II. Preparation of Evangelism (Eph )
A.
Preparation of spiritual virtue.
1.
Loving hearts (1 Cor ).
a.
When Jesus saw the sick, He could not wait to
heal (Mk 3:5).
b.
Jesus was thirsty and hungry, yet He preached to
the Samaritan woman first (Jn 4:7).
c.
Jesus had intended to rest, yet He preached to
those who wanted to listen first (Mk 6:31ff).
d.
Paul was like a mother willing to sacrifice his
life for the believers (1 Thess 2:6ff).
e.
Paul was like a father teaching the believers
about virtues and God’s words (1 Thess 2:9ff).
f.
When you see all who are heading for hell, how
do you feel about it?
2.
Fearful hearts (Ps ).
a.
Workers are Satan’s targets (Lk
).
b.
When the shepherd leaves, the sheep scatter (Mk ).
c.
Many workers failed while serving.
d.
Judah, Gehazi, Samson,
and even Gideon.
e.
Paul said that he pommel himself, lest he
preached to others and became forsaken (1 Cor ).
3.
Humble hearts (Mic
6:8).
a.
Adam fell due to pride.
b.
Angels fell due to pride.
c.
It is not easy to have two hands and one mouth
shut.
d.
Jesus said that I am lowly and tender, you shall
imitate me (Mt ).
e.
Peter says that the tender heart of the wife is
able to change the heart of an unbelieving spouse (1 Pet 3:1ff).
f.
We do not only preach with words, but our deeds
will also influence others to believe in Jesus (1 Thess
1:5; e.g. Barnabas, Acts ).
g.
Daniel did not fall, because he prayed three
times a day. We need to check ourselves in front of God constantly (Dan ).
B.
Preparation of spiritual power.
1.
Not by might, nor by power, but by the spirit of
God (Zech 4:6).
2.
Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights before
teaching (Mt 4:1. 2).
3.
Moses was trained in the wilderness for forty
years before leading the people (Acts ,
30).
4.
Paul served zealously but caused many troubles
in his life before he was called to serve by God (Acts -30).
5.
Jesus asked the disciples to wait in Jerusalem
for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Without power, one cannot start the entrusted
mission (Acts 1:4ff).
6.
Paul said that God gave him faith and love (1
Tim ).
7.
One cannot do anything without the power of God
when serving.
C.
Preparation of spiritual knowledge.
1.
The sword of the Holy Spirit is the words of
God. Jesus used the words of God to defeat Satan (Eph 6:17, Mt 4:1ff).
2.
Timothy knew the Bible since he was young (2 Tim
).
3.
The kingdom
of God is like the scribe who can
take out the new and the old (Mt ).
4.
The truth of salvation is in the Bible and
revealed in the last days. Many members were attracted by the pure truth. We
need to get familiar with the truth.
5.
We need to pray for the revelations of the Holy
Spirit to understand the truth of the Bible. The mystery of God is Jesus. Paul
was able to share the gospel in this new light (Isa
29:11ff, Rev 5:4ff).
