Real Evangelism

Evangelism is a subject which is simultaneously celebrated, promoted, programmed, feared, and unpracticed in our churches. Since reading Mark Dever’s book, The Gospel and Personal Evangelism, I’ve thought about why we in the church have such conflicted feelings and behaviors regarding evangelism.

One reason we have conflicted feelings and behaviors regarding evangelism is that we believe we are responsible for the results. Of course we pay lip service to the fact that God is ultimately the one who saves and converts people. But in our minds we actually think that if we do it right, people will be saved and if we do it wrong, people won’t be saved. In other words, we think a person being saved depends on our skill or technique or abilities of persuasion. With that thought lurking beneath the surface of our thinking, it’s natural that we are absolutely terrified of evangelizing. We are afraid of trying because we see the possibility of success being very unlikely. We think that we can never gain the knowledge, ability, or confidence to practice evangelism. So we leave it to the professionals. But we keep the guilt for not doing it.

Another reason we have conflicted feelings and behaviors regarding evangelism is that we are confused about what evangelism is. We confuse the activities and methods that surround evangelism with evangelism itself. Perhaps we think that inviting someone to church is evangelism. It’s not. Inviting them to church is something that we should do! It may lead to evangelism and salvation. But by itself, it’s not evangelism. It’s a good method we use to expose them to the good news, the gospel. Perhaps we think that helping the poor, the sick, and the less fortunate is evangelism. It’s not. We should do good and help relieve the poor, the sick, and victims of tragedies! These may present opportunities for us to evangelize and even provide us the credibility to evangelize with those we help. But it’s not evangelism. Perhaps we think that telling what Jesus did for us is evangelism. It’s not. It is a testimony of praise to God! It’s a real life example to those we hope to evangelize. But if we give our witness, our testimony, and do not give the Gospel, we have not evangelized.

Evangelism is giving the evangel. The evangel is the Gospel. Any presentation of the Gospel, in order to be complete and adequate, must include the parts that follow. God created us, but we rebelled against His authority. That’s sin. Sin earned us God’s wrath. But God loved us with a perfect love, so much so that He became a man, Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross, shedding His blood as our substitute in payment for our sin. And God has said that if we repent and turn to Christ in faith, He will forgive us and give us eternal life.

Anyone who knows and believes the Gospel can share the good news. Do you believe it? Will you share it with someone this week?

Taking a Prophetic Stance in the Public Arena

As I'm sitting here listening to the American Solutions presentation on the internet, I came across a post by Doug Wilson at Blog & Mablog. He posits that we should not align the voice of the church with a political bloc. He writes, in part:

The hook that Loconte uses in his article is the image of the Shadow taking shape and growing in The Lord of the Rings. He says that in our day the shadow is, Sauron-like, the rise of Islamo-fascism. He rightly observes that all kinds of people, who should know better, appear to be unconcerned about this. We ought not to look at total fire-power available. I am willing to bet there was more explosive power in one American bomb than in all the suicide bombs put together. But Mark Steyn has shrewdly observed that suicide bombing is not a potent tactic . . . unless it deployed against a suicide culture.

But Tolkien was wiser than to buy into false dichotomies. Not only was Sauron gathering his forces, but the Shadow was also growing from within. Saruman was one who once stood against evil, and was corrupted in the process. Our oaths of office are frequently wiser than we are. The Constitution has enemies both foreign and domestic. Why is it that those who see the threat of radical Islam frequently cannot see the threat of a secularist American empire? Why is it that those who see the threat of a swollen American empire cannot see the threat of radical Islam? Is it allowable for us to think that the Patriot Act would have had Patrick Henry running to his gun cabinet . . . without praising Hamas as a humanitarian group similar to Rotary? Is it permissible to think that Ahmadinejad is a terrible man without thinking that presidents get to declare war whenever they feel like it?

Read the rest of The Fox News Jesus or the CNN Jesus?

Wisdom and Discernment

Years after the death of President Calvin Coolidge, this story came to light. In the early days of his presidency, Coolidge awoke one morning in his hotel room to find a cat burglar going through his pockets. Coolidge spoke up, asking the burglar not to take his watch chain because it contained an engraved charm he wanted to keep. Coolidge then engaged the thief in quiet conversation and discovered he was a college student who had no money to pay his hotel bill or buy a ticket back to campus. Coolidge counted $32 out of his wallet, which he had also persuaded the dazed young man to give back, declared it to be a loan, and advised the young man to leave the way he had come so as to avoid the Secret Service! (Yes, the loan was paid back.)

President Coolidge is an example of the spirit and attitude of a Christian. It’s the attitude of being ready to love and understand, not of being ready to be angry and oppose. And although Silent Cal’s personality may have had something to do with his response to the young burglar, I suspect his faith was the major motivation. But it’s also an attitude of making proper distinctions. He properly distinguished between a sinner motivated by desperation and a sinner motivated by malevolence.

Christians today need to be able to make distinctions, to exercise discernment. Pop Christianity fails to make needed and basic distinctions. Therefore, it makes us simplistic rather than wise. Two prime examples of this simplistic failure are in the areas of judging and forgiveness.

Many Christians and non-Christians quote what Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount as if it means we should never say something negative about another person’s belief system or behavior. Nothing could be farther from the truth. (Matthew 7:1 NKJV Judge not, that you be not judged.) Jesus indeed warns us about the type of critical, self-righteous condemning done by religious hypocrites. This kind of judging springs from a proud heart and a sense of being better than others. But we should be able to know when someone is advocating false beliefs or living in a way contrary to God’s Word. As a matter of fact, we should confront them with it. (Galatians 1:8-9 NKJV But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. (9) As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. Ephesians 5:11 NKJV And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them..)

In the same way, many Christians and non-Christians think the Bible requires believers for forgive everyone for everything all the time. Jesus didn’t teach that. He did teach that we should be patient with others, treat them with kindness and grace, and not take vengeance on them. But forgiveness is reserved for those who repent. (Luke 17:3-4 NKJV Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him.") That means the offender must change his mind about what he did and genuinely set forth not to do it again.

The Lord has called His children to be wise, not simple. We need to exercise mature judgment in our relationships and in our stand for truth. Discernment exercised with a kind and humble spirit is a mark of growing in the Lord.

Thoughts on Revival

I’ve never really cared for the term “revival services”, although I love and appreciate the actual meetings. “Revival services” almost assumes that the evangelist will bring spiritual renewal and increased fervor with him…practically guaranteed. Of course the evangelist himself will tell you that he cannot and does not bring revival. Revival is a gift, a state, an event that only the Lord God can give.

And revival is not primarily about unbelievers being converted. It can often result in men and women and young people receiving Christ. But that’s really just a glorious side benefit. Revival is about God’s people drawing near to Him. It’s about removing the obstacles we’ve allowed to get between our Savior and us. It’s about becoming humble and genuine again. It’s about us being broken over our own vile sinfulness. It’s about ripping our focus away from the temporal and the material and gazing once again on eternity. It’s about the I AM filling our vision, thereby crowding out all priorities of lower order. It’s about Christ’s glory radiantly illuminating our hearts.

In other words, revival is about the holiness of God and about His holiness being applied to our lives, making us holy. Revival is about the sanctification of God’s people. The only way to progress in holiness is by exposure to God’s Word. John 17:17 “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” As we are exposed to God through His Word, the impurities of our lives are surfaced, sanded, and expelled. Jeremiah 23:29 "Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD, "And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” Truth is the agent of conforming us to Christ’s image.

It’s hard work. It’s uncomfortable, even painful, at times. But it is necessary work. Brokenness. Authenticity. Humility. These are not the words associated with pragmatic, market driven Churchianity. But they are words associated with revival…real revival. They require generous doses of Truth.

Developing Routine in Your Life

For families with school aged children, this week marks the return to normality…or at least routine. Even though the thermometer says that it’s still summer, for all intents and purposes summer and its relaxed (?) schedule are over. Life will go back to its rhythm and schedule. Which isn’t to say that it won’t be busy or hectic. But vacation and leisure are put on hold for a while and our minds turn back to our work and responsibilities.

Routine has become my friend. In fact, without it, I would be less secure and more stressed. I would accomplish less. I would have less discretionary time. I would have more unfinished projects (than I already have!). Routine is a tool I use to help me order my life and fulfill the plan God has given me. Routine even allows me to see the Lord’s goodness. Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: Since God designs and orders life with appropriate cycles and changes, it is desirable that I will imitate Him in bringing order to the cycles of my life.

Spiritual routines can significantly impact your life. But to have any kind of routine, you must first make a few considered judgments…decisions you’ve made ahead of time. First, decide that the Lord Jesus deserves the first and best part of everything you have: time, talent, treasure, intellect, and emotion. And give it to Him. Second, decide that the long term and the eternal will not be sacrificed on the altar of the immediate and the urgent. Third, decide that the Lord’s Day, Sunday, belongs to the Lord. Fourth, decide that since the Lord Jesus thought the church was important enough to die for, you will love it and make it one of the top priorities of your life. And fifth, decide that your family (your spouse and children if you’re married, your parents and siblings if you’re single) takes priority over every other earthly relationship.

With those considered judgments made, you can settle into helpful spiritual routines.
1. Spend time with the Lord at a certain time every day.
2. Spend time with your family every day.
3. Spend time with your family in God’s Word and prayer every day.
4. Spend Sundays in the Lord’s House.
5. Invest your life in the work of the Word.
6. Invest in being equipped for your ministry by your pastor and other spiritual leaders in your church.
7. Invest the Lord’s tithe and your offerings in the work of your church.
8. Invest your time in attending and serving in the ministries of your church.

Spiritual routine leads to steady progress in the spiritual life. As you expose yourself to the Lord’s Word and His Work on a regular basis, He will change you and grow you. And what could be better than becoming what God meant for you to be?

The Bigness of God

While catching up on my blog reading today, I ran across a post by Bill Bixby. He had an extended quote by Thabiti Anayabwile. Following the link, I read the entire article. What a blessing! What a comfort! What a challenge! For your convenience, here is an extended quote:

Right now, the Cayman Islands are preparing for what could be a category-5 hurricane, Dean. Men are at my house boarding up windows and securing the place.

It's clear to me that when moments like the Minneapolis bridge collapse happen, or category 5 hurricanes come your way, you need to have a rock-ribbed theology featuring the massive and awesome God of the Bible, the God who created the worlds with a word and His Son who rebuked the winds with a word. The same God who rules even over the evil causes of Satan and his minions, and the feeble efforts of men to thwart Him. The Bible's picture of God is that nothing is beyond his control, not even the places where we live (Acts 17:24-26). And "God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us" (Acts 17:27).

Seems to me that Piper's post is an elaborate statement of Acts 17:27.

Boyd asks, "Where are God's warnings?" I'm left wondering what Pastor Boyd is preaching Sunday to Sunday. Are we not to be watchmen signaling the dangers from the pulpits across the world? And has not the Lord written in the creation itself and on the conscience of all men indicators and warnings that He exists and He is to be worshipped? (Rom. 1:18-32, for example). "So that men are without excuse."

I have the task tomorrow morning, the privilege really, of telling people tomorrow morning how they should think about their lives right now. And it won't be much of a stretch, by God's grace, because we'll be meditating on what we've been meditating on for the entire year of my service here.

God is big, very big. God is glorious and awesome, far more powerful than hurricanes. Life is precious, preciously short. It's short because we are sinners and we sin. Against that sin and sinners, the big, glorious, and awesome God pledges eternal wrath. We won't escape that wrath to come unless we turn from sin to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is the exact representation of God's being and the radiance of His glory, who died to atone for the sins of His people, and through whom believers live eternally. Now, repent and believe and be saved. Flee the allurements of this world with its vain philosophy and purchase the Pearl of Great Price, the Prince of Peace, and set your affections on Christ who rules at the Father's right hand.

Tomorrow, I suspect my task will perhaps be easier than it has been to this point. Men who all their lives have been held in bondage to fear of death will be looking squarely at that fear and the reality of death. I can "protect" God's reputation by saying it's not really His fault; men and fallen angels messed up the world. That's true, but only partially true.

God still rules. I can tell the people that the way men messed the world up through sin provoked God to wrath; the disasters of the world are really only one aspect of the outworking of His holy judgment, and not even the infinite outworking. Though God is not in the hurricane, listen for His voice. Listen for His call to repent. And that's the good news to the lost among us tomorrow.

The even better news to the found is God has not purchased your life with the precious blood of His Son in order to waste it! Whether we perish or survive in this hurricane, God will eternally be glorified. Christ has conquered death and the grave, and He will raise us up victorious. Now let goods and kindred go, this moral life also. There is a far superior one awaiting.

Making Sense of Violent Human Tragedy

A few times a year, I'm called on to write a column in our local newspaper. This month happens to be my month. The article below is an adaptation of my theme from Sunday morning's message, Making Sense of Violent Human Tragedy. I've copied it here for you.

Why does God allow violent human tragedy to happen? That’s probably close to the top of the short list of questions we ask each other and ourselves when an attack like 9/11 or the Oklahoma City bombing or a massacre like Columbine High or Virginia Tech takes place. And it’s a perfectly human reaction that we do. But if we never move on from that initial questioning, we betray the basic misunderstanding have about the Lord and about mankind.

Focusing exclusively on the question, “Why did God let it happen?”, shows that we have a basic misunderstanding of God. It’s as if we think it’s God’s job to never let anything bad happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Apparently we think that He exists for our comfort and convenience. In fact, that thinking is exactly backwards. We are not the center and focus of the universe; God is! We exist for His pleasure and His will. Therefore we can’t assign jobs to God at all. And He certainly is not constrained to take on any task that He hasn’t already assigned Himself in Scripture. That doesn’t imply that our Lord is unkind or unconcerned about human tragedy. Not at all! He is deeply moved and compassionate towards the victims and towards those of us left behind to grieve. But the anger and bitterness that questions God’s goodness and love because bad things happen in the world reveals something deeper in the heart of man.

When we dwell on the question, “Why did He let it happen?”, we show we have a basic misunderstanding of mankind: of each of us. In Romans we’re told that there is none righteous and that all have sinned. In Jeremiah we’re told that our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Throughout the Bible, the Lord repeatedly warns us to face squarely in the face the reality that in us dwells nothing good. Indeed, we are all marred, stained, and ruined by sin. The truth is that evil is in the hearts of all men. And but for the restraining grace of God in our individual lives, each of us could walk down the path of violence and murder.

We have an answer from the Lord Jesus in responding to these types of human tragedies. In Luke 13:1-3, Jesus tells of a group of worshippers that the dictator of the area had murdered while they were in church! The people couldn’t comprehend how God could allow it to happen. Jesus responded that these poor victims had done nothing to deserve this kind of death in comparison with others. And then He turned the focus. Instead of looking at God and thinking He’s unkind and instead of looking at the victims and thinking they were to blame, Jesus said that we should look at ourselves. Tragedies should always turn us to repentance. Noted author and pastor John Piper says, “The point of every deadly calamity is this: Repent. Let our hearts be broken that God means so little to us. Grieve that he is a whipping boy to be blamed for pain, but not praised for pleasure. Lament that he makes headlines only when man mocks his power, but no headlines for ten thousand days of wrath withheld. Let us rend our hearts that we love life more than we love Jesus Christ. Let us cast ourselves on the mercy of our Maker. He offers it through the death and resurrection of his Son.”

When we ask, “Why did God let this bad thing happen?”, we should rather ask, “Why does God allow so much good happen to so many people so often?”. That is the question, and the attitude, for dealing with violent human tragedy.

Jesus Is The Truth

This morning's sermon, "Jesus Is The Truth", is available online at The Parson's Pulpit.

Deep Personal Love

Put yourself in the sandals of Jesus’ closest followers during those turbulent days of Passover week almost 2000 years ago. Every certainty of your life as you had known it was shattered. The Person you had come to regard as more than merely your teacher, but as your friend and master, had been viciously seized and put to death for the sake of hatred and political expedience. Additionally, you fear that you might be next on the leaders’ hit list. Your personal plans, your religious standing, and your future existence were all in a state of flux. In short, you were dazed, confused, and grieving.

As we look at the scene in John 20, the major players are all acting in a grief-shrouded state of mind. They had forgotten most of Jesus’ teachings. Their memories of the promises and prophecies of Scripture were dim. But even in this emotionally battered condition, Mary, Peter, John, and the other disciples still had two anchors for their storm-tossed hearts. They had deep personal affection for Jesus. And they had deep personal affection for one another. When their knowledge failed them, they still had love. When their hope was nearly abandoned, they still had love. When they were utterly confused and almost bereft of faith, they still had love. Love is what sustained them. Love is what drove them.

Love drove Mary and the other women to the tomb that early Sunday morning to finish the job of tending to Jesus’ body. Love motivated her horror at the empty tomb, thinking that someone had stolen Him away, and love gave speed to her feet as she hurried to tell Peter and John. Love drove the two men to the empty tomb, forgetting the potential danger of being seen openly on the streets of Jerusalem. And love caused them to believe that He was risen. Love made them hope against hope that it was true.

And before the day was out, they each had their love and hope confirmed. The risen Lord Jesus came to them. And their faith was confirmed.

For you and me today, the lessons of that Resurrection morning are many. But what we need to learn from Mary, Peter, and John is that personal love for Christ and for Christ’s people matters most. Knowledge is vital. There is no excuse for Christians being ignorant of God’s Word and His ways. Hope is important. It buoys us along the rough seas of life. But personal love for the Master is the grand distinguishing mark of a real disciple. It anchors your soul when nothing else makes sense.

How’s your love for Jesus?

The Meaning of Easter

The Bible says, in Matthew 28:5-6, “But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”” These two simple sentences declare the meaning of Easter in a way that no other words can. With clarity and precision, God speaks to man with a certainty that transforms mere religion into an eternity-altering reality.
First, the angel says that Jesus was crucified. He was dead, buried, his body in a tomb. He shed His perfect, sinless blood in payment of your sins. The debt that you owe to God because of your direct breaking of His laws and of your passive failure to fulfill His desires now has a pay-off. Jesus made that possible on the cross. No amount of good works you do in the future could do that. No amount of heart felt sincerity could do that. Only Jesus could do that.
Second, the angel says that Jesus is risen. He is risen! With the same power that spoke the universe into existence, Jesus took up His life again and broke the chains of death, Hell, and the grave. His resurrection is the living proof of the Father’s acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice. It is the proof that He can give you His life…eternal life…life that begins now and lasts forever. It is proof that He loves you and that nothing will stop Him from rescuing you.
The Resurrection is the meaning of Easter. It not merely the promise of life renewed in nature or even the seasons of life. It is the promise of Life, the spiritual life that your dead soul desperately needs. And it is provided powerfully in God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

New Sermons Posted

I've posted three new sermons at The Parson's Pulpit .

Enjoy.

The Role of the Pastor

A couple of years ago, I wrote an article about the role of pastors in the local churches. The audience I had in mind while writing it was other pastors. It seems to me that with the resurgence of militant Calvinism and the concurrent emphasis on multiple elders in each congregation that the role of the pastor-teacher, the undershepherd, God's man has been devalued. In Scripture and in experience, I see little evidence for demanding that each congregation have multiple elders, much less that each elder is equal in authority with each of the other elders. With that in mind, I quote my own article.

The pastor is described in the Scripture as a shepherd, elder, overseer, and
steward. These descriptions provide us with the parameters of his character,
responsibility, and authority.

Three criteria should govern the character of the man of God. First, he is an elder. That is, he should be seasoned in the service of the Lord, not new or immature in the ministry. He is to possess the proper seriousness of mind and demeanor that lends itself to the awesome task with which he is charged. It is a call to mature balance. Second, he is called to be blameless. That is, he is to be of sufficient character quality that no major character flaw can be laid to his account. He cannot be sinless for he is
a man still in the flesh and subject to the same temptations and shortcomings as
other believers. However, blamelessness indicates that the pastor is obedient,
humble, and yielded to God to the extent that he is an exemplary role model to
the believers under his charge. Third, he is a leader. That is, he is willing
and ready to step to the front and call others to follow him. He is to be
confident in his gifts and calling, but more confident in the One who called and
enables him.

The Lord lays heavy responsibility upon the shoulders of those
he calls to pastor his flocks. The pastor is described as a shepherd. That
indicates that he has the responsibility to feed, guide, and protect the flock.
He has a primary duty to feed the Word of God to the congregation. He must be
careful to declare the whole counsel of God, both the milk and the meat of the
Scriptures. He is also responsible to guide the church as a whole and believers
as individuals, so that they are equipped for life and ministry. Additionally,
he is charged with protecting the congregation from attacks, both from without
and within. This requires that he be vigilant and alert, and that he be courageous in dealing with wolves. The pastor is also described as an overseer. That indicates that he has the responsibility to provide direction for the entire enterprise of the church and to have charge for the spiritual welfare and development of its members. The pastor is also described as a steward, that is, the manager of the Master’s household.

The Bible sheds much light on the authority that goes along with the responsibilities of fulfilling the office of pastor. He is said to have "the rule", which is governing authority that congregants are admonished to "obey". The requisite authority to carry out his responsibilities is also implied in the titles "overseer" and "steward". The nature of his authority is hierarchal, moral, and spiritual. It is hierarchal in
that he is the chief officer in the chain of command of the local church, under
Christ. It is moral in that he is not to "lord over" those under his authority
by the barking of commands and presenting of demands. Rather, he is to lead and
to compel them by his example and love for them. It is spiritual in that his
exercise of authority should be with an eye to enhancing the church’s and the
individual’s relationship with God.

The role of the pastor requires a man of character who can shoulder responsibility and who can graciously exercise authority. He is the first among equals in the local body. His role demands that he have the skill to work with other leaders and officers and that he have the strength to provide them leadership. He is to be neither a despot nor a doormat. He is to be the willing patriarch of the household over which God places him as leader. In so leading, he will please his Master.

Living in the Present With the Future in Mind

Hear my recent sermon, Living in the Present With the Future in Mind, by clicking on the link.

Yes. This is a new toy for me and I'm giving it a try! ;)