1280. Why Do I Evangelize?

Welcome to the daily form from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.

The school was founded in 1927 by the evangelist Dr. Bob Jones Senior's intent was to make a school where Christ would be the center of everything, so he established daily chapel services today.

That tradition continues with fervent biblical preaching from the University travel platform today were concluding the series on evangelism yesterday. Pastor Tim Richmond of Grace Baptist Church in Queens New York preached a message titled, how do I evangelize today's message is the final in the series and he'll be teaching us why we should evangelize RAR questions what is evangelism's vandalism is what you are as you as you share this good news of Jesus.

This part in the following potted plants. These several folks that you've made relationships with and and and and also your whole community is your creatively considering ways to share this gospel message to the whole community, why, why do this by some great responses of a lot more responses of why here and and so I just love that so many of you responded. Matthew 28, 19 to 20.

Absolutely. Why, because this is what Christ says make disciples of the nations right. This is our command that was a big one. Actually, a lot of you just responded with the reference but also very obeying Christ command is have you had several he had that how will they hear without a preacher right that they may have eternal life. This this is another big theme is were a systematic theology conclusion. That's very very good and and and one of the ones that I wrote down as well to bring glory to God right. We have 2.3 million worshipers in Queens and my prayer is that by the end of my life to million of them at least to be worshipers of Jesus right so this drives us to share him with them. I see you have like some these big ideas and just kinda summarizing them love for God's love for others because Jesus died for mankind. The chief mission of the church so so some great responses there great responses there and then I'm to focus on that one that that we talk about why is because it's compassionate it is and you see this is something that comes up often as you read through the New Testament that we share the gospel because were compassionate for those who are lost. We want to show mercy want to show mercy and so you have obey. Yes, you have right this strong sense of the glory of God. Yes, but also there several times Jesus looked on the multitudes with compassion. Paul said he would.

He would want to go to hell if it meant more people is Jewish brothers going to heaven right there is this compassion that drove him that he gets a very consistent biblical theme that drives our why RHC or the why the card for you today.

You want to put this in your wallet and keeping your wallet to remind you right this is I have the in my wallet as well. Actually I gave my my unlimited pass my subway pass to somebody views while I was gone right, but this is this is mirroring the right that the subway, the subway car, I need a subway car to go if this will work in the subway. But this is what that mirrors here is we think of your life is a commute 4060 maybe 80 years. Not sure for laughs 40 minute commute to show mercy to those people ride in that short time with K and Simon encourage you to get in the spots of the world where this where there's there's more soil than sellers consider because of God because of the gospel because of the power of the message preached. Perhaps you could consider going to spots where there are there's just a whole lot of soil and not as many sewers as you do that the messages that you hear from others may actually be against the Gospels message and and and you will see that but that shouldn't disturb us contain the text actually speaks to both of those things today. Why should I evangelize and then how can I continue evangelize during a time or place, but maybe a little more difficult because the messages around me are so against the gospel.

Okay so I want us to read this text together. Let's do this.

Can we read this out loud, the other the first two verses talk about how we can stay in areas are spots actually is. I'm encouraging you this summer to go out in places and meet people that don't know Jesus. We may think well what if they try to influence me against Christ. Well, that's a question that we should address so these first two verses address that it's not to stay inside your house or stay where everyone's Christian that's not the answer. The Bible gives brim a lot emphasis Timothy Young single Timothy Pastor and that wicked city of Ephesus, and that's what the Bible said. But, but, as you do that you'll have this drawing. I feel that I feel drawn by the other messages around me. So you need these first two verses, let's read the first two verses and read the second verses in the jump right into the text first versus can you read this with me but he will love building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life, and of some have compassion, making a difference and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire hating even the garment spotted by the flash rights. We have two ideas here are commands that help us with this that first one is to help you go to spots that are difficult for the messages you hear will be totally against the gospel consistently keep yourself in the love of God and then the second one is as you are there with this gossip gospel message dear to have mercy, compassion, compassion, leaks in the love of God toward others. Okay, that's were going with this verse 20 and 21 consistently keep yourself in the love of God. I often run into Manhattan.

I jogged there from Queens and and as I'm going to see all these messages but sometimes lined up in Times Square and like it's message overload like 7 to 8000 signings and blasting messages so I sit down and read all of them one by one, you can't take them all and there's just too many at once. Right were bombarded with messages.

I just feel like I gotta get outta here and now. If I do I'll just go and sit by a stream.

I love your that to write we can get away from messages there on your phone or on the news right we just had messages given us today. I'm giving you a message right now by this style go. You all kinds of messages around you and many of them actually go against the gospel. Or perhaps they're just more secular and they give you all this messages that that encourage you to live a life apart from God like you can live anywhere you I just don't think about God and so it's not necessarily an anti-God is just messages to keep us from thinking what's about what's going on spiritually and I met encourage you to go over the messages are are less like Christ and more like Satan go there because we need people sharing the message of Christ. We need you to be a billboard. We need you to be a part of the message and all of you Ryan. I love CT studs quote someone to live within the sound of church or chapel bell. I want to rescue shot run a rescue shop. What is he saying within a yard of hell. And so Paul again says remain a lot emphasis stay in that spot for the messages may actually be against the faith. But you're tempted as you hear these messages to live in way that would be against the gospel right and so you need verses 20 and 21 he says keep yourself in the love of God could consistently keep yourself and I'll summarize it this way, you keep yourself understanding that God loves you and loving God. Keep a right relationship with your heavenly father in a hostile environment everywhere you go there to be a hostile environment, but as you continue in a secular society as you take a secular employment there.

There will be this pool and you and so you need to keep yourself in the love of God or you have no sign at all. How do you do that.

He gives three ING words affect command by building yourself in the faith by by spending time in this Bible each day, building yourself up if you don't you will lose your signpost, your commute will be wasted. Even maybe in a minute, praying in the Holy Spirit so you're in the Bible regularly listening to the words of the faith and then your praying in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is using you to pray to God that you're actually this is what I have to to a daily, I have to be in the Psalms worshiping God through the the words that the spirit inspired I have to do that living in have to or my focus like total I feel myself drifting on a daily basis.

So I have to keep going back to the will of God is revealed to me in the Psalms, and I just chew on those things that God is in it he has done and it keeps me centered on the love of God and my love for him, praying in the Holy Spirit and in looking on for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ into eternal life right.

Nothing spurs my mercy dollars more than recognizing that I have been shown so much mercy and so I'm I'm thinking about I'm to be with Christ. One day I get to fellowship with Christ today because of his mercy, not at all because of who I am.

This helps us as will see when I moved to New York on my secular jobs remembered sitting in the break room there and I probably to quickly shared with the spotted plan that I had met and started becoming trying to be friendly to she she was nice lady and so is just like trying to interact with her over coffee.

There and I talked to her about the Lord and she yelled at me and she cursed and she said never talk to me about that again. She ran out of what happened but someone else who had come to that same job in a gospel light had totally ruined his testimony with her had been. I'll just say say overly flirtatious with her repeatedly to the point where he's married totally ruined his signage but he went there with the compassionate heart went there wanting to be a light but in a little bit totally ruined assessment and ruin my opportunity to be a light we we have to be as we enter these areas and as you enter these areas where there's less like we have to be continually read pushing ourselves in the love of God, you have to go back that daily in order to have a foundation on which a platform on which to hang the sign that points to Jesus.

So as you're doing that as your reflecting on the gospel in your life and the compassion of Christ that then you'll be able to to to carry out 22 and 23 okay so let's look at that and you can compassionately ask extend the love of God to others compassionately extend the love of God to others or maybe a little bit of a buildup of three sections here and I can get to the details. There will take two is the text stands here.

Verse 22 of Psalm have compassion, making a difference. So will summarize that is a heart of compassion extends mercy, remembering God's mercy and then verse 23. Heart of compassion extends salvation.

Remembering pending judgment.

So this first one. This verse 22. A heart of compassion extends mercy, remembering gospel mercy at all of Psalm have compassion. I that's the same word as is the verb form of the word. He just translated mercy right we just always mercy you don't deserve this.

Tim, you don't deserve this at all. None of us deserve this mercy is big been extended to us, so out of that platform. We want to show mercy to others, we want to have compassion on others. This really helps us make a difference bit because I'm not looking down on anyone.

This is what you have to recognize as you go, no place or were known as Christian no one to think like you know is you talk like you know once you act like you and that is okay we totally understand. That is all actually very gracious and decent people not saying that with the mindset of thinking is totally different and we don't expect someone to live like Christ until they take up their cross and follow Christ. Their political views would be totally different from you bash them about the old right you don't expect we could use easy pulsing Timothy when you go to Ephesus change everybody's views on this position of Rome remain on Ephesus make disciples of the nations there.

That is our calling and so a heart of compassion is not looking down on others because they heard a little different than saying Absalom.

We were all saying at the foot of the cross. All of us are on her knees on her face saying I don't deserve this. That's mercy that is mercy in the second one really that that fits with our our theme of compassion here. This compassion number to your last idea here would be an others right so it goes like some of the songs a show mercy and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire hating even the garment spotted by the flesh heart of compassion extends salvation realizing that there's judgment to come, and this is where the compassion really kicks in. This is why one of the reasons why you love for God, obeying his commands, but you just love people. You just girl wake into the sobering reality of the world today that people are dying going to hell today that Bennett that shakes you, so a real heart of compassion is good feeling I got into some Lord help me hunt so small, but would you give me some of these gifts like I'm like I know your you give me a degree in accounting or nursing your whatever it is the largest sent me somewhere where I can make disciples because I need I need to show the compassion that you should be showered on me in the gospel and and it it seems as though with verse 23, it enters this category were that this may be a little difficult little more difficult the situation a little more difficult of a neighborhood a little more difficult of a person because this person like it's intervention time you save them with fear, pulling them out of the fire hating even the garment spotted by the flesh and so are your saving like that's what the text says often when people say I was able to save someone like okay I understand what you God saves them. Jesus saves, but but at some point the Lord looks at you is the agency that God used are you are the though the debate that got him to the taste of Christ and anyone since God says you save them you save them. James puts it this way let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way saves his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins's are compassion. This is I need I need to be a part of this, but we do with fear because because it's a fearful thing to perhaps enter some areas and and Queens is nothing compared to the places in the 10th window where my brothers and sisters are losing everything. To do this.

Praise God for you out there, but as you do, there's a possibility of of getting burned to as you go for the smelling a little bit as as actually look at the phrase there.

He says, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh as you go, there's the sphere there's this fire as you comes in and it's actually fairly coarse language in the original ideas hating their soiled undergarments I nobody wants to be near that what you lets at some point, someone's got to have compassion and make a difference in that person's life and you're actually hating the fact that sin has hurt them in that way all that it's only because they desire to worship themselves and other things rather than worshiping Jesus, there's no difference between you and them. There's no difference between me and them, but that the mercy of God, so I need to reach out to them and sometimes it hurts. We had a lady that that that is reaching out to her sheath. She started going a little crazy.

Sunday morning she would pose these horrible lies about me as a pastor around the subway just just tape them on the walls. Are these just like I know I'm a bad guy I realize in my heart like this. It was like totally off totally crazy that I will write it still hurts a little bit thing myself Sunday morning before preaching in. :-) If you will go around 30 minutes in and taking all the signs of the wall. But sometimes if if you're wanting to make a difference in people's lives.

It can get hurtful I can get dangerous again get yucky can get stinky, but the compassion in our heart continues to reach out because God's mercy is real and his gospel is so powerful that it can take anyone in totally transform them from Saul to Paul and this is what our commute is all about it. Seeing that person just talked to Sadie about this seeing that person on the subway and and you never know what mission field to the sit down next to you and in your able to share about the, the love of Christ with them. Subway has gotten little more difficult. Recently, I think the last two years have been deafly with COBIT I got a guy worse than it's ever been since I've been there a few weeks ago, you selfish just shooting in the subway station Brooklyn and and and the scenes there were were horrible but to be honest like every time I go down there right not not really last three months or better, but it's like I hope this works out okay because almost every time something happens like this could go really bad time sitting E train from Forest Hills to Roosevelt Avenue say there is gray blue E train and and across me, is this guy deafly Middle Eastern guy looked really rough over here is an older black gentleman overhears a younger lady and and I were just sitting there not many people over here.and then this this lady over here starts beating the wall and in the will. This is probably a seizure.

What we do and when she gets up starts walking around and and and like I were afraid she's going to hurt herself by bashing in the things in she ends up laying out on the bench across from me with her head on the lap of this big burly Middle Eastern man, and I saw his eyes looked down on hers and she's drooling with such compassion was like the three of us men are very different backgrounds, but this there's something about us in human nature that just like I got have compassion.

She gets up and she starts doing this again and she no doubt something with with drugs really really hurt hurt her. Mr. Oppen and and she's opens the door in between the two subway cars and we get up and work trying to help her in and she's tries to throw herself off into the tracks between the two trains.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the sub lay down the ground finally get to the next subway subway car, the subway station. Paramedics come I just look at these two guys, why wouldn't we just like show different, but we just had to do something. Compassion drove us in really really made me think of this and in spirit in a spiritual setting. If we could, we could open our eyes to the commute they got us placed this on. That's where you are and it's just like how could we not do something.

How could you not do whatever you can use them as I cannot either, but I can be there and I can try to snatch someone back from the destructive life of sin and teach them the glorious life of worshiping Jesus Christ that that is not only joy in this life, but joy forever. If you see something you say something and and I just want one. Her eyes to be open to the needs and and I just pray that God uses you this summer in such a way. Please email me if if you find someone this summer and that's the spotted plan to come to know Christ. I really want to hear that keep this card with you throughout the summer and remember I I am on a very brief commute and God wants me to be compassionate and reach that person and you will be the means God is sovereign and he sovereignly uses means like you and me to snatch them out of destruction, spring, O Lord, we need your grace. For this I do pray for the student body. I pray Lord that they would you would well up in them a heart of compassion, Lord Jesus, the compassion that you had that cried out for laborers in the harvest. After seeing the needs of your missionaries, your signposts sharing the glorious gospel we asked this for Jesus's sake not to him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. The only wise God our Savior be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.

Amen. You been listening to a sermon by Pastor Tim Richmond of Grace Baptist Church in Queens New York, which concludes the four-part series we've had on evangelism.

If you would like to learn more about his ministry or have any questions about what he's preached the past three days.

You can email him at Tim@NYC grace.orc that's tim@nycgrace.org I'm Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. I'd like to invite you to attend one of our summer camps for both middle and high schoolers. BJ you has over 50 camps to choose from. So there is one for you. Here's just a few aviation astronomy cinema computers, culinary criminal justice media music nursing theater robotics soccer, basketball, volleyball, golf, and there's many more come explore your future. During the week what we call educated.

For more information about our camps.

Visit our website go to educate up. That's EDU cAMP.BJ you.EDU thanks for listening and join us next time for another sermon preached from the Bob Jones University travel platform