by Roby Ellis
[Scripture Reading: Luke 5:8-11]
Introduction
A. Usually it is the quality, not the quantity, which determines our effectiveness in any line of work.
B. Being an effective evangelist has a lot less to do with our method than it does with our character.
Discussion
I. To be better evangelists, we need to be sound.
A. We need to be good students of God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Acts 8:35).
B. We need to be plain with the truth (Matthew 8:20; 10:16-31).
C. We need to be ground enough to handle rejection without losing heart (1 Corinthians 15:58; Luke 9:51-56; Matthew 10:14).
II. To be better evangelists, we need to be sincere.
A. We need to be faithful Christians (1 Peter 3:1-4).
B. We need to be model friends, neighbors, and family members (John 1:40-51).
C. We need to be good listeners (cf. John 2:25).
III. To be better evangelists, we need to be steady.
A. We need to be patient (2 Timothy 2:23-25).
B. We need to be gentle (2 Timothy 2:24; 1 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 Peter 3:4).
Conclusion
A. We need to remember that we aren’t the only ones fishing these waters (2 Timothy 2:26).
B. We should remember the promise that Jesus made when He gave the Great Commission: “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).
C. If we will commit ourselves to these principles, we may just be surprised what the Lord can accomplish through us.