Something to Talk About (Today’s Take Aways)
Prov 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of
life, and he who wins souls is wise
We as Victory Outreach Cape Town are shifting into a new season, in January we were getting back to putting God first, in February we have focused on the family and now for the months of March and April we will put our attention of winning souls to the Kingdom of God.
Rienard Bonke Calls it, “Plundering hell to populate heaven”
- We have been commissioned
The first thing when it comes to winning souls or evangelizing, we as Christians must understand is that Jesus himself commissioned us as part of our Christian responsibility to reach out to the lost.
Mark 16:14-16
Mark 16:14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. 15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Commission – an instruction, command, or role given to a person or group.
As we step out to do what we have been commissioned to do it is important to remember that it is not our responsibility to save souls it is only our responsibility to present the opportunity for a person to get saved by planting the seed of salvation into the hearts of lost people.
St. Francis – We see that evangelization does not come from the one who scatters the seeds, but from the seed itself. It is not the work of the sower, but of the seed. The seed grows into full fruit in and of itself, and all the while the sower does not even “know how.” In fact, the sower can even “go to sleep” and the seed will still produce fruit by itself.
2. We Cultivate Compassion
The second thing I want to take a look at as we step into this season of Evangelism is that we as believers must continually cultivate a heart of compassion toward lost people.
Jesus models this to us in Matt 9:
Matt 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
Compassion – sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it
Luke 10:30-35
God gives Boldness
And the last thing I would like to take a look at when it comes to us stepping into this season of Evangelism and Crusading and that is that God is gives us a boldness to become witnesses.
Eph 6:19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should
Conclusion:
As we reach out to other peoples families God is reaching out to ours.
Pastor Chuckie’s testimony of his fathers salvation.