Evangelism Part 14: Proclaim with Your Ears
Matthew 10:7-8 September 10, 2023
Intro
Recap of Vine’s teaching on Matthew 10:5-7. Last few months we discussed:
o laboring side by side with our brothers and sisters in Christ
o Intentionally and specifically focusing our efforts
o Starting with people we relate to
o Looked at the command to “Go!”
o The theology of grace (God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense)
o The sovereignty of God’s kingdom
o The kingdom manifests in Jesus, Jesus manifests in us, we are vessels manifesting
the kingdom to others.
o God’s kingdom is the present rule and reign of Jesus, who will come again
o Proclaiming the good news in a way that does not overcomplicate the matter
o The gospel has a depth and breadth that goes beyond the act of salvation
Matthew 10:5-8 “5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among
the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of
the house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at
hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received
without paying; give without pay.”
Proclaim by Listening
In scripture, 2 types of proclamations:
o On a mountain – “Mountaintop” and “soapbox” proclamations are the exception
in scripture, not the rule
Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, John the Baptist by the Jordan, Peter in
Jerusalem
These proclamations call for humble, obedient, boldness.
Not to discourage this type of proclaiming, but to choose timing
wisely because the danger to this type of general proclamation is
that without real relationship it can harden as many hearts as it
softens; the enemy can twist the truth and strengthen doubt in the
minds and hearts of those who are left to ongoing influence of the
world.
o In a community – The general context for proclamation comes down off the
mountain and soapbox and gets face-to-face in the contexts and situations of our
personal families and communities
The apostles go out two by two for accountability and protection as they
engage in intimate community.
These proclamations call for asking questions and listening.
Matthew 10:8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You
received without paying; give without pay.”
o Good questions and listening open the door to these means to an end. The means
are to heal, raise, cleanse, cast, and give. The end is the proclamation of the
gospel.
o Listening and asking is often times a precursor to (or even a bypass through) the
signs and wonders. If we know how to listen and ask the right questions, then our
evangelism will be more effective. The progression is to listen and ask questions
to discern and understand and then act and speak.
Let’s start with the importance of listening:
o Proverbs 18:2 “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing
his opinion.
o Proverbs 18:13 “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.”
o Proverbs 10:19 “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever
restrains his lips is prudent.”
o Proverbs 29:20 “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope
for a fool than for him.”
o James 1:19 “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear,
slow to speak, slow to anger”
o In the context of proclaiming in community, self-awareness and relatability are
key qualities to understanding people’s personalities and effectively relating to
others. If you are not listening or talking primarily about yourself more than about
the other person, you are not effectively proclaiming.
Listening requires patience and intentionality.
It requires focus and a heart that actually cares about the other person
(compassion…see Jesus).
Listening requires humility.
o Listening is not hearing….listening is receiving words, understanding them, and
responding with consideration of what was just said…addressing the substance of
that person’s words when you do speak.
In effective relationship building (e.g. Husbands and wives) – need to listen
to one another, not just hear one another. Effective evangelism requires
effective relationship building which means we must learn to listen well.
Proclaim by Questioning
Being a good listener and questioner necessarily means we know how to hunt for the
lies that someone believes, how to sniff out lies of the kingdom of death and darkness.
o John 8:44 “…He [satan] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in
the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own
character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
We may clearly see lies for what they are, but depending on where
someone is spiritually we might not address it in that moment
Instead, if we get the correct opportunity where the Spirit gives us the
opportunity to speak, we deliver milk, not meat; and we don’t try to force a
square peg into a round hole.
Evaluate: What aspect of the truth are they ready to hear? What lies are
they open to having dispelled and replaced with truth? Oftentimes the
response to these lies is not the line “Jesus died for your sins on the cross.”
More often than not this response sounds like, “You are not worthless, too
far gone, unsalvageable, stupid, hopeless, and it’s okay to not have it all
figured out.”
o If you have built a relationship and spoken truth consistently without any
response from the person, many times the only thing to do is maintain the
relationship and wait for their inevitable fall—be there for them to turn to when
they are ready for truth.
A person’s self-image is a house of cards oftentimes rooted in
circumstances. It can topple and won’t last forever.
Pride typically manifests as fear or arrogance. Fear is closer to
humility and is oftentimes easier to break through than arrogance,
but the Spirit moves in either situation.
o 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war
according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but
have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty
opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to
obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is
complete.”
Engaging with lies and false thought systems is like the imagery of sieging a
fortress. A parallel can be made with the war in Ukraine [successful and
unsuccessful offensive maneuvers against Russia], except the enemy is
much more serious and insidious—the lies of the enemy are damning
people to hell.
Listening well and asking questions is the opening salvo in the attack
against the fortress of lies that hold people in chains. Once we find the area
they’re receptive to truth that’s like a breach in the wall. We focus our
forces and line of questioning there and send everyone through that
breach.
We recognize that when there is clear, overt sinful behavior like addiction,
sexual sin, habitual lying, dangerous coping mechanisms, etc. these are
always (and superlatives aren’t used lightly) an outward manifestation, not
the root of what is going on in their heart.
We need to seek to understand what is prompting these behaviors. Is
it generational? Escapism? Physical conditions? This is the
exploration needed to bring gospel truth once past the wall and
getting to the heart housed in the keep of the fortress.
Then the person has to make the choice to receive the freedom to
walk out of the prison fortress.
Jesus himself is the best example of listening and asking…Jesus is recorded over 300
times asking questions in the gospels (many repeated…not 300 different questions).
o Rabbinical way of teaching….encourages learning and asking of the Rabbi –
especially from children. (see Exodus 12:26-27, 13:8, 14, Deut. 6:20-21)
o The questions Jesus asked were mostly open-ended. This type of questioning
requires time to hear the answers. They were asked to curious bystanders,
devoted disciples, and pharisees. Questions aren’t just to use in evangelistic
contexts, they are also super important in discipleship contexts to challenge
brothers and sisters into deeper relationship-remember, we want everyone to get
one step closer to Jesus, not just unbelievers.
o “When?” was never the subject of Jesus’ questioning.
The timing of things didn’t seem to matter to Jesus…he trusted the Father’s
timing, and didn’t seem to worry about the timing of things in people’s
lives. What was important is what came out of their heart, their emotions,
their thoughts, their values, their worries, their triumphs, their goals, their
insecurities…and ultimately, if they submitted to truth (Jesus).
Not asking questions to interrogate or make sure they “pass the test”. People will sense
that and be turned off. Instead, we listen and ask questions to better understand and to
relate.
What are good questions to ask people? The best ones narrow down to issues of that
person’s heart.
o Proverbs 20:5 “The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of
understanding will draw it out.”
o On the surface, you can determine if a person is angry, upset, frustrated, happy,
excited, what they’re passionate about, their hobbies and interests, etc.
o At a deeper level, you can determine a person’s fears, insecurities, worries, areas
of pride, values, how they see themselves, and their identity (all of which can
reveal idols).
Questions to get to know people:
o About 80 of Jesus’s questions are “how” or “why” questions
o Matthew 15:34; Mark 6:38 “How many loaves do you have?”
o Surface level questions designed to get to know people or to build rapport with
them.
Questions about work, hobbies, sports, where they grew up, basic family
dynamics, etc.
Questions to understand situations and emotions:
o John 20:15 “Woman why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
o As we get to know them and relate to them more directly, we go deeper if the
person is willing to go there:
Open-ended questions like “tell me more about…” “how do you feel
about…” “What do you think of…” “What is making you feel that way”
Questions about their spiritual understanding:
o Matthew 16:26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and
forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”
o As we go deeper, we should intentionally turn the conversation to spiritual topics.
“Have you ever witnessed something unexplainable” “Have you ever
experienced something paranormal” “What do you think happens when we
die” “Do you believe in fate/luck” “Do you believe in karma” “What do you
think X means”
Questions designed to begin pinpointing lies
o Matthew 16:13-16; Mark 8:27-29; Luke 9:18-20 “Now when Jesus came into the
district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the
Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah,
and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do
you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God.”
o Once I’ve gone deeper, I begin to question the basis for various statements or
thought patterns: “Help me understand X….” “What brought X about…” “Explain
more of X ….” “Where did you hear X from” “What makes X true” “When did x
start” “Did your parents talk about X”
Questions to challenge lies:
o Matthew 6:25-27 “Is not life more important than food, and the body more
important than clothes?… Are you not much more valuable than they?…Who of
you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”
o Once the lies are pinpointed, we ask questions – sometimes rhetorical – to get
them to themselves question the lie. Often these questions are laced with
statements of biblical truth.
“Do you think x is always true”, “What about Y, how does that work with X”
“You said Y and you said X, how do they work together” “Did you ever
consider that x is not true”
These questions are necessarily very contextual and require good listening,
remembering, and relating.
Questions to understand how they can be helped (ideally, we won’t need to ask – we’ll
have already discerned):
o Luke 18:41; John 1:38 “What do you want me to do for you?”
o If you don’t know how to help, then ask. Sometimes the questions are to get
them to acknowledge and accept the help.
“Would it be helpful if…” “Can I help you do…” “Can I pray for…”
Conclusion
If we are successful in listening well and asking good questions, we should not only
know more about that person, but also know how to help that person.
o Often times that can lead to prayer – right then and there – or encouraging them
with biblical truth against the lies that keep them chained in doubt,
discouragement, depression, and despair.
o But there may also be direct actions that we can take.
o Matthew 10:8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You
received without paying; give without pay.”
o And that will be the subject of our next sermon as we study how good listening
and questioning should lead us to act out the reality of the kingdom of heaven in
the authority of our King.