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. Association
Chapter 2
!
Matthew 28:20 I am with you always…

4. Association
Chapter 2
!
Matthew 28:20 I am with you always…

5. He stayed with them
Having called his men, Jesus made it a practice to be with
them. This was the essence of His training program - just
letting His disciples be with and follow Him.
This is incredibly simple - no formal school, no outlined
course of study, no membership classes
- all Jesus did to teach these men was to draw them close to
Himself
- He was His own school and curriculum

6. The scribes insisted upon their disciples adhering strictly to
certain rituals and formulas of knowledge, this distinguished
them from others
Jesus asked only that His disciples follow Him
Jesus did not give knowledge in laws and doctrines, but in his
person as he walked among them
His disciples were seen simply by being with Him, and
through this took part in his teaching, John 18: 19

7. Through this fellowship the disciples
were permitted "to know the mysteries
of the Kingdom of God" - Luke 8: 10
Knowledge was gained by
association before it was understood
by explanation.
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t
know where you are going, so how
can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and
the truth and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through me.
- the question already was answered if
the disciples would open their eyes to
the spiritual reality in their midst.

8. John 1:35-39
The next day John was there again
with two of his disciples. 36 When he
saw Jesus passing by, he said,
“Look, the Lamb of God!”
37 When the two disciples heard him
say this, they followed Jesus. 38
Turning around, Jesus saw them
following and asked, “What do you
want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which
means “Teacher”), “where are you
staying?” 39 “Come,” he replied,
“and you will see.”
At home with Jesus they could talk
in private and see intimately into him
and his work.

9. Philip was told, "Follow me" John
1:43 - he then invited Nathaniel also
John 1:46
Later when James, John, Peter and
Andrew were found mending their
nets, Jesus said, "Come after Me,"
adding the reason for it, "and I will
make you fishers of men" (Mark
1:17; Mat. 4: 19; Luke 5:10)
Matthew was called with the same
invitation, "Follow me" (Mark 2:14;
Matt. 9:9; Luke 5:27

10. By responding to this call the
apostles in effect started school
- their understanding could be
enlarged and their faith
established
- there were many things which
these men did not understand,
but these problems could be
dealt with as they followed
Jesus
- In His presence they could
learn all that they needed to
know

11. Jesus expressed this, ”that they
might be with Him" (Mark 3:14;
Luke 6:13)
- he added that He was going to
send them forth "to preach, and
to have authority to cast out
devils,"
- but often we fail to realize
what came first. Jesus made it
clear that before these men
preached or cast out demons
they were to be with him
Initially being with Jesus was far
more important than any
evangelism/ministry - it was the
preparation for it
Smokey Robinson sang
“Being with you”

12. Jesus expressed this, ”that they
might be with Him" (Mark 3:14;
Luke 6:13)
- he added that He was going to
send them forth "to preach, and
to have authority to cast out
devils,"
- but often we fail to realize
what came first. Jesus made it
clear that before these men
preached or cast out demons
they were to be with him
Initially being with Jesus was far
more important than any
evangelism/ministry - it was the
preparation for it
Smokey Robinson sang
“Being with you”

13. - as the ministry of Christ entered
the 2nd / 3rd years He gave
increasingly more time to the chosen
disciples, not less
Frequently He would take them with
Him in a retreat to an area where He
was relatively unknown seeking to
avoid people/publicity
- Tyre and Sidon (Mark 7, Matt. 15
- Decapolis Mark 7; Matt. 15
- Dalmanutha Mk 8: 10; Matt. 15: 39
- Caesarea Philippi Mk 8 Matt. 16:13
Why did he do this?

14. - the opposition of the Pharisees / the
hostility of Herod
- to be alone with them
Later He spent several months with
His disciples in Perea east of the
Jordan Luke 13:22-19:28; John
10:40-11:54
As opposition mounted, Jesus "walked
no more openly among the Jews, but
departed thence into the country near
to the wilderness, into a city called
Ephraim; and there He tarried with His
disciples" (John 11:54). When the time
came for Him to go to Jerusalem, He
"took the twelve disciples apart" from
the rest as He made His way to the
city (Matt. 20:17; Mark 10: 32).

15. During passion week Jesus hardly let
the disciples out of His sight
In Gethsemane, His disciples were only
a stone's throw away (Luke 2 2:41).
He would soon depart - Coleman
suggests that this explains why the
writers of the Gospels devoted so
much of their content to these days
This is also seen post resurrection
- every one of the ten post-resurrection
appearances of Christ was to His
followers
- not a single unbelieving person saw
the glorified Lord

16. - the disciples who fled following the
crucifixion needed to be revived in faith
and confirmed in mission to the world
“Jesus spent more time with His
disciples than with everybody else in
the world put together. He ate with
them, slept with them, and talked with
them for the most part of His entire
active ministry. They walked together
along the roads; they visited crowded
cities; they sailed and fished together;
they prayed together in the deserts and
in the mountains; they worshiped
together in the Synagogues and in the
Temple.”

17. Ministry to the masses
Even while Jesus was ministering to
others, the disciples were always
there with Him, listening and
learning
- preaching to the multitudes
- talking with the Scribes and Pharisees
- talking to people along the road, the
disciples were close at hand to observe
and to listen
Jesus did not neglect the people - and
taught the disciples through example he could explain things later

18. All this meant virtually that Jesus
had no time to call His own
The disciples were always in need of
attention
Even personal devotional time was
subject to interruption at the
disciples' need - Mark 6:46-48;
Luke 11:1
Jesus accepted this as he wanted to
be with them - They were His
spiritual children - Mark 10:24; John
13:33; 21:5
- A father can properly raise a
family only by being with them

19. Foundation of follow up
During his last days on earth Jesus felt
it necessary to make clear what He had
been doing.
For example, once turning to the
disciples, Jesus said: "And you also
must testify, for you have been with me
from the beginning." John 15:27
Jesus was saying that He had been
training men to be His witnesses after
He had gone, and His method of doing
it was simply by being "with them."
Consider also Luke 22:28-30

20. Jesus also showed concern / follow
up for others that followed Him
- he went home with Zaccheus after
his conversion, Luke 19:7 and spent
time with him
- After the conversion of the woman
at the well in Samaria, Jesus stayed
two extra days in Sychar to instruct
the men of that community who
believed, John 4:39-42
- many believers received some
personal attention, but it could not
be compared to that given to the
twelve - Bartimaeus, the 70 etc.

21. !
- the small group of faithful women
who ministered to Him like Mary and
Martha Luke 10:38-42, Mary
Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, "and
many others" Luke 8:1-3, Jesus did
not refuse their kindness, and often
took the occasion to help them in
their faith
Jesus was well aware of the sex
barrier, and although He welcomed
their assistance, He did not try to
incorporate these ladies into the
close company of disciples: There
are limitations in this kind of followup which one must recognize.

22. Jesus did not have the time to
personally give all people his
constant attention. He did all that He
could, and this doubtless served to
impress upon His disciples the need
for immediate personal care of new
converts, but He had to devote
Himself primarily to the task of
developing some men who in turn
could give this kind of personal
attention to others.

23. On the Isle of Mull in
Scotland, in the to
Jesus did not have the time small
personally give all people his
village of Dervaig,
constant attention. He did all that He
could,there is a stained to
and this doubtless served
impress upon His disciples the need
glass window inof new
the
for immediate personal care
Kilmore had to devote
converts, but HeChurch. It is
Himself primarily to the task of
said to men who in turn
be Mary
developing some
could give this kind of personal
Magdalene and
attention to others.
Jesus. A pregnant
Mary Magdalene.

24. The church as continuing fellowship
The church is the means of following
up all who followed Jesus - giving
personal care to every believer is
part of the nature and mission of the
church
- the believers became the body of
Christ, and ministered to each other
individually and collectively
- they could only do as they had
been trained and inspired
- Jesus trained them to do it by
example of constant personal
association with a few chosen men

25. When will the church learn this lesson?
Building men is not easy
- It requires constant personal attention
The church has failed at this point!
The church shows little concern for this
when it becomes evident that such
work involves the sacrifice of personal
indulgence
- most churches bringing in new
members using class which usually
meets an hour a week for a month or
so - they also attend the worship
services

26. Often a new Christian is left on their own to
find the solutions to many practical
problems of life, any one of which could
mean disaster to his faith.
Coleman says that “about half of those
who make professions and join the church
eventually fall away or lose the glow of a
Christian experience, and fewer still grow
in sufficient knowledge and grace to be of
any real service to the Kingdom”
“If Jesus, the Son of God, found it
necessary to stay almost constantly with
His few disciples for three years…how can
a church expect to do this job on an
assembly line basis a few days out of the
year?”

27. Jesus shows us that the
church must have as its basis
a person to show concern for
those entrusted to their care.
To do otherwise is
essentially to abandon new
believers to the Devil.
- Develop a system where
every convert is given a
Christian friend to follow until
such time as he can lead
another

28. They should stay with the new
believer as much as possible,
study the Bible, pray together,
answer questions, clarify the
truth, and seeking together to
help others
Knowing how this is to be done
is good but leads us to
understand that this method
can accomplish its purpose
only when the followers
practice what they learn

29. There is simply no
substitute for being
with people

30. There is simply no
substitute for being
with people