Evangelism is Love

1. Read: Matthew 22:37-40

2. About the Text:

1) In these verses, Jesus defines the purpose of human existence.

2) No person exemplified loving God and loving one’s neighbor greater than Jesus.

3) The picture that we see of Jesus in the gospels is of a man on a mission to seek and save the lost.

3. What about in our life?

1) Are we carrying out this mission?

2) Do we seek and save the lost?

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

1. What does it mean to love God?

1) Ecclesiastes 12:13 – “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God . . .”

2) John 14:15 – “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

3) 1 John 5:3 – “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. ”

2. Is personal evangelism a command?

1) Matthew 28:18-20

2) Mark 16:15-16

3. Did the early Christians take this personally?

1) Acts 5:42 – “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”

2) Acts 8:4 – “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.”

4. When we teach someone else the gospel, we are loving God.

1. What does it mean to love your neighbor?

1) It means to seek his highest good.

2) Love facilitates good relationships.

3) “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:10-11).

2. God certainly thought that preaching the gospel was a loving thing to do!

1) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

2) “For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another” (1 John 3:11).

3. Evangelizing our neighbors fulfills God’s eternal purpose of love.

1) Our neighbors are lost in sin without the gospel.

2) Are we going to let them stay that way when there is hope?

3) Are we going to seek their highest good?

4) Ephesians 2:11-22.

1. What does it mean to love yourself?

1) To give as God has given – “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

2) We must give of ourselves – 2 Corinthians 8:5 – “And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.”

2. How has God given to us?

1) John 3:16 – God gave of Himself!

2) James 1:17 – He is the greatest giver! “Every good and every perfect gift.”

3. We must give ourselves away by practicing personal evangelism.

1) I am loving myself by giving myself away to others.

2) The gospel is the medium by which God wants us to give ourselves away to others.

3) It is how we are to be involved in other people’s lives.

4) Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

1. To engage in personal evangelism is to . . .

1) Love God

2) Love Your Neighbor

3) Love Yourself as God Loves You.

2. Invitation