GO! Evangelism 2011

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GYC Southwest

Justin McNeilus

Called to be Faithful

I'm actually excited that the power is out.

I enjoy these situations where things don't go as planned.

Whenever you're doing them, especially with spiritual things, you know God is here and God is blessing.

And you know that someone is angry about it.

What a blessing to have a weekend entirely devoted to evangelism, specifically evangelism training.

I am Extremely thankful to the principal and the leadership of this school for allowing us to be here for this weekend.

I'm excited about the GYC Southwest and GYC volunteers that put this weekend together.

It's always a blessing to see, to take part of, and to worship with young people, old people, the excitement of evangelism.

I got thinking this morning about a specific story that happened not that long ago.

There was a city that was deemed unreachable.

It was somewhere that will go unnamed, but it was over in Asia.

And what happened was they had sent a global mission pioneer into this city.

You're familiar with global mission pioneers?

Global mission pioneers go into an area typically where there's not a lot of evangelism.

This city had about a million people and 0, not 1, Seventh-day Adventist.

So a global mission pioneer went into the city.

It was primarily a Muslim-dominated society.

He went in, this global mission pioneer began knocking on doors, teaching, preaching, getting excited about Jesus, and soon, the leaders of the Muslim sect got word that he was going out doing evangelism, and they eventually dragged him onto the street and executed him for going door to door.

He died as a martyr, and the church leaders gathered just outside of that city to determine what to do.

There they were meeting together, the agenda was set, how are we going to reach this city?

How are we going to reach the over million people that have never heard about the Seventh-day Adventist message?

They're going around thinking maybe it's too dangerous.

Maybe this will be a county that that will refer to as a black county that is to say no Adventists will exist in this city, maybe for now God is saying, let's leave it alone.

It was about the time that the agenda was ending, that this conclusion was drawn, and it was 1 of those committee meetings where there was a lot of bantering and dialogue back and forth, and finally they were getting to the end, ready to send no 1 to the city, and a young man raised his hand.

The GC administrators thought to themselves, well, we don't really have any other plan.

And soon this guy was going over to his bike.

He went into his bike, and 1 of the GC administrators walked over to him as he was kind of packing the things up on his bike and said, "'Well, when are you planning on going?' He, to which he responded, "'I'm going now.'" The GC administrator was a little taken back and was kind of reflecting on the situation.

This guy's going now, and thinking to himself, well, there must be something I can do.

Why don't I go with you to your home, and I'll help you pack?

So as the guy's getting on his bike, everything he owns in tow, the GC administrator said to him, you know, we'll be praying for your success.

To which the man on the bike, smile, breached his face.

He said, you know, sir, the Lord hasn't called me to be successful.

The Lord hasn't called me to be successful.

Blessed Father, we're here, we're seeking you 1 more time.

We're here on the day that you set aside from creation to worship you.

This morning, Lord, as we reflect a little bit on evangelism, we pray that through the process we would not gauge the success of evangelism by numbers or souls for you, but rather how we were faithful to you.

Lord, we pray these things in your precious name.

This morning I want to take a look at evangelism.

You may have assumed that would be the topic, but we'll take a look at evangelism.

Specifically, I want to look at the what, the how, and the why to evangelism.

Now admittedly, admittedly I am still studying the Bible.

Admittedly, I would pray that you are still studying the Bible.

And so this morning I want to take a look specifically at Jesus feeding the 5, 000.

We will try and draw practical applications as to the what, the how, and evangelism through the eyes of the story of the 5, 000.

But admittedly, admittedly, there are many applications for Jesus feeding the 5, 000.

So, as we look at it this morning, just remember this is not some kind of arbitrary interpretation or interpretation is probably the wrong word, but an arbitrary application of Jesus feeding the 5, 000.

There are hundreds and thousands and maybe even tens of thousands of ways that we can apply the feeding of the 5, 000 to our lives, but I want to look at it this morning specifically through the eyes of evangelism.

So you'll turn with me and your Bibles to the book of Mark.

Jesus, when he came outside, great a multitude, and was moved with compassion for them because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.

It's interesting to me just to kind of lay the landscape for what is happening here.

Jesus and his disciples were intending to to retract a little bit from society.

They were tired that they had been traveling, they had been going speaking and preaching and teaching, and they wanted to take a break, a little rest, a little R&R, if you will.

They wanted just some time with their Creator, and so, they were intending to kind of retract themselves from society.

But there, a few people catch wind that Jesus is there, and so they approach him.

And what a blessing to know that our Savior, no matter how tired he may or may not be, accepts us.

What a blessing to know that Jesus takes the opportunity and teaches despite the disciples who probably would have turned him away.

Verse 35, when the day was now far spent, his disciples came and said, this is a deserted place and already the hour is late.

So them, excuse me, send them away that they may go into the surrounding country and villages, and buy--" do what?

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Called to be Faithful

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