Anchor Verses
Matthew 5:13-16, Psalm 34:8, Romans 10:14-15
Focus Statement
The church gathers to know Jesus and scatters to make Him known. Evangelism isn’t a program—it’s the overflow of a transformed life. We experience His goodness, reflect His character, and point others to Him.
Introduction
- Review the journey through Churchology
- Prayer
- Generosity
- Unity
- Community
- Leadership
- Baptism & Communion
- Service
- None of these are ends in themselves.
- Everything points toward one mission: Making Jesus known.
- Evangelism is often misunderstood as:
- Mission trips
- Street preaching
- Door-to-door witnessing
- Jesus presents evangelism as a way of life.
- Illustration:
- Recommending your favorite restaurant.
- We naturally share what we’ve genuinely experienced.
You Can’t Recommend What You Haven’t Experienced
- Matthew 5:13–14
- Jesus begins with identity.
- “You are the salt…”
- “You are the light…”
- Christianity is more than information.
- We must experience:
- God’s grace
- God’s forgiveness
- God’s transforming power
- Restaurant illustration:
- You can read the menu.
- You can memorize the reviews.
- But you can’t honestly recommend a place you’ve never eaten.
- Key Question:
- Have I truly experienced Jesus?
People Trust the Recommendation When They Trust the Messenger
- Matthew 5:16
- “Let your light shine…”
- Our lives give credibility to our words.
- People notice:
- Integrity
- Kindness
- Forgiveness
- Humility
- Generosity
- Patience
- Good works don’t save people. Good works make people curious about Jesus.
- Every day our lives are communicating something about Christ.
- Preview:
- James asks, “If Jesus has changed you, can anyone tell?”
- Key Question:
- Does my life make Jesus believable?
A Recommendation Isn’t Complete Until People Know Where to Go
- Romans 10:14–15
- A great recommendation eventually needs directions.
- Our lives create curiosity. Our words provide clarity.
- Eventually people need to know:
- Jesus is the source.
- Jesus is the Savior.
- Jesus is the hope of the world.
- Kindness is not the gospel.
- Morality is not the gospel.
- Jesus is the gospel.
- Key Question:
- Am I willing to tell people where my hope comes from?
Application
- Have I truly experienced Jesus?
- Does my life reflect Jesus?
- Who is one person I can intentionally point toward Jesus this week?
- Pray for one opportunity this week.
- Live in a way that reflects Christ.
- When the opportunity comes…
- Don’t simply recommend kindness.
- Don’t simply recommend church.
- Recommend Jesus.
Next Week…
- Everyone has questions about the end times. Over the next two weeks, we’ll look at what Scripture clearly teaches, where faithful Christians disagree, and why our future hope should shape the way we live today.
