Evangelism 2015 Obstacles to Winning Souls - Within Us

Misconceptions A failure to trust God Faith is crucial in all we do Believe God has given us all that we need to do His work 1 Corinthians 3:5-6 He wants man to be saved – 2 Peter 3:8, 1 Tim. 2:3-4

Misconceptions A failure to realize the power of the Gospel Some see the gospel as no longer effective – for many reasons People need the gospel now, just as at any other time Let it do the work Romans 1:16 Hebrews 4:12 James 1:21

Misconceptions Believing that no one is interested There is always someone interested In these troubling times, there are souls looking for answers Are we ready to give them? Matthew 9:37-38

Faulty Attitudes Lack of boldness and fear Many things keep us from boldness today Biblical examples: Phil. 1:14 John the Baptist – Matt. 3:7-8, Luke 3:7-8 Jesus – Matthew 19:21-22 Heb. 13:5-6, Ephesians 3:12

Faulty Attitudes Lack of zeal It takes zeal to accomplish great things Zealous for good works Titus 2:14 His word like a fire – Jeremiah 20:9, Psalm 30:1-3 Peter and John– Acts 4:20 Just get to work

Faulty Attitudes Discouragement Frustrations, failures, defeat. Life is hard and it wears on you! Satan tries to discourage you 1 Peter 5:8-9 Being discouraged is not wrong It is how you handle it! Galatians 6:9, John 15:18, 1 Thess. 4:8

Faulty Motives Prejudice Do we qualify who is worthy to hear? Some societies value some souls more than others. Christians must not do that! We cannot read hearts 1 Cor. 2:11 Romans 2:11, God is no respecter of persons James 2:8-9 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, such were some of you!

Faulty Motives Turning our heads Do we simply look away rather than looking for opportunities? It is easy to profess ignorance or make excuses John 4:35

Faulty Motives We have lost sight of eternity Both heaven and hell are evangelistic topics We need to be aware of both ourselves We need to share our concerns with others - 2 Cor. 5:10-11

Faulty Motives We are selfish and/or lazy Are we willing to do the work to prepare and to deal with new souls Sometimes we don’t want to deal with inconveniences – especially if they are not “a perfect candidate” Our life is about others – Philippians 2:3-4

Faulty Motives We lack knowledge to get started This is what we have been working on all year! That is only valid for so long!

Faulty Motives Misunderstandings about the church We must understand what the church is and our work as part of it

Faulty Motives Misunderstandings about the church The church is NOT: Something we can hire to do our job Here to cater to our personal whims Something that only exists when we assemble. There is work to be done outside the assembly!

Faulty Motives Misunderstandings about the church 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 The success of the church and its future depends on us doing our part

Will we get rid of anything that hinders us from doing our part?