doing wrong? Is there something we don't understand?

These are important questions. Answer me one question. "How do you share your faith, witness, or evangelize in your personal life to people around you?" Or maybe the question ought to be, "Do you witness and evangelize to the people around each day?"

Let me tell you how you probably witness. This is the most popular way and it also is the most ineffective way there is. It doesn't work.

Most Christians think that if they just live a consistent Christian, people will see it, figure it out, and come to Jesus. What is wrong with this approach? First, it isn't Biblical. This isn't how Jesus told us to share our faith. Yes, Jesus told us to live right before men. But, we are not to let living right be our only witness.

Living a constant Christian life without sharing the word of the Good News isn't enough. Likewise, sharing the word of the Good News without living a constant Christian life isn't enough either.

We need to understand that there are many ways to share our faith and evangelize.

- Peter was confrontational.

- Paul took an intellectual approach.

- The blind man (John 9) took a testimonial approach.

- Jesus with the woman at the well, used an invitational approach.

Our problem is that we, for the most part, don't try any of the approaches. We need to understand something. Peter wasn't the one who failed when he stepped out of the boat and began to sink. It was the eleven who waited to see what would happen to Peter that failed.

If we really believe the unchurched are important, then we would focus on them. Do we? We need to forget about having a passion for souls. We simply need a passion for Jesus.

II. Why do we need to go forth and share our faith? Because the lost are out there, they aren't in here. Nothing could be more irrelevant to them than a local church. Many of them have gone through the great divorce of religion. They have separated their spiritual longing from being fulfilled through a particular church.

Please note, they still have a spiritual longing, because God has placed that in everyone. They simply aren't looking for a fulfillment to that longing in the church. That is why a Friend Day is good.

Jesus was a very out going person. He enjoyed talking to strangers every where He found them and He found them everywhere.

Jesus always met people, strangers, on their own turf.

1. He entered into a leper's life so completely that He touched the sick man's body (Matthew 8:1-4).

2. He went into Zacchaeus', the tax collector, house and ate with him (Luke 19:1-10).

3. He broke a cultural barrier by associating with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 45-38).

4. He met Nicodemus in the middle of the night (John 3:1-21).

5. He picked little children up in his arms (Mark 10:13-16).

In these ways He touched people's lives and hearts, and they responded positively. Paul said, "To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (I Corinthians 9:22).

Illustration - Bill and the Deacon:His name was Bill. He had wild hair and wore a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans, and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He was brilliant. He became a Christian while attending college, but that hadn't changed his outward appearance.

Across the street from the campus was a very conservative, well-dressed congregation of believers. They wanted to develop a ministry to the students, but were not sure how to go about it. One day Bill decided to go there. He walked in with no shoes, jeans, T-shirt, and wild hair. the services had already begun. Bill started down the aisle looking for a seat. The building was completely packed and he could not find space. By then people were looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one said anything. Bill moved closer to the pulpit and, when he discovered there were no seats, he squatted down on the carpet.

Although his action would have been perfectly acceptable at a college fellowship, the members had never seen anything like this "in church". By now the people were really uptight, and the tension mounted. About this time the pulpit minister, who was seated up front on his "throne" observed one of the deacons slowly making his way toward Bill.

The deacon, in his eighties and wearing a three-piece suit, was a godly man, very elegant, dignified, and courtly. As he walked toward everyone was thinking, "You can't blame him for what he's going to do."

It took a long time for the man, leaning on a cane, to reach the boy. The audience was silent; all eyes were focused on the elder.

The pulpit minister waited also. He couldn't begin his message until the deacon did what he had to do.

But then the congregation watched as this elderly man dropped his cane on the floor and, with great difficulty, lowered himself and sat down next to Bill to offer praises to God with him so he would not feel alone.

Point: We can become all things to all people, that we might win some to Jesus. How have you touched lives for Jesus this week?

After Jesus returned to heaven, the church's leaders clearly modeled Jesus' willingness to interact with strangers because Jesus still wants to strike up conversation with strangers. Now the members of the body of Christ's church are His eyes, His smile, His mouth; so we must be alert for the Holy Spirit's leading. Because of this we must be ready for any conversation the Holy Spirit schedules.

We are told to "not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels" (Hebrews 13:2). However, we live in a society that is increasingly darkened by isolation and loneliness. We tell our child to not speak to strangers (Stranger Danger) and this is good instructions, but unfortunately most of us adults also avoid strangers.

The Holy Spirit is at work among the strangers who surround us every day. If we want to follow Christ's example we need to scan our own crowds as well:

1. Looking carefully for people who are hungry to meet Jesus.

2. Looking for the hurting to share cheerful conversation of hope.

The power of public acceptance and love is often all that is needed to bring salvation home to them. In other words, people need friends.

III. Our world is full of people who are so staved for a listening ear that they'll pour their hearts out to complete strangers.

We need to soak our day in prayer before it begins, so we'll be ready for any conversation the Holy Spirit schedules.

As you build friendships with people and earn their trust and respect you can share your faith in a wonderful way. People no longer ask for you to give evidence that there is a God. They want to know about the experience. People are hungry and longing for information and help for their lives. They don't want church talk. They want to know if Jesus is real in your life. There is a great emptiness in most lives.

There is a lot of confusion concerning which God is the real one. People don't know whether the Mormon Book, the Koran, the New Age writings, or the Holy Bible is the true revelation of God. They don't know which to believe. How do they know Jesus is real? Just because the church says so. That doesn't work. Because there are Mosaic, Temples, and Shrines saying there's is the truth. How do they know? By seeing Jesus is real in you.

They may only see the truth if you share it. How important are your words of faith? No price can be put on them. So, what are we missing when we fail to speak for Jesus? What is being lost for the kingdom of God when we don't evangelize our friends.

Would you rather be known as a Jesus freak to people here on earth, or as one who failed to share your faith to the Father in heaven?

So, yes people need to see Jesus in your life on a daily bases, but they have to be approached about their own need. What attracts them to Jesus is an invitation by a trusted friend. Friends listen to friends. You and I need to naturally communicate our faith. When we do we will see people come to Jesus.

Conclusion:

We need to be a people who values the lost and reach them for Jesus more than we do now. We need to be a church that loves the lost. We need to be a people that have a passion for Jesus. I'm praying to that end. Let's commit together to fulfilling the purpose Jesus gave for this church.

Let's come this morning and commit ourselves to sharing our faith with our friends and strangers alike.

(Preached at Woodville Baptist Church, Mitchell, Indiana on October 4, 1998, by Glenn A. Hamer, Senior Pastor.)