REACHING THE LOST
Preparing Our People
to Reach the Lost!
--- Prepared, Preached by Dr. Edward Watke, Jr. ---
Associate Pastor
at Riverview Baptist Church, Ripplemead, VA
- 1997 -
(Ideas shared from the book, “Concentric Circles of Concern” by Mr. W. Oscar Thompson Jr.)
Table of Contents
I. The Most Important Word. . . In Any Language! pg. 1
2. A Most Important Discovery. . . Reaching People Through Relationships pg. 3
3. The Importance of YOU. . . The Person God Wants to Use! pg. 4
4. Reaching Out to the Immediate Family! pg. 6
5. Reaching Out to Your Relatives! pg. 7
6. Reaching Out to Your Judea, Samaria, Your World! pg. 8
7. The Greatest Need. . . Our Intercession! pg. 10
8. Reaching Out by Loving. . . Love is Meeting Needs! pg. 11
9. Overcoming Barriers. . . So That We Can Reach Out! pg. 15
10. Building Bridges. . . In Order to Reach Out to Others! pg. 19
11. Appealing to the Lost. . . Confronting With the Gospel! pg. 23
12. Fulfilling God’s Purpose For Our Lives! pg. 25
RIVERVIEW BAPTIST CHURCH. . . PASTOR SHAHN WILBURN
PREPARING OUR PEOPLE to REACH the LOST!
We want to build on the former studies about witnessing, soul-winning, and general truths that prepare us! In this study we especially want to address a church’s outreach through the people God has given to the local church.
Introduction:
• How are churches to reach their communities, their towns, cities, areas?
(Consider Acts 1:8.)
• How should a church family reach out to those who do not have Christ?
• What is the best way to have a harvest?
• Should we basically go door to door to the unknown with whom we have
no prior contact or knowledge?
• What is Biblical, New Testament Evangelism?
• Is there any one method that will bring a far greater number of people to Christ? If so, how is it done? What is it? What does the Bible teach?
I. THE MOST IMPORTANT WORD.... IN ANY LANGUAGE:
What is the most important word? Is it love? It would seem so to most people!
A. That Word is: RELATIONSHIPS!
1. The thing that satisfies the deepest longing of your being is a
relationship with someone!
2. The most important word in any language, apart from proper nouns,
is relationship!
3. There is something in the nature of people -- there is something built
into people that God put there -- that brings these desires:
• to be wanted, • to be needed,
• to be fulfilled,
• to be accepted, or to be affirmed
(These desires are fulfilled only in relationships.)
4. Consider the following . . . these have to do with relationships!
Ponder the impact of these hurtful relationships and what it does to lives!
• A child separated from his parents. A child angry with his parents.
Parents who do not accept their child.
• The resentment and misunderstanding that separated you from a friend who you have known for years.
• An argument, hostility, bitterness, and scorn that builds to separation or maybe even divorce -- between a husband or wife.
• A crisis with an employee or employer.
• Times of resentment and rupture with family members or relatives.
List all the dark, sad, unhappy times in our life and you will see that the vast majority of these times were created by ruptured or strained or broken relationships. What brings the greatest sorrow in our lives?
B. Consider the IMPORTANCE of relationships! (See II Timothy 3:1-5.)
1. When society ceases to treasure relationships, it will decay. Is that happening in our churches today?
2. When manners become coarse and cheap and people are treated horribly.
3. Natural affection is often replaced by self-love, rebellion, and godlessness.
4. People who live totally for self will treat others as little in value.
5. Often hearts become thankless, ceasing to show appreciation.
6. Relationships DO have a great impact on what you are!
7. All of human history could be summed up in relationships . . . such as,
• broken marriages, or • solid marriages
• broken homes, or • stable, happy homes
• unsuccessful businesses, or • successful businesses
• divided churches, or • ministering churches
• weak governments, or • good governments
• chaotic nations, or • strong, stable nations.
• joyous times, or • hatred and anger
8. If you are in turmoil today -- probably it is because of a broken relationship with someone. Examine your life and consider what you are
doing in toward others.
C. Look at Two Basic Relationships of Life:
1. First is the vertical relationship we have with God, the Father.
2. The other is the horizontal relationships that we have with people.
3. When we have the proper relationship with God the Father
• through faith in Christ, (Jh 17:3; Rom. 5:1; Eph. 1:7; Acts 16:31)
• then we can have the proper relationships with others and we will
• deal with the basic problems in life. (Eph. 4:30-32; Col. 3:8-14)
4. The home is the context where we are to teach how to have right relationships.
• As parents -- husband with wife,
• parent with children and as brothers and sisters.
II. A MOST IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.... THE JOY OF REACHING PEOPLE THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS!
• What does the New Testament teach about reaching people for Christ?
• Is there a Biblical strategy seen throughout the New Testament? If so, what
is it and do we follow it today?
• Did the gospel to move along lines of relationships -- in Jerusalem, Judea,
Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth? Was it like waves that
reached out more and more toward others?
A. Recognizing God’s Plan:
1. Acts 20:20 says, “from house to house.”
• Andrew went to Peter, • Philip went to Nathaniel;
• the woman at the well went back to her city.
• Cornelius went to his household;
• the Philippian jailer reached his household;
• The wild man of the Gadarenes (clothed and in his right mind), obeyed Christ’s command to go home to his friends to tell them what great things the Lord had done for him.
2. All of this was very natural. But we seem to basically teach people to go to a stranger they do not know.
• with no prior relationship; • no prior knowledge of that person.
B. Recognizing Our Part: The gospel is to move on continuous lines -- on lines of relationships.
• God holds us accountable for our circles of influence! (Consider:)
• God holds you accountable for every person who comes into your
sphere of influence -- into YOUR circles of personal influence!
C. Recognizing the Importance --
1. of natural God-given circles of influence to draw people to Christ, and
2. the importance of building relationships that will draw people to salvation.
III. THE IMPORTANCE OF Y O U .... the PERSON GOD WANTS TO USE:
We want to look at the center circle, number one - - Self, and what makes possible “rivers of living water flowing through your life.” (See John 7:37-39.)
A. If SELF is NOT RIGHT -- we have Big Problems!
1. Self is your biggest problem and my biggest problem. (Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6)
For either Christ or self is on the throne of the life. (I Pet. 3:15a)
2. In the sinful lifestyle so often lived by saved people, the attitude is:
• “I love me, and I want you to make me happy.”
• “As long as you meet my conditions, everything is going to be alright.”
3. Our most important relationship is with Christ, the Son, with the Holy Spirit and with the Father.
• The Father has laid down the basis for all other relationships.
(Jh 17:3; I Jh 1:3-2:2; James 5:16; I Jh. 4:7-21)
• The only way we can come to the Father is on the Father’s conditions.
• When we accept His conditions, we forfeit forever the right to choose whom we will love or not love. (II Cor. 5:14-20)
• Too often we love others based on our choice, depending on: age, looks, size, color, race, sweetness, personality, or hostility, etc.
4. Self will only be right when we accept Christ’s Lordship. (Rom. 14:9)
5. When He becomes LORD of our lives, He is going to draw people into our circles who will not be lovely. But we are to love them! (Rom. 5:5)
B. Most Churches are very SELF-CENTERED!
1. They become cliquish.
2. They exist as “mutual admiration” societies.
3. The church is to be a body: (Rom. 12; I Cor. 12)
• growing, • developing, • ministering, • reaching out,
• using gifts, • meeting needs of people, • making disciples!
4. Having self-centered people means having a self-centered church!
C. LOOKING at the Real YOU! Ministry begins with YOU, as one indwelt by
the Holy Spirit! (Eph. 5:18-21; Rom. 8:11-14; 16-17; Gal. 5:22-23)
1. Be REAL as a person! (That reality is only in a Christ-controlled life.)
• Be genuine • Do not wear masks • Don’t play games with people
• Don’t play-act • Be mature
2. Don’t be controlled by an INFERIORITY Complex!
Christ is your sufficiency!
• 95% of children feel inferior by the time they are six.
• Know your security in the Lord, in His promises, in His presence.
• Let the Lord control your thoughts, attitudes about self.
(Prov. 4:23; 23:7; Phil. 4:8; Matt. 12:33-35;
Psa. 139:23-24)
3. Build BALANCE Into Your Life!
• Do you lack balance? Do you have the right motives, priorities, purposes or is self on the throne of your life? (Matt. 6:33)
• Why are we so easily intimidated?
• Do we serve out of a guilty conscience?
• Do we serve to secure personal fulfillment?
• Do we serve the Lord to feel good about ourselves?
• Are we creating an artificial world?
• Do we try to find answers by human reasoning, rather
than in the Word of God?
• Do we take everything to the Cross? Are we willing to die to self?
• Are we willing to “live unto Him and by His faithfulness”? (Gal. 2:20)
We reach people by being saved and becoming the mature, surrendered self that God can use! (Matt. 16:24-25; Luke 9:23-24)
IV. REACHING OUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY!
As we move from Self and circle one, we want to look at the second circle ..... our immediate family!
A. Those of our Immediate Family
1. These are the people who live under your own roof.
2. If you are single, (away from home) then it would include your brothers, sisters, parents who may live elsewhere, but are a part of your immediate family.
B. Meeting the Family Needs
1. Love is meeting needs. If I am not allow God to use me to meet my families needs -- then my evangelism becomes hypocrisy.
2. What is my daily responsibility to my wife, husband, etc.
3. Maybe your circle of family does not have lost people in it - still minister.
4. Remember, if we are not meeting needs of our loved ones, why do we
think that in evangelism we will meet needs of the lost?
5. Listen to meet needs. If we do not listen with the heart to the needs of
our loved ones... how can we honestly reach out to the needs of the lost?
6. If we don’t truly love the family with whom we live how can we reach
out to the lost around us?
V. REACHING OUT TO RELATIVES, (beyond the immediate family, circle 3)
A. List the Names of all of Your Relatives
1. Get as much information about them as you can.
2. Fill out a survey sheet for each person. (Sample at end of these lessons.)
3. Find ways to meet their needs.
4. Show interest in them; allow the Lord to love them through you.
5. Love is meeting needs.
6. Pray for each one of them regularly.
B. Pray in Specifics:
1. James 4:2; Intercede for their immediate, specific needs.
2. Intercede for their salvation, Gal. 4:19.
C. Be Available to the Holy Spirit:
1. Allow the Holy Spirit to use you to meet the person’s (s) deepest need.
2. Be available to God, allow Him to love the lost through you. (Rom. 5:5)
Redeem the time; use it. (Col. 2:6)
VI. REACHING OUT TO YOUR JUDEA, SAMARIA, AND TO YOUR WORLD:
You can’t meet the needs of the whole world, but you can meet the needs of your world.
We are talking here about your evangelism. It is the plan of the Father for us to have a specific strategy to reach our world, and say, “Father here am I, use me as you would desire.”
A. Reaching Your World -- of Close Friends, (circle 4)
1. Make a survey of friends, or we will forget many we have met over the
years.... whose lives we still need to touch.
2. You need a structure for your evangelism, or nothing will be done.
3. Nothing ever becomes dynamic until it becomes specific.
4. Some people in your circle are already saved, they have needs too, hurts, and burdens. Meeting needs must become your life-style!
5. God wants to use your friendship opportunities to bring lost ones to Himself.
B. Reaching our Neighbors, Business Associates, School friends: (circle 5)
1. It is imperative to work up survey sheets on these as well.
2. Allow the Lord to burden your heart.
3. We must find out about people -- because we care.
4. We must know our neighbors, minister to them, love them -- before we
can expect to have a hearing for the gospel.
5. Love is meeting needs wherever we are!
6. We must have a real, deep love for the Savior! (I Pet. 1:8)
C. Reaching Out to the Acquaintance (s) You See About You! (circle 6)
1. People in the grocery store, or a restaurant -- waitress, etc..
2. Those who wait on you at any given place of business.
3. Any person you know casually. God put them and YOU there for a purpose.
4. Give the person recognition, praise, and encouragement!
5. Make them feel they are a person of value!
6. Ministering lovingly helps to open people’s hearts.
7. Know their names -- “hearing their name is like music to their ears.”
D. Reaching Out to Strangers, Person X ... Those Around You! (circle 7)
1. Person X may be in someone else’s circle 3. Or Person X may be in someones circle 2.
2. Acts 1:8 tells us we are to be reaching out to both - and at the same time!
3. My world is not your world, and your world is not my world.
4. If all of us will reach out to our worlds together, we can reach the whole world.
5. When we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us, to control us, He has ways of drawing people into our circles of concern.
Conclusions:
• If you love everyone in your circles, you will find there is a holy
magnetism through your life.
• God will draw people through you unto Himself.
• Remember . . . love is meeting needs!
• People will pass into and out of your life, brought into your life by the Lord.
• When someone touches you (could be on that bus, in a taxi, on the street, etc.) do they touch God’s power?
• You never know when someone may suddenly come into your life!
• You may never see him again, you only have one opportunity in his
lifetime. Will he be touched by God’s power through you?
• The Holy Spirit is a resident in the life of the saved, but He desires to move through your life, as well, as He speaks to people through your ministry to them.
VII. THEIR GREATEST NEED -- OUR INTERCESSION:
(Lk 11:1-13; 18:1-8; Matt. 7:7-8; Mk. 11:20-26; Gal. 4:17)
• The one indispensable ingredient in a great church, the one so necessary for a close walk with God, is knowing HOW TO PRAY.
• Too often we only pray when things are falling apart, when tragedy strikes.
• We need to continually pray for all seven circles of concern.
• As Christ prayed all night, we must recognize that our greatest and first ministry must be intercession. (James 4:2; Lk 11:1, 9-10)
A. Pray That Your Love May Abound
1. Phil. 1:9- We need abounding, abundant, divine love flowing through us.
2. We need insight, wisdom, and divine direction to know HOW to minister
to those around us in meaningful, heart-touching ways. (Eph. 3: 16-20)
3. We need to be able to discern the Holy Spirit’s work in lives, sense when
the person is more open because of the seasons of the soul.
B. Pray To be Right Yourself!
1. James 1:5 -- Wisdom comes from much prayer and seeking God’s face.
2. We must take self before the throne of grace and be sure that self has a clean heart and a right spirit. (Psa. 51:10, Prov. 28:13; Psa. 66:18).
3. We need:
• clean consciences, • dealing with our personal sin,
• keeping short accounts with God, • walking in personal revival,
• letting the Lord work through us.
4. If love is to flow, then, we must:
• correct hurting relationships, confessing sin, reconciling, repenting.
• put away bitterness, resentments, anger, and any other sin that has destroyed relationships.
• allow Christ to be LORD of our lives, surrendering forever the right to
to choose whom we will love.
C. Learn HOW to Intercede:
1. Pray for the Father to engineer circumstances in lives to draw them to Himself and that they may be open to your ministry. Be specific!
2. Ask the Lord, “Lord, be in me boldness to confront them with your love and with your message of forgiveness and salvation in Christ.”
3. “Lord, make me available.” Then do loving things. Show that you really care whether they respond immediately or not, stay at it!
4. Do your surveys... then truly intercede, expecting the Lord to work in
preparing hearts and lives for the message of the gospel.
5. God specializes in the impossible! Allow the Lord to use YOU!
6. Have a heart expectation -- expect, by faith, that God is at work.
(Psa. 62:5; Heb. 11:6)
VIII. REACHING OUT BY LOVING . . . LOVE IS MEETING NEEDS:
• God designed human beings for love. From Genesis through Revelation, God commands us to LOVE!
• Deut 6:5; Matt. 22:37-38; Mark 12:30 -- All these command us to
love God with all our hearts, and souls and minds.
A. The Command To Love:
1. We see we are commanded to love God. Love is meeting NEEDS. And you say, “But God does not have needs, so how can I love Him?”
2. Matthew 25:35-40 teaches us that ministering to others is:
“doing it unto the Lord.”
• When you love people in Jesus’ name, you are loving Jesus.
• When the souls of people that are precious to Jesus become precious to us... then we are loving God with all our hearts, souls, and minds.
• We do not truly love God until we become a channel of His love in meeting the needs of others.
• Love is meeting needs!
3. We are to love our neighbor (Matt. 22:39: Mk 12:31) as ourselves,
even though they may be difficult, unlovely, harsh, unkind.
B. The Resource of Love Is In the Holy Spirit: (Rom. 5:5)
1. God’s plan for your life is that HIS love flow through your life as you reach out to others and meet their needs.
2. You do not meet other’s needs out of your reservoir. We do not have a
personal reservoir of ability or of love. (Jh 15:1-8; Matt. 11:28-30)
3. We are to meet needs out of God’s reservoir. Pray: “Father, I want to be a channel of your love ... you can use!”
“Dear Lord, you left me here on earth, so you can minister through me and reach out and take ahold of people through a relationship cemented by your agape love.”
4. Some, in your circles of influence, may not be lovable.
• God wants to give unconditional love through us.
• We do not get our motivation from our love for people... but from
our love for Jesus. (II Cor. 5:14-15; Jh 21:15-17)
• Seeing the needs of humanity will never motivate us enough to love the world. Only as we love the Lord will we reach out to the lost.
(Jh 21:15-17. . . Peter,(you, me) do you love me? ... feed my sheep.)
5. We get frustrated, and we can become bitter and disillusioned because we try to love people in our own strength. (Phil. 4:13)
• They do not respond like we think they should.
• Our resources are not adequate. We may be basically ministering to their needs to get our needs met.
• Others will sense our wrong motive and turn away from us.
6. Our love for God must precede our love for the lost.
• If we love God, we will love whom He loves.
• To love without action, without meeting needs, is not love.
• Every time you find God loving man, God is meeting needs.
• Every believer must work through Romans 6, 7 and chapter 8. And come to the place of living the overflowing life. (Rom. 8:1-4)
C. The Giving of Love:
1. Consider the revelation of God’s love: (Jh 3:16,17; Rom. 5:8; I Jh 4:19)
• His love is not based on feelings.
• What kind of feeling did Jesus have when He went to the Cross?
• It was our need that sent Him to the Cross... and by His act He met
our need.
• Agape love is meeting needs! (Matt. 5:43-44; James 2:8-9)
2. In your circles of influence you will find all kinds of people:
• some unkind, • some difficult, • some unloving,
• some angry, and bitter, etc. • some indifferent, uncaring,
• Allow Him to reach out to them, through you, by His love.
3. Consider proper motivation:
• Such love does not depend upon feelings.
• Feelings fluctuate; love is stable.
• Love stems from a deep motivation. That motivation does not come from circumstances, but by the overflow of His love in us.
4. Genuine love does not depend on:
• the person whom you are loving returning that love, or
• to be receptive to that love, or to love first.
God engineers circumstances to bring people into your life and how you respond either gives you the opportunity to share the gospel with them... or lose it. These opportunities are Divine appointments given by God!
5. God’s love through us is a Holy Love... a sacred love:
• Our word should be our bond... we keep what we say.
• Love should not have a price. (Consider Esau... Heb. 12:12-17 --
In Esau’s life nothing was sacred. Everything had a price, even his
birthright had a price.)
• Love -- no matter what it costs you, tell the truth, for your word must
be sacred. Your love should not have a price.
• God’s love does not have a price. It is pure. It will go to all lengths.
It does not call for payment, it is sacred, it is holy.
Consider. . . in review:
1. The key to a fulfilled life is relationships.
2. Things do not satisfy -- relationships do.
3. The most important word in any language is relationships.
4. The first and most important relationship is with the Heavenly Father.
• When HE becomes LORD of our lives, we forfeit forever the right to choose whom we will love or not love.
• When He is LORD, then He releases his love in us and through us to build right relationships.
5. He uses those relationships to draw unsaved unto Himself as we minister the gospel message and He would meet needs of people (saved and unsaved) through us.
6. We are accountable for our circles of influence.
7. God established the home as the basic institution in which God seeks:
• to teach the sacredness of relationships and
• how to establish and nourish those relationships.
8. The home was designed to teach relationships. When this institution fails, many children are left mentally, emotionally and spiritually crippled for life.
• It is the responsibility of parents to practice Biblical, God-honoring
relationships.
• Children need to grow up in a home of: -- peace, -- honor,
-- unity, -- respect, -- acceptance and -- love.
IX. OVERCOMING BARRIERS . . . SO THAT WE CAN REACH OUT:
There are many barriers to evangelism. These barriers serve to keep--
• the Christians separated from the unsaved,
• and the unsaved separated from the Christian.
• Barriers are often equally difficult to cross from either side.
• These barriers are both spiritual and natural. (Consider I Cor. 9:22.)
• A barrier is anything in our lives that hinder sharing the gospel.
These barriers exist --
• on the part of the saved who should be reaching out into their circles of influence.
• and on the part of the unsaved, who resist the message of the gospel.
In spite of barriers. . . we are to share the gospel. . . The Good News!
A. What Is the Great Message?
1. It is the good news, used 75 times in the New Testament.
2. It is the Greek, word, euangelion, meaning good sound, the message
of God’s good news about man’s redemption.
3. It should be only natural that we share the most blessed news.... the
gospel with those who are close to us with whom we have developed
a relationship.
B. Some Barriers Grow Out of the Nature of the Message of the Gospel.
1. The message of repentance is often a barrier to those who do not
want to even recognize their own sinfulness. (Acts 2:38; 20:20-21)
2. The desired sin of the lost person may be involved in an act, place, or person, and he does not want to face his sinful life-style.
3. Also the message of the cross is foolishness to the lost, (I Cor. 1:18),
and an offense (Gal. 5:11) to their minds.
4. The thought of the lost is to save himself, or to perform good works.
(Jh 6:27-29)
5. The conditions of salvation are often misunderstood
and undesired by the lost person. (I Cor. 2:14; Eph. 2:1-3)
C. Often Christians are Artificial, and Hypocritical.
1. We carry the good news out to Person X somewhere, but we will
not carry it to the ones around us whom we know well.
2. We say -- “It is too hard to witness to those I really know.”
• If that is true, something is wrong with those relationships.
• In reality our love and concern is greater for ourselves that it is
for those who are closest to us.
D. Some Reasons Why We FAIL to Take the Message to Those We Know:
1. First, we may have broken relationships with those close to us.
• Ruptured relationships hinder the movement of the Holy Spirit
in our lives and in the life of the lost person. (Gal. 5:13-17, 22-26)
• Our witness is neutralized. Our words are rejected because of the
broken relationship. (Gal. 6:7-10)
• Hurts close the hearts of those who we should influence for Christ.
• We must correct those hurts, make restitution, ask for forgiveness,
and give forgiveness. (Col. 3:8-14)
2. The second barrier to sharing the gospel news with those we know is
fear of rejection, or the fear of failure.
• II Timothy 1:7 is very clear that fear does not come from God.
• In Acts 4:29-33 we read that the early church prayed for boldness
to witness! It is God’s will to give us boldness and ability to share
the gospel to those we know the best.
• In I Peter 3:15-16 we are commanded to “sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts, being always ready to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give an account for the hope that is in us....”
• The issue is: Do we love the Lord and obey Him? (Read and study John 14:21.)
-- We must agree with what God has told us to do!
-- When we obey HIM, then He becomes very real to us!
-- The Lord becomes conspicuous or real in our lives if we obey
Him. He will reveal Himself to us! (John 14:21-23)
-- Christ wants to be so real, you feel His presence -- you can’t ignore
Him -- you make no decision without Him. He will give boldness!
3. The third barrier hindering many from reaching out in love to people in their circles of influence is that -- they have never truly known HIM
who is LOVE.
• Do YOU truly know Christ as Savior and Lord? (I Jh 5:11-13)
• Has He made you His child? (Jh 1:12-13; 3:1-7)
• Do you have the assurance of being His? (Jh 6:37; 5:24)
• Do you have a new life in Christ? (II Cor. 5:17-20)
• By virtue of having Christ, the love of God is shed abroad in your
heart! Is that true of you? (Rom. 5:5)
4. Fourth: After salvation, we have not accepted the fact that we are to be ambassadors, taking the gospel to all who God puts in our path.
(II Cor. 5:17-21)
• An ambassador is one who represents someone other than himself
at the court of another.
• We are left here on planet earth (after salvation) that we might present the Lord to those who do not know Him.
• Wherever we go -- teaching school, running a business, buying
groceries, at the office, at the factory, on the street -- we are
to represent Christ and the gospel message.
• He has given to us the ministry of reconciliation!
5. Fifth: We feel we must wait until we are ready, therefore we never get around to ministering to our circles of influence. (II Pet. 3:15)
• We must be involved NOW!
• God takes you, uses you NOW, where you are, based on your
availability!
• It is not a ministry sometime later -- don’t waste a life, it is now.
(II Cor. 6:2; Heb. 2:1-3)
• Allow the Holy Spirit to fill your life, to control you. He will use
your personality as He produces Christ’s character in your personality. (Eph. 5:18; Rom. 14:17)
• He will set you free to speak freely, openly, joyfully about Christ.
• Our everyday life-style is to reflect Jesus! (Col. 2:3, 5-7)
• Wherever He puts us, wherever we go, we have a ministry -- to allow
Him to produce His character in us. Thus He will love through us!
CONSIDER:
A. Do you want Christ to be real in your life? ? ? ?
1. Then obey Him. (Jh 14:21; Matt. 28:18-20)
2. You must say, “Father, I do not care what it costs. I do not care what I have to do. I will obey your will, your Word.”
3. The criteria is God’s criteria -- to “make disciples of all nations.”
Consider the meaning of Matthew 28:18-20.
4. You and I are responsible for everyone in our circles of influence. Not the whole world -- but our world!
5. God’s grace is sufficient, we just must be available!
B. Do you want true, biblical fulfillment in your life?
1. It comes when HE is in control in your life!
2. It is real when you are right with others with no broken relationships.
(Matt. 6:14-15)
3. We have fulfillment when pride is put away and we sweetly, obediently
reach out in Christ’s love.
4. What makes you happy? What excites you, what satisfies you?
• When you build loving relationships and reach those for Christ.
• Ever been around someone who really loves you and cares for you? That satisfies -- then go and do likewise!!
• Come to the Cross, allow the Lord to meet the need of your heart,
your spirit, your inner man! Let Him FILL YOU with His presence!
(Jh 14:13-21, 27; 15:9-17; 16:13-15, 23-24, 33)
“Father, as we reach out to our circles of influence, show us the barriers in our lives that need to be overcome. Help us to be obedient to you and to take comfort in your presence and love.”
X. BUILDING BRIDGES . . . IN ORDER TO REACH OUT TO OTHERS:
First we must do our survey (note the survey sheet). This ought to be done for each circle of influence.
Second, we must begin to really intercede for those in our circles of influence.
Third, we will need to do out very best to tear down the barriers.
Fourth, we will need to build bridges to these people. (I Cor. 9:22)
A. We Need to Work With the Receptive-Responsive People:
1. We must realize that some people are receptive-responsive people, and some are, at any given time.
2. Those in our circles of influence are the ones most likely to be receptive-
responsive, if we have been doing our part.
3. We must invest our priority-time reaching those who are receptive because:
• time is short, • resources are limited,
• it follows the biblical example,
• through discipling others we will produce the greatest results.
4. We need to reach out to those who are receptive-responsive:
• so we can be as fruitful as possible,
• so we can reach the winnable, while they are winnable.
• Their receptivity may not continue a long period of time.
B. People Vary In Receptivity at Different Times!
1. Some who may be receptive today may be closed of heart tomorrow.
2. Receptivity varies from person to person, and also from time to time.
3. People change with the passage of time and the change of events.
4. Those who are unreceptive and indifferent can be cultivated.
5. Those who have a hard heart toward God can become soft of heart.
6. Such changes in receptivity could be referred to as “Seasons of the soul.”
• Just as there is a season to plant and a season to harvest, so there are
times in the seasons of people’s lives when they are “ripe to harvest,”
or they become responsive to the gospel message. (Jh 4:34-38)
• The season of the soul is a tender time in the heart of the unsaved.
7. Consider these questions:
• What produces seasons of the soul?
• What makes a person more receptive to God?
• What softens a person who is hardened to the gospel?
Some will be more receptive at times of joy, others at times of sorrow and loss,
some at times of special milestones in life. We need to be aware of these times.
C. Factors that produce Seasons of the Soul!
1. Super-natural factors that make a person receptive-responsive:
• The conviction of the Holy Spirit that causes the person to see
his sinfulness, lostness, and its result in his life.
• The convicting power of the Word of God that has been shared.
• The guidance of the Holy Spirit that brings a person to understand
his lost condition and the provision of salvation in Christ. (Tit. 3:5)
2. Natural factors that make a person more receptive to the Lord. These
produce some of the seasons of the soul.
• marriage, • the birth of a child, • sickness,
• or death in the family, • job change, such as being fired,
• financial stress or loss, • being jailed, or some other crisis,
• moving to a different location, • experiencing rootlessness,
• birthdays, • anniversary, • special events.
All of these have to do with some shock to the person ... some loss or
tragedy in life ... some special time of joy, celebration, or it can be a dramatic change that changes the way the person views life!
D. Receptivity Must Extend to both Message and Messenger!
1. People do reject both at times.
2. Maybe some will reject the message while they accept the messenger.
3. Others may accept the message of the gospel, but reject the messenger.
4. Consider Matt. 19:21-22; 13:54-47; I Cor. 1:23; Rom. 11:9; Matt. 10:14.
5. Many times those who are close to us are also receptive to the gospel, if
they see Christ in us, know our love, and are responsive to us personally.
• If the relationship is positive -- a trust has been built.
• If a close relationship has been established -- hence, we should use
that relationship to share the gospel.
E. We Must Build Bridges to Others -- for Receptivity CAN Be Cultivated:
1. It begins by winning the person to ourselves . . . by building the kind
of relationships we have already shared.
2. Before people will hear the gospel from your lips, you must establish
credibility by winning them to yourself.
3. You must take the initiative to contact them, begin building a friendship
if you have not been doing that.
4. Paul clearly taught that Christians should make contacts with people
for the gospel’s sake. (I Cor. 9:20-23)
5. Once you win the person to yourself, you must then win a hearing for
the message -- the gospel -- the good news of salvation in Christ.
• You demonstrate that Christ is meeting your needs. (II Cor. 9:8)
• You must point out that Christ Jesus is also sufficient to meet
their felt needs.
• Share with them the sufficiency of Christ by both victorious
Christian living and verbal testimony of what Christ has done for
you.
• Be open and transparent with people you are trying to influence for Christ.
• Allow them to see you have problems, burdens just like they do, but
God helps you through them. (Phil. 4:19; 4:13)
• Share with them how God is meeting your needs and lifting your
burdens.
• Use the Word of God in this process. (Rom. 10:17; I Pet. 2:2; 1:23)
• Expect the Lord to use YOU. (Heb. 11:1-2, 6)
• Trust the Holy Spirit to DO his WORK in the life! (See separate study)
• Stair-step the person to Christ!
7. I repent of my sin, and accept Christ.
6. I am willing to be saved.
5. I recognize I am reconciled to God through Christ.
4. I realize my sin has alienated me from God
3. I realize I am a sinner.
2. I know I am responsible to God.
1. I know there is a God.
Consider:
1. Showing people that they are special to you is building bridges.
2. Building bridges takes time, but there are few things that over the years
will bear more fruit.
3. There are many practical ways you can show people they are special.
(If such are shared in a class time, write them down, use them.)
4. An excellent time to build bridge, for example, is during times when the person is sick, or there is a death in the family.
5. During times of sorrow, (maybe in midst of marriage problems, difficulties
with a child, etc.) people are far more apt to be open to one’s interest and love shown to them.
6. Building bridges is a continual process. It should become a part of your
very life on a daily basis.
7. The closer we are to the Lord (loving Him) the more person-oriented we will
become.
8. We must work at building bridges to our circles of concern: our immediate family, relatives, close friends, neighbors, business associates, acquaintances, and person X who we don’t know.
We must build bridges to the whole circle of influence God has given to us!
9. Ask the questions:
• How can I touch this person?
• What can I do that will allow the Lord to use me to reach the
person for Him?
• How can I build a bridge, make a point of contact?
• How can I converse about the things that will interest him?
XI. APPEALING TO THE LOST. . . CONFRONTING WITH THE GOSPEL:
• We must make an appeal; we must confront people with the message of
the gospel. . . how to be saved.
• No one will ever knew how to be saved because we lived a Christian life before them. (Consider the questions in Romans 10:13-17.)
• Christ not only lived the perfect life (that did not bring anyone to him that we know of), but he talked to the people and brought them to himself.
• Even if we live a good life before them, they don’t know anything about the
source of that new life we have in Christ.
A. The Ministry of the Holy Spirit is Real:
1. His ministry is precious. As you pray for people, and to love them and meet their needs, then he will prepare their hearts; he will prepare you also. (Acts, chapter 10 -- Peter was prepared by the Lord.)
2. You must simply tell the individual what the Lord means to you, and
share how you got saved -- what the gospel is -- and the Holy Spirit will be at work in their lives.
B. It Must be a Ministry of Love: (Rom. 5:5; II Cor. 5:14; 5:19-20)
1. Our love for God must precede our love for the lost. If we don’t love the
Lord like we should, we will not have compassion on the lost.
2. If we really love HIM, we will love whom he loves.
• He loves them because without him they are lost. (Acts 4:12)
• He loves them because they are dead in trespasses and sins.
• It is not his will they should perish. (II Pet. 3:9; Jh 14:6)
3. It took the death of Jesus Christ to redeem man.
• He had to die, there was no other way; He is the only way.
• We need to weep over that. (Think about everyone in your circles of concern. . . see them as lost, without God, Christ, or hope.)
• A person cannot be changed until he realizes, “Without Christ, I am hopelessly and helplessly lost.” (Eph. 2:1-3)
4. The closer we get to God, the more we ought to value human life.
C. Most Have Never Heard a Clear Presentation of the Gospel:
1. They have been presented with churchianity!
2. They have been presented with a works system!
3. They know something about traditions in religion.
4. They have never had a presentation of the claims of Christ or the
blessed truth of salvation in Him. (Rom. 6:23; 5:6; I Jh 5:11-13)
5. They have a head knowledge about God, but not a heart knowledge
of Christ as their very own.
6. They have not turned their back upon Christ; they have never had a
clear presentation of salvation to even reject it or Him.
6. The times comes when we must confront the lost person with the
claims of the gospel.
• Rom. 1:14-16 • II Cor. 5:19-10
• I Pet. 3:15 • Jh. 1:29; 14:6; Acts 4:12
7. We must confront him with:
• Who Jesus is,
• What sin is,
• How God has provided for forgiveness of sin.
Note: You must study, and memorize a clear presentation of the gospel you would use to share Christ with the person.
XII. FULFILLING GOD’S PURPOSE FOR OUR LIVES:
• What is God’s purpose for us? (Consider Jh 15:1-8.)
• What is His goal? What kind of values should we have?
• What is the very purpose of our existence?
A. We Might Have Fruit-Bearing in Daily Life:
1. The fruit of the Spirit, so our lives may manifest Christ. (Gal. 5:22-23)
• Love -- the basis of any relationship.
• Joy -- the result of our relationships.
• Peace -- the result of all correct relationships, (because of forgiveness,
restitution, restoration in any and all relationships).
• Long-suffering -- (or patience) -- the maintenance of relationships.
• Gentleness -- the right attitude in relationships.
• Goodness -- the outgoing blessing of all our relationships.
• Faith -- the means of relationships.
• Meekness -- the submitted will to make relationships precious.
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