The Manner in Which Christians Should Evangelize
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
One weakness I have in evangelism is that I have the tendency of relying on the wisdom of men rather than the power of God. Very often, I seek to use (what I believe to be) big words, eloquent speeches, and excessively apologetic arguments to try to win people to Christ. As a naturally sinful wretch, I am gravely guilty of this superficially intellectual fault. By 1 Peter 5:9 and 1 Corinthians 10:13, I know that I am not the only one with this problem. You, the reader, may identify with me in this error. The Bible says that there is a better way to evangelize. Instead of trying to persuade people to salvation through what would appeal to the naturally sinful man, we should preach the word in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2) with a spirit of humility, prayerfully entreating God for Him to work in the hearts of men for salvation (and sanctification). Proverbs 11:2 says “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: But with the lowly is wisdom.” When we try to use eloquent speech and esoteric words, we often inflate our pride. Meanwhile, I believe that witnessing with humility gives us greater wisdom. Ray Comfort said “If someone has been converted to the Christian faith by the wisdom of men, all it would take is the wisdom of unconverted men to talk him out of his faith. However, if he is transformed by the power of God, he is not solely motivated to Christianity by his intellect. The Holy Spirit has convicted him of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The motivation is the Law of God working upon his conscience. That has given him the knowledge that he has offended a holy God. His repentance is therefore directed at God, who responds in mercy. Those who are converted by God cannot be talked out of their faith because they were not talked into it.” So how should we witness? Romans 12:16 gives us precious instructions. “Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.” (Romans 12:16) We should meet people where they are at without compromising on God’s Word. Bring the Law (the Ten Commandments) to their consciences to show them that they, condemned by their own actions (Romans 2:5), are headed to hell. Then, tell them the good news of Jesus Christ’s blood atonement for our sins; by His finished work on the cross, we can go to heaven (Romans 5:1-2; 1 Peter 3:18; Romans 5:8). Do all this in God’s love, addressing the conscience with easy words and understandable logic.
22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
– Jude 1:22-23
Comments