The True Vine Evangelism Program

Chapter Nine: Equipping The Saints

“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out the devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither Gold, nor Silver, nor Brass in your purses, nor Scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.” Mathew 10:7- 10

As Evangelist we often get troubled by preparation, we sometimes believe we aren’t prepared to Evangelize. In order to effectively communicate to the world the truths of the Gospel many believe that we need to take Bibles, How-to Books, food, clothing. Many believe that arrangements need to made regarding who they will stay with, what church they can count on for support, and how they can do fundraising in order to support them.

While all of these things are good tools to use, but it is not an absolute avenue prior to stepping out in faith. In fact it is better to trust God for all your provisions and that is what Jesus is telling the Disciples here. In this chapter we will study what equipment and preparations an Evangelist must have in order to take the Gospel to the world.

Read Mathew 10:5-15

5These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.

6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

9 Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts,

10 nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.

11 “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.

12 And when you go into a household, greet it.

13 If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

14 And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.

15 Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

What questions do you have after reading this? _________________________________________________________________________________

Answer the following questions: What does the person of God need in order to do the work of an Evangelist? __________________________________________________________________________________

Was Mathew known as an Evangelist? __________________________________________________________________________________

Do Evangelist go from city to city and into places where the Gospel has not yet been? __________________________________________________________________________________

What do they take for their journey? __________________________________________________________________________________

Is their work always a work of freedom? __________________________________________________________________________________

Read Acts 8:4-40 Christ Is Preached in Samaria

4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.

5 Then Philip went down to the[a] city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.

6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.

7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.

8 And there was great joy in that city. The Sorcerer’s Profession of Faith

9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great,

10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.”

11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time.

12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.

13 Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done. The Sorcerer’s Sin

14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,

15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,

19 saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!

21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.

22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.

23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

24 Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.”

25 So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. Christ Is Preached to an Ethiopian

26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert.

27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship,

28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.

29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”

30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.

32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “ He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth.

33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.”

34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?”

35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.

36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”

37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.

40 But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea. "But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but I speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner." Acts 26:25, 26

Are you ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Paul most certainly was not! We are not supposed to be ashamed at all,

as it is written in Romans 1:16,

"For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

Here it is though, another accusation against the Disciple, faithful, and fearless! Another attempt to discredit the truth!

Festus calls Paul mad, saying, "too much learning has made you mad!" Acts 26:24, actually it's just the opposite though, too much learning hasn't made any of us mad, but too little learning has made many blind. Turning our eyes and ears away from the truth doesn't change the trueth and hiding from reality won't make it go away!

The only thing that this might do is force a greater dependency upon chance and maybe grace. It’s not that God's grace isn't sufficient, in fact it is more than enough, but one must first believe in God and that he is, and when you turn from that truth all you have left is chance. Like the Lottery, chance is empty promises and there is no guarantees. Someone might say, "I'll take my chances!" Yes, for those that do, they will be taking a huge chance, one that has a certain end that loses all.

So who then is Mad?

Herein lies the answer, these truths have not been kept in a corner, so if you're reading this there will be no excuse. Jesus Christ is the Way to Heaven, he is the truth, and the life that we all seek. Accept him today and you have learned the answer to life!

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:9

What questions do you have after reading this? _________________________________________________________________________________

Answer the following questions: What work was Phillip doing? __________________________________________________________________________________

Did Philip pass out Bibles? Or Did Philip do fundraisers for his church? __________________________________________________________________________________

What did Philip tell the Ethiopian Eunuch? __________________________________________________________________________________

Did the Eunuch get saved and baptized? __________________________________________________________________________________

What happened to Philip after this was done and where did he go? __________________________________________________________________________________

Who provided for Philip while he did the work of God? __________________________________________________________________________________

Read Mathew 6:24-3 You Cannot Serve God and Riches

24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 

26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;

29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

What questions do you have after reading this? _________________________________________________________________________________

Answer the following questions: Why is it that when we do the work of God we don’t have to worry about provisions? __________________________________________________________________________________

What examples in nature does Jesus tell us to look at instead of worrying? __________________________________________________________________________________

Does God know our needs when we have them? __________________________________________________________________________________

What will happen when we seek God’s kingdom first? __________________________________________________________________________________

Read Mathew 7:7-12 Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

What questions do you have after reading this? __________________________________________________________________________________

Answer the following questions: If a child of God asks for something will they get what they ask? __________________________________________________________________________________

What is, the Law and the Prophets as described here? __________________________________________________________________________________

Read Luke 11:5-13 A Friend Comes at Midnight

5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves;

6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;

7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’?

8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking Part two:

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?

12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

What questions do you have after reading this? __________________________________________________________________________________

Answer the following questions: According to this who is worthy to seek assistance from a Christian? __________________________________________________________________________________

Will they help you at all hours? __________________________________________________________________________________ Are Christians obligated to help other Christians no matter what? __________________________________________________________________________________

What happens when a Christians asks something of others? And of God? __________________________________________________________________________________

Will God give anyone a stone who asks for bread? __________________________________________________________________________________

After reading all of this and examining scripture, can a Christian worker such as an Evangelist safely step out in faith and know their needs will be met? Explain: Read Philippians 4:10-23 Philippians Generosity

10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.

11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:

12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

14 Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress.

15 Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only.

16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities.

17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.

18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.

19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Greeting and Blessing

21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you.

22 All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar’s household.

23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

What questions do you have after reading this? __________________________________________________________________________________

Answer the following questions: What is being taught here? __________________________________________________________________________________

Who will supply your every need as you do the work of God? __________________________________________________________________________________

"For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know I shall not be ashamed." Isaiah 50:7

The scrolling banner reads, "I HAVE SET MY FACE LIKE A FLINT!" Can you say this?

There will be times in your life that you will have to take a stand and stand therefore having put on the whole armor of God. Unfortunately, there are some powers out there that would love to see you fail, this is a fact, and the old phrases "buck up" or "take the bull by the horn" are required. The reaching down inside for a bit more stubbornness and refusal to quit is necessary.

"I shall NOT be moved" is the bulk message that needs to be sent and God is with you! Just like a tree planted by the waters, I shall not be moved. What a horrible message for our adversary! Just when it seemed that he might be prevailing, we come back with a powerful punch! God is powerful! Take heart, a new thing is coming to you as we speak.

God is at work and re-enforcements have been dispatched into this fight. Stand firm and let God take the wheel! The shame shall be redirected and this egg shall be on your adversary's face. Remember the stone in which the builders have rejected?

This stone has become the chief cornerstone, Jesus is this stone that has been rejected so many times!

"And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." Luke 20:17,18

God is on your side, he has seen your struggles and pains. Stand strong because he will not allow you to be put to shame! Today, put your enemies on official notice by saying.

I HAVE SET MY FACE LIKE A FLINT AND I SHALL NOT BE MOVED!

Let God help you today by letting go and giving the battle to him. NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD!