Teaching notes from LTCi, Siliguri. Based upon Robert E Colemans book, The Master Plan of Evangelism

1. The Master Plan of
Evangelism
Robert E
Coleman

2. The Master Plan of
Evangelism
Robert E
Coleman

3. Chapter 1
Selection
He chose from them twelve
Luke 6:13

4. Chapter 1
Selection
He chose from them twelve
Luke 6:13

5. Men were his method
It all started by Jesus calling a
few men to follow Him. !
This revealed immediately the
direction His evangelistic strategy
would take. His concern was not
with programs to reach the
multitudes, but with men whom the
multitudes would follow.!
This was before he ever organized
an evangelistic campaign or even
preached a sermon in public. Men
were to be His method of winning
the world to God.

6. The initial objective of Jesus' plan
was to enlist men who could bear
witness to His life and carry on
His work after He returned to the
Father. !
John and Andrew were the first
(John 1:35-40)!
Andrew brought his brother Peter
(John 1:41, 42)!
The next day Jesus found Philip on
His way to Galilee, and Philip found
Nathaniel (John 1:43-51)!
No evidence of haste in the
selection of these disciples; just
determination

7. James, the brother of John, is not
mentioned until the four fishermen
are recalled several months later by
the Sea of Galilee (Mark 1:1 9; Matt.
4: 21)!
Shortly afterward Matthew is called
as Jesus passed through
Capernaum (Mark 2:13, 14; Matt.
9:9; Luke 5:27, 28)!
The call of the other disciples are
not recorded in the Gospels, but it is
believed that they all occurred in the
first year of Jesus’ ministry

8. The early efforts at soul winning
had little or no immediate effect
upon the religious life of His day that did not matter!
The few early converts were
destined to become the leaders
of His church that was to go with
the Gospel to the whole world!
From the standpoint of Jesus’
ultimate purpose, the
significance of their lives would
be felt throughout eternity.

9. Men who were willing to learn
They do not impress us as being key
men!
- None had prominent places in the
Synagogue, none were priests!
- Probably they were common
labourers with no “special” training!
- Perhaps a few of them came from
families of some means, such as the
sons of Zebedee, none of them
could have been considered wealthy!
- They had no academic degrees!
- Their formal education was
probably only in the Synagogue
schools

10. Men who were willing to learn
- Most of them were raised in the
poor section of the country around
Galilee - only Judas Iscariot came
from the more refined area of Judea!
- They were “a rather ragged
aggregation of souls”!
- They were impulsive,
temperamental, easily offended, and
had many prejudices !
- They were an average cross
section of the society of their day!
- Not the kind of group one would
expect to win the world for Christ

11. Jesus saw in simple men the
potential of Kingdom leadership!
They were "unlearned and ignorant"
according to the world's standard
(Acts 4:13), but they were
teachable!
Often mistaken in their judgments
and slow to comprehend spiritual
things, but they were honest men,
willing to confess their need!
Their mannerisms may have been
awkward and their abilities limited,
but with the exception of Judas, their
hearts were big

12. Most significant was their sincere
desire for God!
The religious life about them had not
changed their hope for the Messiah,
John 1:41, 45, 49; 6:69.!
Possibly fed up with the hypocrisy of
the ruling aristocracy some had
already joined the revival movement
of John the Baptist, John 1: 35!
These men were looking for
someone to lead them “in the way of
salvation”!
In the hands of Jesus they could be
moulded into a new image

13. Jesus concentrated upon a few
The fundamental principle of Jesus’
ministry was concentration upon
those He intended to use!
The world is transformed by
individuals who have been
transformed - and this happens as
they are shaped at the hand of their
Master!
Within this the group must be small
enough to be able to work
effectively with them

14. Jesus concentrated upon a few
More people followed Jesus!
- so he had (by the 2nd year of
ministry) to narrow the number
down !
- he did this, calling twelve
apostles, Lk 6:13-17, Mk 3:13-19!
It is clear that Jesus
intended ,these men to have
unique privileges and
responsibilities in the Kingdom
work.

15. Having the 12 did not stop others functioning and
following in an effective way, consider;!
- the seventy (Luke 10:1)!
- Mark and Luke, were Gospel writers!
- James, brother of Jesus (I Cor. 15:7; Gal. 2:9, 12; cf.,
John 2:12 and 7:2-10)!
However we see that there was a rapidly diminishing
priority given to those outside the twelve!
Among the apostles Peter, James and John seemed to
enjoy a special relationship to Jesus - Jarius’ daughter
(Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51); the Mount of Transfiguration
(Mark 9: 2; Matt. 17: 1; Luke 9: 2 8); in Gethsemane
(Mark 14: 3 3; Matt. 2 6: 3 7)

16. If it had not been for the
incarnation of selflessness in
Christ, it could well have
produced feelings of
resentment on the part of the
other apostles!
There is no record of the
disciples complaining about the
pre-eminence of the three when preference is shown in
the right spirit and for the right
reason offence need not arise.

17. If it had not been for the
incarnation of selflessness in
Christ, it could well have
produced feelings of
resentment on the part of the
other apostles!
There is no record of the
disciples complaining about the
pre-eminence of the three when preference is shown in
the right spirit and for the right
reason offence need not arise.

18. The Principle observed
Jesus was deliberate in the way he
proportioned His life to those He
wanted to train!
A fundamental principle of teaching
is that other things being equal, the
more concentrated the size of the
group being taught, the greater the
opportunity for effective instruction!
Jesus devoted most of his life on
earth to a few disciples. He staked
His whole ministry upon them. The
world could be indifferent toward
Him and still not defeat His strategy

19. The Principle observed
It caused Jesus no great concern when
His followers on the fringes gave up
when confronted with the true meaning
of the Kingdom (John 6:66)!
But He could not bear to have His close
disciples miss His purpose. They had to
understand the truth and be sanctified
by it (John 17:17), else all would be
lost. Thus He prayed "not for the world,"
but for the few God gave Him "out of
the world" (John 17:6, 9).2 Everything
depended upon their faithfulness if the
world would believe on Him "through
their word" (John 17:20).

20. Jesus did not neglect the masses
In all this we must remember that
Jesus never neglected the
masses,!
Jesus did all that any man could be
asked to do and more to reach the
multitudes:!
- when He started His ministry he
identified Himself boldly with the
great mass revival movement of His
day through baptism at the hands of
John Matt. 3:13-17; Luke 3:21, 27!
- later he went out of His way to
praise JTB (Matt. 11: 7-15; Luke
7:24-28)

21. - He continuously preached to the
crowds that followed His ministry!
- He taught them!
- He fed them when they were
hungry!
- He healed their sick and cast out
demons!
- He blessed their children!
- Sometimes the whole day would be
spent ministering to their needs,
Mark 6: 31…“Then, because so
many people were coming and going
that they did not even have a chance
to eat, he said to them, “Come with
me by yourselves to a quiet place
and get some rest.”

22. - He continuously preached to the
crowds that followed His ministry!
In every way possible
- He taught them!
Jesus manifested a
- He fed them when they were
genuine concern for the
hungry!
people. These were out
- He healed their sick and cast the
demons!
people that He came to
- He blessed their children!
save -He loved them,
- Sometimes the whole day would be
wept over them, and
spent ministering to their needs,
finally died to save so
Mark 6: 31…“Then, because them
many people were coming and going
from their sin. Jesus did
that they did not even have a chance
not avoid mass with
to eat, he said to them, “Come
evangelism.
me by yourselves to a quiet place
and get some rest.”

23. Jesus was so successful with the
people, showing them compassion
and power, that they once wanted
"to take Him by force, to make Him
King”, John 6: 15!
John 3:26 (Amp) So they came to
John and reported to him, Rabbi, the
Man Who was with you on the other
side of the Jordan [[e]at the Jordan
crossing]—and to Whom you
yourself have borne testimony—
notice, here He is baptizing too, and
everybody is flocking to Him!!
The Pharisees admitted among
themselves that the world had gone
after Him, John 12: 19

24. Jesus was so successful with the
popular among the
people, showing them compassion
masses, something that lasted right
and power,- that they once wanted
to the end it was the fear of this
"to take mass feeling for Jesus Him
friendly Him by force, to make that
King”, John 6: accusers to capture
prompted His 15!
Him in the (Amp) Soof thecame to
John 3:26 absence they people
(Markand reported 21:26; Luke the
John 12:12; Matt. to him, Rabbi,
20:19).! was with you on the other
Man Who
side of the Jordan [[e]at the Jordan
Undoubtedly if Jesus had
crossing]—and to Whom support, He
encouraged this popular you
yourself have borne testimony—
easily could have had all the
notice, here He is baptizing too, and
Kingdoms of men at His feet - we
everybody is flocking to Him!!
see this in the temptations
presented by Satan in the
The Pharisees admitted among
wilderness, Matt- 4:1-7; Luke 4:1-4,
themselves that the world had gone
9-13 Him, John 12: 19
after

25. Jesus repeatedly took care to
diminish the popular support of the
people, John 2:23- 3:3; 6:26, 27 etc.!
- He asked those who were healed
to say nothing about it!
- After the transfiguration "He
charged them that they should tell
no man what things they had seen"
until after His resurrection, Mark 9:9;
Matt, 17:9!
His followers did not understand His
strategy - his own brothers and
sisters, urged Him to make an open
show of Himself to the world John
7:2-9

26. In view of this policy, it is not
surprising to note that few people
were actually converted during the
ministry of Christ (in any clear
obvious way)!
Many believed in Christ in the sense
that they enjoyed / benefitted from
his ministry - comparatively few
seemed to have grasped the
meaning of the Gospel

27. !
Coleman argues that his total
number of devoted followers at the
end of His earthly ministry was
around 500, see I Cor. 15:6 - only
about 120 were in Jerusalem to
receive the baptism of the Holy
Spirit, Acts 1:15!
If at this point one were to measure
the effectiveness of His evangelism
by the number of His converts,
Jesus doubtless would not be
considered among the most
productive mass evangelists of the
church.

28. Jesus’ strategy
Why did Jesus deliberately concentrate His life upon
comparatively so few people?!
he came to save the world? Why not get a mighty army and
take the world by storm?!
Understand the real purpose of Jesus’ plan for evangelism.
Jesus was not trying to impress the crowd, but to usher
in a Kingdom. !
So he needed men who could lead the multitudes. !
What good is it to have followers but no one to lead them?!

29. The Pharisees and Sadducees were the
principle leaders of 2,000,000 people religious, social, educational, and to a
limited degree, political life (Romans still
ruled).!
There were 6,000 Pharisees!
Sadducees, made up mostly of the chief
priests and Sanhedrin families in
Jerusalem, probably did not amount to
more than a few hundred!
This small privileged group of less than
7,000 people, representing about 1/3rd of
one percent of the population of Israel,
guided the spiritual destiny of a nation Jesus spoke much about them, while also
teaching His disciples the strategic need
for better leadership.

30. Jesus was a realist, he understood:!
- depraved human nature and Satanic forces of this world
amassed against him!
- the masses were like helpless sheep wandering aimlessly
without a shepherd, willing to follow almost anyone that came
along with some promise for their welfare!
Therefore, Jesus’ converts had to be given competent men of
God to lead them and protect them in the truth they would
soon fall into confusion and despair

31. !
Before the world could ever be permanently helped men
would have to be raised up who could lead the multitudes in
the things of God.!
- he could not give personal care to each individual!
- he needed men imbued with His life who would do it for him he concentrated on those who were to be the beginning, of
this leadership. !
- he devoted himself primarily to a few men, in order that the
masses could at last be saved

32. The principle of Jesus applied today
Today most of the evangelistic efforts
begin with the multitudes assuming
that the church is qualified to keep
what good is done.!
The result is emphasis upon numbers,
with little or no genuine concern about
the establishment of these souls in
God!
The pattern of u8Jesus means that the
first duty of a pastor (or evangelist) is
to see that a foundation is laid upon
which an effective/ongoing evangelistic
ministry can be built

33. This will require concentration of
time and talents upon fewer men in
the church while not neglecting the
passion for the world!
Some might object saying that it is
favouritism - but it is still the way that
Jesus concentrated His life!!
It should be done out of a genuine
love for the church, and care should
be shown to the needs of the people.!
The ultimate goal must be clear to
the worker - everything that is done
with the few is for the salvation of the
multitudes.!
This idea is brought out clearly in
Ephesians 4:11,12

34. This principle of selectivity and
concentration is engraved in the
universe, and will bring results no
matter who practices it, whether the
church believes it or not. !
Communists adopted in a large
measure this method - they
multiplied from a handful of zealots
seventy-five years ago to a vast
conspiracy of followers that
enslaved nearly half the peoples of
the world. They proved in our day
what Jesus demonstrated so clearly
in His, that the multitudes can be
won easily if they are just given
leaders to follow.

35. Time for action
The church must be realistic:!
- time is short!
- evangelism programmes are not working!
- communication methods (for the Gospel)
are greater and more powerful than ever
before!
- we cannot reverse the trend overnight - a
new programme is not he answer!
- the problem is not with the mass of
peoples, but with preparing people whom
they can follow!
- this puts a priority on winning and training
those already in responsible positions of
leadership (if we can)

36. Time for action
- if we can't begin at the top, then let us
begin where we are and train a few of the
lowly to become the great
- anyone who is willing to follow Christ can
become a mighty influence upon the world
- we must begin just like Jesus. It will be
slow, tedious, painful and probably
unnoticed by men at first, but the end
result will be glorious, even if we don't live
to see it.
- do you want recognition and applause in
the short term or long lasting fruit?
- it is a question of which generation we
are living for