Tell

Throughout grade school I attended a smaller-sized church with my family. Because our church was small, it was sometimes difficult to find a preacher. At times God would bless us with a competent minister, but at other times we just had to make due with whoever showed up.

One of the pastors who showed up and who unfortunately stayed a little too long, was an older man with a seminary education and a bull-in-the-china-shop personality. I don't have any personal recollections of his sermons. I typically slept or zoned out as he mumbled through his messages each week. But my parents told me how he preached sermons and taught Bible lessons that crippled our congregation's evangelistic fervor. He would basically spout, "I am a professionally trained pastor. Only I can share the gospel competently. You are lay people. You haven't received training. Therefore, you should rely on me to do this important task."

The last I heard, that pastor was leading a small, dying congregation to its death with his very same, thick-headed, nearsighted philosophy of pastor-centric evangelism.

I have this visceral reaction whenever I think of that pastor. He symbolizes to me everything that is wrong about evangelism in the Church today. We have taken the ministry of many and made it the ministry of the few. We have taken the responsibility of evangelism away from ordinary Christians like you and assigned it to trained and hired professionals like me. But this has to change. We need to embrace a different model of evangelism, a better model, a biblical model, a model that puts you in the driver's seat. This preaching minister, me, cannot be allowed to bottleneck outreach in the Church.

Evangelism myths.

Over the next few weeks we will embrace a different model of evangelism than what we have been used to seeing and hearing about. We're going to shatter some legendary myths about evangelism. Listed below are some themes about evangelism that may stretch your faith.

• You do not need a Bible College or seminary education to share the gospel.
• You do not need a church title, like elder or deacon or pastor, to share the gospel.
• You do not need to ask permission from some church boss to share the gospel.
• You do not need to be obnoxious, rude, annoying, or intrusive to share the gospel.
• You do not need to alienate all of your friends and family as you share the gospel.
• You do not need to drop your voice two or three octaves to sound super-spiritual.
• You do not need to learn that foreign language called Christianeese.
• You do not need to go out on some street to shout at pedestrians. You do not need wrap yourself in clothing made of camel's hair and a leather belt or eat wild locusts and wild honey and shout, Repent!" to everyone around you.
• You do not need to make cold calls on some stranger's doorstep in your neighborhood.
• You do not need to be some ultra-spiritual, holy person to share your faith.

The right tools.

But one thing you do need is the proper tools. And a little coaching doesn't hurt either! This morning I am going to give you a tool for doing evangelism. Next week I am going to give you a second tool for doing evangelism. Two weeks from now I will give you a third tool for doing evangelism. Together as a church we are going to practice using these tools to impact our circle of influence with the message of Jesus Christ. Our Bible school and small group leaders will also provide some of the coaching.

Last Mother's Day I told you our finished lower level got flooded. The damage was substantial and we quickly realized that we would have to tear out molded drywall, stained carpeting, rotten woodwork, and damaged furniture. My dad came down to help and in a week we gutted the entire lower level. At the end of the week I remember looking at the downstairs area and sinking into a deep depression. What had I gotten myself into?

I had never remodeled an entire room before, let alone an entire level of a house. I had never framed up a wall before. I had never built a casing around a window. I had never done any serious dry-walling. I had never done any electrical wiring. I had never hung dropped ceiling. I had never installed door jams before. I had never seated a toilet on a wax ring or replaced a vanity! I was overwhelmed! And I knew I couldn't afford to hire the work out to professionals at fifty to sixty dollars an hour!

But I had this garage full of nice tools. With some coaching from some others, I got right to work. I soon discovered that I was capable of doing just about everything that needed to be done. The only things that I absolutely refused to mess with were the gas lines and the electrical box. I didn't want to become "Sparky" the preacher. Throughout the process I made some mistakes. I got zapped two or three times. I got sprayed with water as I reworked some plumbing. I got a few scrapes and cuts. But the job got done! Of course, that's my story. If you talk to Lara she'd say, "He's not done! He has to to patch some holes, touch up with paint, get those ceiling tiles in over my dryer, and mortar the tile under the window."

When given the right tools and a little coaching it's amazing what we can accomplish. Typically, trained professionals want to immobilize you, not empower you. They want you to believe, "You can't do that. You're weak. You need to hire that out." But the truth is that you can do it! You can make things happen. You can lead others into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You can help others begin the transition toward godliness. My job is to empower you, to coach you, to equip you, and to encourage you.

To evangelize, you first need the right tools.

I have asked some volunteers to go ahead and distribute your first tool at this time. (Note to reader: The ushers passed out napkins and ink pens to the congregation.)

So what did you think I was going to hand out? A napkin and an ink pen are powerful tools if placed in the right hands. With some coaching, these items can be used to alter the eternal destinies of people in your circle of influence! Of course you don't have to use a napkin. You can also use a scrap piece of paper, an old newspaper, the back of an envelope, or a note card. So how do you use a napkin to influence people for Jesus Christ? Christians have used this evangelism technique for decades.

In order to do napkin evangelism you must first memorize a verse of scripture. That verse is Romans 6:23 (NIV). "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Let's practice saying this verse together. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Now close your eyes and repeat this verse to yourself. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Now turn to your neighbor and repeat this verse to him and then have him repeat it back to you. Last, I would like you to write this verse across the top of your napkin in small print or you can use a blank spot in your bulletin to write on if you wish. This verse is simple enough that eighty percent of you probably already have it memorized. If not, you can quickly memorize it while driving home.

The following section is adapted from Navigators' one verse evangelism method of sharing the gospel.

So here is how napkin evangelism actually works. Let's say God is leading you to share the gospel with a co-worker named Jeff. Jeff is sitting alone in the cafeteria so you go over and sit down next to him. You take the ink pen out of your pocket protector, grab a napkin out of the napkin holder, and write this verse down from memory. And then you say, "Hey Jeff, would you like to see a simple picture based on this verse that will explain God's relationship with people?" Jeff shrugs his shoulders and says, "Sure. Why not?"

First you draw a box around the word "wages" and ask, "How would you feel if your boss refused to pay you the wages that were due to you?" Deep down, all of us know that it is only right that we get whatever we deserve. As Jeff reacts you tell him how we all earn wages from God based on how we have lived our lives. And that it is only fair for God to pay us what we deserve.

Next you draw a box around the word "sin" and ask, "What do you think or feel when you hear this word?" After Jeff shares his thoughts you explain that sin is just as much an inner attitude as it is an outward action. Sin can mean actively disobeying God, but it can also mean excluding God from our lives. Ask Jeff, "Has God ever seemed far away? Or distant?" Tell him that one of the first things sin does is to make God seem far away from us.

Draw two opposing cliffs with a space between them.

Next draw a box around the word "death" and ask, "What thoughts come to mind when you hear this word?" Explain that death often means some sort of separation. When we die we become separated from those we love, our family and friends, and other people who mean a great deal to us. We will all experience physical death, but we can experience spiritual death too.

If we die spiritually we will forever be separated from God and from our loved ones.

Write Wages + Sin = Death on the left cliff.

Draw a box around the word "but" and point out that this word always draws attention to a sharp contrast in thought. What we have just looked at is bad news, but what follows is good news.

Draw a box around the word "gift" and ask, "If wages are what a person earns, then what is a gift?" Remind your friend that someone must purchase every gift.

Draw a box around the phrase "of God". Explain that the gift you are talking about is free because God purchased it and freely gave it to us. Ask, "How do you feel when someone gives you a special gift?"

Draw a box around the words "eternal life". Ask your friend, "How would you define these words?"

Write Gift + Of God = Eternal Life on the right cliff.

Contrast one side of the cliff, death, with the other side of the cliff, eternal life. Ask, "What is the opposite of separation from God?"

Draw a box around the name "Jesus Christ". Draw a cross that bridges the gap between God and us. Explain that God gives us the free gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ and that through God's sacrificial gift, we can have a relationship with God.

Finally, circle the word "Lord" and write the word "trust" over the bridge that you have just drawn. Explain that every relationship is built on trust. Trust means taking responsibility and being honest about your sin. It means trusting that Jesus wants to forgive our sins and wants us to have a personal relationship with him.

Ask your friend, "Do you want to trust Jesus Christ and start a relationship with God that will last forever?" If he says "yes", pray a short prayer with your friend. Give him a copy of the New Testament and have him read the gospel of John. Invite him to church or to a Bible study. Give him some books to read. Help him take the step of repentance, confession, and baptism. Introduce him to someone who can lead him deeper into the faith.

You can use a napkin to change someone's destiny for eternity. Whenever you first begin using a new tool it is awkward. It feels unnatural. But as you gain confidence with that new tool you begin getting positive results.

Here is what I want to say about napkin evangelism, also known as one verse evangelism. God's word is extremely powerful. In Isaiah 55:11 (NIV) God says this about his word, "...so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

If someone doesn't automatically respond when we share God's word, so what? I would say that on average, I typically have to share the gospel with a person dozens of times before they fully respond. But in the end, God's word accomplishes the purpose for which it is sent. Our job is to be faithful and consistent in telling, not yelling, but telling the good news of Jesus Christ to people in our circle of influence. We must always leave the results up to God.

I encourage you to practice napkin evangelism with your spouse or with another Christian. You can log on to www.navigators.orgto print out the instructions on how to use this outstanding tool. We will put it online tomorrow! You can also practice using this tool in our adult Bible school classes along with the other two tools I will give you in the next few weeks.