They serve alongside special agents and other important roles in God's Kingdom.
THE
FULL ARMOR OF GOD
BELT OF TRUTH:The belt of truth (Jesus’
teachings and commands) hold up your spiritual pants up and centers all
you do, John 8:31-32.
BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: The breastplate of righteousness (given to you by
Christ at the new birth) protects your heart and gives you your identity,
2 Corinthians 5:21.
SHOES OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE: The shoes of the gospel of peace (peace with God
because of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection) is what guides your
life and gives purpose to everything you do, Romans 10:14-15.
SHIELD OF FAITH:The
shield of faith (faith in God’s Word) protects you from all the attacks of
the enemy (doubt & fear), Romans 10:17.
HELMET OF SALVATION: The helmet of salvation (the mind of Christ) guards
your thoughts and lines them up with the will of God, Romans 12:1-2.
SWORD OF THE SPIRIT: The sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) is the
weapon you use against your carnal thoughts (1 Peter 2:11 & 2
Corinthians 10:5) and the devil’s temptations (Luke 4:3-4).
Leading Others To God
Just remember, soft
heart, humble approach, be teachable. Continue to thirst and hunger for
righteousness and the Spirit will continue to give it to you. TRUTH understood
and applied becomes WISDOM. In Truth, you have Wise Dominion.
Salvation is deliverance,
victory, to heal, to free, to preserve, to make whole.
PSALM 3:8 and ACTS
4:12-deliverance is God’s plan for man through Jesus Christ. Whom the Son sets
free is free indeed. Salvation is God’s work.
JOHN 6:44 no one can come
to me unless the Father draws him near.
God chose you. Christ is
your King. Follow His rule. You are a son of Monarchy; not a son of anarchy of
the world and the devil. There is no such thing as “finding God or Jesus”,
they’re not lost! You are! Jesus finds you, not the other way around. God
chooses you and you accept God’s gift of salvation. That’s the difference. Now
reach and teach and make a difference.
2 peter 3:9 - 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his
promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not
wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
glc.ccf.org
Your tools for evangelism:
1.Prayer – literally means
to petition the King and to call upon God for something. It is exercise of your
faith, hope and belief in the promise of God.
James 5:15-16 15 And the prayer offered in faith will
make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned,
they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each
other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a
righteous person is powerful and effective.
Pray before during and or after
you minister with someone knowing that Holy Spirit will give you utterance and
the King will hear your needs and God will respond in His Will.
James 4:8 - 8 Come near to God and he
will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts,
you double-minded.
Philippians 4:6-7 - 7 And the peace of
God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus.
2.Knowledge – true
knowledge is from God. When God speaks, listen. Know the Word intimately, not
just by memory or by phrase.
2
Timothy 2:15 - 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as
one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly
handles the word of truth.
Understand
scripture. Know what you are reading and what it truly means. True revelation
comes from having a relationship with God. You know it not only by Word, but by
experience. You know it, because you lived it. Know where to you find it in the
bible. Sew it in your heart and you will know where to go when asked.
3.Engagement – be not
afraid to have conversation about and attract attention from anyone who longs
to know the Gospel. The Holy Spirit will guide in you what to say.
1
Corinthians 9:22 - …I have become all things to all people so that by all
possible means I might save some.
You will be able to
meet them where they’re at. Jesus calls out to all people of all walks of life
in every condition and circumstance. You will be amazed how just a conversation
or an acknowledgement can open doors to someone who is hurting. (Luke 4: 18-19)
Remind them Jesus
lives for them and God loves them and is ready to heal and restore them. If
someone pays you attention, give them their money’s worth. They will pay with
their time and take interest in the God in you
Evangelism Class Parts 1-3 courtesy of class notes from DeMaster Thomas, 9/27/16-10/4/16
New LIfe Covenant Church, Chicago, IL - Humboldt Park
We are human. Self evident-we are not very bright. Intelligent. Sure. Common sense? Absolutely NONE. Humans have about as much sense as God gives paint. But even paint knows to stick to the wall and look pretty. We can't even do that. Indeed, we are a gross waste of space in existence and even with all of that, HE loves us still. That's the power of God. The absence of Christ is the presence of the Holy Spirit for those that have chosen to accept Him. But wait. The Holy Spirit is not a "what"? NO. He's a "who". His pronouns are "He" and "Him". Let's learn more below...
Who is the Holy Spirit? The 3rdperson of the
Trinity. When God the Son left this earth to sit on the throne at the right
hand of God the Father, God the Holy Spirit was placed upon the earth to teach,
build, guide, comfort and remind us of who we are in God’s Kingdom and manifest
the Kingdom of God in us and through us. You represent your Kingdom through
your culture. God’s culture expands through the Holy Spirit in you. You
literally take on the characteristics and nature of the Holy Spirit. The Holy
Spirit will cultivate the nature of Jesus Christ in you. You will be a living
example of what a citizen of God looks like.
The Holy
Spirit will show you how to behave like Jesus behaves. Remember, God chose you.
And also remember, the Holy Spirit is the Father of Jesus! So what better
teacher than the one who taught Jesus how to become the Christ? The Holy Spirit
guided Jesus and now guides you. To be under guidance of the Holy Spirit is to
be in relationship with God.
1+1+1=3
does not equal God.1x1x1 = 1 = God.
The Spirit
brings out the exchange; the righteousness; the integration. You have integrity
because you are integrated with God. The Holy Spirit is Eden. You are with
Eden. Eden is the presence of God with you. God works through the Holy Spirit
through you.
Jesus did
not perform “miracles” in the sense that man has come to know or define. It was
simply God working through the Holy Spirit in Jesus to bring forth His Will.
Just as He did with Jesus, the Spirit will raise you from a baby to an adult. You
will be renewed, repaired and restored. The heart is the only thing God cannot
repair. So, he replaces it. Problem solved.
Now, God can work through the Holy Spirit
through you to bring forth His Will.
The Fruit of Love
Fruit is
something you can pluck and take with you when it’s ready. It is the outcome or
result of what is produced from the seed.
DIFFERENT
TYPES OF LOVE we recognize today:
Physical
love is visual, stimulating, erotic, worldly or self-gratifying.
Natural
love is between 2 people ie parent/child.
Conditional
love is temporary adoration for people and can be unforgiving if betrayed.
Material
love is selective and determined by what you choose to like or dislike in
places or things.
Brotherly
love is built on affection for another such a friend spouse or mate
Unconditional
love is God’s love for man. It has no limits. No strings. No requirements. It’s
just because.
The
Scriptures are the Original Truth. The Word of God is knowledge. Lack of
knowledge brings darkness. Satan can only get a foothold if you are not in line
with the Holy Spirit. From the Holy Spirit you will gain strength to overcome
your fears, you will learn how to better yourself as a Christian and how to
share what you learn with others. You will become a branch of the Kingdom that
bears fruit by default. Knowing the Holy Spirit is with you brings you peace of
mind which leads to peaceful thinking which leads to peaceful action and
reaction in your daily life. You will gain direction from the Holy Spirit
through prayer. Prayer time is alone time with God and realigns your focus.
Fruit of the Spirit
The word
“church” comes from kirk or kuriakos which means to pertain to or belong to a
lord. It is not a “religious” word. It is utilized in Christian vernacular as a
person or persons who belong to Christ our Lord. You are called by God to be
the fruit of the Spirit. To be the end result of what the Holy Spirit has
brought up in you. You are the manifestation of God’s culture.
This is
what it means in the Lord’s Prayer to say, His Kingdom come, His Will be done.
The image and culture of God in man has dominion. These united persons in
Christ become His “church; a reflection of His common unity or “community”.
There is
only one fruit of the spirit with many characteristics.
1.Patience-to
be long-suffering, to endure or tolerate for a long time
Job 1-the model of patience and faithfulness to God
Ephesians 4:2-there is fruit in patience from God
Colossians 3:12-compassion is patience with others God is love and if
love does not give up this means God does not give up.
Philippians 1:6-God will bring good out of patience.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 – be strong, pray for people and help them; even if
they don’t appreciate it; God does and that’s what matters.
2.Gentleness
– is strength under control. Let the Holy Spirit continuously guide you in all
relationships. Gentle communication is a character of the fruit. If you remove
the gentleness in your communication the relationship can fail. When you are
gentle, you are adaptable.
3.Goodness
– this is virtue, beneficence, do well to give, provide, help, serve and be
useful.
Acts 10:38-Jesus was able to go and do good because God was with him.
Acts 20:35-it is more blessed to give than to receive
You will bear good fruit and people will want that from you. You will
influence, entice and satisfy. Your
fruit is a reflection of your integrity. God keeps his word-keep yours. Be the
same person in front of people as you are behind closed doors. God is
unchanging and steadfast. So are you. Your labor is not in vain to God-1
Corinthians 15:28.
God is protecting His name; not yours. Do not boast in your
righteousness. God does all things in you for His namesake. If you act in His
name by His command, He will back you 100%. Die to your will and live for His.
This is what “let go and let God” means. This is also what “let go of all you
have” means.
4.Humility
– have respect. Yield to the Will and authority .
5.Meekness-remain
in control in the face of adversity. Be meek in your foundation and you will
not crumble under a storm. Meekness is revealed the most when there is trouble
in your life.
Proverbs 14:29/16:13 – be slow to anger, do not repay evil with evil, do
not sin in your anger, anger is energy from God to take action without fear. It
is not be used to destroy yourself or others, but to protect and bring out of
in a time of trouble.
James 4:17 – to know right and do wrong anyway ( Isaiah 53:5 again!) your
soul cannot sin. It is the part of you that belongs to God! It is in your soul
that the Holy Spirit dwells. The soul controls the mind and the mind controls
the body. The body has no choice but to submit and obey the mind when the soul
commands it to avoid sin. Your “free will” is the most powerful tool you have
as a human being. Use it wisely.
6.Temperance
– is self-control from the Holy Spirit. Jesus had self-control because of
Christ in him. Ergo self-control is God control! You will have power over your
actions, thoughts, desires, emotions and appetites.
Romans 8:14 – be led by the Spirit. Lack of temperance can lead you to
sin or just throw you off track! Stay aware and alert so you do not overreact,
overindulge, overspend or overdraw. All of these reactions can have a negative
effect on you and others.
Did you know that you do not have to be an ordained pastor, minister, priest, teacher or even any position in a church to be an evangelist? It's true. Actually, the definition of evangelism is the spreading of the truth and teaching of Jesus Christ by public speaking or personal witness.
And then there's Matthew 18:20 that clearly supports the fact it only takes 2 more and that's it! You're holding a full blown church service! Indeed, with God, all things are possible. By just having your Bible, sharing the Word with another person, it's done! You just performed the action of an evangelist. Now, of course, that's "good", but we're always growing, so, how do we get better? Well, practice, of course.
Where does it start to be a better Ambassador for Christ? (2 Corinthians 5:20) Easy. It starts with you.
Introduction highlights
PSALM 37:4
DELIGHT in Hebrew means: to soften; be easily molded; flexible. When your heart
is soft, your will can become God’s Will and you can grow in it. The Holy
Spirit can mold you in the works of God.
The “true”
Garden of Eden: while it once was a geographical area where original man was
placed on earth, it was much more than that. That was man’s Eden. God’s Eden
was not a geographical location, it was an Atmosphere. To be in Eden was to be
in God’s atmosphere-to be within the living space of God. The fall of man wiped out the spiritual
atmosphere of God with man and the Great Flood wiped out the geographical
location of Eden on earth. The birth death and resurrection of Jesus puts God’s
Eden back in place with you – in your heart. Eden is now in you. You literally
carry the Kingdom of God in you. Ergo you are an Ambassador of Christ-you
represent the Kingdom-all of what you do and say is a direct reflection of what
is in you – if the Kingdom of God is in you – then you are Christ-like.
Christianity
is not a religion. It is a lifestyle. Just like any other culture, you continue
on traditions, habits and behaviors of the Kingdom culture.
MATTHEW
4:19 – and I will make you fishers of men…
MATTHEW
10:16 – your approach to others should be like that of your Christian culture.
Like Jesus, you should be subtle and smooth with an attractive influence. From
wisdom comes humility. Be humble. You will possess the qualities of a dove-you
are quiet, pleasant, and peaceful in your deliverance.
The
principles of Evangelism.
1.Fools
increase when wisdom is silent
2.Evil
succeeds when righteousness does nothing
3.Darkness
rules when light is absent
4.Problems
reign when solutions are ignored
Revelation 22:20
GOSPEL-is the Good News of Jesus Christ:
his birth, life, death, resurrection fulfilled the prophesy and promise from
God to man for redemption, return and reconcile. When you share your faith, you
are sharing that Christ died for you and them. Sin takes. God gives. God loves.
God IS Love. God gave His only begotten Son for you. He acts on His love. He
does what He says He will do. He keeps His Word. When you evangelize (preach
the Gospel), you plant His seed; God will the grow it through the power of the
Holy Spirit.
ISAIAH 53:5 – tells us that Jesus was wounded, pierced and crushed for
us. By His wounds, we were healed. (spiritually in this world and mentally,
physically, spiritually in the next)
Satan comes to kill, steal and destroy. Jesus came to give life, health
and prosperity.
Good new requires a response. It is a message from god telling us how to
avoid His judgment. Choose Christ and live or choose Satan and die.
CROWN OF THOUGHT (MIND)-removed mental illness and all
ailments of the head and mind. This was part of the curse of the earth and
humans after Adam and Eve sinned. All failure, rejection, lack of confidence
and mental torment was taken away when Christ took on the crown of thorns.
ROMANS 12:2 - Do not conform to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able
to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
PIERCING OF ACTION ( BODY) -Jesus took away all sins done by the
hands of humans.
COLOSSIANS 2:13-15 - 13 When you were
dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you[d] alive with Christ. He forgave us
all our sins,14 having canceled the charge of our legal
indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away,
nailing it to the cross.15 And having
disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them,
triumphing over them by the cross.
PIERCING OF MOVEMENT (CHOICE) -Jesus took away every step man makes
and takes in and toward sin and away from God. (addiction, immorality, pride,
lust, greed, etc. For all who attempted to walk away from God, Jesus brought
them back. LUKE 24:39 - Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me
and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
PSALM 15:1-2 - Lord, who may dwell in
your sacred tent?Who may live on your holy mountain? 2 The one
whose walk is blameless,who does what is righteous.
PSALM 16: 1 - Keep me safe, God, for in you, I take my refuge.
WHELPS ON HIS BACK - Take special attention to the fact
that none of Jesus’ bones were broken
during his torture and crucifixion. This was the fulfillment of prophesy. The
whelps on his back from being whipped were exactly 39 lashes. In this, Jesus
received his stripes. He chose to die
9 hours on the cross vs. 48 hours. He was crucified at 6am and died at 3pm.
NO BROKEN BONES - WE are His bones-made from Him and
cannot be broken (spiritually) by this world. Now at noon, there was a
disconnect from God. The Son of God (Christ) did not die. God left Jesus in
order for Him to experience what separation from God is like. And in doing
that, Jesus literally died 3 hours later.
So look at that. With God, through all he went through, he was still
going, still alive, for 6 hours straight. Without God? He died in 3. Another
point to consider, Adam and Eve lived almost a 1000 years. They were immortal
with God. Once they sinned, it only took them less than 1 day to die. Remember,
1000 years to man is 1 day to God.
PSALM 34:20 - he protects all his bones,not one of them will be broken.
PIERCING OF THE SIDE – the condition of his heart and body.
Jesus took away all heartache and physical disease. Blood from Jesus’ heart
gave birth to the church. Every broken heart and every failed relationship with
God and man was taken away. The side of the body is a symbol of companionship,
relationship and fellowship. There was water around Jesus heart. This was
extraordinary and unusual. The water was a symbol of cleansing and the blood
was the symbol of redemption. The relationship with God and man was restored.
JOHN 19:33-34 - 33 But when they came
to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’
side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.
Newsflash! – Jesus, never healed anyone. Jesus was not an
alien. Jesus was born from a 16 yo virgin named Mary, impregnated by the Holy
Spirit to give birth to a living vessel for the Christ.
Translation from Hebrew and Greek to English in simpler
terms:
*CHRIST means Anointed Messiah = Word from God in flesh
*JESUS – a human made of flesh and bone as the 2nd
Adam to restore what 1st Adam damaged. It was all pre-planned. When
God said man will have dominion, this meant that man would have free will. This
means man has freedom ‘free’ ‘dom’-inion. Jesus chose in his free dominion to
believe, accept and follow God and by his choice, he became the Christ.
JOHN 1:1 - [ TheWord Became Flesh ] InthebeginningwastheWord, and theWordwas with God, and theWordwas God.
It was not
when Adam sinned that man and God’s relationship was lost – it was actually the
moment God left Jesus on the cross and Jesus said, “Matthew 27:46 About three in the
afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,lemasabachthani?”
(which means “MyGod, myGod, whyhaveyouforsakenme?”).
Jesus dying on the cross represents the death and separation of God and
man. His torture, crucifixion and resurrection
represents all sins of the world being removed and replaced with
redemption and restoring of relationship with God and man.
TRANSGRESSION
– ROMANS 6:23- means the sin was not planned or premeditated in rebellion or
revolt.
To
trespass
is to ‘cross the line.’ Jesus
was bruised and beaten to take this away. JOHN 19:1.
INIQUITY- ISAIAH
53:5 – premeditated choice to be perverse and sinful continuously without
lore. But
he was pierced for our transgressions, he
was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him and
by his wounds we are healed.
To
Witness
Why
do we witness? To share our testimony-to tell-publish or make known. To have
credible evidence-proof-to announce. You should do this by choice out of love
for others , not just because it is a command from Jesus your King. Remember,
you are the proof of God’s work and will on earth, just as Jesus did, so should
you.
To
witness creates CHANGE in behavior, attitude, thinking and speech. Not just for
you, but for the one you witness to. Be mindful of how you treat yourself and
others. Do not be hypocrites. Be the example from the heart of the truth and
share the Gospel with love. Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you.
And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the
results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.
PHILLIPIANS 2:12.
When you
change the way you think, you can change your behavior. You can preach the
Gospel in your actions, not just by words. In doing this, you will show the
results of your salvation. Only the Word
of God sets us free and brings true salvation.
SUMMARY –
to witness is a command-Matthew 28:19. It is out of love, it is wise. Proverbs
11:30. It is required to save people from hell. Revelation 20:15. Be foolproof.
Be the evidence. 2 Timothy 4:5.
