This week we're providing a five-part overview of Mark Dever's helpful book, The Gospel & Personal Evangelism. In part one of this series, we considered reasons why we don't evangelize, followed by 12 steps to remedy the problem. In part two, we clarified what the gospel is, and what it is not. In this post we'll look at how we should evangelize.
Simply stated, we evangelize by declaring God's Word with others (Rom. 10:17), spreading the message of salvation wherever and whenever we can.
But how exactly should we do that?
The key, says Dever, is balance. As Jesus' witnesses, we want to maintain a balance of honesty, urgency and joy in evangelism. Too often we're characterized by just one or two of these qualities but not all three. Yet each of these are essential if we are to appropriately represent Christ and the gospel.
Honesty: We need to shoot straight with people when sharing the gospel. We can't pull any punches just to get converts. To be faithful evangelists, we must talk about sin, guilt, and divine judgment. We must make people aware of their lost and sinful condition, telling them that they need to repent, i.e. turn from the sins that they love to the God that they're called to love.
Urgency: Without in any way attempting to manipulate people into an immediate decision, we must emphasize the urgency of the situation. They have no guarantee of tomorrow, let alone the rest of today. They shouldn't wait until a "better deal" comes along. There is no better deal. There is no other way. Jesus is the only way of salvation (John 14:6). If Christ is the only way, then what are they waiting for? Thus Scripture says, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts" (Ps. 95:7-8; Heb. 4:7). Mark Dever writes, "It's not manipulative or insensitive to bring up the urgent nature of salvation. It's simply the truth. The time of opportunity will end." (p. 58)
Joy: If the above two qualities are employed in our witness, then we are going to come across as "grim evangelists" (p. 59). We must remember that not only is the gospel true news and urgent news, but it is also good news. After all, we're telling people that they can be fully forgiven of all their sins and fully restored in their relationship with God -- forever! Though it will cost them much to follow Christ, the sacrifice is worth it! As the missionary martyr Jim Elliot famously said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
Balancing these three qualities -- honesty, urgency, and joy -- is biblical. When our presentation of the gospel gets off-kilter, God's Word provides the necessary corrective. Dever explains:
Honesty and urgency with no joy gives us a grim determination (read Philippians). Honesty and joy with no urgency gives us a carelessness about time (read 2 Peter). And urgency and joy with no honesty leads us into distorted claims about immediate benefits of the gospel (read 1 Peter).
Thus Dever proceeds to list specific suggestions to help us keep a biblical balance when presenting the gospel:
- Pray. "Salvation belongs to the Lord" (Psalm 3:8; Jonah 2:9). God is at work in evangelism; it is never you and I alone. We pray about much less significant matters every day. So why not pray for God to bless your witnessing efforts and bring people to Christ?
- Use the Bible. After all, it's not just for the preacher or for your personal devotional time with God. Employ God's Word in evangelism! "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17). A good example of this is the gospel conversation between Philip and the Ethiopian official in Acts 8. He had been reading Isaiah 53, a famous prophecy about the Messiah. Luke tells us in Acts 8:35 that Philip "began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus." Using the Bible shows people that what you're sharing is not your own opinion, but the very truth of God.
- Be clear. When we're speaking to our non-Christian friends about the gospel, we need to make sure that they understand what we mean. It's okay to use terms like salvation and sanctification, so long as we explain them accurately.
- Provoke self-reflection. Don't just tell people something; talk with them. Have a conversation. Ask questions that get them thinking -- questions about the origin of life or about why bad things happen in this world. We can ask them about their own burdens or struggles in life. We can even ask them about death, the after-life, and what they think about God, heaven, Jesus, or their definition of a Christian. Ask good questions and listen carefully to their answers. Have a conversation. That's what we do with people we love, and aren't we commanded to love our neighbor (Matt. 12:37-40)?
- Use the church. That is, invite non-Christians to church, where you know they'll hear the gospel and see Christian love in action. We put the gospel on display. As Dever puts it, "we are God's picture, God's billboard, in our city." That's why we're told, "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God, without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life" (Phil. 2:14-16). If you want to "be a star," then let your gospel light shine in your relationships with your local fellowship of believers!
Remember: "The people around us are lost in darkness; we have the wonderful and attractive call to live out a new life in our congregations -- a good life that reflects the good news. Think about the role of your church in your evangelism. ... That may be to them as a shining star in the dark night of their lives. That may provoke them to do some honest soul searching."
What other suggestions do you have for witnessing, in addition to the ones listed here? Feel free to share a comment.
Now that we've talked a bit about evangelism, tomorrow we'll look at what isn't evangelism. Stay tuned!