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The Master Plan of Evangelism (Luke 8:1-3)
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Sunday Message recorded 25 May 2025
by Senior Pastor Victor Morrison
First Baptist Church - Columbus, TX, USA
1700 Milam St.
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Camp Memories
00:00:06
Speaker
Well, good morning. So good to see you this morning. Thank you so much for being here. Do want to say a word of welcome to our pine covers that are here. Just glad to have you guys here. And I remember when our family first went to family camp, I remember driving in and they lined the way, if you've never been out there, they lined the way and they jump and they welcome you with such excitement and enthusiasm.
00:00:30
Speaker
And I thought, wow, it's going to be a good week out here. And so anyway, and it was, and so I'm so thankful for Pine Cove for its camps. I remember when my daughter Elisa was able to serve out there at Silverado as a counselor. She's actually down from Dallas this weekend, so it's good to have her with us.
Acknowledgments and Celebrations
00:00:48
Speaker
But also maybe you've heard the song at Christmas time, The Little Drummer Boy. Well, the tall drummer man was up here today. ah Brian, it's good to have you back. We've missed you and appreciate all that you're doing up north there and how you're there getting a bowling alley started. And we're so excited to have you and your family. Congratulations to Casey on his graduation and to others that graduated. So excited for you guys.
Memorial Day Reflection
00:01:14
Speaker
Would you open in God's word to Luke 8? You know, I have a deep appreciation so much for law enforcement, for a military. I know that with Memorial Day, we're thinking about the millions that laid down their lives so that we could be here, so that we could go to school, so that we could have our places of business, so that our homes would be safe. And I appreciate so much those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
00:01:41
Speaker
And that's what Memorial Day is all about. So I hope that this Memorial Day weekend you do pause and thank the Lord for the freedoms that we have that were purchased at a great price.
00:01:53
Speaker
Even here locally, we're not just talking millions. We're talking Christopher Kilpatrick and how many years ago, ah one from our midst, one from our that grew up in the youth group here, he went to Iraq in in service. And we appreciate so much the great sacrifice when he laid down his life for our freedoms.
00:02:13
Speaker
And we still remember But also Jesus Christ laid down his life
Biblical Message Introduction
00:02:19
Speaker
for you. And I want you to know that today i have a word from him. We're only going to look at three verses. So how much damage can I do with three verses? We'll be out of here really quickly, I guarantee you.
00:02:31
Speaker
Well, maybe not. But anyway, Luke 8, verses 1 through 3 is where we're going to be. We're going through the Gospel of Luke. And when we get to this passage, there's something that you need to know in terms of background.
00:02:45
Speaker
You know, the prophet Isaiah wrote in his work is recorded in the Old Testament. But what you might not realize is what he prophesied and predicted, it was written about 700 years before Jesus came to this earth.
00:03:01
Speaker
And so it's just amazing when you read in Isaiah 9 about verses 6 and 7 in there where it talks about, you know, a son is given, yeah a child is born, all those kind of things.
00:03:13
Speaker
And you so you read it and you think, wow, every Christmas that passage touches me. But just before that passage, in Isaiah chapter 9 verses 1 through 5, there is a prophecy that says when the Messiah comes, he will go into Galilee.
00:03:29
Speaker
It's a section of Israel. He will go into Galilee. And what he's going to do, the Savior is going to bring light into the dark places. The Savior will bring joy into the gloomy places.
00:03:44
Speaker
He will bring harvest into the barren places and freedom into the oppressive places. So the passage that we're going to look at today is sort of like a bridge.
00:03:55
Speaker
Already in the Gospel of Luke, when we get to chapter 8, already Jesus has been serving in Galilee. But there are these two bridges that kind of give us a heads up that Jesus is moving into Galilee.
00:04:10
Speaker
The first bridge in what we could call operation penetration, as you know, the Lord is coming to Galilee to bring the light.
Jesus' Ministry in Galilee
00:04:19
Speaker
It says in Luke chapter four, verses 14 and 15, and Jesus returned, this is after his temptation in the wilderness, but in Luke 4, 14, and Jesus returned in the power of the spirit,
00:04:32
Speaker
to Galilee. So there's a heads up. And a report about him went through all the surrounding country and he taught in their synagogues being glorified by all.
00:04:44
Speaker
So that's like a bridge. And what it's telling us is he's about to start phase one of the Galilean ministry. So shortly after that, he's going to be in Galilee. going to make his headquarters, his base of operations in Capernaum.
00:04:58
Speaker
But then in our text today, when you come to Luke chapter 8, verses 1 through 3, Bible scholars say this is like another bridge that that the Holy Spirit inspired Luke to include in the Word of God that gives us a heads up. Get ready, because now we're about to have a bridge into phase two of his Galilean ministry. So he's about to launch it into phase two.
00:05:25
Speaker
And so this verse that we're going this passage we're going to be looking at in verses one through three, it's going to give us a heads up of what he's about to do over in Galilee and how he's about to do it.
00:05:36
Speaker
And so what I wanted you to know is that's going to continue from chapter eight, verse four through chapter nine, verse 50. But in Luke chapter nine, verse 51, it says that Jesus is going to set his face to Jerusalem.
00:05:52
Speaker
And he's going to be set setting his face to Jerusalem all the way into chapter 19, verse 28. But I want to talk today about the master's plan of evangelism.
Evangelism Master Plan
00:06:04
Speaker
You know, I'm so thankful for out at Pine Cove, they're presenting the gospel. They're living the gospel as they're out there. In our Sunday school classes that'll be meeting after this worship service, they're teaching the gospel.
00:06:18
Speaker
They're living the gospel. Every single day, wherever we go, we're like a fragrance of Christ. And the Lord is able to remind people of the gospel message.
00:06:29
Speaker
But how did Jesus do his work in Galilee? How did Jesus, did Jesus have like a master plan of how he did ministry?
00:06:40
Speaker
Yes. And if you want to know it, then all you've got to do is study closely the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Study closely those Gospels and you will see that there's sort of like this consistent pattern that Jesus had.
00:06:56
Speaker
And the best description that I've ever read based upon the pattern that is presented in the Word of God is a book by Robert E. Coleman. It's very thin. It's not very thick. But maybe you've heard of it before, but it's actually called...
00:07:11
Speaker
the master plan of evangelism. And what Dr. Coleman was trying to do was to take everything he had studied in the gospels and he thought, if I were to condense that into like, what was the main things Jesus did?
00:07:26
Speaker
Then he said, this is what he did. And so chapter eight, verses one through three is going to be like a ah condensation of that. We're going to see it in just a moment. But I wanted to summarize for you some of the things that Dr. Coleman put in his book, because we're going to see it all through today.
00:07:45
Speaker
And as we end the worship service today, we'll see it once again. But what he came up with was eight eight principles or eight priorities of ministry. So maybe you're thinking, I would like to be fruitful and effective like Jesus.
00:08:00
Speaker
If so, here's the way to do it. Number one, what Jesus did was he intentionally chose a small group. So what Dr. Coleman said that means is we have to select in our lives. We have to select who is it that's hungry for the word of God. Who can I pour my time and my life, my teaching, all that God's been showing me? Who can I pour that into?
00:08:24
Speaker
So parents, I hope for sure you've got your children on that list. You've got your grandchildren on that list. Selection was the first thing, but then there's a second thing that Jesus did. You know what he did?
00:08:36
Speaker
He spent significant time. It was like life on life. And that's why I say to parents especially, your kids see you every single day. You've got opportunities that Sunday school teachers, pastors, teachers,
00:08:50
Speaker
deacons, church leaders, Awana teachers, and so forth. We don't have. But you have opportunities every single day to live the gospel out. And that's what Jesus was doing with those 12 disciples.
00:09:03
Speaker
He was discipling them through association. But then dr Coleman noticed something else in the Gospels. Perhaps you've noticed this. Jesus did not lower the standard.
00:09:15
Speaker
Jesus held a high standard. And so what he called that was consecration, consecration. So he demanded, Jesus demanded ah high level of commitment.
00:09:27
Speaker
He didn't water it down. He didn't say, oh, well, we'll just take anybody like that. No, he was saying, if you're going to follow me, then it means you're going to have to die to self, take up your cross daily. You're going to have to live for the Lord.
00:09:40
Speaker
And then there's the impartation. That's the fourth principle that Dr. Coleman noticed in the Gospels. He said, Jesus didn't just send us out to do it in the flesh.
00:09:51
Speaker
Oh, no. He imparted to us knowledge, his spirit's power. He imparted to us spiritual authority so that we could be effective in what we do.
00:10:02
Speaker
And so that's why each one of us that are believers, we should pray before we start our day and say, Lord, I'm going to need your strength in order to do what I do today. So impartation was the fourth principle. The fifth bronz principle was obvious, and that's a demonstration.
00:10:19
Speaker
You know, he modeled, Jesus modeled how to live the Christ-like life. He's he's Christ, so he he can do it. So he lived out, how do you live it in all the ups and downs and twists and turns of life?
00:10:32
Speaker
He also modeled, how do you do ministry? And so that's what he was trying to do was model it. Here's the question. Are you modeling the Christian life for anyone out there?
00:10:43
Speaker
is it Is it that you're saying, Lord, help me to demonstrate how to follow a Christ in the way that I live, in the ministry that I have? But then there came a point where Jesus had to send his 12 disciples out.
00:10:56
Speaker
And so that's why on the mission field, when I was in Japan, we had model,
Principles of Ministry and Discipleship
00:11:01
Speaker
assist, watch, and then leave. And so we have to come to that place where we say, okay, I've got to let them do it.
00:11:08
Speaker
So it's not that we always do the teaching, but We say, okay, it's your time to teach now. It's your time to lead now. It's your time to serve now. And so that's called delegation. So are you delegating? Are you allowing others in your life to take some responsibilities?
00:11:24
Speaker
And then he supervised. So there's supervision. He monitored them. He gave them feedback. He even gave them correction. Are you okay if someone that's in your life as a mentor, as a coach, if someone says to you, wait, you're moving off track. Is it okay if someone corrects you? The 12 disciples knew that Jesus had the authority.
00:11:48
Speaker
He could correct them. And so the Lord may have put someone in your life to help you stay on track. And it's not a bad thing. It's a good thing. And then the eighth principle that Dr. Coleman included, and we're going to see it, is reproduction. Reproduction. So it's like, well, we can then expect that those that we disciple, those that we train, those that we teach, that they would go out and implement that into daily life right here in Columbus or right out there at Pine Cove or right in the job or, you know, when your kids go back to school.
00:12:21
Speaker
right there in your school. So these principles are seen explicitly and implicitly in our text for today. So would you honor God's word today by standing? Let me read through Luke chapter eight, verses one through three. If you have your Bible, please open it to this passage. If not, there's a ah Bible in the pew there in front of you, or we'll have it on the screen.
00:12:45
Speaker
But the main thing is we want the Bible to be our authority. We want to say, Lord, teach us. how How should we evangelize the world like you called us to?
00:12:56
Speaker
Here's what it says in Luke 8, verse 1. Soon afterward, he, that is Jesus there, he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.
00:13:09
Speaker
And the 12 were with him. And also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities. Mary called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out.
00:13:23
Speaker
And Joanna, the wife of Chusa, Harold's household manager. And Susanna and many others who provided for them out of their means.
00:13:36
Speaker
Let's go to the Father in prayer. Lord, we've heard your word read. We have our scriptures open, we're ready. So teach us, Lord, what is your master plan?
00:13:47
Speaker
How can we make a big difference in our world that we are living in right now? Right now we're in Columbus, so how can we make a difference in Columbus, Colorado County?
00:13:57
Speaker
How can we make a difference in the state of Texas, in the United States, or in the whole world? Lord, so many have laid down their lives so that we can have freedom And so here we are.
00:14:09
Speaker
So now we've heard your word. We've seen you portrayed in scripture. So Lord, show us now. What can we do and how should we do it? In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
00:14:21
Speaker
Thank you. You may be seated. So this morning, our scripture passage focuses on four different priorities. Four priorities that were within the master plan of evangelism.
00:14:34
Speaker
But I think they were not only effective back then. We'll do this today. We'll see how fruitful and effective they are today in 2025. So let me give you those four real quickly.
00:14:46
Speaker
And then we'll gather into Sunday school classes. We'll be going to do whatever God has... put before us for this Memorial Day weekend. So the first thing is to go on mission.
00:14:57
Speaker
Going on mission. Have you ever looked in the back of the Bible and noticed the mission trips of the Apostle Paul? I look today and, you know, my Bible doesn't actually have a map of the ministry of Jesus, but perhaps yours does.
00:15:13
Speaker
But you can certainly look it up that the Gospels, when you weave them all together, they show that Jesus, he didn't just stay in one place. he He moved around. And why was that?
00:15:25
Speaker
You know, it says here that soon afterward, where was he going and where was he coming from? When it says soon afterward, it refers back to what we studied in Luke chapter 7. Verses 36 and following, he had been at this party. He was invited to a dinner party of a Pharisee. And while he was there, a sinful woman came and she anointed his feet with this perfume.
00:15:55
Speaker
And it's amazing the responses that he got that we looked at last time. But he didn't just stay there. Do you ever feel stuck? Is your Christian life like on some treadmill?
00:16:07
Speaker
I believe the Lord calls us to to go, to go. You know, it says he went on in this translation, the ESV that I'm reading from, but the CSB, the NIV, maybe yours says he traveled about.
00:16:22
Speaker
He began a tour in the NLT. But I believe in chapter 7 and verse 1, we see that where he was, he was in Capernaum. In chapter 7, verse 11, he went to Nain.
00:16:35
Speaker
And so where is he going now? It says, and soon afterward, he went on through cities and villages. Don't you think of larger areas when you hear the word cities?
00:16:50
Speaker
But then maybe you think of smaller places whenever he mentions the word villages. Jesus went to both. And so, you know, at one time i was called to serve in Tokyo, one of the world's largest cities.
00:17:03
Speaker
And so we tried to do our best to have outreach strategies to reach out to the people of Tokyo and Yokohama. But now the Lord has called me to serve here in Columbus. And so I've been here for almost 18 years to help as we look at how can we evangelize Columbus in Colorado County. And it's such a joy to be here because this is where God has led us.
00:17:28
Speaker
But we don't just stay here, do we? Across the years, we've taken mission trips to Mexico, to Nicaragua, to Japan. We've gone to different places. I've gone to Ethiopia.
00:17:39
Speaker
And just recently, we took a team. Remember, just a few weeks ago, we gave the report of going to Alaska. Why do we do that? I'll tell you why we do that. Because Jesus said in Matthew 28, 19, go, go therefore and make disciples of all nations.
00:17:56
Speaker
Now it's great that the nations are coming to the United States. So we have opportunities right here in our own country. No doubt about it. but you know, there are some places where if someone doesn't go, go to their nation, go to where they are, they're not going to hear.
Mission and the Gospel
00:18:13
Speaker
But even here in Colorado County, you know, there's people who do not know the simple, basic gospel principles that you and I know. And that's why Mark 16, 15 says, go into all the world and proclaim the gospel.
00:18:29
Speaker
Why did Paul not stay in Tarsus? You see, Paul's home, the Apostle Paul, his home was a place called Tarsus, but he didn't stay there. John Piper estimates that Paul traveled 15,500 miles in his ministry. And out of the miles that he covered,
00:18:49
Speaker
eight thousand seven hundred were estimated to have been on foot How far would you be willing to walk? Would you be willing to walk across the street? Would you be willing to reach across the table?
00:19:02
Speaker
Would you be willing to go to another part of this community? How far would you be willing to go? I'm so thankful for these students that are here, you know, giving of their summer to share and serve.
00:19:15
Speaker
And they're not all from this area, but they're here in this area and people will go to them this summer from all across Texas and all across the United States.
00:19:27
Speaker
As a matter of fact, this weekend I was thinking, how many of you are even here and you're visiting with us? We're so glad you're here and I hope you'll come back. We're very glad that you're here visiting with us.
00:19:37
Speaker
But I read where AAA predicts 45 million Americans will travel on Memorial Day weekend. Some will go by car, some will go by air, you know, some will just go a ah short distance and others will go, but 45 million.
00:19:54
Speaker
But how many of us will be willing to travel with the gospel? How many of us would be willing to go on mission for the Lord? You know, Luke 19 10 says, for the son of man came to seek and to save the lost.
00:20:07
Speaker
Paul said 1 Timothy 1.15, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. I can identify with him on that.
00:20:19
Speaker
But you know, Jesus, think about him. What if he would have stayed in heaven? He left heaven. He came to this broken planet and he came for a reason. And so when he came, when he went on mission, what's the second priority he had?
00:20:34
Speaker
It was not only movement. was not only, you know, a mission. But there was a message. So why don't we look at that? Would you look back again with me at verse 1? Soon after he went on through cities and villages, what was he doing in the cities and villages?
00:20:51
Speaker
He was proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. That's what he was doing. So I thought to myself, yo, there's a message. and it's interesting how the message was not a social message.
00:21:04
Speaker
The message was not a political message. The message was not a philosophical message. The message was not about here's the steps to prosperity. you know what the message was?
00:21:15
Speaker
The message was classified as good news. It's like when he used the word proclaiming, the Greek word there is the Greek word keruso.
00:21:26
Speaker
And it was sent whenever a herald was sent ahead of the king. And he said, here you hear ye, hear ye. The king's coming through this area. That's what proclaiming, that word right there in our text, when it says proclaiming, but then it says bringing the good news.
00:21:44
Speaker
That's actually the word, euangelizo, and it means to announce the gospel. Not necessarily like from a pulpit, although that's included, but it means to present.
00:21:56
Speaker
It means to share it. Have you ever in your life shared how Jesus changed your life? Have you ever in your life said, I want to present to you the plan of salvation so that you could go to heaven?
00:22:10
Speaker
Just like I know that I'll be there and I want you to be with me someday in heaven. In 1 Corinthians 15, it mentions the gospel quite a bit. So this word good news there, it means the gospel.
00:22:24
Speaker
So I wanted to tell you what is the gospel. Here's what I wanted to share from 1 Corinthians 15. You can stay where we are. We're going right back to Luke 8, or you can follow me to 1 Corinthians 15.
Transformative Power of the Gospel
00:22:36
Speaker
But I want to start start with verses 1 and 2. There's something about the gospel message that we need to understand Now, I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel.
00:22:47
Speaker
I preach to you which you receive, in which you stand. So the gospel is something that you share. The gospel is something that others receive. The gospel is often also something that we stand in. We keep standing in.
00:23:03
Speaker
If you hold fast, the gospel is something we hold fast to. to the word I preach to you. Unless you believed in vain. And so I want to go back to the word saved.
00:23:16
Speaker
See, the gospel message is a message of salvation. You know what that word means? It means rescue. Have you ever been rescued? Because if you ever been in real trouble and and someone pulls you out of the fire and they rescue you,
00:23:30
Speaker
Well, the gospel is a message of rescue or salvation. And the way we ask for help is by faith, by faith. We don't have to earn the help. We just have to ask for the help and say, please, Lord, I need you to rescue me.
00:23:45
Speaker
But also notice in verse three, there's another component of the message of the gospel. And it says, for I delivered to you as a first importance, what I also received that Christ died.
00:23:57
Speaker
for our sins. Do you know that the message of the gospel is not only a message of salvation, it's a message of forgiveness. Have you ever done something in your life you weren't proud of? Have you ever wished, man, I wish I could, I wish that could just be erased.
00:24:12
Speaker
I wish we could just take the eraser and erase it off the whiteboard of my life. Yeah, I definitely, I can understand that because I definitely had that in my life, still have that.
00:24:25
Speaker
But you know where we find forgiveness? If you reject Christ, where do you go for guilt? Where do you go for the things that you've done wrong in your life? And you're saying, I know I was selfish. I know I was prideful.
00:24:37
Speaker
You've got to go to Christ. See, Jesus' death on the cross, the reason he can be forgiven is because he lived a perfect life. He did not sin. So that's why even though I have sinned, I couldn't die on the cross for you because I've sinned.
00:24:52
Speaker
My life's not perfect. But you know what? The reason Jesus can forgive us is because he paid the penalty. for your sins and my sins. That's a wonderful message because people are like, what have I got to do?
00:25:05
Speaker
When I was in Japan, people gave all kinds of incense. They would take, you know, food and vegetables. They pour tea for dead ancestors or to Buddha and to Shinto and all these kinds of things. And I felt so sorry for them.
00:25:20
Speaker
And I tried my best to tell all those that would listen that there's a better way. Those things will not atone for your sins. Only Christ will atone for your sins because he was perfect.
00:25:33
Speaker
But there's a third thing about the gospel message. It's biblical. See, it would be something, wouldn't it? If I told you the good news is you go out and share what the Baptist pastor said.
00:25:45
Speaker
That's not good. I mean, man, I could be so mixed up. But we're what's not going to ever be mixed up is the biblical message of salvation. The biblical message of salvation has been standing the test of time, the test of cultures, test of generations after generation. and let me tell you, it's still changing lives.
00:26:05
Speaker
It's a biblical message. That's why you and I can trust it. And we can say, I've got something that is biblical that I can share with my friends. I didn't make it up.
00:26:15
Speaker
You didn't make it up. We didn't make it up. Baptists didn't make it up. God, God made this plan of evangelism so that we can present that gospel. And you know what I've seen?
00:26:28
Speaker
It worked in Japan. It worked in the Philippines. It worked in Ethiopia. It worked in Tennessee where I grew up. It works here in Texas.
00:26:38
Speaker
It will work in your life. It worked in my life. It totally changed my life when I was a freshman in college. The clarity that is found in the scriptures is amazing. But also the message of the gospel brings hope.
00:26:53
Speaker
Sometimes people need hope, you know. Well, what is the possibility of hope in a world where we face sickness, where there's so much crime, where people die?
00:27:06
Speaker
Well, here's what it says, that he was buried. He was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures and that he appeared to Cephas and then to the 12.
00:27:17
Speaker
And then he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James and then to all the apostles. Last of all, to one untimely born, he appeared to me.
00:27:33
Speaker
You know what the gospel is? It's a message of hope. You know what? If God can overcome death, I think he can overcome anything that you or I struggle with, can't he? I can't think of anything more final than death.
00:27:47
Speaker
And yet Jesus overcame it. And so I'm thinking, thank you, Lord, that you give us hope that goes beyond this life. But also the message of the gospel. I'm just going to say a couple, one more thing here.
00:27:59
Speaker
The gospel is also a gospel. It's a message. of grace. Listen to 9 and 10 down through 11. The apostle Paul, writing about himself, says to the people of Corinth, for I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God.
00:28:21
Speaker
but by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
00:28:36
Speaker
Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believe. Do you have a better understanding now of what the gospel message is? It is a message of rescue, a message of salvation, a message of forgiveness, a message of clarity.
00:28:53
Speaker
No man came up with this. It's in the scriptures, a message of hope and a message of grace. Wow, that's incredible, you know. But I want to go back to Luke 8, the last part of ah verse 1, the last part of this part this section there, proclaiming and bringing the good news.
00:29:12
Speaker
But don't forget the call, the call of the gospel. It says, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom, the kingdom of God.
Personal Call to Follow Jesus
00:29:24
Speaker
You know what the call of the gospel was on my life when I was 18 years of age? God called me and he said, I'm calling you to let go of your kingdom, Victor. You're building your life for yourself.
00:29:37
Speaker
It's all about you, isn't it? I'm calling you to submit your life to my kingdom. kingdom. Submit and surrender your life so that my will can be and not your will be done.
00:29:50
Speaker
And you know what? I said yes. So now we share that same gospel message that changed my life back in the back in the ancient times of 1979. That's when I was saved.
00:30:04
Speaker
But you know what? Just like the old song, he gets sweeter and sweeter as the days go by. Don't miss out on Jesus. Jesus is still calling through the gospel. And here's what he's saying.
00:30:16
Speaker
Who's with me? Who wants to come into my kingdom? Who's willing to surrender their kingdom to follow me and to help expand my kingdom? Well, there were some men back then who said, you know what, Lord, we'll follow you.
00:30:30
Speaker
And that's what I want to talk about thirdly. I believe the third part of the master plan is simply this, making disciples. Some of you are shocked. You're saying all of his points don't begin with the same letter. How is he even functioning up there? I know it's been a challenge for me, you know, but I'm trying to stay true to the text. Okay.
00:30:50
Speaker
But here's the third part. If you're saying, Lord, how can my life make a difference? Why don't you join your savior, your Lord? If you've hooked your life to Jesus Christ and you're following him, why don't you say, Lord, show me who I can influence.
00:31:04
Speaker
Lord, show me who, who I can disciple. It says, and the 12 were with him. It just sounds simple, doesn't They were with him.
00:31:17
Speaker
But what was he doing while they were with him? I'll tell you exactly what was happening. He was discipling them. He was mentoring them. He was training them.
00:31:30
Speaker
He was coaching them. Everybody needs that. Maybe you would say, i'm a Timothy and I need a Paul to disciple me. Or maybe you'd say, you know what?
00:31:43
Speaker
I'm a Paul and there's somebody I should be training, but I don't know who that is. Get your life hooked into this church and we'll help you find somebody that you can disciple. But you know, it's not just here. Do you realize that in Mark 3 verse 14, listen to what Mark chapter 3 verse 14 says about Luke 8 verse 1, and the 12 were with him.
00:32:06
Speaker
With him. Keep that in your mind. 12 with him. It says in Mark 3, 14, he appointed 12 so that they might be with him.
00:32:18
Speaker
So that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach. Wow. You know what happened after Jesus trained them? They went out and they turned Jerusalem upside down.
00:32:31
Speaker
Whenever you got this, it's like multiplication. You're no longer dealing with addition. You're dealing with multiplication. It's unstoppable. Once all of the disciples start saying, you know what? There's somebody I can disciple. You know what happened?
00:32:44
Speaker
They turned Jerusalem upside down. And Acts 4.13 is what the people who didn't even like the Christians said. Here's what they said. they recognize that those 12, get this,
00:32:58
Speaker
had been with Jesus, had been with him. It's the same thing, with him, there it is. It's a consistent thread. When you hang around Jesus, people say, I can recognize that anywhere.
00:33:11
Speaker
I see that joy, I see that peace, I see that self-control, I see that lifestyle. That's why Paul said to those that he was training in 1 Corinthians 11, he said, what I want you to do, people of Corinth, I want you to be imitators of me as I am of Christ.
Discipleship and the Great Commission
00:33:32
Speaker
I'm gonna be imitating Christ. I'm gonna be following his example. So you follow me until you can multiply your example. How about Philippians 4.9? Have you ever taken time to let Philippians 4.9 soak in?
00:33:47
Speaker
Maybe you've just kind of buzzed over it, you know, when you've gone through there. But Philippians 4.9, we should give some some real careful thought and attention to Philippians 4.9. Here's what Paul says to the people, not of Corinth now.
00:34:01
Speaker
We're talking Philippi. Here's what he says in Philippians 4 verse 9. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me.
00:34:16
Speaker
Practice these things and the God of peace will be with you. Wow. See the constant thread there, the with with principle? know So Paul's saying, you've been hanging around me. You've been seeing Jesus. I've been training you.
00:34:32
Speaker
You have seen it with your eyes. You've heard it with your ears. You've seen people's lives being changed. Now I want you to go out and practice the same thing. And when you go out there, he's going to be with you.
00:34:45
Speaker
I think that's so incredible. You know, Jesus said in Matthew 28, 19, and 20, we call it the Great Commission, because it's what the Lord's committed. Every one of us, if you're a Christian in this room, you're a disciple in this room, then this is for you.
00:35:01
Speaker
He says, go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you. And behold, am the Lord.
00:35:15
Speaker
with you, with you always to the end of the age. So whenever we go out and we're gonna say, Lord, I wanna make disciples. Lord, I wanna teach people.
00:35:25
Speaker
I wanna teach people to live it, to practice it in their daily lives. Then the Lord says, you know what? I'm gonna be with you all the way. You're not by yourself. See, the master plan of evangelism thus far has included these three things.
00:35:40
Speaker
These three things, going on mission, presenting the gospel and making disciples. And now let's close with one more thing. Just one last thing, giving to the Lord.
Role of Women in Jesus' Ministry
00:35:53
Speaker
You know, I love verses two and three because it tells me how much the Lord valued women. You know, I think the Lord, he elevated the role of women more than anyone else at that time.
00:36:06
Speaker
And Luke noticed it because Luke refers to women 40 times, and he mentions it over and over again. he he distinguishes between men and women. There was no no blurring of the lines there. There was a role that God had for those apostles to do, but there was also a role that these women that we're gonna read about, that they did.
00:36:31
Speaker
And so what it says is, and some and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chusa, Herod's household manager, and Susanna and many others who provided for them out of their means.
00:36:53
Speaker
You know, when I read that, I let it just kind of roll over my heart over and over. And I thought, you know what they were like? They were like a supporting cast. You ever been watching something, you have someone that's the main actor, well, that'd be Jesus.
00:37:07
Speaker
But you have this supporting cast and all that they do is they're supporting the major production, the theme of whatever it is that's going on. And so I thought, what is it that motivated them to say, you know what? I don't mind being in the background.
00:37:22
Speaker
I don't mind to be back there supporting this. And here's what I noticed. Four quick things about giving. The first thing is these ladies all had something in common.
00:37:33
Speaker
What do you see in the scripture that they had in common? They had tasted the goodness of God. See, the goodness of God was tasted.
00:37:45
Speaker
That's what I see in verse two when it says, he healed them of the evil spirits. He healed them of infirmities. For this one lady named Mary Magdalene, and he told the demons, get out.
00:37:58
Speaker
And he cast out seven demons out of that lady. And so these women had tasted the goodness of God. So what happened next? I submit to you that between the lines, here's what happened next.
00:38:10
Speaker
Gratitude. Are you grateful for what God has done in your life? Are you grateful? And so the gratitude toward God overflowed. Do you remember what we just saw in Luke 7?
00:38:24
Speaker
Remember the sinful woman who came and the Pharisee who got really huffy about it? And he's like, yeah, well, he wouldn't be letting that woman touch him, you know, touch his feet if he knew who she was.
00:38:37
Speaker
And then Jesus turns to him and he gives a little meaning mini parable. A little mini parable. He talks about a couple of guys that were in debt. And he said, who do you think would love the one that was owed the money to pay back the debt? Who do you think would love him more if he forgave the debt?
00:38:55
Speaker
The one who owed much or the one who owed little? And he said, well, I suppose the one who owed much. It says in verse 42, which of them will love him more? Verse 47 of Luke 7. Well, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.
00:39:12
Speaker
But he who is forgiven little, loves little. Maybe somebody here would say, man, he's forgiven me of a lot. Well, let's show him. Let's say, God, I'm just so grateful. i know where I know where I was when I was a senior in high school, when I was a junior in high school, and I wasn't where I should have been.
00:39:30
Speaker
Thank God, in His grace, He came to me. He came to me when I couldn't go to Him. He came to me. Has He come to you? Have you tasted His goodness? You know, are you grateful for what He's done?
00:39:43
Speaker
Maybe He's given you opportunities, resources. Let's call them gifts. It starts with a G. Gifts from God were acknowledged. You know, those ladies used what they had. I wonder if some of those ladies that I mentioned, some had more than others. It didn't matter how much.
00:40:00
Speaker
What mattered was whatever i have been entrusted with, that's what I want to use to honor him and to support what he's doing. Notice that one of those ladies was married.
00:40:12
Speaker
married to somebody named Chusa, who happened to be Herod's household manager. I can't imagine what back then the salary for that person would have been. But that wife was one of these supporting ladies who was saying, you know what?
00:40:29
Speaker
The Lord's blessed me and Chusa. And so we want to use what we have to support his work. But that's what i noticed in that last part of this whole passage where it says, who provided for them out of their means.
00:40:44
Speaker
Do you use what God has given to you to support the Lord's work? But then notice that they all gave to God freely. You know, it's not recorded that they were made to follow Jesus.
00:40:58
Speaker
They were made to give. No one's going to call you and say, hey, why don't you give a tithe? Why don't you give an offering? Hey, why don't you step up and help us with a Sunday school class? Nope.
00:41:11
Speaker
What we do here is we just give opportunities. We just share information. We tell you about missionaries and we tell you about all these different things. And so we have to choose to give to God freely.
00:41:23
Speaker
and say, you know what? I want to provide. You know the word provided there? It says, who provided for them. You know, I noticed this week something. It says that those ladies provided for them.
00:41:38
Speaker
It didn't say they provided for him, for Jesus. I'm sure they were giving out a gratitude to him, but it says that they provided for them. So that's why I'm so thankful for church members who say, you know what?
00:41:54
Speaker
And I'm going to support the church. I'm not a Sunday school teacher. I'm not a deacon. I'm not on staff. I don't have any position, but I don't mind to be in the background. And don't mind to say, you know what? I want to support them because they are discipling.
00:42:09
Speaker
They are taking the gospel around the world. They are going on mission. And they are saying, let's honor the Lord with our giving. That's why that word provided there, it's in the imperfect tense, which means they kept doing this again and again and again.
00:42:26
Speaker
it's like week after week, they kept following Jesus. They kept following the disciples. And they were saying, hey, guys, we got supper. Don't y'all worry about it. If you want to read sometime Matthew 27 verses 55 and 56, or you want to read sometime Mark 15 verses 40 to 41, it also mentions these faithful and generous women who were a part of that supporting cast who said, you know what? We may not have a speaking gift, but we certainly have a supporting gift that we can bring to the kingdom of God and say, we don't mind.
00:43:02
Speaker
I want to close by just referring you to one of my favorite passages. It actually motivates me from Acts. Acts 14, 21-23. You know, the same man Luke that was inspired to write Luke, the Gospel of Luke, was also inspired to write Acts.
00:43:19
Speaker
And in Acts 14, here's what it says. This is what Luke wrote down. When they had preached the Gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra,
00:43:32
Speaker
anticonia and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
00:43:44
Speaker
And when they had appointed elders for them in every city with prayer and fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Isn't that what we just read?
00:43:55
Speaker
i mean, we read it in Luke, but now we see it as it's lived out in Acts 14. They were going on mission. Four cities are mentioned there. You got, what do you got? Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, Antioch.
00:44:07
Speaker
But then it says they preached the gospel. They were presenting the gospel. Were they making disciples? Yes, it says it right there. They were making disciples. They were strengthening the disciples. And were they giving?
00:44:19
Speaker
Yes, they were giving. They were serving. They were appointing elders. And do you notice they had multiple churches? Some people are always, well, you ought to have just one church. But wait, that won't work.
00:44:30
Speaker
What if you had to drive to Houston? What if you had to drive to Dallas just to go to church? Wouldn't it be better if there were multiple churches? Multiple churches? Well, there were. And so it's just amazing that this call to the master plan of evangelism, it ought to be something we
Conclusion and Call to Action
00:44:48
Speaker
just run with. It's not that hard.
00:44:50
Speaker
Just review those four things. Look at this passage again. That's why i cast vision by pointing people to the word of God. This is the master plan right here. All we've got to do is stay with the book.
00:45:04
Speaker
Now, want to close with one more thing, and then we're going to pray, and I'll turn it over to Terry to close our service. But do you know that BibleStudyTools.com, it's a website, they list 175 personal names that are found throughout the New Testament.
00:45:22
Speaker
So 175 people's name, they're listed, you know, all these different names. Right here in our passage, we got Mary Magdalene. We got um Joanna. We've got Chusa mentioned there. I don't know if he was a believer for sure, but we got Susanna mentioned.
00:45:39
Speaker
Luke is mentioned, you know, in scripture. He got all these different guys, all these different women. But here's the thing. They left a legacy. But what about you?
00:45:50
Speaker
Will you go on record? Will you say, you can write my name down. You can write my name down that I stand with Jesus Christ. I want to share the message of Christ with others. I want to go everywhere that God sends me to go. I want to go.
00:46:04
Speaker
And when I go, I want to make disciples. And I want to give to the Lord what I have. Would you be willing to say that as we stand together? I'm going to close in prayer.
00:46:15
Speaker
and then we're going to turn it over to Terry to close our service today. And I think Marsha may have a song for us to go out singing today. So anyway, let's go to the Father in prayer. Lord, I thank you so much for your goodness.
00:46:29
Speaker
I think just like those women that are mentioned in this passage, every one of us, man, woman, teenager, student, staffer, deacon, all of us, every one of us, man, woman, boy, girl,
00:46:42
Speaker
Lord, we've tasted the goodness of God. we can We have health to be here today. Jesus went to the cross for us. Lord, please help us to be grateful. Help us to say, I want to serve the Lord.
00:46:55
Speaker
I would like to share the message of salvation. I would like to be a part of a mission trip. I i would like to make a disciple. I would like to give to support what God is doing. So please, oh Lord, help each one of us to personalize the message today.
00:47:10
Speaker
This is not just about what happened back then. This is what you're doing today. And so, Lord, you've given us the plan. So help us to take it and run with it.
00:47:21
Speaker
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
00:47:29
Speaker
This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.