World Evangelism is the Heartbeat of God

Austin Gardner

Get the heart of God. 

a.   Everything is about Him and His glory.

                                    i.     In the beginning GodGenesis 1:1

                                   ii.     He made all things forHimself. Proverbs 16:4

                                 iii.     He formed these peoplefor Himself to show forth His praise. Isaiah 43:21

                                 iv.     Of, through, and to areall things Romans 11:36

                                  v.     All things were createdby Him and for Him Colossians 1:16

                                 vi.     We are and were createdfor His pleasure. Revelation 4:11

b.   In the Old Testament He wanted the world to know about Him and beblessed.

                                    i.     And in thee (Abraham)shall all families of the earth be blessed. Genesis 12:3

                                   ii.     That thou (Moses and thepeople of Israel) mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.Exodus 9:14

                                 iii.     That all the people ofthe earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else. I Kings8:60

                                 iv.     Among all nations andall people Psalm 46:10, 67:1-3, 96:2-3

                                  v.     To the end of the earthIsaiah 49:6 

                                 vi.     The book of Jonah is agreat missionary book.

c.   He wants the whole world to know.

                                    i.     The Egyptians shall knowthat I am the Lord. Exodus 7:5, 17

                                   ii.     None like to the Lordour God Exodus 8:10

                                 iii.     None like me Exodus 9:14

                                 iv.     My name will be declaredthroughout the earth. Exodus 9:16

                                  v.     You will know that theearth is the Lord’s. Exodus 9:29

                                 vi.     Tell your children soyou will know that I am the Lord. Exodus 10:2

                               vii.     That all the earth mightknow the hand of the Lord Joshua 4:24

                              viii.    David knows that he is killing Goliath so that all the earth may knowthat there is a God in Israel. I Samuel 17:46

                                 ix.     Solomon asks God toanswer prayer so that all will know that He is the Lord. I Kings 8:43

                                  x.     The reason to save God’speople was that all would know that He is the only Lord God. II Kings 19:19

d.   He wants to be worshipped.

                                    i.     His name is to bepraised. Psalm 113:2-5

                                   ii.     Glory to His name Psalm29:2

                                 iii.     All nations will worshipHim. Psalm 86:9-10

                                 iv.     He will not give Hisglory to another. Isaiah 48:10-11

                                  v.     Giving our lives as asacrifice is a reasonable service. Romans 12:1

                                 vi.     Every knee shall bow. Philippians 2:10

                               vii.     He is worthy. Revelation 5:9-10

e.   Jesus Christ came to bring good news to all people.

                                    i.     For all people Luke 2:10

                                   ii.     There is no other way tothe Father but by Jesus. John 14:6, Acts 4:12

                                 iii.     He reveals Himselfthrough Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:2-3

f.    The Great Commission was given to the church.

                                    i.     Mark 16:15.  We are to takethe gospel to Every Creature. That means that we will have to reach more than 6,600,000,000 peoplewith the gospel message.

                                   ii.     Luke 24:46-49.  We are totake the gospel (repentance and remission of sins in His name) to AllNations.  Nations refers topeople groups and not entire countries. We have the Cherokee nation in the nation of the USA.  There are approximately 12,862 peoplesgroups according to Avery T. Willis, Jr. in his article “The Unfinished Task”found in Missiology, An Introduction to the Foundations, History, andStrategies of World Missions.

                                 iii.     Matthew 28:19-20.  Teachingall nations.  Since we already havethe command to go to all nations let us consider these words teach, baptize,teaching.  The word teachor teaching means (according to Webster’s New Twentieth CenturyDictionary Unabridged Second Addition, 1976) “to show how to do something, togive instructions to, to train, give lessons to (a student or pupil), to guidethe study of, to instruct, to hold classes in, to provide with knowledge,insight.”  Synonyms: impart, direct,instruct, informer, counsel, admonish, educate, inculcate, enlighten, advise,indoctrinate, and train.  The wordteach makes it clear that I must disciple or train all nations.  It is not enough to get them to pray aprayer.  They must be taught enoughto be saved, then baptized, then trained to live the gospel.

                                 iv.     Acts 1:8.  Gives us the geographicalcontext.  We are to go to the uttermost.  Every country is to hear the gospel.

                                  v.     John 20:21.  We are sentas He was sent.  This is the incarnation.  This is becoming one of them to reachthem in the context of where they live and the language they speak.

g.   The Great Commission is stated in other waysin the New Testament.

                                    i.     Made known to all nations Romans 16:26

                                   ii.     We are His ambassadors. II Corinthians 5:20

                                 iii.     He has committed the ministry of reconciliation to us. II Corinthians5:18-19

iv.     He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. I John 2:2

1.            God is using His church right now to bring about His will on the earth.

a.   He tells the most carnal and worldly church in the New Testament thatthey are to take the gospel to the world. I Corinthians 15:34

b.   It is to them that He commits the ministry of reconciliation. IICorinthians 5:18-19

c.   We have already seen how God repeatedly gave His Great Commission to thechurch and in Acts 1:8 He uses the word both.

                                    i.     Which one was it to door to teach or both? Acts 1:1

                                   ii.     Is He Lord or Christ orboth? Acts 2:36

                                 iii.     Which one went down intothe water Philip or the eunuch or both? Acts 8:38

                                 iv.     Is He Lord of the deador the living or both? Romans 14:9

                                  v.     Does He want you to be awitness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria or the uttermost or both?

                                 vi.     Both means equally,together, alike, it was not one then the other but both.

d.   They cannot be saved unless Romans 10:13-15

                                    i.     They must call on Him.

                                   ii.     They can’t call untilthey believe.

                                 iii.     They can’t believe untilthey hear.

                                 iv.     They can’t hear withouta preacher.

                                  v.     The preachers are sent.

e.   The Jerusalem church failed to get hold of their responsibility.

                                    i.     They filled Jerusalemwith their doctrine.

                                   ii.     Yet they hesitated totell others that were not Jews and even scolded Peter for going to Cornelius’house.

                                 iii.     They wouldn’t leavetheir city until they were persecuted. Acts 8:1

                                 iv.     The Church at Antiochgot hold of the Commission and God blessed them. Acts 13:1-3

1.   They end up sending offerings back to Jerusalem.

2.   They sent out the missionaries.

3.   The Church becomes primarily a Gentile church.

f.    Might it be that the weakness of our church is that we have forgottenour true function.

                                    i.     Our young people have noreal challenges.

                                   ii.     They are told what notto do but not what to do.

                                 iii.     They will rise to achallenge.

                                 iv.     We are known for what wedo not do more than what we do.

                                  v.     God is looking for apeople that will lose their lives.

                                 vi.     Our young people willrise to the challenge.

                               vii.     They will do it herebefore they go there if they simply know what to do.

2.            Becoming a World Evangelism Church

a.   You must first get it in your heart that this is the heart of God andHis Word.

b.   You need to do a complete and in-depth study of basic world evangelismdoctrine.

                                    i.     Are the lost reallylost?

                                   ii.     Is there a real burninghell?

                                 iii.     Do those who have neverheard really go to hell?

                                 iv.     Are you responsible toGod to get them the gospel?

                                  v.     Do you believe it is theresponsibility of the local church to get the gospel to the world?

                                 vi.     Does God truly loveeveryone and want all saved?

                               vii.     Do you realize theposition you play as pastor?

                              viii.    Are you convinced of the need?

                                 ix.     How long has God hadthis plan?

                                  x.     If we do not get themthe gospel then who will?

                                 xi.     Do we have the Words ofEternal life?

3.            What do I think might be the goals of a truly World Evangelism church?

a.   Work at evangelizing the world in their Jerusalem by committing to knockon and evangelize a minimum of 50,000 people that live close to their church atleast twice a year.

                                    i.     That means knocking on aminimum of 13,000 doors at least once each year and preferably twice a year ina systematic and organized fashion leaving a piece of literature in the houseor on the door.  This works out toapproximately 250 doors a week if you plan to use another means to get thegospel to your area in the same year

                                   ii.     Use the postal serviceor other means to get the gospel to each one at least one more time a year.

                                 iii.     Use radio, televisionand or Internet to reach their Jerusalem with the gospel.

b.   Commit to have their church divided up and organized to pray to the Lordof the Harvest that he send forth laborers to His harvest.

                                    i.     Every part of the worldwill have leadership interest in prayer.

                                   ii.     Every missionary willhave someone who takes a personal interest in the work and the country.

c.   The church will organize its ministries so that World Evangelism istaught and put before the people every week through the church, the pulpit, theSunday School, VBS etc.

d.   The Church will strive to give 50% of its income to the support of WorldEvangelism as soon as God so enables them.

e.   The church will commit to be a discipling church.  Where discipleship is important fromthe pulpit, every person is involved in discipleship and being prepared for thework.

f.    The church will encourage, enable and motivate its people with a goal ofhaving a minimum of one third of the church on the mission field and visitregularly getting involved in actual mission work.  Short term missionary endeavor

g.   Be a soul winning church where the members are accustomed to seeingpeople get saved and lives changed.

h.   Provide material to its members that will motivate and prepare them todo more to reach the world.

i.     Get everyone involved in the ministry and carrying the load of God’swork in their local church. Preparing men to take the load of the ministry even to the point ofpreparing a man with the ability to take the pastors place in the future.

j.    Aggressively seek to plant other local churches here in the USA sendingtheir own members, money, prayer, and labor.

4.            Some ideas on how to evangelize your Jerusalem

a.    Begin training yourpeople in how to carry out the Great Commission.  How to visit, soul win, and disciple.

b.    Prepare materials to be given out in theorganized visitation.

                                    i.     Gospel tract

                                   ii.     Brochure, etc.

c.    Organize the work by dividing your 13,000homes into quadrants so that you will be able to evangelize them in anorganized fashion.

d.    Prepare maps so that each team will knowexactly where they need to be knocking on doors.

5.            How toget people involved

a.    The scattered believers couldn’t quittalking about what Jesus had done in their lives .

                                    i.     At first they spoke only to other Jews intheir travels. 11:19

                                   ii.     Some of them in Antioch spoke to someGrecians. 11:20

                                    i.     Many believed and TURNED to the Lord. 11:21

b.    Barnabas is sent by the church. 11:22

c.    Barnabas goes and gets Saul and brings himto the ministry where there was a need. 11:25

d.    Timothy is invited by Paul to go along.

e.    Mark just got excited and wanted to go.

6.            How canyou continually feel this passion for the world? You must work at havinga passion for the world.

a.    How you think inyour heart will determine the passion you have.  Proverbs 23:7. You can control your thoughts. Philippians 4:8

b.    Get out whereyou can see the people and their needs. Get to the world.  Matthew14:14

c.    Fall in lovewith God.  

                                    i.     Then you willlove what He loves. Psalms 37:4

                                   ii.     You will feelwhat He feels.

d.    Obey God.

                                    i.     Read your Bible.Luke 16

                                   ii.     Readbiographies.

                                 iii.     Stand betweenthe living and the dead.

e.    Give to God.Matthew 6:21

f.     Make a consciouseffort to have a passion. Work at it.

                                    i.     Get you a worldmap.

                                   ii.     Study the data.

                                 iii.     Go to thecemetery.

                                 iv.     Look at thelights of your city.

                                  v.     Pray over yourcity and every city you visit.

                                 vi.     Meditate: putyourself in their place. Romans 10:1-3, 9:1-3

                               vii.     Pray. Matthew9:37

                              viii.    Think about the judgment.

1.    Great WhiteThrone

2.    Hell

3.    Judgment Seat ofChrist

4.    Well done Matthew25:21

5.    CrownsRevelation 4:10