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Lifestyle Evangelism. John 4:35-38 First Corinthians 3:5-9. John 4:35-38. Don’t you say, ‘There are still four more months, then comes the harvest’? Listen to what I’m telling you: Open your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready for harvest.
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Lifestyle Evangelism John 4:35-38 First Corinthians 3:5-9
John 4:35-38 • Don’t you say, ‘There are still four more months, then comes the harvest’? Listen to what I’m telling you: Open your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready for harvest. • The reaper is already receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life, so the sower and reaper can rejoice together. • For in this case the saying is true: “One sows and another reaps.” • I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited from their labor.”
First Corinthians 3:5-9 • So, what is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. • I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. • So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. • Now the one who plants and the one who waters are equal, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. • For we are God’s co-workers. You are God’s field
Process • John 4:37-38 “For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited from their labor.”
Steps in Process • Cultivation • Sowing (planting) • Irrigation (watering) • Harvesting
Team Effort • John 4:36-37 “The reaper is already receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life, so the sower and reaper can rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’” • 1st Cor. 3:5 “So, what is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given.” • 1st Cor. 3:8 “Now the one who plants and the one who waters are equal, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.”
God’s Co-Workers • 1st Cor. 3:9 “For we are God’s co-workers.” • It is of God that we are the fellow workers • We labor with God • We labor in God’s power • We labor under God • We belong to God as His servants • 1st Cor. 3:6 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”
Cultivation • Hebrews 6:7 “For ground that has drunk the rain that has often fallen on it, and that produces vegetation useful to those it is cultivated for, receives a blessing from God” • Cultivate: Literally, To work the soil or, To till the ground
Their Fears • Guilt • Having a load being dumped on them • Being thrown in over their head – and unable to hold out • Being embarrassed • Becoming as weird as some of us • Losing the sources of fulfillment they have • Most lost people aren’t looking to join anything or for radical change
Cultivation • Tillage prepares the ground by loosening the soil • Deep plowing is needed when the ground is so hard it is impermeable to water • Tilling removing or kills the weeds • Tilling allows in oxygen that helps the tiny biological life that helps plants grow • Fertilizer provides nutrients for the plants to grow • Soil preparation provides a bed of soil with moisture for planted seeds to germinate & grow
Mini-Decisions • He’s OK • I’d like to get to know him better • I feel comfortable with him; he accepts me • I’m going to find out why he’s so different • It seems he gets his outlook on things from the Bible • I like his friends; I envy their confidence >
Sowing • Mark 4:14 “The sower sows the word.” • James 1:21 “Humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save you.” • Sowing means helping people understand the truth with their minds • The person is aware of the basics of the Gospel • The person understands what the Gospel means for him
Irrigation • 1st Corinthians 3:6 “I planted, Apollos watered” • “Irrigated land represents about 15 percent of all land under cultivation but often produces over twice the yield of nonirrigated fields.” - Encarta • Relationships with Christians helps the person develop a positive attitude toward the Gospel.
Mini-Decisions • The Bible isn’t impossible to understand after all. • The Bible says some important things. • What the Bible says about life fits my experience. • Jesus seems to be the key. I wonder who He really was. • Jesus is God; I need to do what He says.
Harvesting • Addresses a person’s will for a faith response • 1st Corinthians 1:6 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” • John 4:45 “Don’t you say, ‘There are still four more months, then comes the harvest’? Listen to what I’m telling you: Open your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready for harvest.” >
Where are You in the Process with the People You are Trying to Reach?
Mini-decisions material from LIVING PROOF, video series. CMBC & Navigators