Jun 24, 2018
SPIRITUAL GIFTS: EVANGELISM
Ephesians 4:11; 1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13
Categories of Gifts . . .
- Miraculous gifts
- Enabling gifts
- Team gifts
Gifts without Love . . .
A deep love for Christ is the source for you to genuinely love others, expressed most visibly and tangibly through how God has gifted you.
- Your gifts become useless and ineffective if they are devoid of love.
“If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mystery and knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
“By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35
- In other words, people will know you’re a follower of Jesus by how you love them well, not by your gifts.
- You love people best through how you are gifted most.
The Gift of Evangelism . . .
- Those who seek out opportunities to share the gospel.
- Those who are passionate about sharing the gospel.
- Those who typically have a more outgoing personality and are not fearful of engaging
How the enemy can distort or attack your gift . . .
- The temptation to focus on salvations like trophies on your shelf.
- The feeling of discouragement that may come from not seeing
people surrender to Christ.
- Discouragement can lead to disillusionment which can lead to disengagement.
- Using your gift in a way that is motivated by pride, not love.
- Evangelism without love reflects arrogant self-righteousness not gracious humility.
Not Excused . . .
A follower of Jesus you are not excused from telling people about Him because you do not have the “gift” of evangelism.
- You may not be as gifted in evangelism, but you are without a doubt called to lead people to be reconciled to Jesus.
“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news! . . . So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:13-15, 17
- The ministry of reconciliation is being aware of, and taking, opportunities to share the hope of the gospel.
- The ministry of reconciliation is inviting people to “come and see.”
“Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’” John 1:45-46