Sunday School Notes

Evangelism Truth:
 How Do We Evangelize?  Part 3

l  Can we share Christ in a way that strongly maintains our doctrines?

l  Evangelism is more a sowing event than a reaping event

l  God is responsible for results, but we can never become complacent to evangelize the lost

l  Only the regenerate can believe

•       The natural man is dead in his trespasses and sins, he must be regenerated before he can respond to the Gospel.

•       Unregenerate man will resist the gospel message…

l  Faith and Repentance is a Gift

l  Grace gives us faith and repentance

l  BUT, all over the Bible, God speaks to men in conditional language… “if you do this, I will do this…”

l  How then can we speak of irresistible grace?

l  2 Chronicles 30:6-12

•       God says to Israel, “You return to me, and I’ll return to you”, “Stop being resistant”, “Don’t stiffen your necks”…. some responded appropriately to God 

•       The hand of God was also on Judah…

•       God gave them a heart to do it!!

l  God Enables a Response

l  The condition stands, they have to return, they have to yield… But God does not stand back and wait for us to return unaided by His grace.

Bottom Line: When a condition is given to man, we should never jump to the conclusion that God leaves us to ourselves to fulfill the condition he that He gave us!!

l  Salvation is what God does!

l  Conditional talk should not be taken to mean that God is depending on us to meet the condition…

l  Call to repentance does not imply the unaided, un-empowered ability to do so

l  Lazarus Illustrates Regeneration

Jesus told Lazarus to “come forth” and that Lazarus came forth out of the tomb. He had to be made alive because a dead man cannot hear or respond (Jn. 11:43)

l  Regeneration immediately produces faith and repentance

Once regenerated, the immediate response is faith and repentance

l  Regeneration Inseparable from  Being Saved

•       By His grace, God “made us alive” Ephesians 2:4,5

•       Efficacious- always bringing forth the desired result

•       God “has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into” His kingdom (Colossians 1:13).

l  Psalm 3:8

“Salvation belongs to the Lord.”

l  How do I Witness to my Catholic friend?

The RCC states that justification is received not by faith, but by baptism.   The Catechism of the Catholic Church says in paragraph, 1992, that "...justification is conferred in Baptism, the sacrament of faith."

l  The Bible teaches that Justification=Declared “Saved”

Justification is the legal declaration by God upon the sinner where God declares the sinner righteous in His sight.  This justification is based completely and solely on the work of Christ on the cross. 

l  Problem: the Roman Catholic church denies the Biblical teaching on Justification

l  The Roman Catholic Church denies the reality of Justification by faith alone, they believe it is a process of performing the Roman Catholic sacraments

l  Roman Catholics hold to the doctrine stated at the Council of Trent:

"If any one shall say that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in the divine mercy pardoning sins for Christ's sake, or that it is that confidence alone by which we are justified ... let him be accursed," (Canon 12, Council of Trent)

l  We Believe the Bible that says that we are Justified by Faith

Because righteousness cannot come through the Law (through our efforts of merit), the Bible declares that we are justified before God by faith.

l  Romans 3:28

"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law,"

l  Romans 4:3

"For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness,"

l  Romans 4:5

"But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness"

l  Romans 5:1

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"

l  Ephesians 2:8

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God,"

l  The Gospel for Roman Catholics

Catholics appeal to their works, in combination with the sacrifice of Christ as a means of being justified before God.

 That is not the Gospel!

l  The Council of Trent states the Roman Catholic doctrine:

"If any one saith, that man is truly absolved from his sins and justified, because he assuredly believed himself absolved and justified; or, that no one is truly justified but he who believes himself justified; and that, by this faith alone, absolution and justification are effected; let him be anathema." (Canon 14).

l  What’s the Big Deal?????

The RC church makes justification something that is earned.

BUT, the Bible teaches we cannot earn justification or merit justification in any way.  If we could, then Christ died needlessly. 

l  Galatians 2:21

"I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly"

l  The RC Churches teaches…

Baptism is only the initial grace along the road of justification. 

Once baptised, the Roman Catholic is to maintain his position before God by his efforts.

l  The RC Priest Performs Baptism

For the Roman Catholic, faith (by grace) is not the instrument of obtaining justification; instead, it is handed out by the priest at baptism, and continually sought through the keeping of the sacraments.

l  Even the catechism of the Roman Catholic church denies justification by faith alone:

l  "No one can MERIT the initial grace which is at the origin of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can MERIT for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain eternal life, as well as necessary temporal goods," (Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), par. 2027).

l  Grace is not something earned!

l  The problem here is that the RCC is teaching us to "merit for ourselves and for others all the graces need to attain eternal life."   

l  Scriptures for explaining biblical doctrine to the Roman Catholic:

1. The Bible is the final authority

                  (Matt 4:4; Rom 3:4; John 17:17;      John 8:32,36)

2. Mary was a sinner - not sinless

                    (Luke 2:21-24; Rom 3:10,23)

3.  Mary needed a Saviour (Luke 1:47)

4. Jesus had brothers and sisters   (Matt 12:46-50; 13:55,56; Mark 6:3; Gal 1:19)

5. There is no need to pray through Mary, or any saint     (1 Tim 2:5)

6. Religion and the traditions of men cannot replace the gospel (Mk.7:7,10)

7.  Salvation is not by works at all (Eph 2:8,9; Tit 2:5; Isa 64:5) no matter how good they are

8.  Watch out for anyone who forbids people to marry or to eat meats (1Tim 4:1-3)

9.  All pastors are certainly permitted to be married, it is considered normal (1Tim 3:2); Peter was married (Mt 8:14)

10.  Baptism is NOT important to our salvation (1Cor 1:17) - it is only for after salvation.

11.  Jesus hates the Rosary (Matt 6:7), and any other repetitious prayer!

12.  There is no purgatory (2 Cor 5:8; Heb 1:3; 9:27; Rom 8:1) - either heaven or hell!

13.  A person is justified only by faith alone in Christ Jesus (Rom 1:17; Gal 2:16)  

14.  Jesus finished paying for ALL of my sins on the cross (John 19:30)

Evangelism Truth

HBC New Lenox Sunday School Notes, January 2, 2011

Arvid Svendsen, Sr. Pastor

 How Do We Evangelize?

l  Can we share Christ in a way that strongly maintains our doctrines?

Methodology Flows from Theology

l  What is the Biblical Model?

l  What is our role and what is God’s role?

l  What is the Gospel?

l  Should we hide certain doctrines?

l  Does our witnessing betray our theology?

l  Do our evangelism materials accurately reflect a Biblical theology?

Foundational Principles for Evangelism

l  The highest goal in evangelism is to glorify God, not save souls

l  God alone brings results

l  The Holy Spirit must do the work, not our own fleshly techniques/personality/tactics

l  The gospel that is presented must be consistent with our doctrines

l  We are called to make disciples, not converts

Scriptural Basis

l  John 6:44

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

l  Titus 3:3-7

For we were also once foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 

l  Titus 3:3-7

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, who He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

l  Ephesians 2:4-7

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Is the Gospel we are presenting Man-Centered or God-Centered?

l  Our desire to see people saved can result in presenting a gospel that is attractive to man, but not accurate according to the Bible

View of God

If Me-Centered

1. Sell God on the basis of Him being a God who wants to give you all you want
2. God is subject to the will of the sinner who seeks for God

Conclusion:  God is your friend 

If God-Centered

1. Presents the cross in a way that is consistent with doctrine
2. God has the power to empower the will for choosing Christ

Conclusion:  God is King and Judge

View of Man

Me-Centered

1. Fallen but has the ability to choose God
2. Seeks truth but lacks correct facts
3. Needs salvation from consequences of sin.. Unhappiness

Conclusion:  Humanity is sick and ignorant

God-Centered

1. Fallen, unable to come to God by willpower
2. Mind at enmity with God; none seek God
3. Needs salvation from the wrath of God

Conclusion: Humanity is dead and condemned

View of Christ

Me-Centered

1. Savior from failure, sins, and hell.
2. Jesus exists for my benefit, my friend

Conclusion: Lordship something eventually happens but not necessary for salvation

God-Centered

1. Satisfies the wrath of God on the sinner.
2. Jesus brings glory to the triune God

Conclusion: Submission to Christ as Lord is necessary for salvation

God’s Ability, Our “Inability” in Evangelism:

l  We proclaim the Gospel without apology

l  We believe in the sovereignty of God to have placed us where we are

l  We do NOT seek to lure someone to a false confession

l  We seek the Holy Spirit’s working in our life and in the listener’s life

l  The love of Christ is evident

Therefore, Evangelism Materials:

1. Must understand God’s sovereignty in choosing men to salvation for His glory.
2. Must stress the total depravity of man… listener must know they are condemned.
3. Must present the demands of our Holy God who must punish sin
4. Must call men to faith and repentance
5. Close the sale? or trust God for results?

Seven “C’s” of Evangelism Truth

1.  Creation

l  Do you believe in God?

l  Do you believe that God is greater than man?

2.  Condemnation

l  When you die and stand before God, will He say you are sinless?

l  How can your sins be erased?

3.  Crucifixion

l  Who do you think Jesus Christ was?

l  Do you believe that Jesus was God who came to earth as a man?

4.  Conviction

l  Do you know that you stand condemned before God and are in need of forgiveness from sin?

l  Are you willing to repent from your sins?

5.  Calling

l  Do you sense that God is calling you to come to Jesus Christ?

l  Do you believe that if you come to Jesus Christ, you will be forgiven of all your sins and become a true child of God?

6.  Conversion

l  Do you believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, that He died on the cross, and that He rose again from the dead?

l  As God is speaking to you, are you willing to admit all your sins to Him and turn away from those sins in order to live completely for the Lord Jesus Christ?

7.  Completion

l  Do you know that God who saves you is also the God who completes your faith, that is, he strengthens your faith, and gives you His Holy Spirit to live inside you so you are able to grow?

l  Do you recall your commitment you made to Christ to repent?