The E-Word

EVANGELISM!

The very word seems to send a shudder down the Christian's spine.

I've run into this very interesting message by Pastor Mark Dever of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, given at the Desiring God Conference. It is about evangelism and the work of the church, and a pastor's role in leadership of evangelism in the church. Here is video.

One particular part of the message that I find fascinating is Pastor Dever's description of "5 Things that Aren't Evangelism." Those are:

1. Imposition
We cannot coerce or force someone to believe in Christ. There is no such thing as "making" someone into a Christian by forcing recitation of beliefs or adherance to ritual. To go about things in this way is not evangelism

2. Testimony
While testimony can be a good vehicle for evangelism, if it does not contain the message of Jesus and His sacrifice on the Cross, it is not evangelism.

3. Social Action/Public Involvement
These things show the love and mercy of God through His people. But the works in of itself is not evangelism.

4. Apologetics
You can try to defend the faith through rational arguments and objective evidence. However, this does not ultimately go to the core of what the Gospel is all about.

5. The Results of Evangelism
Just because we do not have "results" does not mean we have not evangelized.

"Don't let the gospel that you preach be molded by what it is that gets an immediate response. Preach the gospel, trying to persuade--pleading for your hearers to believe--but knowing that you cannot convert a person. And then let God do with it what he will. He alone can call the dead to life. The gospel is powerful, and God is committed to using us to spread this good news. "


Thoughts:
One thing to make clear is that SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE GOOD. They are things that we should do and be conscious of (EXCEPT FOR IMPOSITION). It is good to testify to God's work in our lives, to Christians and non-Christians alike. It is good to be involved in social action, to see God's will done in this earth and to obey His call to "seek justice" and "love mercy." But the point is, where is the Gospel in all of this?

It's a good reminder of two truths in evangelism. First is the necessity of the centrality of the Gospel in Evangelism. Sounds simple right? If evangelism is defined as the "sharing of the Gospel," then the Gospel should be shared. However, do we tend to have VERY GOOD, but peripheral things muddle the Gospel message? Are we so busy trying to be "relateable" that we forget what is the heart? We must constantly take a step back in ministry and self-evaluation and ask ourselves, "Is the Gospel at the heart of everything we do?"

What makes Christian charity different than a secular one? What transforms apologetics from an intellectual, academic debate, into something lifechanging? The Gospel. It is the power of God for salvation.

The second truth is the sovereignty of God in evangelism. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (reprinted below) talks about the ultimate power of God in the act of evangelism. Especially in response to more "results based" evaluation and the basis of success on "number of hands raised" or "prayers prayed" this is an important reminder. Ultimately God is the one who reaps the harvest and causes the fruit to come forth. All we can do is to STAY TRUE to the Gospel. To share, to be consistent in the sharing and to be complete in the preaching of the Gospel. Not to be swayed by the expediency of what would "make someone believe," but to have the faith that the God who called us, will also call those who we have shared with.

Ultimately, bearing fruit is God's work and responsbility. For in Him causing fruit to bear, He is most glorified and honored. It is not by the work or wisdom of men, but the awesome power of our God.


Verses of the Day:

And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5