This morning, we’re continuing our new message series entitled, “Share It” where we’re learning different ways to share the good news about Jesus; the gospel.
Whether or not someone chooses to put their faith in Jesus and be saved is up to them. Whether or not they ever have the opportunity to make that decision is up to us. After all:
Romans 10:13-17 (NLT)
13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
16 But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.
We have some good news to share with those around us!
So far, we’ve learned about an evangelism tool known as “The Romans Road” as well as the power of our own testimony and how to find common ground and connect with others in order to share the gospel.
This morning, we’re learning how spiritual gifts can be used in evangelism.
In fact, the very first Christian revival that resulted in about 3,000 people being saved occurred all because of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues that accompanied it.
Acts 2:1-8
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
Acts 2:38-47
38 Peter said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
All believers were together in one place and the Holy Spirit filled all of them. They all began to speak in tongues and, in this instance, it was the tongues of men. People from every language from every nation on the earth were gathered there and were hearing the wonders of God being declared in their own language.
The church began by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues! What happened from there? The church grew from 120 to about 3,000 people in a moment. What did that look like and how did they handle that kind of growth?
Did they start planning and constructing the first mega church building?
Did they hire staff and launch discipleship classes?
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
This is an awesome snapshot of what a healthy and thriving church is. Gathering together, learning together, growing together, praying together, eating together, serving together, giving together, praising God together; essentially just living life together.
This all began with a single event including the infilling of the Holy Spirit and the operation of the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues!
Now we don’t typically think of church government or organizational structure or systems when we think of evangelism and revival. However, the spiritual gifts of leadership and administration resulted in revival early in church life. This new thing called the church experienced growing pains and conflict, which are also a sign of a healthy church.
Acts 6:1-7
1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
“Wait” tables is the Greek word diakoneō, which is where we get our English word and church office deacon. This word simply means to minister or to serve. Currently here at New Hope, our elders dual serve as both elders and deacons overseeing and serving the various ministries of the church.
When the right parts of the body of Christ are put in the right places with the right roles and responsibilities, the work of God can continue to grow and not be hindered.
As a result of this change made by adding some governance and structure and organization and systems, God’s word continued to spread and large amounts of people were rapidly being saved; even Jewish priests!
Next, we find the spiritual gift of a word of knowledge leading many people to be saved.
John 4
1 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John – 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
4 Now he had to go through Samaria.
Sometimes, we are forced to go through things and places that we would prefer not to. However, God might just have us in that place at that time to reach someone with the gospel!
5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
It was lunch time and Jesus was tired, hungry, and thirsty and now a stranger was starting to argue with Him. These aren’t exactly the best circumstances for us to minister from. However, we are called to be ready both in and out of season, right?
We know most of this story, so I’ll cut to the end of their conversation where Jesus gives a word of knowledge.
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you – I am he.”
27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
Now I wouldn’t necessarily recommend calling out people’s sin or shame as a way of reaching them with the gospel. However, there are times and seasons and purposes for everything. That is what Jesus did here and it resulted in not only her own salvation, but the salvation of many!
Bad news might spread fast, but nothing spreads faster than the testimony of the spiritual gifts of healing and deliverance! Everybody knows somebody in need of receiving the results of these giftings!
Matthew 4:23-25
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
Matthew 9:27-33
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they replied.
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; 30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” 31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.
32 While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. 33 And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
Luke 7:11-17
11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out – the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”
14 Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.
Luke 5:12-16
12 While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
13 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.
14 Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”
15 Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Mark 1:21-28
21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God!”
25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching – and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
Luke 8:27-39
27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
Jesus cast the demons into a herd of pigs and set this man free!
38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
It was not just Jesus who operated in these gifts that caused the good news about Him to spread quickly. These spiritual gifts are available to all who allow the Holy Spirit to distribute them into their lives and serve others using them. As the apostle Paul said:
1 Corinthians 14:1
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.
He more than taught us to do this, he first lived as an example of one who did it, himself! He went from killing and imprisoning Christians to being saved and Spirit-filled, himself.
Acts 19:11-20
11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
It was not only the apostles who operated in spiritual gifts, but all disciples of Jesus.
Mark 16:20
The disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
I could go on and on and on with testimonies from the Bible, from church history, from ministries all around the world, and even from first-hand experiences of those in the room right now. God chose to fill us with His Holy Spirit and to give us spiritual gifts through His grace so that we can effectively continue His work to seek and save the lost.
Spiritual gifts are exactly that. They are gifts of God given through the Holy Spirit. They are not evidence of our spiritual condition or anything else about us. They are evidence of the goodness and faithfulness and Presence of God. Again, Paul said about himself when he was seeking and saving the lost in Corinth:
1 Corinthians 2:2-5
2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
So it can be with us. We don’t need to know the right words to say. We don’t need to rely on our own abilities. We are not limited by our own weaknesses. We simply need to step out in faith and allow the Holy Spirit within us and the good news of the gospel flow through our lives!
The results are up to God, but the opportunity for the lost to respond to the good news about Jesus is up to us. If we were just a little more willing to step out in faith, this can continue to be said about the word of God:
Acts 12:24 (AMP)
The word of the Lord [the good news about salvation through Christ] continued to grow and spread [increasing in effectiveness].