Why Do We Do Evangelism? -- 1 Timothy 1:3-7, 12-15; 2:1-7
Why Do We Do Evangelism? -- 1 Timothy 1:3-7, 12-15; 2:1-7
by Pastor Lee Hemen
April 27, 2008 AM
Many people reject the concept of evangelism. They may think evangelistic efforts violate a person’s freedom. Others, though they believe in evangelism, refuse to take part in it for a variety of reasons. Time, effort, or the will to do it. They do not recognize that all Christians have a responsibility to participate in evangelism. God calls believers to do their part in evangelism. Today’s sermon encourages us to do our part in winning others to Christ. How and why we should do this is very important for us to understand anew for our world today.
We live in a time when many misunderstandings exist about salvation. Believing that all truth is subjective, many do not acknowledge objective truth: That there can only be one truth. Therefore they resist efforts at evangelism because they do not believe that any single road leads to salvation. Others may believe that objective truth exists, but they hold that many roads lead to salvation. Still other think that there is no God and man is only accountable to himself. The abundance of false teachings and of misunderstandings about salvation today underscores the need for Christians to do their part in evangelism. Let’s discover why we do evangelism.
READ: 1 Timothy 1:3-7, 12-15, 2:1-7
Paul warned Timothy not to tolerate false teaching in the church at Ephesus (vv. 3-11). This false teaching, based on Old Testament law, led the church to errors both in doctrine and behavior. Paul related...
I. The Need for Evangelism! (1 Timothy 1:3-7)
1. There is a need for the gospel to be proclaimed clearly! Paul reminds Timothy that he had strongly “urged” him to stay at Ephesus for a reason. It is tough language by the Apostle. Why? Because Paul wanted Timothy to “command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer.” Literally a different doctrine than what Jesus or His disciples taught! There were those who had come into the church and had begun to poison the simple gospel of Jesus by telling the new believers they needed to follow the Old Testament Law all over again. They wanted “promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith.” These legalists were heretics who had abandoned the gospel and were more concerned about their own legalism than the truth! Paul’s “goal,” however, was one of “love, which [came] from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith!” Not some ulterior motive like the legalists who were infecting the church. They had “wandered away” from the truth of the gospel and had instead “turned to meaningless talk!” Paul wrote that “They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.” By promoting myths and genealogies rather than the gospel, these false teachers had wandered away from acceptable teaching. Paul wanted Timothy to put them in their place. Like in Ephesus, today, there is a need for the gospel to be proclaimed clearly! This is the need of evangelism!
EXAMPLE: Legalism still rears its ugly head in the guise of Christianity. Whenever anyone says that “It is faith in Jesus, and...,” you know immediately they are adding to the gospel truth. They will mask it as “following God’s Law,” or that “Jesus followed God’s commandments,” but what they really saying is faith in Jesus is not good enough. You have to also follow their brand of legalism. Paul knew that legalism is poison to the soul. It wraps itself in self-righteousness, yet leads to spiritual death. Why? Have you followed all the commandments? Which ones are valid today? Are we still supposed to stone disobedient children? The commandments are more than what we find in the Decalogue in Exodus. They cover ministration, food choices, sacrifices, washings, ceremonies, and a lot of other things as well. Jesus did away with them all by His grace as it was extended to us because of His death on the cross. He left us with two commandments that cover all the others: Love God completely and others as yourself. There is a need for evangelism so that the gospel can be clearly proclaimed.
Unlike the “myths and genealogies” the false teachers promoted, the true gospel has the power to change people’s lives. Paul knew this firsthand and he shared this truth in a beautiful moment of thanksgiving with Timothy as he remembered what his own life had been like before knowing Jesus. Paul tells Timothy about...
II. The Truth of Evangelism! (1 Timothy 1:12-15)
1. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners! Paul was thankful for the “strength” and the ministry or “service” Jesus had given him. Paul knew that the “law was good” when it was properly understood, but the law could not save anyone. Only the “glorious gospel of the blessed God” in Jesus Christ could! Paul himself once a “blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man... was shown mercy because [he] acted in ignorance and unbelief!” He thought that legalism was the truth, but he was “shown mercy” when “the grace of our Lord was poured out on [him] abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” Paul shared the history of his own life to demonstrate the transforming power of the gospel. He was “the worst of sinners” before the Lord had transformed him! If the Law could have saved anyone, it would have been Paul! He had been, by his own words, “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee!” (Philippians 3:5) No one could claim a better “law” degree than Paul. Yet this closed-minded legalist was saved by faith alone in grace alone! Paul knew that only the grace of the Lord could save a person. After hearing the gospel, Paul realized that the grace of our Lord had been “poured out” on him “abundantly.” God had poured out His grace on Paul to a greater degree than he could ever have imagined possible. Only the true gospel had the power to change lives as it had changed Paul’s life! This truth stood at the heart of Timothy’s battle against legalism. Paul was the proof! Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. This is the truth of evangelism!
EXAMPLE: If we could save ourselves by observing the Old Testament Law, Jesus never had to die a horrible death on the cross. We could just worship on a certain day, eat certain foods, and sacrifice the ceremonial animals we all raise in our backyards! Many legalistic believers today make the error of demanding unqualified adherence to their own biblical interpretations. To avoid falling into the trap of legalism, we can start by holding fast to the words of the Apostle John, "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17), and remember to be gracious to others. While we need to be gracious to one another and tolerant of disagreement over disputable matters, we cannot accept heresy. We are exhorted to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints (Jude 1:3). If we remember these guidelines and apply them in love and mercy, we will be safe from both legalism and heresy. The truth of evangelism is that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, not to get us bound again to legalism and ritual.
Paul’s appointment as a herald, an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles gave him the opportunity to spread the gospel. The church in Ephesus was in danger of losing its evangelistic zeal. Paul urged believers then and now to move back to the basics—that Jesus died for sinners and wants all people to be saved. In this truth, Paul knew one of the most powerful weapons for a sin-sick world is prayer. Therefore he teaches Timothy about...
III. The Need for Prayer In Evangelism! (1 Timothy 2:1-7)
1. Prayer reaches the sin-deaf ear! Notice that Paul wrote to give Timothy confidence to face those who spread false doctrine and undercut the church’s commission to evangelize. Therefore, Paul’s first line of defense was prayer. In this verse, the apostle mentioned four different words for prayer: “requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving.” “Requests” included petitions individuals made of God. The term “prayers” referred to the spoken “breathed out” words one prays. “Intercessions” included prayers on the behalf of other believers, and the “thanksgivings” Paul mentioned was the spoken gratitude for God’s blessings. The apostle may not have intended any sharp distinction among the four terms, but the use of all four words emphasizes the importance of prayer in overcoming the false teaching in Ephesus and in winning the lost to Christ. Paul urged that these prayers “be made for everyone for kings and all those in authority.” Why? So “that we [Christians] may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” He knew who held earthly power and only heavenly intercession could influence it! The prayer of evangelism Paul related was “good and it pleases God our Savior who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” That is Jesus’ desire! We do not know who God draws to Himself, only He does, but we are to pray for the lost. Paul knew that “there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time!” If they could not speak to those in authority, they could certainly pray for those in power, that they would come to faith in Jesus. It is the prayer of evangelism that reaches the sin-deaf ear.
EXAMPLE: Legalism turns people away from the grace of Jesus. Why? It is judgmental and self-righteous in its attitude and actions. While the sinful world will one day be judged, we are to be about the mission of telling the good news. The Shepherd’s Scrapbook online relates that “Legalism is (most dangerously) a soteriological problem. That is, legalism is a false gospel. Legalism is the damning lie that says God’s pleasure and joy in me is dependent upon my obedience.” Tony Reinke goes on to relate “Legalism is the lie that God will find more pleasure in me because my obedience is greater than others or that God looks at me with disgust because I am not growing in grace as quickly as my friends. It is the failure to remember that God’s pleasure in us comes outside of us (in Christ). Legalism causes the heart to forget that God sings over us because of the work He has done, not because of what we have done (Zeph. 3:15-17).” This is what Timothy faced in Ephesus and Paul condemned. Paul said to Timothy, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-4) There is a need for prayer in evangelism because prayer reaches the sin-deaf ear.
Conclusion:
The need for evangelism, the truth of evangelism, and the need for prayer in evangelism.
---
NOTE: This article is copyrighted by Pastor Lee Hemen © 2008 and the property of Pastor Lee Hemen. You are welcome to copy it, email it, or use it but please if you copy it, email it, or use it you must do so in its entirety.
by Pastor Lee Hemen
April 27, 2008 AM
Many people reject the concept of evangelism. They may think evangelistic efforts violate a person’s freedom. Others, though they believe in evangelism, refuse to take part in it for a variety of reasons. Time, effort, or the will to do it. They do not recognize that all Christians have a responsibility to participate in evangelism. God calls believers to do their part in evangelism. Today’s sermon encourages us to do our part in winning others to Christ. How and why we should do this is very important for us to understand anew for our world today.
We live in a time when many misunderstandings exist about salvation. Believing that all truth is subjective, many do not acknowledge objective truth: That there can only be one truth. Therefore they resist efforts at evangelism because they do not believe that any single road leads to salvation. Others may believe that objective truth exists, but they hold that many roads lead to salvation. Still other think that there is no God and man is only accountable to himself. The abundance of false teachings and of misunderstandings about salvation today underscores the need for Christians to do their part in evangelism. Let’s discover why we do evangelism.
READ: 1 Timothy 1:3-7, 12-15, 2:1-7
Paul warned Timothy not to tolerate false teaching in the church at Ephesus (vv. 3-11). This false teaching, based on Old Testament law, led the church to errors both in doctrine and behavior. Paul related...
I. The Need for Evangelism! (1 Timothy 1:3-7)
1. There is a need for the gospel to be proclaimed clearly! Paul reminds Timothy that he had strongly “urged” him to stay at Ephesus for a reason. It is tough language by the Apostle. Why? Because Paul wanted Timothy to “command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer.” Literally a different doctrine than what Jesus or His disciples taught! There were those who had come into the church and had begun to poison the simple gospel of Jesus by telling the new believers they needed to follow the Old Testament Law all over again. They wanted “promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith.” These legalists were heretics who had abandoned the gospel and were more concerned about their own legalism than the truth! Paul’s “goal,” however, was one of “love, which [came] from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith!” Not some ulterior motive like the legalists who were infecting the church. They had “wandered away” from the truth of the gospel and had instead “turned to meaningless talk!” Paul wrote that “They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.” By promoting myths and genealogies rather than the gospel, these false teachers had wandered away from acceptable teaching. Paul wanted Timothy to put them in their place. Like in Ephesus, today, there is a need for the gospel to be proclaimed clearly! This is the need of evangelism!
EXAMPLE: Legalism still rears its ugly head in the guise of Christianity. Whenever anyone says that “It is faith in Jesus, and...,” you know immediately they are adding to the gospel truth. They will mask it as “following God’s Law,” or that “Jesus followed God’s commandments,” but what they really saying is faith in Jesus is not good enough. You have to also follow their brand of legalism. Paul knew that legalism is poison to the soul. It wraps itself in self-righteousness, yet leads to spiritual death. Why? Have you followed all the commandments? Which ones are valid today? Are we still supposed to stone disobedient children? The commandments are more than what we find in the Decalogue in Exodus. They cover ministration, food choices, sacrifices, washings, ceremonies, and a lot of other things as well. Jesus did away with them all by His grace as it was extended to us because of His death on the cross. He left us with two commandments that cover all the others: Love God completely and others as yourself. There is a need for evangelism so that the gospel can be clearly proclaimed.
Unlike the “myths and genealogies” the false teachers promoted, the true gospel has the power to change people’s lives. Paul knew this firsthand and he shared this truth in a beautiful moment of thanksgiving with Timothy as he remembered what his own life had been like before knowing Jesus. Paul tells Timothy about...
II. The Truth of Evangelism! (1 Timothy 1:12-15)
1. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners! Paul was thankful for the “strength” and the ministry or “service” Jesus had given him. Paul knew that the “law was good” when it was properly understood, but the law could not save anyone. Only the “glorious gospel of the blessed God” in Jesus Christ could! Paul himself once a “blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man... was shown mercy because [he] acted in ignorance and unbelief!” He thought that legalism was the truth, but he was “shown mercy” when “the grace of our Lord was poured out on [him] abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” Paul shared the history of his own life to demonstrate the transforming power of the gospel. He was “the worst of sinners” before the Lord had transformed him! If the Law could have saved anyone, it would have been Paul! He had been, by his own words, “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee!” (Philippians 3:5) No one could claim a better “law” degree than Paul. Yet this closed-minded legalist was saved by faith alone in grace alone! Paul knew that only the grace of the Lord could save a person. After hearing the gospel, Paul realized that the grace of our Lord had been “poured out” on him “abundantly.” God had poured out His grace on Paul to a greater degree than he could ever have imagined possible. Only the true gospel had the power to change lives as it had changed Paul’s life! This truth stood at the heart of Timothy’s battle against legalism. Paul was the proof! Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. This is the truth of evangelism!
EXAMPLE: If we could save ourselves by observing the Old Testament Law, Jesus never had to die a horrible death on the cross. We could just worship on a certain day, eat certain foods, and sacrifice the ceremonial animals we all raise in our backyards! Many legalistic believers today make the error of demanding unqualified adherence to their own biblical interpretations. To avoid falling into the trap of legalism, we can start by holding fast to the words of the Apostle John, "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17), and remember to be gracious to others. While we need to be gracious to one another and tolerant of disagreement over disputable matters, we cannot accept heresy. We are exhorted to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints (Jude 1:3). If we remember these guidelines and apply them in love and mercy, we will be safe from both legalism and heresy. The truth of evangelism is that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, not to get us bound again to legalism and ritual.
Paul’s appointment as a herald, an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles gave him the opportunity to spread the gospel. The church in Ephesus was in danger of losing its evangelistic zeal. Paul urged believers then and now to move back to the basics—that Jesus died for sinners and wants all people to be saved. In this truth, Paul knew one of the most powerful weapons for a sin-sick world is prayer. Therefore he teaches Timothy about...
III. The Need for Prayer In Evangelism! (1 Timothy 2:1-7)
1. Prayer reaches the sin-deaf ear! Notice that Paul wrote to give Timothy confidence to face those who spread false doctrine and undercut the church’s commission to evangelize. Therefore, Paul’s first line of defense was prayer. In this verse, the apostle mentioned four different words for prayer: “requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving.” “Requests” included petitions individuals made of God. The term “prayers” referred to the spoken “breathed out” words one prays. “Intercessions” included prayers on the behalf of other believers, and the “thanksgivings” Paul mentioned was the spoken gratitude for God’s blessings. The apostle may not have intended any sharp distinction among the four terms, but the use of all four words emphasizes the importance of prayer in overcoming the false teaching in Ephesus and in winning the lost to Christ. Paul urged that these prayers “be made for everyone for kings and all those in authority.” Why? So “that we [Christians] may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” He knew who held earthly power and only heavenly intercession could influence it! The prayer of evangelism Paul related was “good and it pleases God our Savior who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” That is Jesus’ desire! We do not know who God draws to Himself, only He does, but we are to pray for the lost. Paul knew that “there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time!” If they could not speak to those in authority, they could certainly pray for those in power, that they would come to faith in Jesus. It is the prayer of evangelism that reaches the sin-deaf ear.
EXAMPLE: Legalism turns people away from the grace of Jesus. Why? It is judgmental and self-righteous in its attitude and actions. While the sinful world will one day be judged, we are to be about the mission of telling the good news. The Shepherd’s Scrapbook online relates that “Legalism is (most dangerously) a soteriological problem. That is, legalism is a false gospel. Legalism is the damning lie that says God’s pleasure and joy in me is dependent upon my obedience.” Tony Reinke goes on to relate “Legalism is the lie that God will find more pleasure in me because my obedience is greater than others or that God looks at me with disgust because I am not growing in grace as quickly as my friends. It is the failure to remember that God’s pleasure in us comes outside of us (in Christ). Legalism causes the heart to forget that God sings over us because of the work He has done, not because of what we have done (Zeph. 3:15-17).” This is what Timothy faced in Ephesus and Paul condemned. Paul said to Timothy, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-4) There is a need for prayer in evangelism because prayer reaches the sin-deaf ear.
Conclusion:
The need for evangelism, the truth of evangelism, and the need for prayer in evangelism.
---
NOTE: This article is copyrighted by Pastor Lee Hemen © 2008 and the property of Pastor Lee Hemen. You are welcome to copy it, email it, or use it but please if you copy it, email it, or use it you must do so in its entirety.
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