LESSON 61

the motivation for evangelism – Part 2

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

1.  GOAL

Church members will understand why they should share their faith with others. They will devote time to studying personal evangelism and communicating the life-changing message of Christ because He is the Savior who has given them love and hope and the promise of eternity.

2.  INTRODUCTION

I believe some of you find it enormously motivating to go through your day trying to figure out what kind of occasion is going to surface in which you can be used by God as a spokesperson for His kingdom.

You have learned two powerful motivations for evangelism. The first motivation is to have a sense of wonder about your God-given blessings. This motivation gives you a strong desire to tell people about Christ and the blessings of following Him. The second motivation is the honor of being used by God. Today you will learn another two important motivations for evangelism.

3.  QUESTION

What feelings do you experience when you read in the Bible about the reality of hell and eternal separation from God?

  1. CONTENT

Let us look at two powerful motivations for evangelism.

A. The Joy of Salvation

Luke 10:20 "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

Luke 15:1-7 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them." 3So He spoke this parable to them, saying: 4"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5"And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6"And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' 7"I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

An important motivation for becoming an effective witness for Christ is the reward of leading someone to Him. The experience, the thrill of having a person look you in the eye and say to you, “You know, I was on the road headed to hell, and God used you to bring me to Himself. Thanks for reaching out to me. Thanks for answering my questions. Thanks for putting up with my rebellion. Thanks for loving me at a time when I was not particularly loveable. Jesus saved me, but you led me to the Cross where I found grace.” Is a wonderful experience that every Christian should have on a regular basis. When you hear those words and gaze into those tear-filled eyes, you will never be the same.

The passion to reach out grows when you experience the joy of seeing an unbeliever become a devoted disciple of Christ. Nothing compares!

B. The Reality of Hell

Psalm 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God.

Proverbs 23:13-14 Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. 14You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell.

Mark 9:45 "And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched.

2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;

Revelation 1:18 "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

A powerful motivation for evangelism is not money, fame, or position, but the reality of hell. You may hate thinking about that. But the plain truth is, hell is a reality, and real people go there for eternity. There are people who will face a Christless eternity if they do not find forgiveness in Christ. The reality of hell was a major theme in the evangelistic ministry of Jesus. Time after time, Jesus was full of sorrow over a lack of response to this life-giving message.

Jesus grieved when the rich young ruler refused to receive spiritual wealth in exchange for temporal wealth, because He knew the man was walking down the road that led to hell (Luke 18:18-23). Jesus confronted anybody and everybody with the basic message that unless they turned and put their faith in Him, they would die in their sins and face condemnation in eternity.

Why did Jesus keep the pace He did, teaching from early morning until late night? Why did He endure ridicule day in and day out? Because He knew people were on the road headed toward hell. It broke His heart, and it motivated His witness.

Read Luke 16:19-31 as a group.

Luke 16:19-31 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20"But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21"desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22"So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23"And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24"Then he cried and said, `Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' 25"But Abraham said, `Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26`And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.' 27"Then he said, `I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, 28`for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' 29"Abraham said to him, `They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' 30"And he said, `No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31"But he said to him, `If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'"

This is a parable of the rich man who lived in splendor while a poor man named Lazarus was starving to death at his gate. Eventually, they both died. The poor man, Lazarus, had known about matters pertaining to salvation and went to heaven, while the rich man ended up in hell. In verse 24, we read of the rich man’s desire for Lazarus to bring him a drop of cool water. When this is refused, he appeals for Lazarus to go to his family and warn them about the torments of hell. He was motivated to tell his loved ones about Christ and His forgiveness. He pleaded for someone to go and warn his brothers and sisters that hell is real. If only we could gain this perspective, what a motivation it would be!

Part of the reason our church is serious about the things of God as we are, and part of the reason why we do the work of evangelism is because we believe in hell. We really do. We believe in it consciously, and we believe in it emotionally. We are not neurotic about it but it impacts us every day.

The apostle Paul knew that if there is no heaven or hell, our faith is a lie. Just read 1 Corinthians 15 – it is clear as can be. If there is no hell, then why all the time spent in service around the church? Why all the energy? Why all the giving, praying, and pleading with people? Why all the work? Why would we, as disciples of Christ, pour so much time into reaching out to unbelievers?

We know resurrection is real. We know every person we come into contact with will either spend eternity in heaven or a Christless eternity in hell. This hard reality should put a passion in our hearts and a fire in our souls. We are His light and salt, so let us start acting like it! Eternity weighs in the balance.

5. Discussion Questions

A. Describe the joy you experience when an unbeliever comes to faith in Jesus Christ. What happens in heaven?

B. When you think about the names of your unbelieving friends and loved ones, how does the reality of hell act as a motivation for evangelism?

C. Who would you like to reach out to with the love of Jesus? What is one thing you can do to extend the love of Jesus to this person in the coming week?

6. MEMORY VERSES

Psalm 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God.

Proverbs 23:13-14 Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. 14You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell.