Post by disciple on Jun 2, 2010 12:46:42 GMT -5
THE MASTER PLAN OF EVANGELISM: DEMONSTRATION
“I HAVE GIVEN YOU AN EXAMPLE…” JN. 13:15
--HE SHOWED THEM HOW TO LIVE
JESUS KNEW HIS DISCIPLES HAD TO KNOW HOW HIS LIFE WAS TO BE MAINTAINED AND SHARED IF THEY WERE TO EVANGELIZE & MULTIPLY.
ILLUSTRATION: PEOPLE MUST BREATHE, EAT, & PERFORM WORK TO GROW, REPRODUCE, & MULTIPLY. IT IS THE SAME SPIRITUALLY.
3 KEY “FUNCTIONS OF THE BODY” WHICH HE TRAINED THEM TO PRACTICE & TRAIN OTHERS IN:
--THE PRACTICE OF PRAYER (BREATHING)
JESUS OFTEN LET HIS DISCIPLES SEE HIM CONVERSING WITH HIS FATHER (AT LEAST 20 SPECIFIC TIMES IN THE GOSPEL WHEN HE PRAYS). THEY EVENTUALLY WANTED TO LEARN HOW TO DO IT TOO
EXPLAINED BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PRAYER (MATT. 6:5-8)
GAVE A “MODEL PRAYER” SHOWING GOD’S PRIORITIES IN PRAYER-6:9-13 (STRUCTURE IS OFTEN NEEDED TO GET PEOPLE STARTED IN ANY DISCIPLINE)
PRAYER WAS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THEIR TRAINING, WHICH IN TURN THEY WOULD TRANSFER TO OTHERS. UNLESS THEY GRASPED ITS MEANING & LEARNED HOW TO PRACTICE IT CONSTANTLY, NOTHING MUCH WOULD EVER COME FROM THEIR LIVES.
--USING SCRIPTURE (EATING)
JESUS WAS CONSTANTLY IMPRESSING ON HIS DISCIPLES THE MEANINGS OF THE SCRIPTURES & USING THE SCRIPTURES IN HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM (AT LEAST 66 REFERENCES WHEN TALKING WITH THE 12, ABOUT 160 DIFFERENT REFERENCES TOTAL)
THIS SHOWED THE DISCIPLES HOW TO KNOW & USE THE SCRIPTURES IN THEIR OWN LIVES. HIS EXAMPLE TAUGHT THEM:
RULES FOR INTERPRETING & APPLYING SCRIPTURE
THE IMPORTANCE OF MEMORIZING THE SCRIPTURES
TO MAKE THE SCRIPTURES THE BASIS FOR THEIR TEACHING
TO ABIDE IN HIS WORD TO CONTINUE IN HIS FELLOWSHIP AFTER HE LEFT (JN. 15:7)
--SOUL WINNING, TEACHING, & MULTIPLYING (PERFORMING WORK)
HE DID THIS BY SIMPLY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES AROUND HIM, SO HIS OUTREACH WAS PERFECTLY REALISTIC & CAME NATURALLY. HE WAS HIS METHOD & PROGRAM!
WE THINK WE NEED OUTLINES, GIMMICKS, HANDBOOKS, SEMINARS, BROCHURES, ETC. TO WIN SOULS. JESUS SIMPLY LIVED IT OUT & SHOWED THEM:
TO RECOGNIZE PEOPLE’S NEED
THE BEST METHODS FOR APPROACHING VARIOUS PEOPLE
TO DRAW PEOPLE TO GOD
HOW TO WIN THEIR CONFIDENCE
HOW TO OPEN THE WAY OF SALVATION & INVITE A DECISION
JESUS ALSO EXPLAINED HIS TEACHINGS & ACTIONS TO THEM
EX: PARABLE OF THE SOWER (MK. 4:1-25)-SPENDS 3X THE AMOUNT OF TIME EXPLAINING TO HIS DISCIPLES AS HE DID TELLING THE PARABLE
EX: RICH YOUNG RULER (10:23-31)-TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO EXPLAIN THINGS & APPLIED THE PRINCIPLE TO THEIR OWN FAITH
HE DEMONSTRATED IN HIS OWN LIFE EVERYTHING HE WANTED HIS DISCIPLES TO BE, PROVING THAT IT WOULD WORK & PROVING ITS RELEVANCE TO FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMISSION (CONSTANTLY IN “JESUS’ SCHOOL)
APPLICATION:
IF WE WANT TO TRAIN PEOPLE, WE MUST BE PREPARED FOR THEM TO FOLLOW CHRIST BY FOLLOWING US (1 COR. 11:1), FOR THEY WILL BECOME LIKE WHAT THEY HEAR & SEE FROM US (PHIL. 3:17, 4:9)
WE MUST TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY TO SHOW THE WAY TO THOSE WE ARE TRAINING, IN EACH OF THE AREAS MENTIONED HERE
THIS REQUIRES VULNERABILITY, FOR THEY WILL SEE OUR SHORTCOMINGS. THINGS WE SHOULD MODEL THAT CHRIST COULDN’T:
READINESS TO CONFESS SIN
WILLINGNESS TO APOLOGIZE
TRANSPARENT SINCERITY IN FOLLOWING CHRIST
“HOW ELSE WILL HIS WAY EVER BE LEARNED? IT IS GOOD TO TELL PEOPLE WHAT WE MEAN, BUT IT IS INFINITELY BETTER TO SHOW THEM. PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR A DEMONSTRATION, NOT AN EXPLANATION”
p. 76
“I HAVE GIVEN YOU AN EXAMPLE…” JN. 13:15
--HE SHOWED THEM HOW TO LIVE
JESUS KNEW HIS DISCIPLES HAD TO KNOW HOW HIS LIFE WAS TO BE MAINTAINED AND SHARED IF THEY WERE TO EVANGELIZE & MULTIPLY.
ILLUSTRATION: PEOPLE MUST BREATHE, EAT, & PERFORM WORK TO GROW, REPRODUCE, & MULTIPLY. IT IS THE SAME SPIRITUALLY.
3 KEY “FUNCTIONS OF THE BODY” WHICH HE TRAINED THEM TO PRACTICE & TRAIN OTHERS IN:
--THE PRACTICE OF PRAYER (BREATHING)
JESUS OFTEN LET HIS DISCIPLES SEE HIM CONVERSING WITH HIS FATHER (AT LEAST 20 SPECIFIC TIMES IN THE GOSPEL WHEN HE PRAYS). THEY EVENTUALLY WANTED TO LEARN HOW TO DO IT TOO
EXPLAINED BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PRAYER (MATT. 6:5-8)
GAVE A “MODEL PRAYER” SHOWING GOD’S PRIORITIES IN PRAYER-6:9-13 (STRUCTURE IS OFTEN NEEDED TO GET PEOPLE STARTED IN ANY DISCIPLINE)
PRAYER WAS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THEIR TRAINING, WHICH IN TURN THEY WOULD TRANSFER TO OTHERS. UNLESS THEY GRASPED ITS MEANING & LEARNED HOW TO PRACTICE IT CONSTANTLY, NOTHING MUCH WOULD EVER COME FROM THEIR LIVES.
--USING SCRIPTURE (EATING)
JESUS WAS CONSTANTLY IMPRESSING ON HIS DISCIPLES THE MEANINGS OF THE SCRIPTURES & USING THE SCRIPTURES IN HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM (AT LEAST 66 REFERENCES WHEN TALKING WITH THE 12, ABOUT 160 DIFFERENT REFERENCES TOTAL)
THIS SHOWED THE DISCIPLES HOW TO KNOW & USE THE SCRIPTURES IN THEIR OWN LIVES. HIS EXAMPLE TAUGHT THEM:
RULES FOR INTERPRETING & APPLYING SCRIPTURE
THE IMPORTANCE OF MEMORIZING THE SCRIPTURES
TO MAKE THE SCRIPTURES THE BASIS FOR THEIR TEACHING
TO ABIDE IN HIS WORD TO CONTINUE IN HIS FELLOWSHIP AFTER HE LEFT (JN. 15:7)
--SOUL WINNING, TEACHING, & MULTIPLYING (PERFORMING WORK)
HE DID THIS BY SIMPLY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES AROUND HIM, SO HIS OUTREACH WAS PERFECTLY REALISTIC & CAME NATURALLY. HE WAS HIS METHOD & PROGRAM!
WE THINK WE NEED OUTLINES, GIMMICKS, HANDBOOKS, SEMINARS, BROCHURES, ETC. TO WIN SOULS. JESUS SIMPLY LIVED IT OUT & SHOWED THEM:
TO RECOGNIZE PEOPLE’S NEED
THE BEST METHODS FOR APPROACHING VARIOUS PEOPLE
TO DRAW PEOPLE TO GOD
HOW TO WIN THEIR CONFIDENCE
HOW TO OPEN THE WAY OF SALVATION & INVITE A DECISION
JESUS ALSO EXPLAINED HIS TEACHINGS & ACTIONS TO THEM
EX: PARABLE OF THE SOWER (MK. 4:1-25)-SPENDS 3X THE AMOUNT OF TIME EXPLAINING TO HIS DISCIPLES AS HE DID TELLING THE PARABLE
EX: RICH YOUNG RULER (10:23-31)-TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO EXPLAIN THINGS & APPLIED THE PRINCIPLE TO THEIR OWN FAITH
HE DEMONSTRATED IN HIS OWN LIFE EVERYTHING HE WANTED HIS DISCIPLES TO BE, PROVING THAT IT WOULD WORK & PROVING ITS RELEVANCE TO FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMISSION (CONSTANTLY IN “JESUS’ SCHOOL)
APPLICATION:
IF WE WANT TO TRAIN PEOPLE, WE MUST BE PREPARED FOR THEM TO FOLLOW CHRIST BY FOLLOWING US (1 COR. 11:1), FOR THEY WILL BECOME LIKE WHAT THEY HEAR & SEE FROM US (PHIL. 3:17, 4:9)
WE MUST TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY TO SHOW THE WAY TO THOSE WE ARE TRAINING, IN EACH OF THE AREAS MENTIONED HERE
THIS REQUIRES VULNERABILITY, FOR THEY WILL SEE OUR SHORTCOMINGS. THINGS WE SHOULD MODEL THAT CHRIST COULDN’T:
READINESS TO CONFESS SIN
WILLINGNESS TO APOLOGIZE
TRANSPARENT SINCERITY IN FOLLOWING CHRIST
“HOW ELSE WILL HIS WAY EVER BE LEARNED? IT IS GOOD TO TELL PEOPLE WHAT WE MEAN, BUT IT IS INFINITELY BETTER TO SHOW THEM. PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR A DEMONSTRATION, NOT AN EXPLANATION”
p. 76