Spiritual Essentials for Evangelism

Spiritual Essentials for Evangelism – David Platt 1-23-11

“The greatest single hindrance to evangelism today is the secret of our own spiritual experience.” – John Stott

*We must have a living relationship with Jesus Christ.

            *Zeal for the kingdom is fueled b zeal for the King.

            *To live is Christ… Phil 1:21

            *”I know who I have believed…” 2 Tim 1:12

*Not what – our “what” will increase over time, but how tight of a grasp do we have on “who” we believe?

*We must recognize the need of the lost.

*Our lives are all too often functionally universalistic (all roads lead to the same place)

*”…those who are perishing.” 2 Corin 4:3

*Do we have a burden for the lost? Romans 9: 1=5

(Help us feel the lost through His eyes)

*We must be aware of the spiritual battle around us.

*2 Cor 4 – Battle between the god who blinds the mind and the God who shines light into the heart. (In the middle we are preaching Christ).

            *”We preach Christ…” 2 Cor. 4:5

            *Extreme Dependence – We are completely dependent on the Holy Spirit.

*Extreme Diligence – We will get nowhere without prayer, fasting, and steadfast disciple.

*We must have some understanding of how to help other people to faith in Christ.

            *We cannot share a Gospel that we do not know.

*If we are going to be good at anything, we need to be good at leading people to Christ.

*We must carry out the evangelistic task in the context of the Great Commission.

            *Evangelism is the fundamental component of disciple-making.

            *Evangelism always takes place in the context of God’s heart for all nations.