Full House
The Parables of Jesus Part 2
Luke 14:22-24       9-1-2013
Summary: The host sends the slave back out because he wants his house to be full, reflecting the heart of God. We should have the same heart - motivated to reach the lost not just for their sake, but also for the sake of a full house. This is our mandate and it is urgent, and we at Agape are in danger of downplaying it because of our aversion to the errors of the church growth movement. We must never tire of compelling them to come in through persuasion - preferring the poor, warning of judgment, and enticing them with the banquet.
Introduction
God's Desire: A Full House
More Worshippers
The Church is Supposed to Expand
Our Duty: Compel Them
Our Desire
Duty
Urgent
Example: My Father
We Are at Risk of Missing This at Agape
Until Heaven is Full
Motivated by a Desire for a Full House
Buildings Are Tools
Not By Force
Persuasion
1) Prefer the Poor
Church Growth Efforts Focus on the Rich
2) Warn Them
3) Entice Them
1:25 Questions

Luke 14:15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!" 16 But he said to him, "A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.' 19 And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.' 20 And another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' 21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.' 22 And the servant said, 'Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' 23 And the master said to the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.'" 
Introduction
It was a busy day for this slave. After all the chaos of helping with the food preparation and all the millions of last minute details in a huge banquet like this, this slave's job was just beginning. The master told him to go alert all the guests that it was time to eat. So he goes running all over town to every person who had RSVP’d letting them know - "The meal is ready." But each one gives an excuse why he is not coming. So the servant has to run back to his master and tell him all these excuses. Then the master sends him right back out to invite other guests. And no time to rest either - he wants it done quickly.
Luke 14:21 Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
So now this poor guy has to go back out and round up everyone he can find in the whole town. But he is very efficient. It only takes him one verse and he's done. After going through the entire town, he finally shows up back at the house huffing and puffing.
"Ok, I did what you asked.”
But - this slave - either he didn’t know his master very well or he just likes running, because look what he says next.
22 "'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
“As hard as I tried - I have to be honest with you - not every seat is filled." And the master says, “Then get back out there.”
23 "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.
What is the point of that portion of the parable? Why not just end the parable after verse 21? Why add this last bit about the slave being sent out again? Jesus is making a very clear point - the master was not satisfied with the number of guests. He wanted more. He wants a full house. He does not want any empty seats.
God's Desire: A Full House
Everything the master does in this parable is driven by his desire for a full house. He does not want anyone there who prefers their earthly stuff over his banquet. But anyone and everyone who is not obsessed with earthly things is welcome. He wants His house full.
More Worshippers
What does that teach us about God? God cares about increase. He is not satisfied with the current number of Christians as long as there are still empty seats in heaven.
In Revelation 4-6 we get a summary of all of human history. And it is portrayed in those chapters as a massive crescendo of worship. (A crescendo in a piece of music is when it starts out soft and then gradually gets louder.) And that is what happens to the worship offered from the creation to the Creator in Revelation 4-6. It starts with a quartet - just four living creatures. Then it explodes into a 28-part harmony when the elders join in. Then in Revelation 5:8 they add instruments - two dozen harps. Then it cranks up even more in verse 9.
Revelation 5:9 ...with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
Now the angels jump in.
11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. 
If you are going to heaven I hope you like loud music because that is not even the top of the crescendo. It gets even louder.
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing... 
I believe that is the greatest verse in the Bible. That is the climax of history. That is where it is all going. Everything that has ever happened is just another step toward this final culmination of everything - the time when every voice in the universe worships God. That is the story of the history of the creation. I don’t think we would be out on a limb if we said that is the purpose of the creation. The reason everything exists is for this to happen - the chorus of worshippers starts small and builds and grows and develops and ultimately envelopes everything.
Now, in this massive crescendo of worship that extends across the entire timeline of history, where does the church age fit in? What is supposed to take place during this period between Jesus’ first coming and His Second Coming? Is the church age a setback in that progression? Does the progress get put on a holding pattern during this age? Or is God’s design for the crescendo to continue in our era?
The Church is Supposed to Expand
In Old Testament times, the people knew that the Messiah would come and bring an end to this present evil age and usher in the glorious age to come - the time of the kingdom of the Messiah. What they did not know was that that kingdom would come in two stages. They didn't know the Messiah would actually come twice – the first time to inaugurate His kingdom and the age to come, and the second time to eliminate this present, evil age altogether. And in between - between His first coming and His second coming, this present evil age and the glorious age to come would exist simultaneously. This period of overlap was not revealed in the Old Testament, so when Jesus arrived at His first coming, He had to explain it. And He did so through parables. Most of the parables of Jesus are devoted to explaining what that period of overlap would look like. What will it look like to have the glorious age to come - the kingdom of the Messiah established in the world, but to also still have the sin and evil and suffering and death of this present age? Is Jesus’ kingdom going to just remain a tiny little influence in the background the whole time until the Second Coming - so that this evil age dominates? Or will Jesus just suddenly take over very quickly so that His kingdom dominates the world right from the start? Or will it be more gradual? Jesus answered that question in two parables in Matthew 13.
Matthew 13:31 The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." 33 He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened." 
It is not going to be huge overnight. It is going to start out very small. But it definitely is not designed to stay small. It is going to grow and expand and become massive and pervasive in the world. So God's design is for the kingdom to enlarge and increase and become more and more influential and pervasive the more time goes on.
Another parable that teaches us about God's desire for growth and expansion is this one here in Luke 14, where God invites people in, then when they refuse He invites more, and when they come it is still not enough to suit Him so He invites more. He is not satisfied until His house is full. That is why Jesus did not end the parable after verse 21. He included that next section of the parable because He wanted us to understand that God’s design for our age is for the choir of worshippers to continually grow. He wants His Son’s name praised in every language, in every place, by every people, every tribe, every nation. And in each particular place, the more worshippers in that place, the better.
Our Duty: Compel Them
Our Desire
So, whose job is it to gather these people in? Some people argue that the slave in this parable represents the Holy Spirit. Others say it is Jesus. I am not convinced the servant is designed to represent anyone. Parables are not allegories - not every detail is meant to represent something. Most of the details are just the scenery of the story. So I am not convinced the slave represents any particular person. But even if you do not agree with me, one thing surely we can agree on – it is God’s desire for His house to be filled. No matter who this slave represents or does not represent, clearly God wants people to be brought in to His banquet. And He wants the invitation to be compelling. And the reason He wants all that is 1) so that the name of Jesus Christ will be honored through a vast multitude of worshippers, and 2) because He is loving and generous and kind and wants all those people in the streets and highways and lanes and rural areas to enjoy His banquet. So he wants the people brought in for His Son’s sake and for their own sake.
So what are the implications for us? Isn’t it our goal to make our desires and passions match as closely as possible to God’s? If all that is God’s desire, it should be our desire. So one thing we can say for sure is that every Christian should have strong desires to see people saved - the more the better. We should be like Paul.
Romans 9:1 I speak the truth in Christ--I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit-- 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race
Paul’s desire for the lost to be saved was the deepest possible kind of desire. He wanted it so bad he would wish that he could go to hell if that would bring it about! In the next chapter in Luke (ch.15), Jesus tells three parables about how much God celebrates when a lost sinner comes to repentance. And in the third of those three stories, Jesus includes a portion of the parable designed to condemn anyone who does not share that same attitude. The whole point of the older brother in the prodigal son story is to expose the evil of those who did not find great joy in a lost sinner being saved.
Nothing was more satisfying to Jesus than bringing a lost sinner to repentance. After leading the woman at the well to faith, Jesus felt such a sense of satisfaction that He did not even feel like eating anymore. They urged Him to eat, and He said...
John 4:34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 
Winning the lost is satisfying to the soul. This is the heart of God. It is the mission of Jesus.
Luke 19:10 the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.
That is why He came. Seeking and saving the lost is what He cares about. And if that is what He cares about, that is what we should care about.
Duty
That should be our desire – and not just our desire, but also our duty. We do more than just care about it. It is through us that Jesus is carrying out His work in this age. That is why we are called the body of Christ. So if Jesus came to seek and save the lost, and we are His body, then our task is to seek and save the lost. That is the task of the Church. Before Jesus died He told His Disciples numerous times to rendezvous with Him at a particular mountain in Galilee, and for weeks Jesus went around gathering His followers to come to that meeting, and when it finally took place Jesus stood up on that mountain and gave this commission to His Church:
Matthew 28:18 "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
And we know that was not just for the Apostles because it is something that takes until the end of the age to complete. The Apostles all died in the first century. The Second Coming is being postponed until this task gets done.
Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Romans 11:25 Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 
This is a commission for all of God’s people until the very end of the age, when the task is completed and all the seats are filled.
Winning the lost has always been the mark of a godly person.
Daniel 12:2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
The righteous, the wise, the ones who will be raised to eternal life - they are the ones who lead many to righteousness - and, in the words of Malachi 2:6, turn many from sin.
Urgent 
That is our responsibility, and it is an urgent task.
John 4:35 Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.
If you have ever been around farmers you know that the most dominant emotion when they hear the word harvest is urgency. Once the harvest is ready, it is a mad scramble to get it all in. Every day that passes there could be a hail storm or too much rain or some other thing that could potentially cause them to lose their whole crop. Then you lose your one paycheck for the whole year. I remember in Oklahoma they would run those combines 20+ hours a day trying to get it in. So for this agricultural society to hear Jesus say that the fields are ripe for harvest - they got the message. That meant, “Get on it - now!” It is urgent.
Matthew 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Pray to the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
Pray for God to raise up more help! If we have a heart for the lost like God does, this will be the cry of our hearts when we pray. It will color the way we look at people and situations. It will drive the way we live and the way we talk to people and the way we act.
Example: My Father
When I think of someone who has a heart like this I think of my dad. I don’t know how many people are up in heaven just waiting to give my dad a huge hug when he arrives up there, because they are there as a result of his passion to share the gospel with the lost. The most recent one was just a few weeks ago. I was over at his house and he said, “Darrell, did you hear about the close call I had at the rec center?” Right away I thought, “Oh no - that doesn’t sound good.” I am thinking maybe he slipped and fell or something like that. He went on to tell me about his close call.
“I'm supposed to walk in the pool every day for therapy, but I had been really busy all day, and it was already late, and I was exhausted, and in a lot of pain, and so I decided I would just skip it that day. But then I was out in the garage, and I thought, I’d better just go and do what the doctor said, so I just got in the car and went."
He gets there and a guy sits down next to him and starts talking about the Trayvon Martin case that had just been decided. He was upset about it. 
"Can you believe they found that George Zimmerman innocent?"
Dad said, "Well, the jury had all the facts, and that’s the conclusion they came to."
"But what if Zimmerman got away with murder?"
"It might seem like he got away with murder, but the reality is no one will ever get away with anything. Every one of us is going to face God on Judgment Day and be held responsible and punished for their sins. And God knows the truth about everything, so there will be no injustice. Every evil will be punished. How would you like to stand before God and face the punishment for all your sins?"
"I would hate that."
"Would you like me to tell you how you can avoid that, so that you will never face condemnation on Judgment Day?"
"Yes, I would."
Dad went on to explain the gospel to him, and that man gave his heart to the Lord right there on the spot.
That is Dad's idea of a close call. For most people, a close call is when you almost get hurt or almost get killed or almost suffer some loss. But for Dad it was the fact that he almost stayed home that night, and almost missed the chance to lead that man to faith in Christ. That is the perspective of the one who has a heart after God’s own heart when it comes to the lost.
We Are at Risk of Missing This at Agape
The reason I wanted to preach this parable is because I believe it is a principle that is especially needed for our church at this time. I believe Agape Bible Church is at risk of not having the same attitude toward kingdom growth that God has. And there are a few reasons for that. One of the things that marks our personality as a church is our resistance to the modern church growth movement. That movement has created an army of churches that have as their primary goal to pack the building out with as many “unchurched” people as possible. The sermons are targeted to unbelievers with just the most basic plan of salvation - over and over, every week, and if you want to grow in your faith as a believer, you are on your own. Or in some cases you get rebuked for being selfish for wanting to be fed. They say, “Church isn’t for ministry to one another - it’s for reaching the lost, nothing else.”
And at Agape we are strongly against that approach. So what we have here is a combination of three things:
1)	Preaching that is directed mainly to believers about living the Christian life.
2)	Frequent criticism of the errors of the church growth movement.
3)	A congregation made up of many people who left their last church because of an out-of-balance emphasis on gearing everything toward the lost that left you and the rest of the saints unfed and malnourished.
And a malnourished congregation is not a pleasant place to be. Maybe you have come from a church where they make it sound like if you don’t have the gift of evangelism, you are a backslider. The only thing that really matters is witnessing and sharing your faith, and everything else is downplayed. And so many of you have a very bad taste in your mouth from the church growth movement.
You put all those factors together, and what do you have? What you have is a church that is striving to resist a common error in modern church culture, but that is also very much at risk of a pendulum swing too far in the other direction. It is so easy to do that. Satan takes advantage of our momentum away from whatever error we are resisting, and trying to use that momentum to shove us too far in the other direction. And so we at Agape are at risk of failing to appreciate the importance of expanding the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to be very careful that while we resist the abuses, we do not resist the heart of God for the filling of His house. I have noticed that when I do talk about outreach and the spreading aspect of our purpose statement, in some cases I get the feeling that some folks are having red flags go up ("Uh oh, is Darrell falling into all that church growth stuff now?").
Until Heaven is Full
We need to remember - God wants His house full. He wants His Son honored by more and more worshippers. That is why our motto is “Spreading and Deepening Delight in Christ.” The spreading part means reaching as many as we can possibly reach with the gospel, so we can turn non-worshippers into worshippers. Deepening the faith of the saints is crucially important. Churches that neglect that are wrong to do so. But it would also be wrong if we were to neglect the spreading part.
God wants His house to be full. So when some reject the invitation, move on to others. If you don't find much interest among the rich, try moving to the poor. If no one else in town is interested, move out to the highways and country lanes. Keep expanding the circles wider and wider until you get some takers.
Notice that the task of bringing this last group in never does get finished in the parable. Jesus leaves that part open-ended. It is not finished as long as there is still room in heaven.
One other thing that puts us at risk of neglecting this is the fact that we happen to be at a point where our building is full on Sunday mornings. It is getting harder and harder to find a seat at the 11:00 service. More and more I am hearing about people who see visitors come in, try to find a seat, and then walk right back out. And any time you get so all the seats in your facility are filled, it is very easy to become content.
"We're full. We're good. We don't need any more people."
But we need to remember - this building is not the same thing as the kingdom of God. When this building is full, that doesn’t mean God’s kingdom is full. And so our level of energy and passion for reaching more and more people should not diminish in its urgency just because we are out of room in our building. When will it be ok for us to back off and relax in our efforts to bring more people into the kingdom? When there is no more room left in God's house. When heaven is full, that is when we can back off. Until then we need to be compelling them to come in. As of right now the sign in front of the kingdom of God still says, "Vacancy." 
Motivated by a Desire for a Full House
It is easy to forget this as a motive for evangelism and missions, isn’t it? Usually our motive is concern for the lost - which is a great motive. We can't stand the thought of them going to hell, and that motivates us.
But that is not our only motive. We are also moved by our desire for the house of God to be full. We want God’s name to be praised by every language and tribe and tongue in every place in every culture among every people group. We want to see places where His name goes from being dishonored to being joyfully praised. We want the choir of worshippers to increase, and the roar of His praise to become more and more deafening. And so we compel them to come in for two reasons - we do it for their sake and we do it for God’s glory.
Buildings Are Tools
Right now we are looking into building a larger facility, and it is not just so we can make ourselves more comfortable. We want a larger facility not just to accommodate our current needs, but also to use as a tool to be able to bring more people into the banquet.
Now obviously - just filling up a church building does not automatically mean you are filling up the banquet hall. Many church buildings are filled to capacity with people who will be rejected on Judgment Day. But to the degree that we make good use of the building as a place where we apply the Word of God to the hearts of men and women, then expanding our facility is very much in line with our mandate in this chapter. And even if you question whether a bigger building would function in that way, one thing I pray we all agree on is that we must keep laboring and striving and working to compel as many as possible to enter the banquet.
Verse 23 says Compel them to come in. At first they are not even interested. They have to be compelled. Amazing. This marvelous banquet, and they are hesitant. Obviously they don’t understand how wonderful this thing is they are being invited to!
Not By Force
Unsaved people are blind. They have no idea what they are missing. They think it is something boring or stuffy or restrictive - limiting their happiness. They do not see the appeal, and so they are reluctant, which means we have to compel them to come in. How do we compel people to come in to God's kingdom? Use force? Do what Mohammad did with Islam and spread our religion by the sword? No, we cannot do it by the sword, because entrance into this banquet is impossible without an eager, willing, joyful heart. If you put a gun to someone’s head, that is not going to give them a heart that is favorable toward Christ. It will do the exact opposite. It will make them unfavorable toward Christ, which will prevent them from entering the banquet. So we for sure cannot do it by force.
Persuasion
Nor can we do it by intimidation and emotional manipulation. You cannot trick people into trusting Jesus Christ. So what's left? Persuasion. The only possible way for them to come is willingly, and yet, there must be a compelling. And so it can only happen through persuasion. We cannot just give them the facts of the gospel and say, “Take it or leave it.” We have to present it to them in a compelling way that makes it likely that they will be inclined to accept it.
We believe in election and predestination, but we do not ever want to fall into a kind of Calvinistic fatalism that says, "Well, if they are elect, they will be saved and if they are non-elect they won't, so it doesn't matter what kind of gospel presentation you give.” That attitude is a million miles from what Scripture teaches.
2 Corinthians 5:11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade men. 
The reality of Judgment Day made Paul want to be as persuasive as possible. So how do we do that? How do you compel people to enter the kingdom of God? Three principles I think we can take from this parable.
1) Prefer the Poor
Church Growth Efforts Focus on the Rich
Most church growth efforts focus on the wealthy. The formula in the church growth movement is to pick a demographic, and try to reach that type of person. For Bill Hybles it was Unchurched Charlie. For Rick Warren it is Saddleback Sam. Saddleback Sam is a young, healthy, successful, wealthy, good-looking professional in his 30’s or 40’s. Why is that? Why do they always go after someone like Saddleback Sam instead of Homeless Hank or Jobless Joe or Needy Nancy? Because, if you are going to build an empire you need people with resources. Needy people - people without money, people with emotional problems, people who have physical needs - they are going to be a drain. But rich people - they can help us pay our bills! And so we are tempted to prefer those who have something to offer us in return - the exact thing Jesus told us not to do at the beginning of this chapter.
And this can be as subtle as just the size of the smile or the warmth of the handshake. Someone else comes in who looks like ... a lot of work, and the reception just is not quite as enthusiastic as it is for those attractive, healthy, rich visitors.
James 2:1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not become judges with evil thoughts?
We tend to favor the rich because of what they have to offer. God favors the needy precisely because they have nothing to offer. And that glorifies God as one who needs nothing.
But when we prefer the rich we run the risk of gathering the very people God has rejected - the people who will end up preferring earthly things over fellowship with Christ.
2) Warn Them
So the first principle - prefer the needy. Second principle - warn them. Part of compelling them involves giving them a compelling warning. There are severe consequences to getting caught up with this world.
24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.
If a person keeps saying, “Not now. Not yet. I’m not ready,” warn them that the time will eventually come when the Master says, “That’s it. The invitation is rescinded. You will never taste of My banquet.”
Do not be afraid to warn people about hell. Jesus wasn’t. His compassionate heart did not want people to go there, and so He warned them about it often. Describe hell to people and warn them.
Proverbs 24:11 Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. 12 If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?
People all around us are staggering toward slaughter, and it is our duty to rescue them and hold them back from their own self-destruction.
RICHARD BAXTER: "If you have the hearts of Christians, let them yearn toward your poor, ignorant, ungodly neighbors. Alas! There is but a step between them and death and hell. Many hundred diseases are waiting ready to seize on them, and if they die unregenerate they are lost forever. Have you hearts of rock that cannot pity men in such a case as this? If you believe not the Word of God and the danger of sinners then why are you Christians yourselves? If you do believe it, why do you not bestir yourselves to the helping of others? Do you not care who is damned as long as you are saved? If so, you have sufficient cause to pity yourself, for it is a frame of spirit utterly inconsistent with grace. Doest thou live close by them or meet them in the streets or labor with them or travel with them or sit and talk with them and say nothing to them of their souls or the life to come? If their houses were on fire thou wouldst run to help them, and wilt thou not help them when their souls are almost at the fire of hell?" 
So part of what makes our appeal compelling is warning. But that is not all we do.
3) Entice Them
In fact, that is not even the main part. We do not just warn about the consequences of missing the banquet, we also talk to them about how delightful the banquet is. The best way to convince someone to come in to a banquet is to talk about the banquet. So many people miss this when they share the gospel. There is so little talk about the banquet! Show people the appeal. The world is wrapped up in their earthly pursuits - real estate, possessions, family, and they treasure all that above all, why? Because they are blind to the greater treasure. Our job is to put it before their eyes and then ask God to enable them to see it.
Talk to people about the thirst of the soul. I find that these days that is where I go most often when I present the gospel to people. I talk to them about the thirsts of the soul - feeling empty, craving deeper joy. Craving hope and meaning in life. The craving to be forgiven and clean before God. The desire for fullness. The desire to have something so great to live for that it is worth any loss or any suffering. Then I explain to them that all those things are found only through faith in Christ. (And I am always very careful to make sure I explain what I mean by faith - both belief and trust.)
Jesus said in Matthew 13 that becoming a Christian is like finding a treasure in a field, and being so excited about that treasure that you cannot wait to sell everything you have in order to obtain it. When we call people to follow Christ we are calling them to give up everything - money, possessions, friends, even family - to prefer Christ above every other treasure. That will never happen until they see Christ as a greater treasure. It is not enough to just warn about hell. Talk to them about what the Lord is like - that He is like food and drink to the soul. Make that sound appealing.
This is one reason why it is so important for you to find joy in the Lord - so you can tell people from personal experience what it is like. The best thing you could do to improve your evangelism is find satisfaction in Christ for every craving of your soul. Find joy. Find hope. Learn how to do ministry in a way that satisfies your soul in Christ. Learn how to love your spouse in a way that satisfies your soul in Christ. Learn how to take a vacation in a way that satisfies your soul not in this world, but in Christ. Make everything you ever do a pursuit of joy in Christ so that you can bring others along the same path you are taking. You are not going to be very persuasive if it is all theoretical. Pursue it in your own life, and then testify to others about what you have experienced. Enjoy the banquet. Pig out on the feast, so that you will be persuasive when you grab hold of others and say, "You have got to taste of this banquet." 

Benediction: 1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

1:25 Questions
1)	What is the greatest hindrance to you sharing the gospel? Ask the group to help you think of biblical principles that will help correct the wrong attitude.
a.	Fear of what people will think of me
b.	Lack of desire for God’s house to be fuller
c.	Lack of compassion on the lost
d.	Thinking it won’t work (the person probably won’t accept the gospel) 

2)	Who do you know that you think the Lord wants you to share the gospel with soon? Ask the group to help you think of ideas on how to do it.