Coming Up: Sonday August 24, 2014
Romans 10: Heart Evangelism
Read Romans 10:1-4
When you think about the lost, that is those who are separated from God because of their unbelief and are facing an eternity separated from God, what goes through your mind? Is it ‘Whatever, loser?’ Is it ‘O well, they’ve made their choice’? What do you think about when you think about the lost?
In Romans 10:1 Paul tells us that his heart’s desire and his prayer is for the salvation of the Israelites. Paul longs for them to be saved. He yearns for them to come to Christ and prays on their behalf for their salvation. But Paul doesn’t just pray for the Israelites. He works hard to bring the Word of God to them. In 1 Corinthians 9:22 Paul reveals a little of his strategy. He is willing to become all things to all men so as to win some of them to Christ. In other words Paul is
While it’s true that God doesn’t call all of us to be travelling missionaries as Paul was, we are all called to share the Word with anyone who will listen. We are all disciple makers. We are all missionaries in our own respective worlds. God wants us to pray for people’s salvation. But He also wants us to be working hard to bring salvation to them. That may take many different forms for us. Your church may send a mission team overseas. You can be involved. Your church may run a mission weekend. You can be involved. Your church may run an evangelistic training event. You can get involved and learn how to better share the Gospel. Your church may run an evangelism event in your local neighbourhood and you can get involved by helping out and by bringing people along. You can also be involved in all of these by praying fervently that the Gospel will be clearly preached and that many would come to the faith through the preaching.
When Paul looked at the Jews he saw a people zealous for God but who had missed Jesus Christ. They were seeking to earn a righteousness of their own and they refused to submit to Christ, God’s righteousness. So Paul prayed for them and worked hard among them to bring the gospel to them.
As we look at the world we see so many people trying to earn a righteousness of their own. The new ager is trying to become his/her own god. Many religious people are trying to tally up enough good works to merit their own salvation or to buy favour in the eyes of their god. Do we look at them with the compassion Paul had for the Jews? Do we see these people as eternally lost souls who desperately need to hear about Jesus? Are we willing to work hard among them so that they hear the gospel of Jesus Christ? Are we wiling to pray for them that they might hear the good news and be granted repentance and faith?
Prayer:
Having read today’s passage and notes jot down various prayer points in each:
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¨ Pray that your Committee of Management would be gospel focused and would be seeking to grow the Kingdom of God through every means possible.
¨ Pray that your congregation would be serious about reaching out with the gospel.
Re thinking night church
What is it that stops you from attending night church? I’ve heard several reasons why people don’t attend.
Children and family. Perhaps this is the most common reason why people don’t want to go out at night. Few people in this category realise that night church mostly finishes by 7pm and often by 6:30pm. Parents with younger children could take turns in going to night church to allow each one quality adult time without distraction.
Work: Quite a few people said that they don’t do night church because of work on Mondays. Our church services rarely run late and allow plenty of time to prepare for work and to rest up.
No real reason: Most people though, have said that they don’t have a reason. They simply don’t have night church on their radar and haven’t considered the option of attending regularly.
So are there any benefits of attending night church?
Dig Deeper: At present night church is about digging deeper into the morning’s passage and exploring aspects of the passage that couldn’t be explored in the morning.
Interactive: Night church is far more interactive than our morning service. In fact, our aim in the evenings is to get people talking and interacting and solving issues/problems.
Fellowship: Night church is another opportunity for fellowship and involvement in your local church.
Service: Night church gives you a greater opportunity to put your gifts to work and to bless others by the use of your gifts.
So don’t write off night church just yet. Rethink night church and come along. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Pastor Esa Hukkinen
Worshipping God needs to flow out of our heart into all of life. Everything we do is done in worship to God. Worship affects our spending, our speaking, our tithing, our praying and even our gatherings with friends and family.
1. Why do you think so many believers in the West are hard hearted towards non believers?
2. Why do you think evangelism is so low a priority for so many believers?
3. How can we grow a desire for evangelism in both you personally and your church?
Intro: It’s easy in this world to feel like a no one, a nobody. It’s easy to think that we are insignificant and unimportant. But in God’s eyes, this is totally wrong and false!
Discuss how you felt about yourself before and after you knew Christ.
Read 1 Peter 2:9
How does God see us?
What is God’s role for us?
How can we be declaring God’s praises?
If God has given me a role to play, what does that say about my significance?
Pray together for opportunities to declare God’s praises.
Intro: Boys often feel inferior or insignificant and try to prove themselves by doing dumb things. In God’s eyes we are very important and significant.
Discuss how you felt about yourself before and after you knew Christ.
Read 1 Peter 2:9
How does God see us?
What is God’s role for us?
How can we be declaring God’s praises?
If God has given me a role to play, what does that say about my significance?
Pray together for opportunities to declare God’s praises.
No comments:
Post a Comment