For August 30

Sermon Notes: In Full View

Intro: Evangelism for most of us is a dreaded word. We know Jesus tells us to make disciples of all nations by His Great Commission, but we picture knocking on doors and giving our testimony about Jesus, and inviting them to church.  We fear not knowing what to say and being rejected by the probable door being shut on us, maybe even before we’ve finished.  Unlike the Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses who train to do programmed talks and seem unfazed by rejections. One man opened his door to two Mormons, and invited them in. They usually begin with casual talk to connect with their listeners, but after fifteen minutes of talking sports, the man asked if they shouldn’t be talking about their religion. Puzzled, they replied, “Gosh, we don’t know.  We’ve never got this far before”.

 

I Effective Evangelism

A. While some churches still do that knocking on doors evangelism, the more current thought has found that less confrontational ways are more effective. So, this morning, let’s talk about some effective ways of evangelizing that we should already be using.

B;. In our Opening Hymn, we sang the classic “Bringing In the Sheaves”, about harvesting new believers. If you’re not familiar with the term, sheaves, when grain was cut in the old days, it was gathered and tied into bundles, or sheaves, and left standing until being brought into the barn. You can still see Amish fields with sheaves standing. This harvesting concept is applied to the gathering of souls being brought to Christ.. 

C. As Jesus was sending His disciples out in evangelizing pairs, they were a little reluctant, at first, wondering what they would say, but Jesus told them that others had sown the seeds for which they would harvest. He tells them, in John 4:35, “...open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” And when they returned they had many stories to share about their harvesting. The Holy Spirit had given them the words as they met people where they were.  And that’s a key concept for us: Evangelizing by meeting people where they are, spiritually and physically. Charlie Kirk was particularly effective with this.He met people, especially young people, and got them talking and asking questions without preaching at them. He had studied the Bible and knew it well.

D. So, as he met people where they were, not usually in a church, but in schools and various gatherings, he asked questions, as well as listening to their questions, and was able to respond to them in their context. He didn’t force them to grasp theology, but rather gave them insight to their questions, using the Bible as his source.  Although I didn’t agree with all his concepts, he was sowing as well as harvesting. 

E;. But let’s look at his tools. He had studied the Word of God and gained an understanding of it.  We don’t inherently know the Word of God  We need to take time to study it and have the Holy Spirit help us understand it.  Just having a Bible, or reading selected parts of it won’t gain that understanding.  People might say they’ve read the Bible several times, but without

understanding what they’ve read, the meaning is lost. Reading the Bible only has value when you understand what you’re reading.  That takes study and guidance by the Holy Spirit. Our Bible Study groups are currently both studying the Book of Daniel, and seeing how that’s helped better understand the Book of Revelation we’d previously studied. I’ve noticed some churches only read short Scriptural passages, or just selected verses during worship, but I prefer more comprehensive readings, usually comparing Old and New Testament, or Gospel and Epistle readings to gain Biblical context and understanding.

F. Even then, we can know Scriptures, be a living wealth of knowledge and understanding,  but unless we apply it to our daily lives, we accomplish very little.  It’s what people see in us that becomes our best witness. The wisdom often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, says it well: “Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary use words”  Or Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote, ”Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying.”

 

II Daniel 6:6-16

A. We see this exemplified in the Book of Daniel.  Daniel was one of several Jewish teens from royal families that Nebuchadnezzar took into Babylon exile. The intent was that the young exiles would reject their Jewish values and culture and be remolded in Babylonian culture to strengthen Babylonian leadership. But Daniel convinces the king’s overseer that he and his Jewish colleagues would be healthier and function better in court service if they ate vegetables instead of the rich foods of the king’s court, which would also be unclean to Jews. So, in ten days, while remaining true to their Jewish faith, Daniel and the others were much healthier than the others in training to serve the King. Still faithful to God, Daniel was becoming noticed and rewarded for his loyalty to the king.  He was in effect becoming an evangelist, representing his God, yet meeting the pagan Babylonians in a nonconfrontational way. God’s unseen hand was at work.

B. Daniel takes advantage of opportunities to interpret several of the king’s dreams that his top advisors couldn’t, though explaining to the King it was not by his own ability, but from the Mighty God. The dreams were prophetic, showing God working in the king’s future. The king is very impressed by the interpretations, and he himself praises the God of Daniel.  Through Daniel’s evangelism, God becomes known and respected by the King, who further promotes Daniel to trusted positions of authority, even over the king’s existing advisors. Daniel continues to represent God by his actions in these higher responsibilities. By the time of the king’s death, as a result of Daniel’s evangelism, Nebuchadnezzar had forbidden anyone to speak against Daniel’s God,  Daniel had shown his faith, and God’s power, to the king, where God had placed him.  

C. Our OT lesson takes place several years after Nebuchadnezzar’s death.  The allied Mede-Persian army had conquered Babylon, and Darius was now king.  He too learns to trust the loyal Daniel, keeping Daniel in his position of high authority, growing very fond of Daniel and respecting his Jewish faith.

But the other advisors are jealous of Daniel and look for ways to discredit him. Finding no fault or weakness in Daniel, they exploit his worship of God by maneuvering King Darius to decree no one could bow down or pray to anyone, or any god. but the king, punishable by death in the lion’s den.  

D. It was Daniel’s long standing practice to pray three times a day at his house by the opened window facing Jerusalem.  Daniel, as well as the conspiring officials, are well aware of the king’s decree that not even the king could rescind. The officials watch Daniel praying, and report him to the king. Hearing this about his trusted Daniel, the king is determined to exempt Daniel and desperately tries to spare him, but can only call out,  “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” Too upset to sleep, the king rushes to the lion’s den early the following morning, anxiously calling out, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” He is overjoyed to hear Daniel respond, “My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”

E. Another evangelistic triumph! In the midst of crisis, where God had intentionally put him, Daniel had shown his faith in God, while still remaining loyal to the king. Like Nebuchadnezzar, Darius issues a royal decree to honor Daniel’s God, stating that ”in every part of my kingdom, people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel,[who] is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.”  Daniel didn’t need to, at least figuratively speaking, preach at the king’s doors. God had opened the king’s door for him, and Daniel walked through them. To where the king was. Daniel’s strong witness had shown his faith, more than by words, but by the way he lived, letting God show His power even when Daniel faced death by remaining obedient to God.

 

III. James 2:14-24

A. This is also what James writes about in our Epistle lesson. He strongly asserts that faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead, challenging his readers to “show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds, using Abraham as an example of showing his faith by even obediently preparing to sacrifice his only son because God asked him to. Of course, such a child sacrifice would have been detestable to God, and God provided the substitute ram He had planned all along He would. James writes that God considered Abraham’s faith righteous by his actions, that his faith was made complete by his actions.

B. Incidentally, the author James is not the apostle James, but the half brother of Jesus. We don’t really know if that meant he was a younger son of Mary, or a son by Joseph from a previous marriage. Either way, it would ordinarily be difficult to accept a sibling being recognized as being holy, having watched them grow up, seeing their faults. But here, Jesus’ half brother James, is not only writing about faith in Jesus, he was the strong leader of Jesus’ early Church. James’ faith in Jesus had to have been the

result of actually seeing the sum total of all Jesus’ deeds, close up and personal.  His miracles, His daily living, and His daily dependence on God as His Father.

G. So, how do we apply this to our Christian life?  Must we count all our deeds to prove our faith?  Actually, our deeds are what we do as we daily live our Christian lives. What we do in full view of others who are watching us.  Like Daniel, praying in full view of his enemies, who knew about and had observed his regular, daily prayers. It wasn’t a performance, it was Daniel being Daniel, and not even the threat of death in the lion’s den deterred his regular life of faith works. He remained true to his faith in God, even while serving a pagan king having authority over him. He was faithful where God had placed him, witnessing about his God even to the kings in authority over him. Kings that took notice of God not just because of what Daniel said, but how he lived his faith.

H. In Romans 1:16-17. Paul writes, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.  For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,  just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”  It’s significant to realize that Paul was writing this in Rome, deliberately wanting to testify about his faith in Jesus to the Roman Emperor.  Emperor of the Roman government that brought crucifixion to the world as a humiliation to those who defied Rome. Emperor of the government that had condemned Jesus to die as a criminal by shameful crucifixion.  But Paul was not ashamed to testify of His Lord, who held the power of salvation for all people.  

I. Compare the faith shown by Daniel or Paul, with those today who consider their faith private, and don’t talk about Jesus in public, or even feel a need to come to church. They are, as James writes, those whose faith, without works, is dead.  Who would ever know that Jesus had died for their salvation?  Who would even know they believed in Christ as their Lord? Who would find belief in Jesus by their lives? 

 

Conclusion: We are constantly watched by people who don’t believe, or even deciding if they should come to church.  What they see is who we are when we walk out the church doors.  Do we wear a visible cross, yet act in a way that doesn’t honor that cross?  Or do we show His love to an unpleasant cashier, or a server, preaching the gospel to them by our actions, letting our actions speak even louder than our words.  

   I think the saddest words to a Christian would be, “I never knew you were a Christian, or were a church goer.”  What would have surprised them to learn we were Christian? Our deeds exceed mere acts of charity or piety. They are everything we do to others, or with others, in full view of others, in spite of the consequences, that determine our righteousness before God.  And it’s how we bring in the sheaves, to  make disciples.  Amen.