Sunrise over Nashville Alycia Janelle Art |
"To Make Christ Known"
What is the Christian church supposed
to be doing?
A few years ago while trying to draft
a purpose statement for the church I was pastoring, I found it difficult to not
“borrow” the famous slogan of Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators: “To know Christ and to make Him known.”
Who could possibly improve upon those
words? I still think that Trotman’s
statement profoundly summarizes the two greatest priorities of the Christian
life:
How can the church practically live out Christ’s heart for the world? The answer is found in three key actions.
- Knowing Christ intimately and
- Making Him known to a world that does not yet know Him.
How can the church practically live out Christ’s heart for the world? The answer is found in three key actions.
Jesus said to “preach the Gospel to
all creation” (Mark 16:15). Why
preach?
The Apostle Paul taught that people cannot believe in Jesus if they do not hear about Him, and the only way they can hear about Him is for someone to tell them, or preach to them (Romans 10:14).
Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 1:21, the Apostle states that “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” The spoken communication of divine truth will always have the power to persuade men’s hearts toward Christ.
The Apostle Paul taught that people cannot believe in Jesus if they do not hear about Him, and the only way they can hear about Him is for someone to tell them, or preach to them (Romans 10:14).
Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 1:21, the Apostle states that “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” The spoken communication of divine truth will always have the power to persuade men’s hearts toward Christ.
Evangelistic preaching will never be obsolete; it exposes the condition of the heart and introduces saving grace. Those who truly hear the Gospel become convinced of their need for Jesus. However, while evangelistic preaching does address the need of fallen humanity, ultimately it should not be "man-centered."
Why the concern over "man-centeredness"? Here is the point: evangelism is more about exalting Christ than it is about improving the human condition. Of course, we are supposed to be concerned about the human soul, but love for the lost is only part of what motivates us to reach them.
Why the concern over "man-centeredness"? Here is the point: evangelism is more about exalting Christ than it is about improving the human condition. Of course, we are supposed to be concerned about the human soul, but love for the lost is only part of what motivates us to reach them.
The primary motive for evangelism is love for Christ. In other words, we reach out to the lost because Christ deserves to be honored, praised, and exalted through the lives of those people. Think about it. Evangelistic preaching is Christ-centered.
Effective evangelistic preaching does
not assume that people know how to become Christians. When speaking to an unsaved audience, the
preacher would do well to steer away from saying things like, “As you know…,”
or “You have heard the story of…,” because more likely than not, they don’t
know, and they haven’t heard the
story. The preacher needs to tell them,
using terms that the unchurched person can understand.
Altar call in Europe Photo by Alycia Janelle |
My counter-argument would be that
much more than “catharsis” experiences occur in the altar. The altar call is a time for God-encounter. The altar call provides the focused setting
in which God Himself can transform lives in remarkable ways. Besides, how can we be sure that unsaved
people will know how to make the needed application of the Gospel message after they walk out the door? Providing regular
opportunities in the worship service for the unsaved to respond to the Gospel in
a clearly defined manner makes a lot of sense.
Some question the effectiveness of
evangelistic preaching in the context of a church worship service. Aren’t
most of those in attendance already saved? Perhaps that is true. However, when
I was pastoring, I found that whenever I started preaching more evangelistic
sermons, church members started inviting more unsaved friends to church. The result was that more seekers visited the
church, resulting in more people coming to faith in Christ.
Others object to a regular
evangelistic emphasis in church services stating that the Sunday morning
gathering is a time for discipling believers. That argument is understandable; however, it cannot excuse a church from
its evangelistic mission. If a church
has two or more services on a Sunday, perhaps one of them could be designated
as a regular evangelistic service.
Introducing people to Christ through
the ministry of preaching in the church context is beneficial in that it
immediately familiarizes seekers and new believers with the environment in
which they will be nurtured. They experience
the “new birth” in the presence of their new spiritual family.
While the ministry of preaching
deserves the attention given here, its limitations as an evangelistic method
should also be noted. Evangelistic
preaching requires unsaved hearers to be present. Bringing the
preacher and the unsaved hearers together is a matter that often requires a
great deal of creativity and planning on the part of the church. Preaching works best when used in conjunction
with other evangelistic methods.
Preaching is also limited in that many people will never accept an invitation to listen to a preacher. “Personal evangelists” and non-confrontational methods are needed.
Bill Johnson praying before teaching Photo by Alycia Janelle |
Jesus said to “make disciples”
(Matthew 28:10). I once thought that
this part of the Great Commission meant that we were first supposed to get
people saved, and then we were to
take them through a process called “discipleship” in hopes that they would one
day become an authentic disciple.
A careful examination of verse 10
reveals something a little different. Discipleship involves the ministry of
teaching, and a disciple is made at the point when a person chooses to submit
his or her life to that which is being taught—in other words, at the point of
conversion. From this point of view, the
process of discipleship or teaching starts prior to conversion. Many people who come to faith in Christ do so
because they have already become convinced of a number of foundational aspects
or truths of the Christian faith.
Can the ministry of teaching be used
as an evangelistic method? The above
interpretation of Matthew 28:10 suggests that it can. What are the implications for the teaching
and discipleship ministries of the church? Rather than viewing discipleship ministries as exclusively
post-conversion functions designed for the saints, perhaps creative ways need
to be sought to include unsaved people in the discipleship processes of the
church.
One ministry that effectively integrates discipleship and
evangelism is the Alpha Course, a ministry that began among Spirit-filled
Anglicans in England in the 1990s. Alpha
is a relational approach to establishing new believers. It provides a ten-week opportunity to explore
the validity and relevance of the Christian faith. The course includes a practical introduction
to the basics of Christianity centered around a meal, a talk, and small-group
discussion.
Over the years, Oral Roberts University frequently paraphrased “Go into all
the world” (Mark 16:15) as “Go into every man’s world.” The global aspect of the Great Commission
should always be a priority; however, the “every man’s world” perspective is
very important as well. Neighbors living
on the same city block can be living in different worlds socially and
culturally. How can the barriers be
crossed to connect with “every man” in his or her world?
Will “every man” go to church on a Sunday morning to hear
evangelistic preaching? Some men will,
but not “every man.” While the
scheduling of traditional methods such as revival services should be applauded,
the question should still be asked, will “every man” attend these
meetings? Again, some will, but not
“every man.” To reach “every man,” the
church needs to think and plan creatively and strategically.
The planning of evangelistic
events, both inside and outside of the church, is one way to strategize to
reach the lost. Evangelistic events of multiple and varied types are often
the answer to reaching people that would not otherwise be reached through
traditional means.
Why not conduct an evangelistic block party, alternative "Halloween" festivals (i.e., fall festivals), sidewalk evangelistic art activities, or outreach events at Thanksgiving and Christmas? Special days such as Mothers Day, Fathers
Day, and Easter are good times to integrate an evangelistic emphasis as
well. Baptisms, baby dedications, plays,
concerts, and fellowship meals provide opportunities to invite a large number
of unsaved relatives and friends. Even
conducting some of these functions in a location other than the church building
may be a helpful innovation.
A very effective way to move the church beyond its own walls
is to conduct servant evangelism projects—projects geared to overwhelm the
community with kindness. Christians
should be encouraged to get involved in their communities, become outwardly
focused, and help to serve both the felt and real needs of people through the
love of Christ.
It is time for the church to get beyond the “been there,
done that” attitude regarding evangelism. The power of preaching and teaching is already resident within the
church. All that is usually needed in
addition to these resources is a passion for Jesus that compels us to love
people and a Spirit-directed strategy to connect with “every man” in his or her
world. When we consider the great effort
that Jesus made to get into every man’s world, it inspires us to do the same.
J. Randolph Turpin, D.Min.