 The end of God’s story:  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:1-5)

 Our part in that story:  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19- 20)

 What is evangelism?  Evangelism, in other words, is not about doing everything we can to get a person to make a decision for Jesus, much less about imposing our views…Furthermore, evangelism is not the same as sharing a personal testimony. It’s not the same thing as presenting a rational defense of the faith. It’s not even doing works of charity, though all three of these things may accompany evangelism. Nor should evangelism be confused with the results of evangelism as if to say that we’ve only successfully evangelized when a conversion follows. No, evangelism is speaking words. It’s sharing news. It’s being faithful to God by presenting the good news [of the Gospel]---that Christ, by his death and resurrection, has secured a way for a holy God and sinful people to be reconciled. ~Mark Dever, What is a Healthy Church?, p. 91.

 Basic Excuse #1: “I don’t know their language.”  Basic Excuse #2: Evangelism is illegal.  Basic Excuse #3: Evangelism could cause problems at work.  Basic Excuse #4: Other things seem more urgent.  Basic Excuse #5: I don’t know non-Christians.

 Excuses concerning them:  “People don’t want to hear.”  “They won’t be interested.”  “They probably already know the Gospel.”  “It probably won’t work. I doubt they’ll believe.”

 The heart of the matter: Plan to stop not evangelizing.  How do we do this? (1) Pray(7) Prepare (2) Plan(8) Look (3) Accept(9) Love (4) Understand(10) Fear (5) Be faithful(11) Stop (6) Risk(12) Consider