Love So Amazing

One of the songs we sang in Sunday School went, “Jesus loves me, this I know/’cause the Bible tells me so.”  Simple as it is, nothing’s more truthful.  And His love isn’t temporary or fickle.  Through the prophet, the Lord told His chosen, “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3).  The word everlasting indicates God’s love for us had no beginning, is always present, and has no end.

That’s absolutely amazing.  Especially to a habitual sinner like myself who often doubts he’s numbered among God’s elect. Why? Because I’m so aware of how unrighteously I act.  Ian Hamilton wrote, “There are times when remaining sin seems to rule over us, although its rule has been decisively broken via our union with Christ in His death and resurrection.”  I tend to overlook, concerning believers, that Jesus declared: “No one will snatch them from my hand” (John 10:28).

God’s everlasting love is the foundation of the gospel we’ve been commissioned to spread across the globe.  The Scriptures exclaim, “See what sort of love the Father has given to us: that we should be called God’s children – and indeed we are!” (1 John 3:1).  God’s love is our immovable anchor.  I’m not implying it’ll prevent storms from violently rocking our boat.  It won’t. Rather, His love’s the anchor that keeps those storms from causing us to drift away from Him.  As Paul taught, there’s no force disruptive enough to “separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39).

I’m comforted knowing I’m not alone in sometimes judging myself unworthy of God’s love.  Henri Nouwen testified, “I knew I was broken.  I knew I was a sinner.  I knew I continually disappointed God, but I could never accept that part of me.  It was a part of me that embarrassed me.  I continually felt the need to apologize, to run from my weaknesses, to deny who I was and concentrate on what I should be.”

But Henri then concluded, “I came to see it was in my brokenness, in my powerlessness, in my weakness that Jesus was made strong.  It was in the acceptance of my lack of faith that God could give me faith.  It was in the embracing of my brokenness I could identify with others’ brokenness.  It was my role to identify with others’ pain, not relieve it.  Ministry was sharing, not dominating; understanding, not theologizing; caring, not fixing.”

Honestly, I find God’s everlasting love for sinners like me downright scandalous.  Yet that’s what it’s always been.  One can’t read through Kings and Chronicles and not become dismayed over Israel’s steady decline that reached rock bottom during the reign of Manasseh, an immoral monster of a tyrant who even let babies be cruelly sacrificed to idols.  He was, by any measure, the worst of Judah’s horrible kings.  God justly had him arrested by the occupying Assyrian army and hauled away.  “They seized Manasseh, put hooks in his nose, bound him with bronze chains, and carried him away to Babylon” (2 Chronicles 33:11).

If anyone was undeserving of God’s love it’d be Manasseh, right?  But God is incredibly gracious.  “In his pain Manasseh asked the LORD his God for mercy and truly humbled himself before the God of his ancestors.  When he prayed to the LORD, the LORD responded to him and answered favorably his cry for mercy.  The LORD brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom.  Then Manasseh realized that the LORD is the true God” (vv.12-13).

Nobody would accuse God of unfairness if He’d let Manasseh rot in prison.  I dare say that’s what most of us would’ve sentenced him to suffer.  Yet God’s forgiveness knows no bounds.  His love confounds us and assures us at the same time.  It also raises the question, “Who are we to withhold love from those we deem beneath us?”  Jesus commands us to love everyone.  No exceptions.  Hamilton opined, “It’s one thing to have a theology of grace and another to live grace.”

We mustn’t abuse God’s grace.  Too many Christians, myself included, are prone to let it serve as a legitimate excuse for letting our flesh have its iniquitous way.  Paul, aware of this heretical reasoning, wrote, “What shall we say then?  Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase?  Absolutely not!  How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2).

As Voddie Baucham likes to say, our response to those verses should be either an “amen” or an “ouch!”  I must confess to uttering the latter.  If I think I’m less sinful than, say, king Manasseh, I’m badly mistaken.  By the same token, if I consider myself less deserving of God’s amazing love than my pastor I’m wrong on that count, too.  Jesus loves me.  This I know.

Brennan Manning wrote, “At every moment of our existence God offers us this good news.  Sadly, many of us continue to cultivate such an artificial identity that the liberating truth of our belovedness fails to break through.  We huff and puff to impress God, scramble for Brownie points, thrash about trying to fix ourselves, and live the gospel in such a joyless fashion that it has little appeal to nominal Christians and unbelievers searching for truth.”

Frederick Buechner commented, “Repent and believe in the gospel, Jesus says.  Turn around and believe that the good news that we’re loved is better than we ever dared hope, and that to believe in that good news, to live out of it and towards it, to be in love with that good news, is of all glad things in this world the gladdest thing of all!”

Buechner mentioned repentance.  Never forget that repentance, like faith, is a gift from God.  Spurgeon preached, “He who’s gone into His glory, raised into all the splendor and majesty of God, has abundant ways of working repentance in those to whom He grants forgiveness.  He’s even now waiting to give repentance to you.  Ask Him for it at once.”

What’s “Works” Got To Do With It?

Pardon the play on words.  It’s not my intention to diminish the importance of this entry’s subject – sola fide.  The doctrine of “faith alone” is the bedrock affirmation of reformed theology.  How fundamental is it?  Martin Luther called it “the article with and by which the church stands, without which it falls.”

Many have been told they must earn their way into heaven by piling up “good deeds.”  But the Bible nixes that notion completely.  The prophet, speaking to God, wrote, “We’re all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight” (Isaiah 64:6).  Therefore, thinking anything we do can be considered “righteous” is folly.  Yet some believe otherwise.

The controversy began with the fourth-century theologian Pelagius who insisted men and women can become justified without the assistance of divine grace.  While he was rightly declared a heretic, his views continue to influence Christian thought to this day, though it’s been watered down into what’s referred to as “Semi-Pelagianism.”

For instance, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that grace, faith and Jesus are all necessary but, nevertheless, insufficient for a sinner to become justified; i.e., they’re not enough.  Therefore, one must merit saving grace via observing the sacraments.  But that’s not what the Scriptures say.  They confirm faith alone, the “gift from God,” is enough to link us forever to Christ, the One who qualifies us to receive the eternal benefits of His atonement.

Face it, spiritually we’re inept.  R.C. Sproul wrote, “If I must wait until I cooperate with the righteousness of Christ infused within me, to the degree I become inherently righteous, I despair of ever attaining salvation.  This isn’t gospel or ‘good news’; it’s bad news.”

Semi-Pelagians claim that James voided the “faith only” argument with one verse when he brought up Abraham and wrote, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24).  This seems to contradict Paul, who wrote, “Where, then, is boasting?  It’s excluded!  By what principle?  Of works?  No, but by the principle of faith!  For we consider a person declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law” (Romans 3:27-28).

What’s a Christian to think?  Is the doctrine of sola fide valid or not?  A deeper investigation reveals there’s no contradiction.  The reason being while both James and Paul were pointing back to Abraham and both employed the same Greek word for “justify” they weren’t using the term to convey the same concept.

Paul, in expounding upon the doctrine of justification, refers to Genesis 15 wherein Abraham is counted righteous by God the moment he believes.  Paul preaches Abraham was justified before he performed any works of obedience.  Thus, God’s gift of faith alone saved him.  James highlighted the passage in Genesis 22 that tells of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac on the altar.  Yet Abraham had already been justified by faith long before that episode occurred.  And justification’s something God never takes back.

Viewed in logical context, James was addressing a question he’d posed earlier: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but doesn’t have works?  Can this kind of faith save them?” (2:14).  What he was trying to convey was that merely saying one has faith and truly having faith aren’t identical because authentic faith always manifests itself in the believer’s actions.  If “good deeds” don’t follow one’s conversion their faith is, indeed, insufficient.

In other words, Abraham didn’t have to prove to God his faith was genuine.  God knew Abraham’s heart because He’s omniscient.  He knows everything.  Abraham was being obedient, trusting that God knew what He was doing even if he didn’t.  Abraham wasn’t relying on his own understanding but trusting in the LORD with all his heart (see Proverbs 3:5).

Addressing James 2:24, John Calvin opined: “It appears certain he’s speaking of the manifestation, not of the imputation of righteousness, as if he’d said, ‘Those who are justified by true faith prove their justification by obedience and good works, not by a bare and imaginary semblance of faith.’  As Paul contends that men are justified without the aid of works, so James won’t allow any to be regarded as justified who are destitute of good works.”

Note that Calvin mentioned imputation in his statement.  That word’s meaning is key to understanding how we, the wretched sinners we are, can possibly be accepted as worthy of adoption by our Heavenly Father.  Sproul wrote, “God doesn’t declare the sinner just because the sinner, considered in himself, is just.  God deems him just because of what’s added to his account, the merit of the righteousness of Christ.  Although justification is by faith, if considered from another angle it may be proper to say justification is by works.”

Say what?  Sproul explained: “Ultimately, justification is by works in the sense we’re justified by the works of Christ.  …We’re justified by faith in the works performed on our behalf by Christ.”

The saving of the thief’s soul on the cross next to Jesus is very revealing.  All that sinner had was the faith in Christ that God gifted to him during the final minutes of his earthly life.  He couldn’t do any works.  He couldn’t get baptized.  He could hardly breathe.  Yet our merciful Lord promised him, “I tell you the truth, today you’ll be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Some claim that, due to that episode happening prior to Jesus’ Resurrection, it has no bearing on how one becomes justified now days.  But I can’t find where that significant caveat gets articulated in God’s Holy Word.  The reassurance all Christians can glean from the story of the thief’s merciful salvation is this:  If a person is one of God’s elect there’ll come a time, however late it may happen, when their heart is regenerated by the Holy Spirit and they fully accept Jesus as the way, the truth and the life.  And they’re saved. On God’s timetable it’s never too late.

The Ideal Human Being

When I watch television I end up browsing YouTube channels because I can usually find something interesting/educational to view.  Recently I became aware of Jordan Peterson, a Canadian psychology professor who’s gotten very popular.  He seems to be what I’d call a “Christian agnostic.”  In my book that’s an oxymoron but he’s free to believe what he wants.

But I was taken aback (as were many of his secular fans) by what he conceded earlier this year.  He said, “I’ve seen sometimes the objective world and the narrative world touch. That’s Jungian synchronicity. And I’ve seen that many times in my own life and so, in some sense, I believe it’s undeniable.  Though the narrative world and the objective world are not the same, they intersect and the ultimate example of that in principle is supposed to be Christ. And that seems to be oddly plausible.”

In another interview I heard him more or less concede Jesus is the ultimate role model, the ideal human being.  In essence that puts Dr. Peterson in agreement with the early 20th century Bible scholar A.W. Pink who wrote, “The Lord Jesus is not only a perfect and glorious pattern of all graces, holiness, virtue and obedience, to be preferred above all others, but also he alone is such.”

In studying Old Testament characters it can get confusing when it comes to knowing precisely what we’re to do and what we’re to avoid doing because every one of them were flawed individuals.  But our gracious God has provided, in Christ, a flawless example of how to live righteously.  While none of us can become sinless this side of heaven, what we can do is strive to be more like Jesus every day.

Sadly, we live in a culture where a person’s skin color or nationality often takes precedence over every other trait.  It’s also something we have no say in because God, not us, made that determination before He created the universe.  But Jesus’ teachings supersede all racial, ethnic, hereditary and environmental biases.  All men and women can relate to how He conducted His earthly life because He’s not only the “Son of God” but also the “Son of Man.”

Thus a Brazilian can adapt Christ’s mindset as well as a Norwegian.  And Jesus’ way of dealing with people is as exemplary for a teenager to imitate as it is for an elderly man or woman.  Not only that, but all of us living in the 21^st century can discover, by emulating Jesus, how to live a purposeful, fulfilling life exactly the same way Christians in the 1^st century could.  This is but one of the many reasons God incarnate came to terra firma – to show us how to live a godly life.

Because of Christ believers don’t have to remain clueless regarding how to trust completely in God’s sovereign will and obey His commandments.  Jesus showed us the way.  Angels have never been up to the task because they exist in a spiritual dimension that precludes cultivating patience, suffering pain, maintaining a humble countenance in the face of adversity, etc.

The Scriptures are full of references presenting Jesus as our ideal.  The most obvious is the one I’ve been writing extensively about lately.  Christ said, “Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I’m gentle and lowly in heart, and you’ll find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).  He’s the self-identified “Good Shepherd” who “…calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  …He goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.  They’ll never follow a stranger…” (John 10:3-5).

He didn’t just “talk the talk,” He “walked the walk,” preaching, “For I’ve given you an example – you should do just as I’ve done for you” (John 13:15).  Paul instructed believers, “Now may the God of endurance and comfort give you unity with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus…” (Romans 15:5) and, in Philippians 2:5, “You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had.”

Wait, there’s more!  Christians are encouraged to “…run with endurance the race set our for us, keeping our eyes focused on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).  Plus we’re taught “The one who says he resides in God ought himself to walk just as Jesus walked” (1 John 2:6).  It’s hard to miss the Holy Spirit’s point when it’s been emphasized repeatedly.

Pink commented, “Example is better than precept.  Why?  Because a precept’s more or less an abstraction, whereas an example sets before us a concrete representation.”  In other words, it’s much more doable to mimic an authentic flesh-and-blood prototype than a mere hypothetical one.

The better acquainted we become with Jesus – the ideal human being – the more influence He’ll have on our behavior.  We all tend to identify with the company we keep. Therefore the Bible warns us, “Don’t make friends with an angry person, and don’t associate with a wrathful person, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare” (Proverbs 22:24-25).  Want to make a difference? Let the perfect Jesus be your role model.

J.I. Packer opined, “The moral qualities which belonged to the divine image were lost at the Fall; God’s image in man has been universally defaced, for all humankind has in one way or another lapsed into ungodliness.  But the Bible tells us that now, in fulfillment of His plan of redemption, God’s at work in Christian believers to repair His ruined image by communicating these qualities to them afresh.  This is what Scripture means when it says Christians are being renewed in the image of Christ and of God.”

Dr. Peterson and hopefully many others are starting to realize emulating Jesus is the only hope this confused, hate-infested world has.  If everyone was as loving, compassionate, forgiving and composed as Christ was while He was here with us, this planet would be a much more peaceful place in every respect. Guaranteed.

Pray for Rain

The diligent farmer sows his best seeds in the fields he’s plowed. He’s done all he can do. Now he prays to God to send rain that’ll cause those seeds to sprout and mature. As seed-sowers of the gospel message, Christians must do the same. Sowing and then praying for God to act is essential to reaping a bountiful harvest.

 

I figure all Christians consider prayer a vital part of their faith. I do. I also reckon most acknowledge it’s the weakest part of their Christian walk. I do. Why’s that? It’s because we rarely feel God’s presence when we’re talking to Him. As Jesus told the woman at the well, “God is spirit…” (John 4:24). We aren’t. Yet. Therefore, since prayer is crucial to our evangelistic efforts, it’s something we all should work on.

 

J.I. Packer wrote, “Prayer’s a confessing of impotence and need, an acknowledgement of helplessness and dependence, an invoking of the mighty power of God to do for us what we can’t do for ourselves.” Therefore, prayer’s an irreplaceable facet of evangelism. Packer added, “Only because God’s able to give men new hearts can we hope that, through our preaching of the gospel, sinners will be born again.”

 

I’m not going to try to instruct you on how to get better at praying. I’m not that wise. But I’ll enthusiastically recommend Dr. Larry Crabb’s superb book, “The PAPA Prayer” to anyone interested in the subject. It helped me substantially improve my overall approach to getting on my knees and conversing with my Heavenly Father.

 

Bottom line: God wants us to ask Him for everything, evangelistic endeavors in particular. The Scriptures state, “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2). In His Sermon on the Mount Christ said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

 

In other words, we can preach and witness till we’re blue in the face but unless we petition God to bless our efforts by supernaturally opening the eyes and ears of our listeners, we’re leaving out the most important component of evangelism. Only God can make “the quickening” happen. Otherwise, we’d be tempted to boast about our “ability to save souls.” It’s all for Jesus’ glory. It’s never about our own.

 

Like the diligent farmer, we must pray for God’s holy rain to soak the hearts and minds of the unbelievers we speak to with His amazing, transforming grace. At the same time, we must not only pray for our voice of truth to be bold and penetrating, but that all who preach the gospel to be led by and filled with the Holy Spirit who can accomplish all things.

 

Paul wrote to his fellow believers, “Pray for us, brothers and sisters, that the Lord’s message may spread quickly and be honored as in fact it was among you” (2 Thessalonians 3:1). He understood, perhaps better than any other apostle, nobody gets saved unless God, in His sovereignty, chooses to bless the people His messengers address with the gift of faith. Paul also understood God’s omniscient foreknowledge didn’t negate His duty to openly evangelize the truth about his Lord and Master.

 

You see, Christians have an obligation to not only spread the Good News, but also to talk to God about those we teach about Jesus. Simply put, we’re to “preach and pray.”

 

We should be encouraged by the fact that Jesus prayed for those who still didn’t believe in Him. In one of His prayers He said, “I do not pray for these [His disciples] alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word” (John 17:20). Christ knew there were folks whose “moment of clarity” about Him hadn’t arrived. But it didn’t stop Him praying for God to draw them to Him when the time was right.

 

God’s will won’t be thwarted. Ever. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “This should be a great encouragement for us to try to do good, since God has elect people who must be saved among the vilest of the vile, the most reprobate, the most debauched and drunken. When you take the Word to them, you do so because God has chosen you to be the messenger of life to their souls – and they must receive it, for that’s how the decree of predestination works.”

 

He continued, “They’re just as redeemed by Christ’s blood as the saints now before the eternal throne. They’re Christ’s property, even if at the moment they love their barrooms and hate holiness – but if Jesus Christ purchased them, He will have them.”

 

He concluded, “God will not be unfaithful, and forget the price His Son has paid. He will not allow Jesus’ substitution to be in any way an ineffective, dead thing. Countless redeemed ones are not regenerated yet, but they must be – and this is our comfort when we go out to them with the enlivening Word of God.”

 

I, for one, am grateful knowing a person’s salvation is not reliant on my limited eloquence, vocabulary or Bible knowledge to become permanently sealed. I’m overjoyed knowing God’s the sole deciding factor concerning their soul’s future residence. As a matter of fact, I’m elated knowing my Father in heaven is in control of everything. I certainly don’t envy having that responsibility.

 

All I know for sure is I belong to Christ; that I was once a slave to sin but now I’m His slave. He owns me. He bought me with His blood and He’s spelled out what He expects from me. He orders me to evangelize in His name. It’s one of my duties. He said, “If you love me, you’ll obey my commandments” (John 14:15). I love Him. Thus, I’m happy to obey.

 

Seeds are being scattered. I pray to God, “Bring the rain.”

 

Time Release

I like the term. Time release (technically, “modified-release dosage”) medicines were first developed in the 1940s. They allowed patients to benefit from a pill or capsule’s effect longer. Spiritually speaking, death’s sort of a “time release”, as well. Time, as we know it on earth, will cease to be something we’re aware of. There are no clocks in heaven. Or hell, for that matter.

 

“Time release” also applies to the seeds of salvation we Christians sow along our path through life. We may or may not see them sprout. In most cases, God causes them to take root in a person’s heart only after He deems the soil fertile. For many of us living in this “on demand” world this can be frustrating because we want to see palpable results now.

 

In the New Testament we read Paul wasn’t pleased with the way things were going in Corinth. While some folks had been converted, the strong opposition he faced was enough to make him wonder if his preaching was in vain. Then we’re told, “The Lord said to Paul by a vision in the night, ‘Don’t be afraid, but speak and don’t be silent, because I’m with you, and no one will assault you to harm you, because I have many people in this city.’ So he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them” (Acts 18:9-11).

 

Jesus commanded Paul to “keep on keepin’ on” due to the fact there were people in the Corinth area whom Christ was going to draw to Himself through their hearing the gospel Paul was preaching. In other words, Paul was told, “What you’re sowing are ‘time release’ seeds. They’ll spring up when the hour’s right. Don’t stop.” All Christians should take the Bible verse above to heart. Like it did for Paul, it should reinforce our confidence in God’s perfect plan.

 

J.I. Packer wrote, “Paul’s confidence was that where Christ sends the gospel, there Christ has His people – bound at present in the chains of sin, but due for release at the appointed moment through a renewing of their hearts as the light of the gospel shines into their darkness, and the Savior draws them to Himself.” We should never trust in our ability to save, but in Jesus’ alone.

 

This knowledge should embolden our evangelistic efforts. Especially when we’re met with skepticism, apathy or even outrage over the truth we speak. Paul, once a highly motivated enemy of Christ, literally encountered our risen Lord and became His most enthusiastic advocate overnight. If God can transform his heart, He can transform anyone’s.

 

I’ll gladly testify a similar-but-not-nearly-as-dramatic miracle happened to me ten years ago. Living life “my way” had led me into the valley of despair and I finally turned to Christ for rescue. The gospel seed planted in me during my youth broke ground at last and it’s continued to grow and produce nutritious fruit ever since. I was a wretched excuse for a man but nowadays I’m a sinner saved by amazing grace. If God can do that for me, he can do it for anybody.

 

The Scriptures encourage me to persevere in presenting Christ to the lost without trepidation. I certainly have no excuse for being bashful talking about Jesus. I can be as straightforward and honest about the “Good News” as I dare because, deep down, I know God can and will energize His words of truth with an effectiveness that I alone can’t provide. That’s the power of the Word. It can penetrate even the thickest of skulls.

 

When we’re genuinely confident we’re not wasting time by evangelizing, we have more patience than we normally have. We know all too well patience is a rare commodity in the 21st century because instant gratification isn’t a preference, it’s a demand. But God’s never in a rush. Packer commented, “God saves in His own time, and we ought not suppose He’s in such a hurry as we are.”

 

I confess to being way too impatient about way too many things. Therefore to obediently serve my Lord through witnessing as often as possible I’ve had to discipline myself to not give up on stubborn folks; to “stick with it” even when they snub me; to persevere by reminding myself of what’s at stake for the future of their soul – eternity.

 

I must realize what I tell someone concerning salvation may only be figurative “steppingstones” that’ll precede the breakthrough they might experience down the road hearing from another Christian; one whose evangelizing switches on God’s marvelous light in their heart and mind. Jesus spun the parable of the harvest workers to teach His disciples that sometimes “One sows and another reaps” (John 4:37). It’s all good.

 

The most efficient way to influence unbelievers is to establish a friendship with them, thereby discovering where they’re at spiritually so you’ll know where to start. Nothing works better than getting someone to trust what you’re telling them is the unfiltered truth. Now, they may not believe the truth as quickly as you’d like but that’s where patience really pays off.

 

You may inquire, “What can I do to develop more patience?” It’s all about the basics. Keep reminding yourself God is sovereign in grace; that His Word will suffice to draw His own to Christ; that He’ll place His elect in the right place at the right time to evangelize to His lost lambs; that, as Jesus stated, “My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they’ll never perish; no one will snatch them from my hand” (John 10:27-28).

 

Never forget how patient God has been and continues to be with you and me. He kept Abraham waiting 25 years for the birth of his son so it should come as no surprise He often keeps His children in suspense while waiting to see if their evangelistic endeavors pay off in winning souls to Christ. Stay the course.

 

What Paul Had

It was confidence. Not in Paul. In God. It’s significant because, more than any New Testament writer, he taught that God is sovereign and has decreed everything that happens throughout His creation. Without Paul’s unshakable faith in God’s plan he surely wouldn’t have willingly suffered through severe hardships so he could evangelize about Christ everywhere he went. He was positive his preaching mattered.

 

A lazier man might’ve reasoned, “God chose His elect before time began so evangelizing’s a waste of energy.” Not Paul. He understood the sovereignty of God in grace is the very thing that makes evangelizing anything but pointless. Why’s that? J.I. Packer opined, “…it creates the possibility – indeed, the certainty – that evangelism will be fruitful. If not for the sovereign grace of God, evangelism would be the most futile and useless enterprise the world’s ever seen.”

 

Paul knew mankind was in big trouble. The Holy Spirit revealed to Paul that human beings, in their natural state, are spiritually ignorant. He wrote, “The unbeliever cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God, for they’re foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them because they’re spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14) and “…the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it doesn’t submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so” (Romans 8:7).

 

Most folks consider themselves “good people.” Not holy. Certainly not perfect. But fundamentally good. In these two verses Paul ransacks that conceited assumption. Jesus Himself said, “No one is good except God alone” (Luke 18:19). Fact is, we’re all born as hell-bound sinners possessing a self-centered heart that’s “…more deceitful than anything else. It’s incurably bad. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

 

In Ephesians 2 Paul doesn’t beat around the bush. He makes it clear that, without Christ, we’re spiritually dead. Kaput. Morally bankrupt, as well. R.C. Sproul wrote, “We’re not considered unrighteous because the dross of sin is mixed together with our goodness. The indictment against us is more radical: in our corrupt humanity we never do a single good thing.”

 

Paul delivered more unflattering news. Not only are we, in our physical state, prone to opposing God’s will, but there’s also Satan doing all he can to keep us blind and deaf to the truth. Paul said he’s “…the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that’s now energizing the sons of disobedience…” (Ephesians 2:2). In other words, he and his invisible demonic legion surround us, wreaking as much havoc possible to keep us in the dark.

 

Paul was no dummy. Considering the things that’d been revealed to him regarding what Christians are up against in this convoluted world, he must’ve concluded human evangelism has zero chance of succeeding. Here’s the kicker: That conclusion’s 100% correct! Not one of us can bring the spiritually dead to life. Not one of us can make a sinner accept the gospel message via our “ability to coerce.” Not one of us can make any man or woman believe in Jesus.

 

Therefore, it’s evident Paul knew there was something else – some essential ingredient – necessary for evangelism to be effective. Sadly, history shows the church has repeatedly overlooked/dismissed what Paul learned and taught, instituting a multitude of alternative methods of and approaches to evangelism so we can “win more souls to Christ.” They’ve tried everything except the only thing that works – patient reliance on God.

 

Humans have a built-in, pride-filled conviction that if we do any assignment right, we’ll get excellent results. On the material plane that’s usually true. But that’s not the case in the spiritual realm because that’s God’s territory. More often than not our most well-intentioned witnessing efforts will meet with failure, putting us in danger of becoming disillusioned with the whole endeavor of spreading the gospel. We mustn’t let that occur.

 

We must adopt Paul’s mindset; a combination of confidence and patience. Like him, we have to accept that even our best evangelistic techniques have no guarantee of succeeding the way we want them to. We must realize that, since all mankind’s cursed with inherent apathy towards all things pertaining to God, blatant rejection of our preaching should come as no shock. And, most importantly, we have to trust that God’s the only one who can regenerate hearts and minds. Thus, it’s up to Him – and Him alone – as to if, when and how that’ll happen.

 

Paul “got it.” He knew God works by His Spirit through His Word in the souls of sinful people to bring them to repentance and faith. He wrote, “For by grace you’re saved through faith, and this isn’t from yourselves, it’s the gift of God; it’s not from works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Paul was wise, humble and mature enough to acknowledge and accept “his place” in God’s plan of redemption. He was content striving daily to be the best seed-sower in existence. We should be, too.

 

The great James S. Stewart summed up what Paul would have all Christ-followers testify to: “The world isn’t moving on to chaos; it’s moving on to Christ. In the person of Jesus lies the key to God’s hidden plan with mankind and with the world. No longer is the mystery of things left dark and baffling and unrelieved. Those who ignore or refuse Christ cannot share the secret. But to all who have eyes to see, it’s an ‘open secret’ now. To them it’s given to realize that in the very constitution of the universe there’s something which is on the side of the Gospel, and that the ultimate values which give life its meaning all converge on Jesus Christ.”

 

Paul wasn’t confused about his mission. He knew he was a “fieldworker.” Nothing more. He concluded, “…neither the one who plants counts for anything, nor the one who waters, but God who causes the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7). Why evangelize? Because our Savior told us to. It was enough for Paul. It’s enough for me and you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Mistake We Make

Fact: Only God can save souls. Fact: Christians are to evangelize as if convincing their hearers to believe in Jesus depends totally on them. The two seem incompatible. Kinda like when Christ told us to “…be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Humans can’t be perfect so it’s logical He’s encouraging us to make it our aspiration in life. The bottom line is we must evangelize as if everyone’s eternal destination depended on us – even though it doesn’t.

 

The Apostle Paul is our greatest role model. His “good news” was simple. He taught the heavenly Father completed His eternal plan to glorify His Son by crowning Him the one-and-only Savior of sinners who put their faith and trust in Him. Paul never veered from communicating that basic message. Nor should we.

 

He, more than most, knew he couldn’t convert a single person, yet he preached like he could. Remember, the angel that spoke to Zechariah said of John the Baptist, “He’ll turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God” (Luke 1:16). Another verse reads, “…the one who turns a sinner back from his wandering path will save that person’s soul…” (James 5:19). Jesus Himself told Paul, “…I’m sending you to open their eyes so they turn from darkness to light…” (Acts 2:18).

 

In other words, a Christian’s main goal should be the conversion and salvation of all people. Paul didn’t question the job he’d been given. He just obeyed and did it. He wrote, “…in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s trespasses against them, and he’s given us the message of reconciliation. Therefore we’re ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His plea through us” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20).

 

Jesus implored, “…love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). Some claim they really don’t love themselves. That’s a cop-out. Truth be known, we instinctively love and protect ourselves. In most situations we’re looking out for #1. What better way to fulfill the commandment to love others than to do everything possible to lead them to accepting Jesus as their Savior? We must avoid letting a narrow-minded, lethargic “the-sovereign-God-has-already-chosen-His-elect-so-we’re-off-the-hook” theology get in the way of seeing to our appointed task.

 

Yet if we tell unbelievers about Christ without love being our core motive for doing so, we’ll be missing the point entirely. If it’s delivered with a not-my-problem mien – “There you go. You’ve heard the truth now. Take it or leave it. Adios.” – we won’t be doing anyone, much less our Lord, any favors. We’re to love, not lecture.

 

Paul truly loved his neighbors with a passion. He exclaimed, “I’ll most gladly spend and be spent for your lives!” (2 Corinthians 12:15). J.I. Packer wrote, “As love to our neighbor suggests and demands we evangelize, so the command to evangelize is a specific application of the command to love others for Christ’s sake, and must be fulfilled as such.”

 

Too often we omit the vital component of heartfelt, compassionate Christian love in our witnessing efforts. Paul didn’t. He told one congregation, “…We could’ve imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead we became little children among you. Like a nursing mother caring for her own children, with such affection for you we were happy to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us” (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8).

 

Paul gave the saving of souls everything he had and his unflagging dedication should inspire us. “Since I’m free from all, I can make myself a slave to all, in order to gain even more people. …I’ve become all things to all people, so that by all means I may save some” (1 Corinthians 9:19,22).

 

It’s apparent Paul was determined, in the name of Christ, to win converts in spite of recognizing and respecting God’s foreknowledge of all events. He didn’t just carry around a “Jesus Saves!” placard and assume he’d done his part. On the contrary, he regularly went the extra mile, spending time getting to know individuals and their struggles. He humbly stood in their shoes so he could address them using terms they’d understand, shying away from anything that might turn them off to hearing the gospel he’d been entrusted with sharing.

 

So, what’s the “mistake we make?” It comes about when we start thinking about our evangelistic duty either too broadly by deciding the production of Christians is completely up to us – or too narrowly by figuring we don’t have to do anything whatsoever to further the kingdom of God; that it’s the church’s job alone. Both options are detrimental to our stated purpose.

 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his superb book, The Cost of Discipleship, wrote of every Christian’s duty to evangelize: “Nothing could be more ruthless than to make men think there’s still plenty of time to mend their ways. To tell men the cause is urgent, and that the kingdom of God is at hand is the most charitable and merciful act we can perform, the most joyous news we can bring.”

 

He added, “The messenger cannot wait and repeat it to every man in his own language. God’s language is clear enough. It’s not for the messenger to decide who will hear and who will not, for only God knows who’s ‘worthy’; and those who are worthy will hear the Word when the disciples proclaim it.” Hint: We’re the disciples.

 

One renown preacher (I forget who) once said something along the lines of “If those who are God’s ‘elect’ had an ‘E’ tattooed on them it’d make my job easier. Then I could limit my teaching efforts to those folks. But, since they don’t, I’ll gladly preach to all who are willing to hear the truth.” I believe that’s the way those of us who follow Christ should approach evangelism. Speak the soul-saving truth of the gospel to everyone we come into contact with without bias, discrimination or judgment. Tell everybody about Jesus.

We are Evangelists

Sadly, the term has gained a bad reputation over the years due to the corrupt, money-grubbing “prosperity gospel” charlatans who shamelessly prey on the weak and gullible. They see them on TV and assume they’re doing God’s will. I’m convinced those “preachers” have more in common with demons than with Christ. Yet we can’t let them deter us from doing what Jesus commanded – evangelize to the inhabitants of this fallen world.

 

The dictionary defines evangelism as “the spreading of the Christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness.” It’s not complicated. But too many believers go overboard and make it about the results evangelizing achieves – something we have no control over.

 

A 1918 Archbishop’s Committee declared: “To evangelize is to present Christ Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, that men will come to put their trust in God through Him, to accept Him as their Savior, and serve Him as their King in the fellowship of His Church.” There’s lots of good, solid truth in that statement.

 

It encourages Christians to keep our basic message simple and specific by presenting Jesus to folks as the sole Savior and gatekeeper of heaven, conveying the profound importance of acknowledging the ghastly price He paid for our sins on the cross and to inform people, “For there’s one God and one intermediary between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as a ransom for all…” (1 Timothy 2:5).

 

Evangelists urge lost sinners to repent and accept Christ as the only hope they have both in this world and in the eternal one to come. J.I. Packer wrote, “Evangelism is the issuing a call to turn, as well as to trust; it’s the delivering, not merely of a divine invitation to receive a Savior, but of a divine command to repent of sin.” Concerning the aspects listed, the declaration is spot on.

 

However, there’s a problem with their using the word “will.” It implies evangelism can’t fail to “save souls.” The Bible’s clear: “For by grace you’re saved through faith, and this isn’t from yourselves, it’s the gift of God; it’s not from works, so no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Most Christians know someone we shared the good news with but it fell on deaf ears. Does this mean we let God down? No! We’re seed sowers. Nothing more.

 

“…Neither the one who plants counts for anything, nor the one who waters, but God who causes the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7). This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive to be the best evangelists possible. However, we must never gauge our efforts by the number of converts we notch on our belts, but solely by the Biblical purity of the gospel message we’re relaying. We have to make sure we’re scattering good seeds and leave the rest to God.

 

The Apostle Paul’s a superb mentor and arguably the most effective evangelist ever. He wrote, “One should think about us this way – as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now what’s sought in stewards is that one be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2). He recognized he’d been entrusted with something incredibly precious and he was determined to never betray that trust. He felt responsible. So should we.

 

Paul worked diligently as Jesus’ herald (“one who makes public announcements on another’s behalf”). Still, he knew his place and his limitations. “For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching” (1 Corinthians 1:21). Paul admitted he was no great orator who could sway folks with slick rhetoric. He knew his job was to simply deliver God’s salvation message sans unnecessary embellishments. So should we.

 

Paul saw himself as Christ’s ambassador (“an authorized representative of a sovereign”). He wasn’t preaching some theology he’d invented. Rather, he was committed to conveying what his master Jesus had told him to declare. He wrote, “My conversation and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). We should follow his lead and seek to be exemplary ambassadors of God’s kingdom.

 

Therefore, we can surmise Paul was content to be Christ’s slave; pleased to be His mouthpiece; happy to be nothing more than one of Jesus’ designated envoys to this fallen world. What should encourage us most, though, is not just Paul’s sustained boldness and unshakable sense of authority in face of ridicule and apathy, but his unrelenting refusal to modify the gospel message to accommodate the sticky situations he found himself in.

 

Paul lived life with one purpose in mind – to spread the gospel. But Paul’s in heaven. So are the Apostles. We’re here now and it’s up to us to carry on the evangelistic tradition they initiated. Every member of the Body of Christ has been drafted into the army of God; to ‘…live in a crooked and perverse society, in which you shine as lights in the world by holding on to the word of life… …Poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith” (Philippians 2:15-17).

 

Evangelizing “comes with the territory.” We don’t have to hold a degree from a seminary or be ordained ministers or extraordinary preachers like Billy Graham to fulfill our God-given duty to inform earth’s lost sheep that our shepherd’s sweet voice is calling them to join His flock. We’re not to worry about what folks might think or gossip about us. What they hear us say just might lead them to a redeeming knowledge of Christ.

 

Evangelizing isn’t a burden. On the contrary, it’s a blessing for us to be used by the Holy Spirit as His conduit to broadcast the evangel (“good news”). Packer concluded, “Such is the authority, and such the responsibility of the Church and the Christian….”