The Role of the Non-believer in Evangelism

John 4 reveals that three people are involved in evangelism… the non-believer, the believer, and God. Let’s look at the first of these roles – the Non-believer:

The Non-believer – your friends, neighbors, relatives, coworkers – the ones with whom we seek to share the gospel.

The Scriptures describe them this way:
Dead – Ephesians 2:1, 2 – literally a walking corpse
And you he made alive, who were dead in your trespasses and sins , in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.

Blinded – 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4 – veiled
But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

Spiritually foolish – 1 Corinthians 2:14 - unable to discern the spiritual
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Lost - Mark 6:34 – without a shepherd
And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.

Deceived and serving the world – Titus 3:3
For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.

Remember two things: 1) this is how you once were before someone shared the gospel with you; 2) seeing your friends and relatives this way will help you to have compassion on them…not wanting them to stay in this condition.

The Role of the God in Evangelism

John 4 reveals that three people are involved in evangelism… the non-believer, the believer, and God. Let’s look at the second of these roles – God:

God – He is the One who goes before you with you and after you in evangelism.

The Scriptures describe Him this way:

Draws us to Himself – John 6:44
“No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him”

Giver of new life – 1 Corinthians 3:6
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase”

Sender of disciples – Matthew 28:18-19
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations.”

Desires all to be saved – 1 Timothy 2:3-4
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Diligent to convict – John 16:8
“And when he comes He will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.”

Evangelism works because God is intimately involved convicting, pursuing, sending, drawing, and giving. He is the One who has the compassion and is moved to action on behalf of His creation.

Responding to the Comment - “I Don’t Believe the Bible.”

In this episode of the Evangelism Encouragement Podcast, Dr. Larry Moyer responds to the comment - “I Don’t Believe the Bible.” This episode on personal evangelism will encourage believers to remember a few basic concepts that will increase their confidence when sharing the gospel.

Dr. Larry Moyer – Are Evangelical Church Attendees Right or Wrong?

The Associated Press on Monday, June 23, 2008, released a statement that caught the attention of millions, Christians and non-Christians alike. The statement read, “Among the most startling numbers in the survey conducted last year by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life: 57% of evangelical church attendees said they believe many religions can lead to eternal life, in conflict with traditional evangelical teaching.”

Once again, the issue comes back to a very simple question. Is Jesus Christ the One He said He was? If He was, the evangelical church attendees could not be more wrong. If He wasn’t, anything evangelical church attendees say has as much authority and credibility as what He said.

He declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:26). If He was indeed the Son of God and the only one who can extend eternal life, then there is no other way to God except through Him. If He wasn’t the Son of God, what He said about being the only way to God is of no value whatsoever.

How do we know if He was who He said He was? The issue is bigger than the Bible. It’s the resurrection and the empty tomb the third day. That is the issue on which everything Christ said stand or falls. The Bible declares itself ot be the Word of God, without error or mistake (II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:20, 21). But the proof behind the empty tomb is far wider than the Bible. In fact the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most attested fact of history. Thomas Arnold, who was author of a three volume history of Rome and appointed to the Chair of Modern History of Oxford said, “I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by letter and fuller evidence of every sort to the understanding of a fair inquirer than that Christ died and rose again from the dead.”

Therefore, before anyone, anywhere can say, “There are many religions that can lead to eternal life,” they must disprove the empty tomb of Christ. So far, nobody has. In fact, I personally do know of one person who objectively studied the evidence behind the empty tomb that did not become a believer. That means they came to God as sinners, recognized Jesus Christ paid for their sins on a cross and rose again, and trusted Christ alone as their only way to heaven.

Verhoeven Claims Jesus Was Son of Mary and Roman Baptist

We interrupt our normally scheduled programming for a brief announcement: HERE WE GO AGAIN…not just another wild sci-fi fantasy or provocative thriller from Verhoeven (Total Recall, Robocop, Starship Troopers, Basic Instinct) but another wild claim about Jesus which could very well be a sci-fi fantasy or provocative work of fiction…

In terms of the historical method of criticism, very few texts can hold up as well as the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The quality of manuscripts, location identified in relation to the events, and the date of authorship relative to the date of the happenings are more closely linked in the case of the New Testament texts than even accounts of Alexander the Great (considered to be unquestionable history).

So, why do works keep popping up that question the historical authenticity of the gospel accounts? It’s all about worldview—without Christ, there is no accountability to His call. Paul sums it up best in 2 Corinthians 4:3-5.

One thing that I find perplexing, that never seems to be questioned in these stories: Why do supposedly scholarly people talk about “proving” or “disproving” some historical event “scientifically”? History is not a chemical reaction or physical property that can be repeated in a lab. The best way to be critical of history is not by using the scientific method, but rather the historical method. When done properly, the bible is without a doubt one of the most reliable and provable resources of true historical fact that anyone can turn to.

For more reading on the subject, I highly recommend these two resources:

Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell

The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel

Leadership Journal Article – “Is the Gospel Too Small?” II

In case you missed part one of my response to the Leadership Journal article by Tim Keel that suggests that the gospel today is too small - here are some highlights:

• The most important quote, the main idea of Mr. Keel’s article: “In a modern world, we tend to reduce the complexity and diversity of the Scriptures to simple systems…”
• Keel continues, “And the gospel itself gets reduced to a simplified framework of a few easily memorized steps.”
• I want to make my argument as clear and simple as the gospel. Check out Paul’s explanation of the gospel in I Corinthians 15:1-8
• Is our gospel too small? I would say most of the time it is too large. Either someone clouds the issue by using “churchy” language such as, “give your heart to Jesus”
• I would argue that if we are going to be consistent and clear in our presentation of the gospel that we should be prepared with a basic method that we can use to present the gospel.
• Knowing how you are going to present the gospel, you can relax, enjoy the conversation, turn it to spiritual things, and clearly explain the gospel.

Now let’ s continue the interaction with Mr. Keel’s article. He continues his argument for the gospel having a broader scope than the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. “Where might the Holy Spirit be forcing his people to reckon with the scope of God’s work in the world, to once again consider the nature and scope of the gospel?” He continues, “There is no aspect of our lives outside the scope of God’s salvation and purposes. Salvation is not just then and there, it is also here and now.”

I would argue that the gospel is not about what we do; rather, it is simply about what Jesus has done. Ephesians 2:8-9 says it best, “8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.” We must be careful to see salvation as trust in Christ alone and not Christ plus anything else.

In the final section of Mr. Keel’s article he suggests that the gospel is about more than Christ and his role as redeemer. According to Keel, “It is obviously true and good news that Jesus and his life and work function redemptively. But when we reduce Jesus to redeemer only, we miss another essential element of our faith: that Jesus is also creator.” It seems his motivation here is that in a time that so many people are searching and exploring spirituality that the gospel as Jesus as Redeemer only is too narrow to answer the questions that seekers may have. If the Holy Spirit uses one’s search for understanding of creation or the Trinity as a means to open their eyes and ears to the gospel of grace that is great. But let’s not confuse Trinitarianism with Soteriology. I have no problem when Trinitarian explanations become a bit complex, but let’s keep the gospel clear and simple.

Keel is wrestling with cultural relevance and I respect that; however, I believe that Keel is trying to be relevant to the point that he is changing the gospel. The Bible is 66 books, whereas the gospel can be summed up in 10 words: Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead.
He is changing not only the method, but the message as well. I think it is fair to say that Mr. Keel has performed an eisegesis of the gospel. We must be committed to a clear and simple gospel that is based upon sound doctrine and a careful handling of Scripture. That is the motivation behind my response to Mr. Keel.

What are your thoughts on Mr. Keel’s article? Remember to read the entire article and even check out Part I of my response to Tim Keel’s Leadership Journal Article, “An Efficient Gospel?”

Leadership Journal Article – “Is the Gospel Too Small?”

In a recent article in Leadership Journal (a publication of Christianity Today) pastor Tim Keel asks the question, “Is our gospel too small?” Allow me to interact with this article for a moment. Feel free to click here to open the article in a new tab or window. Stay with me…

First of all, let me give you the most important quote, the main idea of Mr. Keel’s article:
“In a modern world, we tend to reduce the complexity and diversity of the Scriptures to simple systems, even when our systems flatten the diversity and integrity of the biblical witness.” In other words, he is saying that modernity is to blame for what he considers to be a narrow definition or even oversimplification of the gospel. Keel continues, “And the gospel itself gets reduced to a simplified framework of a few easily memorized steps.”

In response to Mr. Keel, I want to make my argument as clear and simple as the gospel. Check out Paul’s explanation of the gospel in I Corinthians 15:1-8:

1Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also…”

Paul used four verbs to define the gospel in this passage. Christ died. He was buried. He rose again. He was seen. Based upon this passage we can define the gospel by which we are saved in just 10 words: Christ died for our sins and rose form the dead. That is the gospel - clear and simple.

Is our gospel too small? I would say most of the time it is too large.

Either someone clouds the issue by using “churchy” language such as, “give your heart to Jesus” or “give your life to God”. That is not what the New Testament asks non-Christians to do. Another phrase, “pray to receive Christ”, has some serious theological problems. See Dr. Larry Moyer’s article, “Is the Sinner’s Prayer Essential for Salvation” for more on those issues, including lively comments from 43 pastors and church leaders.

Mr. Keel also discusses his concern with the gospel when it is “reduced to a simplified framework of a few easily memorized steps.” I would argue that if we are going to be consistent and clear in our presentation of the gospel that we should be prepared with a basic method that we can use to present the gospel. Why? Because the method will help make you more confident in talking to others about the Lord. Knowing how you are going to present the gospel, you can relax, enjoy the conversation, turn it to spiritual things, and clearly explain the gospel. Watch the video at Evangelism.net for an easy method of sharing the gospel called the Bad News/Good News method.

In fact, go ahead and check out the video and other content at Evangelism.net and I will continue my thoughts on the article, “An Efficient Gospel?” by Tim Keel tomorrow.

What Does the Resurrection Prove?

Jesus Christ claimed He was the Messiah. But over 60 other people have done the same thing. How do we know He was not a phony or some kind of lunatic deceiving Himself?

First, Jesus was pre-announced. All the others who claim to be Messiah just show up. Over three hundred prophecies in the Old Testament in essence said, “He’s coming and here is what He will look like.” When He came, Christ fit the Messiah that had been foretold. He fulfilled these prophecies on every account.

Secondly, Romans 1:4 of the Bible says concerning Christ, “He was declared to be the Son of God.” And then it says, “By the resurrection from the dead.” No other claimed “Messiah” has an empty tomb.

Some years ago, a British agnostic, referring to the other miracles of the Bible laid out the challenge when he said, “Let’s not discuss the other miracles. Let’s discuss the resurrection. If the resurrection is true, the other miracles are easy to explain. If the resurrection is not true, the other miracles do not matter.”

The resurrection is a pivotal point in Christian history. This is a central element that unites the Christian church. Why is that resurrection so important? Jesus Christ offers the gift of eternal life to those who will simply receive it. No one has the ability to save someone else, unless he has conquered the grave himself. Jesus Christ is the only one who had an empty tomb the third day. This truth no atheist has ever been able to disprove.

As sinners, we deserve to be separated from God forever. Because of Jesus Christ’s love for us, He became our substitute and took the punishment for our sins, died and rose again. He now extends the gift of life eternal to all who will trust Him as their personal Savior. To those who trust Him He says, “Because I live, you will live also. (John 14:19)

Makes sense, doesn’t it? If the resurrection is true, the other miracles are easy to explain. If the resurrection is not true, the other miracles do not matter.

Therefore, if someone questions whether Christ was who He said He was, lovingly challenge them to examine fulfilled prophecy about Christ and investigate the resurrection. I’ve never met anyone who studied the resurrection objectively that did not eventually become a believer. And this week, remember – one way to thank God for the empty tomb is by telling your neighbor about it!