| “MESSENGERS, NOT MESSIAHS” (Fourth in a series on “Member Privileges” John 1:29-51; Romans 10:1-4, 11-15; I Cor. 2:1-5 Olivet Covenant Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA Rev. Linda Jaymes |
So far in this series on “Member Privileges,” we have examined three of the key reasons why the Church exists: worship,
ministry, and fellowship. Today we’ll be looking at a fourth purpose or privilege, the one we call evangelism. For some
reason, evangelism is right up there with stewardship when it comes to making people uncomfortable with Christianity and the
Church. In fact, in some churches, the very word “evangelism” is so negative and inflammatory that they refuse to use the
word in their life and ministry. They will talk about “community witness” or “social outreach” but out of fear of annoying,
offending or alienating people, as some groups that preach on street corners or door to door often do, these churches avoid the
“E” word altogether.
The trouble with that is that the baby often gets thrown out with the bath water. In our attempts to avoid beating people
over the head with scripture, we often fail to introduce them to Jesus Christ and simply tell our personal stories of the
difference He has made in our own lives. Unless we have the gift of evangelism or the calling to be a missionary or a preacher,
we tend to view evangelism with such fear and trembling that one would think God has called us to be messiahs, instead of
messengers. One would think it was up to us to save others, when in truth, our job is to bring others to Jesus Christ, the One
who can save them.
Of course evangelism includes a wide range of activities like preaching and mission work. We think of Billy Graham as a
great evangelist and most of us will gladly support others who are called to various mission fields throughout the world, so that
they can tell the good news to those who have never heard it. But just as Christ calls all of us to do the work of ministry, He
also calls all of us to do the work of evangelism. It may not be on the scale of a Billy Graham or a David Livingstone, who took
the gospel to Africa or William Carey who took the gospel to India. But most of us can be evangelists simply by inviting our
friends to church or small group study where they can be introduced to Jesus Christ.
Rev. D. James Kennedy was once quoted as saying that one of the saddest statistics of our day is that 95% of all church
members have never led anyone to Christ. It is a mind-boggling paradox that we are so quick to tell neighbors and friends
about the latest gossip or this week’s bargain at Wal-Mart but are so slow to tell those same people the greatest, eternal, life-
changing, life-saving story that has ever come down the pike. Maybe we need to re-examine how important that story really is
to us, and whether we have truly been changed by it. Or maybe we have asked others to come to church or Bible study but
they have said, “No.” If that’s the case, we need to keep trying. Ninety-five percent of people come to church because a
friend invites them. And according to one old survey, people need to be invited an average of 12 times before they say “yes” to
attending church. Maybe today that number is more like 24 times—and unfortunately, many of us give up after just one
negative response.
It’s a good thing that John the Baptist was more persistent than that. John’s gospel tells us that when the Baptist first
declared Jesus to be the Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, it seems that John’s followers didn’t
respond. So John gave his testimony, sharing with them his experience of seeing Jesus anointed by the Holy Spirit as John
baptized the Lord in the Jordan. Based on what John saw with his own eyes, he testified to his belief that Jesus, indeed, was
the Son of God. And still there was no response from any of his followers.
But the next day, when Jesus came by, John tried again. Two of John’s disciples were with him and he pointed them to
Jesus and said a third time, “Look, the Lamb of God.” Finally, those two disciples responded and followed Jesus to where He
was staying. They spent the whole day with Him, and it was a life-changing day. One of those two disciples was Andrew, and
the first thing he did was to go and get his brother, Simon Peter, and tell him that they had found the Messiah. Andrew not only
told of his experience with Jesus, but brought Peter to Jesus to meet Him in person. Next, Jesus called Philip to follow Him.
After meeting Jesus, Philip was so excited that he went out and told Nathanael that they had found the One promised by Moses
and the prophets. But Nathanael was skeptical. He doubted whether anything good could come out of place like Nazareth.
And wisely, Philip didn’t argue with him. He simply said, “Come and see.”
This account from John’s gospel gives every believer a simple and encouraging model for effective evangelism, especially
for those who think evangelism is something they could never do. First of all, it shows us that we don’t need to be professional
theologians to be evangelists. The first evangelists were mainly blue collar workers. Secondly, it reminds us, as already
mentioned, that our attempts at evangelism may not always work the first time, and they may not work with everyone. John
tried three times and only two of his disciples finally responded. Thirdly, and perhaps most comforting to those terrified by the
“E” word, this teaches us that it’s not up to us to convince others of what we believe. Our job is simply to bring them into the
presence of Christ, where the Holy Spirit will do the convicting and the convincing. Andrew and Philip didn’t use speeches or
arguments to persuade the others of the truth, and they didn’t even to correct Nathanael’s cynicism. They used very few
words, and the most effective ones were, “Come and see.”
Even the Apostle Paul, a man of many words, reminded the church at Corinth that their church had come into existence not
because of eloquence or superior wisdom or persuasive preaching. In fact, Paul had tried that approach in Athens and had
failed miserably. His philosophical sermon there had very little effect. But when he came to Corinth, he came without pretense,
and told the gospel message of Christ without any adornment. Paul was merely the messenger, bringing the story of the
Messiah in a simple way which drew no attention to the messenger, but lifted up the Messiah, crucified for the sins of the
world. Paul testified to the way Christ had met him and changed his life. The result was that the Holy Spirit moved in power,
convincing those people in Corinth of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and bringing them to a saving faith.
The work of evangelism which brings people to faith really does depend on God, moving by the Holy Spirit. But as Paul
also reminds us, through his letter to the church in Rome, people need to hear the gospel so that the Spirit can do his work.
When we invite people to “come and see,” to hear the old, old story of Jesus and his love, we are partners with the Lord, doing
the work of evangelism. Our part is to bring the message to the people or bring the people to the message. It really doesn’t
matter which way we do it. What matters is that we bring the people and the message together, and pray for the Lord to do his
part, to move in power, by the Spirit, and convince folks of the truth. Very few people come to faith through philosophical
arguments or logical proofs. But many believe when they hear the simple story of what Christ means to us.
I ran across a story of a man named Huxley, a great agnostic, who was present for a weekend house party at the country
estate of friends. When Sunday came, most of the guests prepared for church, but not Huxley. He approached a man who
was known to have a simple and radiant Christian faith, and asked the man to stay home from church and tell him why he was
a Christian. The man objected, realizing that Huxley was brilliant, and could demolish his arguments in an instant. He told
Huxley he wasn’t clever enough to argue or debate with him. But Huxley assured him that he didn’t want to argue, that he only
wanted to hear, very simply, what Christ meant to this man. So the man skipped church and told Huxley the simple story of his
faith. When the man finished, the agnostic had tears in his eyes and said “I would give my right hand, if only I could believe
that.” I don’t know whether Huxley ever did believe, but if he did, it wasn’t due to clever argument but from the simple
presentation of someone’s real experience of Christ, which caught him by the heart.
Taking the opportunity to tell your faith story may be the only good reason to stay home from worship on Sunday
morning! That is one way to evangelize. Another is to simply invite people to come to church. If you think something special
is going on here on Sunday mornings, and I hope you do, then why not invite a friend or neighbor or co-worker or relative to
“come and see”? Bobbie King does this all the time. How many of you are here today simply because Bobbie or someone else
invited you? Bringing people into the family of God, where they can hear the gospel and experience the presence of Christ in
community—fellowship!—opens the door for many to believe and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Another story is told of Alexander Whyte, who pastored a large church in Edinburgh in the late 1800's and early 1900's.
During that time, a salesman by the name of Rigby would travel to Edinburgh regularly just to hear Whyte preach. Rigby would
often invite other businessmen to accompany him to the services. One Sunday morning he asked a fellow traveler to go to
church with him. Reluctantly, the man said yes. But when he heard Whyte's message, he was so impressed that he returned
with Rigby to the evening service. As the preacher spoke, the man trusted Christ as his Savior. The next morning, as Rigby
walked by the home of Pastor Whyte, he felt led to stop and tell him how his message had affected the other man's life. When
Whyte learned that his caller's name was Rigby, he exclaimed, "You're the man I've wanted to see for years!" He went to his
study and returned with a bundle of letters. He began to read Rigby some excerpts -- all telling of changed lives. They were
men Rigby had brought to hear the gospel. Unknown to Rigby, these men believed because he had invited them to “come and
see.”
I realize that it is no longer the 18 &1900’s. We live in different times. Jesus Christ and his Church no longer command
the respect or the interest of the majority of people in this country. The “E” word is politically incorrect in many circles. But
people are just as hungry for spiritual fulfillment, and perhaps more open to spirituality than ever before. The trouble is that
they are looking in all the wrong places to fill that spiritual void in their lives. From New Age spiritism to Dyanetics to Bahai
and who knows what else, people are trying to find that certain something that is missing in their lives. And what is missing is
a real and personal relationship with Almighty God, in the person of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Sadly, more
and more people outside these doors don’t know that. Some say it’s as if we are back to the pre-Christian era again. The
world is filled with pagan spiritualists who have never really heard the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And it’s up to us
to tell them. That’s a privilege of membership in the body of Christ.
Unfortunately, we have all kinds of preconceived notions and fears of what might happen if we actually did evangelism.
People might think we’re crazy, or Jesus freaks. If we ask a friend to church they might say no. They might think that what
we do here on Sunday mornings is too strange or scary or out of date. Well, why don’t we challenge them to “come and see”
what it is we’re so excited about. If we keep inviting in a loving and caring way, they may eventually surprise us and say,
“yes.” Think about inviting someone to Bible Study or to any special events or services we may have.
Sometimes we forget that the Church isn’t only for us. The Church is called not only to know Christ but to make Him
known. It’s a privilege of membership, and one of the great purposes and ends of the Church. We worship because we are
called to believe; we fellowship because we are called to belong. We minister because we are called to bless. And we do
evangelism because we are called to bring the gospel to those who have not heard. We are messengers, not messiahs. We
really have the easier part of the job, which is simply telling others what Christ means to us and then bringing them to the place
where they can meet Jesus for themselves. In and of ourselves, we can’t save anyone or satisfy the longing of another person’
s heart. But we can do everything in our power to introduce others to the only One who can, even Jesus Christ our Living
Lord.
Let us pray.
ministry, and fellowship. Today we’ll be looking at a fourth purpose or privilege, the one we call evangelism. For some
reason, evangelism is right up there with stewardship when it comes to making people uncomfortable with Christianity and the
Church. In fact, in some churches, the very word “evangelism” is so negative and inflammatory that they refuse to use the
word in their life and ministry. They will talk about “community witness” or “social outreach” but out of fear of annoying,
offending or alienating people, as some groups that preach on street corners or door to door often do, these churches avoid the
“E” word altogether.
The trouble with that is that the baby often gets thrown out with the bath water. In our attempts to avoid beating people
over the head with scripture, we often fail to introduce them to Jesus Christ and simply tell our personal stories of the
difference He has made in our own lives. Unless we have the gift of evangelism or the calling to be a missionary or a preacher,
we tend to view evangelism with such fear and trembling that one would think God has called us to be messiahs, instead of
messengers. One would think it was up to us to save others, when in truth, our job is to bring others to Jesus Christ, the One
who can save them.
Of course evangelism includes a wide range of activities like preaching and mission work. We think of Billy Graham as a
great evangelist and most of us will gladly support others who are called to various mission fields throughout the world, so that
they can tell the good news to those who have never heard it. But just as Christ calls all of us to do the work of ministry, He
also calls all of us to do the work of evangelism. It may not be on the scale of a Billy Graham or a David Livingstone, who took
the gospel to Africa or William Carey who took the gospel to India. But most of us can be evangelists simply by inviting our
friends to church or small group study where they can be introduced to Jesus Christ.
Rev. D. James Kennedy was once quoted as saying that one of the saddest statistics of our day is that 95% of all church
members have never led anyone to Christ. It is a mind-boggling paradox that we are so quick to tell neighbors and friends
about the latest gossip or this week’s bargain at Wal-Mart but are so slow to tell those same people the greatest, eternal, life-
changing, life-saving story that has ever come down the pike. Maybe we need to re-examine how important that story really is
to us, and whether we have truly been changed by it. Or maybe we have asked others to come to church or Bible study but
they have said, “No.” If that’s the case, we need to keep trying. Ninety-five percent of people come to church because a
friend invites them. And according to one old survey, people need to be invited an average of 12 times before they say “yes” to
attending church. Maybe today that number is more like 24 times—and unfortunately, many of us give up after just one
negative response.
It’s a good thing that John the Baptist was more persistent than that. John’s gospel tells us that when the Baptist first
declared Jesus to be the Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, it seems that John’s followers didn’t
respond. So John gave his testimony, sharing with them his experience of seeing Jesus anointed by the Holy Spirit as John
baptized the Lord in the Jordan. Based on what John saw with his own eyes, he testified to his belief that Jesus, indeed, was
the Son of God. And still there was no response from any of his followers.
But the next day, when Jesus came by, John tried again. Two of John’s disciples were with him and he pointed them to
Jesus and said a third time, “Look, the Lamb of God.” Finally, those two disciples responded and followed Jesus to where He
was staying. They spent the whole day with Him, and it was a life-changing day. One of those two disciples was Andrew, and
the first thing he did was to go and get his brother, Simon Peter, and tell him that they had found the Messiah. Andrew not only
told of his experience with Jesus, but brought Peter to Jesus to meet Him in person. Next, Jesus called Philip to follow Him.
After meeting Jesus, Philip was so excited that he went out and told Nathanael that they had found the One promised by Moses
and the prophets. But Nathanael was skeptical. He doubted whether anything good could come out of place like Nazareth.
And wisely, Philip didn’t argue with him. He simply said, “Come and see.”
This account from John’s gospel gives every believer a simple and encouraging model for effective evangelism, especially
for those who think evangelism is something they could never do. First of all, it shows us that we don’t need to be professional
theologians to be evangelists. The first evangelists were mainly blue collar workers. Secondly, it reminds us, as already
mentioned, that our attempts at evangelism may not always work the first time, and they may not work with everyone. John
tried three times and only two of his disciples finally responded. Thirdly, and perhaps most comforting to those terrified by the
“E” word, this teaches us that it’s not up to us to convince others of what we believe. Our job is simply to bring them into the
presence of Christ, where the Holy Spirit will do the convicting and the convincing. Andrew and Philip didn’t use speeches or
arguments to persuade the others of the truth, and they didn’t even to correct Nathanael’s cynicism. They used very few
words, and the most effective ones were, “Come and see.”
Even the Apostle Paul, a man of many words, reminded the church at Corinth that their church had come into existence not
because of eloquence or superior wisdom or persuasive preaching. In fact, Paul had tried that approach in Athens and had
failed miserably. His philosophical sermon there had very little effect. But when he came to Corinth, he came without pretense,
and told the gospel message of Christ without any adornment. Paul was merely the messenger, bringing the story of the
Messiah in a simple way which drew no attention to the messenger, but lifted up the Messiah, crucified for the sins of the
world. Paul testified to the way Christ had met him and changed his life. The result was that the Holy Spirit moved in power,
convincing those people in Corinth of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and bringing them to a saving faith.
The work of evangelism which brings people to faith really does depend on God, moving by the Holy Spirit. But as Paul
also reminds us, through his letter to the church in Rome, people need to hear the gospel so that the Spirit can do his work.
When we invite people to “come and see,” to hear the old, old story of Jesus and his love, we are partners with the Lord, doing
the work of evangelism. Our part is to bring the message to the people or bring the people to the message. It really doesn’t
matter which way we do it. What matters is that we bring the people and the message together, and pray for the Lord to do his
part, to move in power, by the Spirit, and convince folks of the truth. Very few people come to faith through philosophical
arguments or logical proofs. But many believe when they hear the simple story of what Christ means to us.
I ran across a story of a man named Huxley, a great agnostic, who was present for a weekend house party at the country
estate of friends. When Sunday came, most of the guests prepared for church, but not Huxley. He approached a man who
was known to have a simple and radiant Christian faith, and asked the man to stay home from church and tell him why he was
a Christian. The man objected, realizing that Huxley was brilliant, and could demolish his arguments in an instant. He told
Huxley he wasn’t clever enough to argue or debate with him. But Huxley assured him that he didn’t want to argue, that he only
wanted to hear, very simply, what Christ meant to this man. So the man skipped church and told Huxley the simple story of his
faith. When the man finished, the agnostic had tears in his eyes and said “I would give my right hand, if only I could believe
that.” I don’t know whether Huxley ever did believe, but if he did, it wasn’t due to clever argument but from the simple
presentation of someone’s real experience of Christ, which caught him by the heart.
Taking the opportunity to tell your faith story may be the only good reason to stay home from worship on Sunday
morning! That is one way to evangelize. Another is to simply invite people to come to church. If you think something special
is going on here on Sunday mornings, and I hope you do, then why not invite a friend or neighbor or co-worker or relative to
“come and see”? Bobbie King does this all the time. How many of you are here today simply because Bobbie or someone else
invited you? Bringing people into the family of God, where they can hear the gospel and experience the presence of Christ in
community—fellowship!—opens the door for many to believe and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Another story is told of Alexander Whyte, who pastored a large church in Edinburgh in the late 1800's and early 1900's.
During that time, a salesman by the name of Rigby would travel to Edinburgh regularly just to hear Whyte preach. Rigby would
often invite other businessmen to accompany him to the services. One Sunday morning he asked a fellow traveler to go to
church with him. Reluctantly, the man said yes. But when he heard Whyte's message, he was so impressed that he returned
with Rigby to the evening service. As the preacher spoke, the man trusted Christ as his Savior. The next morning, as Rigby
walked by the home of Pastor Whyte, he felt led to stop and tell him how his message had affected the other man's life. When
Whyte learned that his caller's name was Rigby, he exclaimed, "You're the man I've wanted to see for years!" He went to his
study and returned with a bundle of letters. He began to read Rigby some excerpts -- all telling of changed lives. They were
men Rigby had brought to hear the gospel. Unknown to Rigby, these men believed because he had invited them to “come and
see.”
I realize that it is no longer the 18 &1900’s. We live in different times. Jesus Christ and his Church no longer command
the respect or the interest of the majority of people in this country. The “E” word is politically incorrect in many circles. But
people are just as hungry for spiritual fulfillment, and perhaps more open to spirituality than ever before. The trouble is that
they are looking in all the wrong places to fill that spiritual void in their lives. From New Age spiritism to Dyanetics to Bahai
and who knows what else, people are trying to find that certain something that is missing in their lives. And what is missing is
a real and personal relationship with Almighty God, in the person of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Sadly, more
and more people outside these doors don’t know that. Some say it’s as if we are back to the pre-Christian era again. The
world is filled with pagan spiritualists who have never really heard the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And it’s up to us
to tell them. That’s a privilege of membership in the body of Christ.
Unfortunately, we have all kinds of preconceived notions and fears of what might happen if we actually did evangelism.
People might think we’re crazy, or Jesus freaks. If we ask a friend to church they might say no. They might think that what
we do here on Sunday mornings is too strange or scary or out of date. Well, why don’t we challenge them to “come and see”
what it is we’re so excited about. If we keep inviting in a loving and caring way, they may eventually surprise us and say,
“yes.” Think about inviting someone to Bible Study or to any special events or services we may have.
Sometimes we forget that the Church isn’t only for us. The Church is called not only to know Christ but to make Him
known. It’s a privilege of membership, and one of the great purposes and ends of the Church. We worship because we are
called to believe; we fellowship because we are called to belong. We minister because we are called to bless. And we do
evangelism because we are called to bring the gospel to those who have not heard. We are messengers, not messiahs. We
really have the easier part of the job, which is simply telling others what Christ means to us and then bringing them to the place
where they can meet Jesus for themselves. In and of ourselves, we can’t save anyone or satisfy the longing of another person’
s heart. But we can do everything in our power to introduce others to the only One who can, even Jesus Christ our Living
Lord.
Let us pray.
