13 Sermons Tagged "Evangelism"

The instructions Jesus gave to the twelve disciples when he sent them out into the world provide us with great comfort when we do our own evangelism, especially for those times when what we are telling them could require a drastic change in their mindset regarding salvation.

Jesus used parables of scattering seeds, plants growing, and harvesting crops to describe the kingdom of God. From those parables we understand that Christ's kingdom, which is God's rule in our hearts, and the invisible church, which is made up of all believers, grow through people proclaiming the Word of God. When everyone has come to faith according to God's plan, Christ will return to "harvest" the souls of all believers. We also see that the entire world, including unbelievers, benefit from the works of the invisible church.

Living the life of a Christian is not always joyous. In fact for some, like most of the disciples, there are times when it can be miserable. Yet in his "High Priestly Prayer" before his arrest, Jesus prayed for God the Father to give us his joy.

We are connected to Christ Jesus like branches are connected to the vine. Through that connection God blesses us and rules for our good. We not only praise him and hold him in reverent awe, but we even reflect his glory in our daily lives.

When we spread the good news of free salvation in Jesus Christ to our friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers, we are fishers of men and women. However, just like with regular fishing, we must understand there is an investment required, and we must understand how to use the tools we have been given.

We have the great news of salvation through Jesus Christ, but sometimes we find ourselves struggling to share it with others. Even when talking with friends, we can upset them just by telling them they need a savior. We can look at the apostle Philip's evangelism to Nathanael for help and comfort when we do our own evangelism.

The fourth candle on the Advent wreath which we light is the Angel candle. God sent angels to deliver the messages of Jesus' birth, and they will take part in delivering the message of Jesus' return. We know their messages are from God because angels appearing in all their glory is a miracle in and of itself.

The third candle on the Advent wreath which we light is the Shepherds' candle because God first gave the good news of our savior's birth to shepherds. We see the significance in that because Jesus is the shepherd of all Christians, and because the shepherds were average people who would effectively spread the good news to others.

Through the prophet Isaiah God explained his plan to bring salvation to the world, and we find comfort in knowing that prophecy was fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Furthermore, we should spread this comfort to both our fellow Christians and the rest of the world by sharing the good news of forgiveness and salvation.