How to be Evangelistic

1. Read: Matthew 4:19 “And he saith unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

2. About the Text:

1) The expression “fishers of men” refers to personal evangelism.

2) Jesus called those who would become personal evangelists, preachers, apostles, teachers.

3) There was nothing special about them when they were called.

i. Peter and John were fishermen.

ii. Matthew was a tax collector.

iii. At least one was active in politics of the day.

iv. The group of men Jesus called was a representative sampling of the people of the day.

4) Yet, Jesus took their humble occupation and transformed it into something special.

5) No magic formula to take regular “joes” off the street and make them into evangelists.

6) Jesus used some very basic principles and then encouraged these men to be doers.

7) We can use these same basic principles today.

8) How can we follow after Jesus so that we can be fisher’s of men?

3. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. Jesus lived an open public life and was available to anyone who wanted to come see Him.

i. His life was open both to his friends and enemies.

ii. Mark 12:37 “And the common people heard him gladly.”

iii. Sixteen times Matthew refers to the multitudes following him.

iv. Paul said to King Agrippa, “For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.” (Acts 26:26).

2. Jesus preached that we should have an open life for all to see.

i. Matthew 5:14-16 “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

ii. Matthew 10:32 “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.”

iii. Matthew 25:34-45 — the people who Jesus blessed and said to inherit the kingdom were people who lived their lives before others.

3. How do we let people see our lives?

i. Get into the public.

ii. Talk to your neighbors.

iii. Volunteer at the schools or in the community somewhere.

iv. Visit the nursing homes.

v. Visit the hospitals.

vi. Visit the prisons.

vii. Someone once said, “I would rather see a sermon than hear one any day.” In order for this to happen, someone MUST SEE YOU!

4. There is something here that everyone can do! We must resolve to do it!

1. Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God–talking about the church!

i. Matthew 3:2 John preached “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

ii. Matthew 4:17 Jesus preached “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

iii. Jesus told His disciples to preach, “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 10:7).

iv. The kingdom is the church.

v. Do we talk about the church to others?

2. We see the early disciples preaching about the church.

i. Matthew speaks of the kingdom 50 times in his gospel account.

ii. Mark 22 times.

iii. Luke 40 times.

iv. Phillip preached the kingdom of God to those at Samaria–Acts 8:12

v. Paul said that to the Ephesian elders that he made it his business to preach the kingdom of God–Acts 20:25.

3. But what do I say?

i. Talk about the activities of the church.

1) Gospel meetings.

2) Special Sundays like Friends and Family day, Back to School Sunday

3) Our potlucks.

4) Men’s breakfasts.

5) Special Saturday outings.

6) Tell others about our missionary efforts in Costa Rica.

7) Rusty tries to have something special happening every month.

8) These are things that we can talk about to our friends.

ii. Tell them about the pattern for the church.

1) Her worship

2) Her organization

3) Her mission.

4. Here is something that everyone can do. We must be doers in this regard.

1. Jesus extended invitations to everyone to come hear Him teach and preach.

i. Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

ii. John 7:37 “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.”

2. We don’t have to preach a full sermon, but we can invite!!!

i. John 1:46 “And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.”

ii. Revelation 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

3. How do we do this?

i. We have regularly scheduled services every week. Give someone a schedule.

ii. Hand out a bulletin to someone and ask him or her to come visit.

iii. Hand out a flyer for one of our special events.

iv. When you are visiting with your neighbor say, “Would you come worship with me Sunday?”

4. Everyone can do this.

1. Jesus prayed.

i. He told us to pray for more laborers. “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37, 38.

ii. He told us to pray for our enemies. “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matt.5:44).

iii. He prayed for those who would believe on His word. John 17:20 “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;”

2. We find the early church praying as well.

i. Acts 2:42–continued in prayers.

ii. Phil.4:6 “Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

iii. 2 Thess.3:1 “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:”

iv. 1 Tim.2:1 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;”

3. How can we do this?

i. Ask God to open doors for you and us to teach the gospel.

ii. Pray that each of us will have the courage to tell others about the gospel.

iii. Pray for the individuals that each of us meet in the community.

4. This is something that everyone can do.

1. Are we really seeking God’s kingdom first in our lives? (Matthew 6:33).

2. These are things that each and everyone of us can do. Will we do it?

3. Jesus took a bunch of fishermen and social cast outs, and change them into apostles.

4. Do you doubt he can do the same with you today?

5. Resolve to do each of these things at least once a week.

i. Let someone see your life by getting into the public and participating in social activities.

ii. Talk to someone about some of the church’s activities.

iii. Invite someone to attend services or give them a bulletin or something with our schedule in it.

iv. Say a prayer each day for the growth of the church and for someone in your life who needs Jesus.

6. Invitation