Post by LDM on Apr 20, 2010 11:10:34 GMT -5
I am listening to Min. David Pawson's exposition on the Book of Matthew. As he discusses the context of Matthew, to whom it is addressed, and what its objective is, he shares Jesus' advise on how we are to evangelize. I am transcribing Pawson's comments here simply because I thought they were remarkable.
If you are interested in listening to the whole sermon, you can click on christfaithmedia.co.uk/Pawson/index.html and then select the video for the Book of Matthew. This excerpt came from the Matthew2 video.
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Our task in evangelism is to get people across from the one to the other [from this present evil age to the age to come]. The age to come has already begun. In a sense we are the people of the future. We are already in the Kingdom and yet we don't yet see it fully established because we still see the present evil age continuing.
And yet there is a battle going on between the kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of Christ right now. And there is a tension. But thousands crossing from one to the other....
So people are transferring, but it is not just getting them out of this kingdom [the Kingdom of darkness] but it is getting them ready for this one [the Kingdom of Heaven]. And that means teaching to live as sons of the kingdom.
So Matthew's whole theme of his gospel is, "How do you live in the kingdom now?" And all the teaching of Jesus that he could remember he gathered together under five headings, and those are the five sermons:
[2.] Mission - Chapters 9-10
[3.] Growth - Chapter 18
[4.] Community - Chapter 19
[5.] Future - Chapters 24-25
[/ul]
...The Sermon on the Mount is about the lifestyle of the Kingdom; how we live now that we are in the kingdom. Listen, the Sermon on the Mount is not Jesus' advice to unbelievers on how to live. It is difficult enough for a believer to live this way never mind an unbeliever...
The second block of teaching that Matthew has gathered together around one theme is the mission of the Kingdom. Because one of the things we need to learn is that as soon as you got into the Kingdom you had a mission to go and bring others in. The sooner you start it the easier it gets. The longer you leave it the harder it gets...
Jesus teaches in Chapters 9-10 how to evangelize. He says it is simple. You just go out two by two and you raise the dead, and you heal AIDS, you cast out demons, you heal the sick...then you tell them the Kingdom is come. That's all.
Let them see it, then let them hear it. Demonstrate it, then declare it. So simple. We try to make people hear it before they see it. Much better to let them see it before they hear it.
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So with an eye towards understanding that Matthew Chapters 9-10 outline Jesus' commands to His people about the mission in which we all share on this earth, I wanted to encourage you to read those chapters today.
Let us not get so caught up in discussing the word that we forget about the transformation needed by spending time in the word so that we can walk in the power of God. God has not changed. He desires to manifest His power (God's authentic signs and wonders) through His people. But the question is are we ready to be sent?
"And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." I Corinthians 2:4-5
If you are interested in listening to the whole sermon, you can click on christfaithmedia.co.uk/Pawson/index.html and then select the video for the Book of Matthew. This excerpt came from the Matthew2 video.
******
Our task in evangelism is to get people across from the one to the other [from this present evil age to the age to come]. The age to come has already begun. In a sense we are the people of the future. We are already in the Kingdom and yet we don't yet see it fully established because we still see the present evil age continuing.
And yet there is a battle going on between the kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of Christ right now. And there is a tension. But thousands crossing from one to the other....
So people are transferring, but it is not just getting them out of this kingdom [the Kingdom of darkness] but it is getting them ready for this one [the Kingdom of Heaven]. And that means teaching to live as sons of the kingdom.
So Matthew's whole theme of his gospel is, "How do you live in the kingdom now?" And all the teaching of Jesus that he could remember he gathered together under five headings, and those are the five sermons:
[2.] Mission - Chapters 9-10
[3.] Growth - Chapter 18
[4.] Community - Chapter 19
[5.] Future - Chapters 24-25
[/ul]
...The Sermon on the Mount is about the lifestyle of the Kingdom; how we live now that we are in the kingdom. Listen, the Sermon on the Mount is not Jesus' advice to unbelievers on how to live. It is difficult enough for a believer to live this way never mind an unbeliever...
The second block of teaching that Matthew has gathered together around one theme is the mission of the Kingdom. Because one of the things we need to learn is that as soon as you got into the Kingdom you had a mission to go and bring others in. The sooner you start it the easier it gets. The longer you leave it the harder it gets...
Jesus teaches in Chapters 9-10 how to evangelize. He says it is simple. You just go out two by two and you raise the dead, and you heal AIDS, you cast out demons, you heal the sick...then you tell them the Kingdom is come. That's all.
Let them see it, then let them hear it. Demonstrate it, then declare it. So simple. We try to make people hear it before they see it. Much better to let them see it before they hear it.
********
So with an eye towards understanding that Matthew Chapters 9-10 outline Jesus' commands to His people about the mission in which we all share on this earth, I wanted to encourage you to read those chapters today.
Let us not get so caught up in discussing the word that we forget about the transformation needed by spending time in the word so that we can walk in the power of God. God has not changed. He desires to manifest His power (God's authentic signs and wonders) through His people. But the question is are we ready to be sent?
"And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." I Corinthians 2:4-5