Principles for Effective Door Knocking – Acts 5:42

NBC CAMP 2020 – Principles for Effective Doorknocking

In Acts, we see the outworking of Christ’s command to evangelise the world.

There are two prongs to the Gospel witness of the early church.

1. Private Preaching – one on one
2. Public Preaching – to the multitudes

Scriptural Basis for Doorknocking

We are commanded to proclaim the Gospel to every individual.

1. Mark 16:15 – “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
2. Colossians 1:28 – “Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”

The Early Church practiced house to house Gospel preaching

1. Acts 5:42 – “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”
2. Acts 20:20-21 – “And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The New Testament presents many examples of one on one witness.

1. The example of Christ.
   1. The woman of Samaria (John 4:1-30)
   2. The man born blind (John 9:1-38)
2. The example of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-40)
3. The example of Peter and Cornelius (Acts 10:24-48)
4. The example of Paul and the Philippian Jailor (Acts 16:30-34)

Common Objections to Doorknocking

1. Objection: The JW’s and the Mormons do it and have given it a bad name; therefore, let’s not do it. Answer: Why surrender to the enemy and leave the harvest field for the sowing of tares? Tell people up front that you are not a JW/Mormon and they will often relax somewhat. Answer: The reason the cults do it is because it works! Sales people do it for the same reason.
2. Objection: It’s unpopular/people don’t like it Answer: People’s main objection is to the message we bring. The pure Gospel has never been popular with the majority!
3. Objection: It’s an outdated form of Evangelism. We need something new! I.e. lifestyle evangelism, social events. Answer: God’s methods don’t change! The old paths still work.

Preparation for Doorknocking

1. Pray Up!
   1. Pray for the opening of blinded eyes2 Cor 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
   2. Pray that God will open heartsActs 16:14 “And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.”
   3. Pray for open doors to present the GospelCol 4:3 “Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:”
   4. Pray for wisdomCol 4:4 “That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.”
2. Study Up!
   1. Study answers to common objections.1 Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”
   2. Memorize key verses of Scripture.

Materials for Doorknocking

1. Take a selection of Gospel tracts and Scripture portions.
2. Take a small Bible or New Testament rather than a large Bible.

Practical Suggestions for Doorknocking

1. Knocking on the Door
   1. Knock on something solid. Avoid banging on glass or screen doors. The door itself is best or the door frame.
   2. Knock crisply 3-5 times.
      1. Avoid excessively loud thumps that sound threatening.
      2. Avoid soft, uneasy knocks that are hard to hear and make the hearer feel uneasy.
      3. Think of how it would sound to you if you were on the other side of the door.
2. Opening Greeting
   1. Be upfront with people about who you are. Don’t be vague. E.g. How are ya? The weather is nice today isn’t it? What a lovely garden you have?
   2. Example: “Hello, my name is Simeon Western and this is my friend Seth Roffel and we’re from Northside Baptist Church. We are in the neighbourhood today to invite people to our church and to tell people how they can know they can have eternal life.”
3. Starting a Conversation
   1. Questions are a great way to get a conversation going.
   2. Examples: Do you have an interest in spiritual things? Do you believe there is a God? Have you thought about where you will spend eternity? Do you consider yourself good enough for heaven?
4. Structuring the Conversation
   1. Give the Gospel; it is God’s power unto salvation (Rom 1:16; I. Cor 15:1-4).
   2. Use the law to awaken the conscience (Gal 3:24; Rom 3:19; I. Timothy 1:8-11).
   3. Get them lost before trying to get them saved. Observe the structure of the Book of Romans. The Apostle Paul spends the majority of the first 3 chapters bringing man to his knees before God before really opening up justification by faith in chapters 4 and 5.
   4. Share your testimony.
   5. Use a tract or presentation as a guide
5. Dealing with Rejection
   1. Remember their main issue is with Christ not you personally. If you were offering a free beer voucher they would likely respond in a totally different manner!
   2. If you get a cold response (e.g. Not Interested…DOOR SLAMS…BANG!), don’t respond in the flesh. Graciously leave and pray for them. Recognize the eternal consequences of their rejection of Christ and their future in hell and that will help you to feel compassionate towards them rather than angry and revengeful.
   3. We are not there to talk to the goats but to find the precious sheep!

Conclusion: The story of J. Frank Norris

In the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s, there were multitudes of aggressive fundamental Baptist churches that saw millions of souls saved by the grace of God. J. Frank Norris, for example, pastored two large churches at the same time from 1934 to 1947 – First Baptist Church of Fort Worth, Texas, and Temple Baptist Church of Detroit Michigan. Through the efforts of Norris and his co-worker, Dr. Louis Entzminger, the Sunday Schools of these two congregations became the largest in the world at that time (15,000 and 10,000 respectively). They discarded denominational quarterlies and used the Bible alone as the text book. Norris developed an aggressive house-to-house visitation program. In his memoirs, Entizminger would write,

“From a human standpoint the secret of the growth of these churches may be summed up in one word ‘Visitation’” (The J. Frank Norris I Have Known for 34 Years, p. 255)

The men went out on Monday evenings, coming directly to the church from work at 6 p.m., where they were served a warm supper prepared by the church ladies. At 6:30 they were given cards and went out to visit homes two by two. At 9 p.m. they would meet back at the church to give reports. The women went out on Thursday mornings, gathering at the church at 9:30, visiting in homes until 12:30, then meeting back at the church for lunch and fellowship, followed by reports on the visitation and a short message by Norris. Those two churches, in turn, produced dozens of other churches. By the year of Norris’s death in 1952, First Baptist of Forth Worth had established more than 20 thriving churches in and around that one city alone. The same was true of Temple Baptist Church of Detroit. (Repentance and Soul winning, D Cloud, pp. 26-27)

Sermon Audio Id: 101120852536485