Should Christians Frighten People During Evangelism?

 

I’m guessing that most people, whether Christian or not, will respond to this question with a loud “no!” Scaring people is not part of our evangelistic work and puts people off rather than drawing them to God.

In the past, I may have agreed with this natural response but a few years down the line, my perspective has definitely shifted.

Most of us would agree that Christians motivated by hate, anger and condemnation, preaching fire and brimstone with no hope of escape is an ugly spectacle. Perhaps, though, in seeking to avoid being associated with this type of behaviour, we have thrown the baby out with the bathwater.

We may tell people that God doesn’t want us to be afraid, as in terrified, of Him because of His great love for us. Whilst this is true for believers who should instead have a healthy fear (awe, reverence) of God leading to wisdom, non-believers should be afraid, even terrified. They are urged to repent and believe, to flee from the wrath to come and warned that it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.

I was in Halifax this week talking to a man who claimed to be an atheist. He had some religious background but was pretty dismissive about the whole idea of God, laughing at various points and wasn’t exactly taking the conversation seriously. I persevered as, despite interjecting with unhelpful comments, he was listening and looking thoughtful at times. When the conversation was reaching a conclusion, he accepted a church leaflet.

Then, I felt prompted to urge the man not to appear before the God of the whole universe on Judgement Day with unforgiven sin like a giant rucksack on his shoulders because God would then have to punish him. Fear crept across his face as he quietly asked a slightly odd question for an atheist, “What will he do?”

We had already spoken briefly about Heaven and Hell so I just as quietly told him that God would send him to Hell. Usually, after saying something so sombre, I immediately revert to the Good News, desperate to remind people that God doesn’t want them to go to Hell which is why He sent Jesus to rescue us. However, the man began backing away saying, “You’re frightening me now!”

My first instinct was to apologise and say that that wasn’t my intention but instead I found myself saying “If that’s what it takes” and again urging him to think seriously about things as he mumbled his thanks for the leaflet and walked away.

Afterwards, I thought about the conversation and spoke to others in our small team. It was felt that the man’s response at least showed that he had understood the warning and was taking it seriously. I had no doubt that he would be thinking about things further as a result.

In evangelism, our task is to communicate the Gospel as clearly as possible which should include warnings of Judgement which may result in people feeling afraid. We are not responsible for a person’s final decision about whether or not they will trust Jesus or choose to face the wrath of God, but only telling them half the message ultimately does them a disservice. It’s almost impossible to get people to see the danger and urgency of their situation without talking about Judgement and Hell.

I was reminded of the time when Paul was before Felix in Acts 24. It was as he spoke about righteousness, self-control and the judgement to come that Felix became afraid and dismissed him.  Surely, like Paul, we want people to seriously consider their eternal destination.

Related to this topic, there is an ongoing discussion in my circles about street or open-air preaching. There is a perception amongst some Christians that people view this type of evangelism as “a bunch of old men shouting at people in the street”. Some wish to phase it out completely in favour of more modern methods. 

Whilst not a preacher myself, these discussions do have an impact on my work of supporting street preaching and seeking to speak to those who listen.

Whilst I would agree that not all street preaching is done with the right motivations or in the right manner, surely what’s needed is to train preachers so it can be done better rather than abandoning it completely. It is biblical and with the right tone and volume reaches the most people many of whom would never darken the door of a church.

The preaching needs to be loud enough that people can hear it so they can make a decision about whether they want to hear more but not so loud that they cannot escape it if they wish to do so. The tone shouldn’t be aggressive, angry or condemnational but it should be heartfelt, sincere and persuasive. As well as an appeal for a response, it should contain warnings for those who refuse.

Asking for a response, or asking people what their barrier is, is not the same as trapping people into praying the Sinner’s Prayer or similar before they really know what’s happening. I rarely pray with people on the street and would not be comfortable putting words in their mouth. I usually advise people to go home and pray to God by themselves. If they don’t know how to pray we can offer guidance.  

Some of those who are resistant to open-air preaching feel that question boards, book tables, children’s programmes, church events and things of cultural or historical interest are more fruitful. It may be that we have nicer/more pleasant conversations with people through these means. It may even be that people are converted. I’m not advocating stopping any of these other things which all have their place.

We may not see immediate fruit from street preaching but we know it works as God promises that His Word doesn’t return void. A rejection of a warning delivered by a street preacher can be a better response than a long conversation with a person agreeing with virtually everything that is said yet remaining unmoved in their mind and heart.

We are called to be courteous/respectful (as we were reminded in a recent sermon) but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be direct with people. It also means we should challenge people when they say things that aren’t true. We can disagree without being disagreeable, as the old saying goes.   

I believe street preaching should be central in our evangelistic efforts because it has such a wide reach. I would go beyond this and say that in an apathetic society like the UK, a more direct and bolder approach and tone is needed.

A preacher visiting the UK recently from another country was appalled at what he found and asked his friend, “Why aren’t Christians standing up in tube stations and at bus stops urging people to repent and respond to the Gospel?”

We should be seeking to wake people up and pleading with them to make a decision for Jesus before its too late. Sometimes, this will frighten them but if by the power of God's Holy Spirit, it leads them to repentance and faith that can only be a good thing.

Can Anyone Be Saved?

Seeing this title, you might think that I’m going to attempt to deal with the complexities of election/ predestination. Sorry to disappoint, but that’s well above my pay grade!

If people are elected to salvation, we don’t know who has been chosen and who hasn’t, so the fact doesn’t change our responsibility to share the Gospel with anybody and everybody.

We’ve probably all had that conversation with someone who is wondering if they, or someone they love, hasn’t been saved because they aren’t elect. Is that really helpful? All that happens if we think like this is that we give up, succumb to the belief that they cannot be saved, and stop witnessing to and praying for the person.

For the purpose of this post, I’m thinking more about how we view people when we are involved in evangelism, and whether we really believe they can, and will be saved.

Here are a few examples:

 -The aggressive atheist. You know the type. We may know that the person is suppressing the truth and that deep down they know that God exists, but do we really believe that they can be converted?

One of my friends was like this, arguing aggressively with me to the extent that sometimes I got so annoyed that I left the conversation rather than responding in kind. Although, I sensed that this person’s struggle was genuine, I’m not sure that I had the faith to believe they would actually be saved. However, in 2018, Billy Graham died. My friend told me he had seen the death on the news and asked me if I knew of him, realising the connection to the Christian faith. My friend then said he had watched a YouTube video of Billy Graham’s. I asked what the title was, and he replied, “Who is Jesus?” Next thing I know, my friend is attending my church, every service in fact. Then, he became a Christian, and a while later got baptised. At his baptism, he chose the hymn, “O How the Grace of God Amazes Me.”

Originally, I had met this person in a large group. Out of the group, I would have said that he was the least likely to a) be interested in Christianity b) actually be converted. For me, it was a lesson not to judge the outward appearance, and not to try and second guess God. God used the sermon of a dead preacher to draw my friend to Himself.

-The family member or close friend. We’ve likely been praying for this person (s), perhaps for years, but do we really believe they will be converted? In our hearts, have we given up on them, or on God?

Two of my relatives were recently converted in mid-later life. One of them had started working with a young man who is a Christian. The young man had witnessed to him which led to a Bible study, then conversion, baptism and joining the church. Apart from years of prayer, which is clearly crucial, my family didn’t have a lot to do with the practicalities, as God used someone else. Our initial incredulity, and fear of believing that it would actually happen, turned to joy, as we realised it was genuine.

A newly converted church friend, just this week, received a call from a relative she had been praying for, telling her that they wanted to get right with God. I advised her to ask them if something had happened to cause this. Their answer was that nothing had happened, they had just realised they were living a sinful life and wanted to get right with God. 

Sometimes, when God is at work like this, we are almost paralysed by shock. It takes us a while to accept that God has actually answered our prayers and then to move forward in helping the person take the step of faith. This can demonstrate that we aren’t really trusting God that the people we are praying for will be saved. It is good that God is gracious, and accepts our meagre efforts, and weak expectations, but it must be disappointing to Him, especially when it’s not the first time He has saved someone we are praying for. Answers to prayer should encourage us to greater faith.

-The person who is ready. Some of my favourite stories in the Bible are those where people have been prepared in advance by God and are literally waiting for someone to point them to Jesus. The Philippian jailer who asked, “What must I do to be saved?” The Ethiopian eunuch who asked who the Scriptures were referring to, and then asked for baptism. The crowd who was told they had crucified their Messiah, were cut to the heart, and asked with some urgency, “What shall we do?”

When involved in evangelism, we are sometimes so astonished when we get these questions that we are rendered speechless, or tongue tied. Yet, they occur far more often than we expect.

In the last few weeks, I had a group of lads who had been asked if they knew how to get to Heaven turn the question around and say pointedly, “No, but can you tell us how to get to Heaven?!” Also, a man recently released from prison, on hearing the Gospel, said urgently, “I don’t want to go to Hell, I really don’t want to go to Hell, can you help me?” Another young guy approached the book table, asked us to tell him what we believed, and then asked if he could film our response. There was a pause as all three of us stared at him before realising that we were there for that purpose!

Many times, I’ve been asked what a person should do if they want to become a Christian and even a few times, “What must I do to be saved?”

-The unlikely convert. No matter how much we try to avoid it, we all judge a book by its cover, similarly with people. We look at someone and think that person would never be interested in Christianity. This can be based on all manner of external factors, but we forget that God deals with the heart, and that He saved people like Saul of Tarsus, and King Nebuchadnezzar.

I’m reading a book at the moment entitled, Out of the Black Shadows. Gang member Stephen Lungu, attended a Christian tent meeting in Zimbabwe, carrying a bag of petrol bombs with the intention of committing mass murder by firebomb. However, God stepped in, “The preacher was now saying that anyone who wanted could have this Jesus. I could exchange my poverty and sin for Jesus’ love and riches. The transaction that Jesus was offering me suddenly became clear. Tears for all the pain, loneliness, self-hatred and fear I had known coursed down my cheeks. If this great burden could not be removed by this Jesus, I no longer wanted to live. So, clutching my bag of petrol bombs I stumbled towards the preacher…….” Can your Jesus save even someone like me?” 

There are plenty of other testimonies of people that we might think outwardly wouldn’t be interested. I often find during street evangelism that it’s these people with whom I have the best conversations, perhaps to remind me that it’s God’s work and He can save anyone.

-The child. Society tells us that we shouldn’t brainwash children and that they can’t understand the things of God. Yet, the Bible tells us we have to become like little children to be saved, in terms of them having a simple trust in Jesus.

Many Christians that I know date their conversion to their childhood, one person was even as young as 4 years old. On a mission team this year, we had a question board with the question, “Does God exist?” The parent confidently placed his mark next to “No” but was then silently rebuked by his 8-year-old daughter who just as confidently selected “Yes.” I asked her how she knew that God existed, and she said that she just knew, she then spoke in simple terms about Creation.

Sometimes, children have a better understanding than adults as they haven’t been exposed to the corruptions of thinking that occur as we get older and mingle with supposedly more intelligent people.

-The cult member. I recently attended a conference dealing with cults and other religions. It was pointed out that we shy away from dealing with these people as a matter of course. We might even think they are unreachable because we tend to end up in lengthy conversations that never really seem to make progress.

Yet, there are Christians even in my limited circles who were formerly Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims, Mormons, Catholics etc. Some of them are now Pastors and Evangelists.

-The prodigal. We know that God saves prodigals because of Luke 15 and the Parable of the Prodigal Son. I know that God saves prodigals because I was one!

Sometimes, we forget the love of God shown in the parable as He runs to meet the repentant son, or daughter, that has turned their back on Him, embraces them and restores them to their former place.

Are we still praying for prodigals that we know and love, or have we given up in despair secretly believing that they are beyond redemption?

So, can anyone be saved?

In the Bible, we are encouraged to believe and persist in prayer for people. A visiting speaker at my church recently told us this story about George Muller, a 19^th century Evangelist.

​” In November 1844, I began to pray for the conversion of five individuals. I prayed every day without a single intermission, whether sick or in health, on the land, on the sea, and whatever the pressure of my engagements might be. Eighteen months elapsed before the first of the five was converted. I thanked God and prayed on for the others. Five years elapsed, and then the second was converted. I thanked God for the second and prayed on for the other three. Day by day, I continued to pray for them, and six years passed before the third was converted. I thanked God for the three and went on praying for the other two. These two remained unconverted.

​
Thirty-six years later he wrote that the other two, sons of one of Mueller’s friends, were still not converted. He wrote, “But I hope in God, I pray on, and look for the answer. They are not converted yet, but they will be.” In 1897, fifty-two years after he began to pray daily, without interruption, for these two men, they were finally converted—but after he died! Mueller understood what Luke meant when he introduced a parable Jesus told about prayer, saying, “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1).” (www.georgemuller.org)

Surely, based on the evidence we have considered, including the Bible stories, the answer is that yes, God can save anyone. This is what we should be communicating to anyone that asks us if they can be saved.

We have some great verses like Romans 10 vs 13, “All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved,” and 2 Peter 3 vs 9, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.”

We can be confident that God can save anyone, and that He wants to save everyone. Sadly, not everyone will be saved because many will reject the free gift of God through Jesus.

However, until the day a person dies, we must keep praying for them and witnessing to them, believing that God will answer.

What a Christian is not.....

It is assumed, almost universally, that everyone knows what a Christian is. Sadly, as societies drift further and further from God, ignorance reigns.

In recent weeks, when I’ve explained what I believe to individuals, I’ve been asked what faith I belong to, what denomination I’m in, and even whether I’m a Jehovah’s Witness, Mormon, Catholic or with the Latter Day Saints, (the same as Mormons.)

When I respond that I’m a Christian, a Christian that believes the Bible, I usually receive a bewildered look. Of course, no one says anything at this point because in Britain we are too polite, but I know exactly what they are thinking. They’re wondering why I take it all so seriously and insist on telling others about it. And, perhaps they are confused because they also believe they are a Christian but recognise that there is something very different about my life in comparison with theirs.

So, I thought it would be helpful to dispel the myths by explaining what a Christian is not…..

1. Someone who was born in England, America, or any other countries that are, or have been, culturally Christian. There may well be Christians in these countries, but being born into the country doesn’t make someone a Christian. When I speak to someone and ask them when they became a Christian, as soon as they reply “from birth,” or “I was born one,” or “I’ve always been one,” I know there is something amiss. A Christian can usually date their conversion, if not by exact date, to an age, or period of a few years, even if they were very young.

2. Someone who goes to church. Again, most Christians attend church regularly: the Bible says we shouldn’t give up meeting together and gives instructions for how church should be organised. But, there are plenty of people attending church that aren’t Christians. There is now even a church for atheists! Many people go through religious rituals of all kinds, and a lot of these are very sincere, but these things don’t make someone a true Christian. Likewise, many attend church at Christmas and Easter, weddings and funerals, but this won’t save them.

3. Someone who has been christened, baptised or confirmed. In response to the question, “are you a Christian?” people often tell me they have been christened or baptised, usually as a baby. Others point out that they’ve gone through a religious ceremony at a certain age. However, a lot of these people don’t even believe in God, and the fact of their christening has made no difference in their life. They just keep it as a “get out of jail free” card, as if it will possibly make everything okay in the end.

4. Someone who lives a good life or is a good person. Most people, on some level, associate Christianity with being a good person; doing charitable works, helping people, giving to the poor etc. I often get told I’m a good person by non-Christians who think I’m involved in some kind-of social work. Those that question further and find out that I’m basically sharing my faith with people are less enamoured. If I get the chance to explain, I will tell them why helping people practically with immediate needs won’t help them with their eternal destination on Judgement Day. The fact is that we cannot live good lives, or be good people. We are born with sinful natures which mean that even our good acts are tainted by mixed motives. One small thing that we do wrong is enough to keep us out of Heaven forever. It’s bad news for all those that are relying on their good works outweighing their bad when they stand before God, no one will make it.

5. Someone who knows the Bible. There are people out there who are relying on their academic knowledge, or being widely read. They are often the same people who dismiss parts of the Bible when it suits them. They know what the Bible says but it hasn’t changed their lives. I’ve met older people like this: when asked if they are Christians, they respond sharply, “of course,” but follow up questions reveal that they don’t understand the Gospel message. They know verses from the Bible, and hymns, and can quote these at length. When I gently try to explain what I believe in the hope they will realise it’s different to what they’ve said, they become offended and then belittle me. They remind me that these are things they’ve known their whole lives and have been brought up on. They can’t understand why I’m even speaking to them, and tell me to go and talk to others who need to hear what I’m saying. It is tragic that these sincere people are not saved.

6. Someone who is in full-time Christian work. On a recent camp, a young girl was astonished when I suggested that some Church of England vicars may not be Christians. I’m sure there are many that are, but some will just be doing a job. Certainly, in previous generations, men chose “the church” as their profession whether or not they believed the truths they were teaching. There were some serving alongside me on the mission field who later renounced the faith. We’ve seen recently, the well known pastor and author, Joshua Harris, abandon the faith, and his marriage. We can’t assume that church leaders, youth workers, missionaries, or others in Christian work, are Christians.

7. Someone who has a relative that is a Christian. This is an interesting one. I’ve met people who say, “my wife does the religious bit,” or “my niece is the one who’s into all that.” Sometimes, these people seem to be relying on their connection to this person whether through marriage or biology. They think that they don’t need to do anything about it themselves because their family is somehow covered by the devotion of the one person with faith. This is not a common view, but needs to be mentioned. The Bible makes it clear that faith is an individual matter, and that on Judgement Day we will stand alone before God to account for our lives.

8. Someone who separates themselves from the world. There are many examples of people believing that God desires us to cut ourselves off completely from society and live nomadic lives. The idea is that we are tainted by the sin of the world and therefore need to be separate in order to be holy and acceptable to God. There are monks, and some nuns, that have done this, and even harmed themselves physically, in an attempt to prove their devotion. The Bible says that we are to be in the world but not of it and that we are to be witnesses to non-believers. How can we do this if we are living completely separate lives? God does not require this of us and it is actually a form of self-righteousness or pride, thinking that we can reach God by our sincerity or acts of devotion over and above other people.

9. Someone whose life doesn’t change when they are converted. A Christian is a new creation with the Holy Spirit living inside them changing their desires, thoughts, attitudes and behaviour. If there is no visible difference, over time, between a person’s life before and after they say they became a Christian. There is a problem with their story. This is often what happens when someone makes an on the spot decision at a crusade, rally or meeting. They are swayed by the emotional atmosphere and really believe they should respond to an altar call but, afterwards, they change their mind, or forget the decision, or choose to continue as before. It is God who is at work, changing a person, and He doesn’t fail. We all mature at different rates but there is no such thing as a carnal Christian. Christians will fall into sin from time to time as we are all tempted, but they will respond in repentance and faith not in defiance and continuation of the sin.

10. Someone who doesn’t believe the Bible. There are people around who say they are Christians but either reject the whole of the Bible, or parts of it. These people haven’t understood the Gospel message of salvation. The Christian faith rests entirely on the Bible. It is God’s Word and therefore our source of authority. It provides instructions for life and conduct. More importantly, it tells us how we can be saved judgement for our sin, and go to Heaven forever. A person who thinks the Bible is unimportant, old-fashioned, out of date, or who doesn’t read it, or who rejects large parts of it, is not a Christian. This includes cults like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons (Church of the Latter Day Saints.) Both cults have their own religious books that contradict parts of the Bible. They don’t believe that Jesus is God.

11. Someone who is religious. When talking to people in the street, they often say, “I’m not religious” as if that is an answer to the Christian message. Somehow, people have convinced themselves that they don’t have to think about God unless they are religious. That God is only for religious people and as they aren’t religious they can live without reference to Him. This is an illogical philosophy. If God exists and created everything and everyone, we are all accountable to Him whether we are religious or not. It’s the same for those who believe they can somehow magic God out of existence by what they believe; “I don’t believe in God therefore He can’t judge me.” A more logical approach would be to say, “I’ve considered the Christian message and decided I don’t believe it is TRUE. I understand the consequence if I’m wrong but that’s a risk I’m willing to take.” Ultimately, Christians can’t force someone to believe, they can only present the Gospel message and ask people to consider whether it is true. If it’s true then it applies to everyone so look carefully at the overwhelming evidence!

12. Someone who focuses on signs, wonders and miracles. The Bible makes it clear that there will be people who have been involved in these things that are not saved. They may even convince themselves that they are doing these things in Jesus’ name but He will reject them on Judgement Day. This includes those who steal money from people for so-called faith healings and then live in luxury and self-indulgence. We cannot buy miracles, health, wealth or happiness from God and no human can provide these things on God’s behalf. We are told to pray to God and wait for His answer. A true Christian knows that they cannot expect a life of ease and prosperity because we are told to count the cost of following Jesus and that we should take up our cross and follow Him daily.

Having explained what a Christian is not, it would be remiss of me not to, briefly, explain what a true Christian is. The Bible says:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life.” (John 3 vs 16)

“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10 vs 13)

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10 vs 9)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1 vs 9)

A true Christian is someone who acknowledges that they have sinned against God. They have confessed their sin and turned away from it (repentance). They have placed their whole faith and trust in Jesus, who lived a perfect life, and then died in their place on the cross. Jesus was punished by God instead of the sinner. They are following Jesus as Saviour and Lord, seeking to live a life that pleases Him. They have a certain hope of Heaven through Jesus’ death and resurrection, not through the good things they now do.

As you can see, being a Christian is about what you believe, not about any number of other things. A true Christian will change and become more like their Saviour, Jesus Christ.

The first step is to believe that He died for you on the cross and to ask for forgiveness of your sin. He promises to forgive all those who come to Him and ask.

Have you trusted Jesus yet?

Inside the Mind of a Prodigal

In Christian circles most, if not all, people know the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke chapter 15. This story is especially useful in our current day. It proves that the Bible is not only relevant but can be applied directly to people’s lives thousands of years after it was written. This could only be possible if the Bible was written by a God who knew the future.

The story also proves that humanity, with all its celebrated progress, doesn’t change. We are still the same weak creatures falling victim to the same temptations over and over again. The devil doesn’t need to change his strategy because we still succumb to his original one.

In brief, the prodigal son demanded, then squandered, his inheritance on wild living until he reached the point where he was penniless and desperate to eat pig food because of the gnawing hunger. Eventually, he came to his senses and returned to his father requesting a position as a household servant. Instead, his father forgave and reinstated him. The story is a picture of God’s patience as we wallow in our sin, and His mercy and forgiveness when we reach the point of repentance.

You may think the idol here was money, but it was actually the things and experiences money could buy. The son was dissatisfied with his life and thought the grass would be greener on the other side. He thought he could find satisfaction in the pleasures of the world, and he probably did, for a while. His happiness, though, was always going to be temporary because our sinful appetites are never satisfied.

I love the NIV rendering of the key verse and turning point in this parable: “When he came to his senses….” This verse tells us that all that had gone before was senseless but it had taken a crisis point in the young man’s life for him to realise it. He had his head buried in the sand as he languished in the consequences of his sin, but there came what we might call a “light-bulb moment”.

I was a prodigal, once. I don’t recommend it. Prodigals are tortured souls.

The difference between those who have made professions of faith and wandered away from the truth, and those who have never heard the truth is stark.

The ever present knowledge that God exists and that one day you will appear before Him as Judge. The restlessness of knowing you can never be completely happy without God and that you will have to return to Him…one day. The desperate search for satisfaction in all manner of things to prove that life without God is possible, and preferable. The desire to enjoy worldly experiences without that nagging twinge of conscience. The gradual distancing from Christian family, friends and church, due to guilt. The anger when people presume to judge your lifestyle. The terror of going to a very real place called Hell, forever.

I could go on, but I think you get the point.

Romans 1 tells us that everyone knows that God exists because He has created them with that knowledge and they can see it in creation. The difference for a prodigal is that they know that they know. They can’t find safety in the crowds of agnostics and atheists because they know that they are lying to themselves. Perhaps, they refuse to talk about religion and avoid the subject altogether, for a limited time. A prodigal is consciously suppressing the truth about God which leads to a lack of peace and turmoil in the soul.  

Maybe, if no one prayed for you, God would leave you alone. Unlikely, because God cares for you much more than the prayer warriors. It’s one thing, though, that you can’t stop people doing, and trust me when I say that they will be doing it. Your parents, relatives and former church friends are praying, and will continue to pray, until you come to your senses and return to the Father who is patiently waiting for you.

Looking back, I can’t believe I spent those six years attempting to run from God. It was all so empty and meaningless. I shudder now at the risks I took each day as I gambled with my life and presumed upon God’s patience and grace. I could have lost my life many times either through recklessness, or through one of the many accidental tragedies that occur every day around the world, one of which took my younger brother during my period of backsliding. Then, where would I be? It doesn’t bear thinking about.

When I came to my senses, the overwhelming feeling was of gratitude and relief; I was grateful that I was no longer carrying my many sins because Jesus had paid for them on the cross, and relieved that I was finally at peace with God. I was no longer at risk of a lost eternity in Hell but had Heaven to look forward to.

Are you a prodigal? Are the brief and passing attractions of the world really worth risking your eternal soul?

Mark 8 vs 36

“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

The Way of the Master?

I stumbled upon a book this week, The Way of the Master by Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron. They run an organisation by the same name, and another called Living Waters. They have produced a number of almost feature length films covering controversial topics, these can be watched on their website or on Youtube at no cost. The most recent is called The Atheist Delusion. Both organisations are committed to biblical evangelism.

They state that the modern Western church has lost its way. That due to an over-emphasis on grace and the love of God our churches are full of false converts. These people have been told that God has a wonderful plan for their lives and that all they need to do is to pray a prayer, sign a card or make a decision to accept Jesus and be restored to God. The majority then continue their lives exactly as before but now with the “saved by Jesus” or "born again" label. There was no repentance and therefore there is no visible change in their behaviour. 

When trials and suffering come to these people, they lose interest in their faith or become angry and disillusioned with God for their plight. They question the “wonderful plan” they were offered and blame God for their circumstances. They then either gradually fall into sin believing that God will forgive them later as life is just too hard, and God is not delivering what He has promised. Or they harden their hearts and walk away from the faith, they are thus in a worse position than they were in in the first place. They have now rejected God completely and are resentful and bitter towards Him if they still acknowledge His existence.

You may be thinking that these observations are not new, and that other well-known preachers and authors (John MacArthur) have been highlighting “easy believism” and other mass conversion methods for years. 

Comfort, however, offers a solution. He suggests that the only way for someone to be soundly converted is to first confront them with the law and then outline God’s plan of salvation through Jesus. He believes that the only way to do this is by using the Ten Commandments to make a person realise that they are a wretched sinner before a holy God.  A person needs to admit that they are a liar, thief and adulterer at heart amongst other things. Then they will understand that God’s wrath is upon them and will therefore desire to escape from the penalty of their sin which is ultimately eternity in hell.

It is only once they have acknowledged their sin that Jesus’ death is offered as the solution. The point is that unless someone realises the danger, they are in they are not going to take action to ensure their personal safety. Comfort uses the analogy of a blind man walking towards the edge of a cliff. Someone comes up to him and tweaks the MP3 player he is carrying to enhance the sound so he can enjoy his journey. He is thrilled and merrily continues towards the cliff edge, presumably falling to his death. This is what we are doing when we focus on people’s immediate physical needs, comfort and wellbeing rather than their eternal destination.

At first, I thought, wow what a great resource and method for evangelism. I watched all the movies on the website and looked at ordering tracts. But I was curious and decided to research what others were saying about Comfort’s ministry—that was an eye opener! It seems Comfort is like Marmite, you either love him or you hate him. 

I expected that, to some degree, due to the controversial issues he tackles. I would’ve been more concerned if he didn’t have his critics. But some of the comments were coming from Christian sources that I respected. 

The main two concerns were that the Ten Commandments were not designed to be used in this way for evangelism as we are now living under the New Covenant. Also, that a “one size fits all” or method approach for evangelism doesn’t allow sufficient room for the Spirit to lead and guide a believer when witnessing. That each person is an individual and should be ministered to as such. 

In relation to the first issue, I can see the concern. In Comfort’s book, he goes to great lengths to explain the significance of the Ten Commandments themselves overlooking the fact that they were originally given to the Israelite nation and not to the gentiles. However, for those who think I am suggesting that the commandments don’t apply to us today--ALL, except one, of the Ten Commandments is actually repeated and confirmed in the New Testament and therefore does apply to NT believers. (The Sabbath Day command is the exception and has little relevance to this discussion about biblical evangelism.)

The question that naturally arises is, why place so much emphasis on the Ten Commandments as given to Moses when we can use the NT with its wider scope and more relevant application for today? That would avoid the common argument that we are not living under the Old Covenant and that therefore the rules don’t apply.   

Critics of Comfort’s approach argue that the use of the Ten Commandments is too narrow and excludes other effective methods. Also, that he is telling people that they will be judged according to their adherence to the Ten Commandments alone. They point out that the bigger offence is the rejection of God and of Jesus as their Saviour from their sin. The greatest commandment given by Jesus Himself is after all, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.” (Matthew 22 vs 37)

Honestly, this is a tough one for me. There are people arguing that scaring or terrifying people about hell is not effective or loving. But personally, it was sufficient to convert me and cause me to give up my worldly life. I'm not sure whether the goodness of God alone would've had the same effect. Convincing people that hell is a real place and that their sins will take them there forever is important. I can see Comfort’s rationale in this respect. I can also see that he has a genuine love for the lost and desire for them to be truly saved.

If there is a choice between the shallow and false conversions we are seeing everywhere today and Comfort’s approach, I would definitely side with Comfort. Actually, the videos that had the biggest impact on me were those of the large numbers of people who claimed they were born again/evangelical Christians cheerfully admitting lying, stealing, pre-marital sex, pornography, drunkenness, drug taking etc. The shocking thing was that these “Christians” felt no shame or guilt about their lifestyles and didn’t even acknowledge that these things were wrong. The main reason given was that everyone else was doing it. They weren’t giving into temptation and repenting and trying again. They were completely unconcerned and apathetic. They were false converts filling the churches on Sundays.

Having said that, I don’t agree with a standardised or method approach that must always be used in evangelism. I have used lots of methods over the years and I think it’s important to really hear the heart of the other person. Sin must be confronted in every Gospel conversation and the Good News about Jesus offered. It is necessary for a person to understand what they are being saved from and how serious their sin is in God’s eyes. I like the way Comfort talks about a change of perspective reminding us that it is our own sin that takes us to hell. He speaks about how ridiculous it is for millions of tiny people (in comparison to God) walking around on the earth shaking their fists at their Creator as if that will change reality.

I would highly recommend the resources on Comfort’s website, Way of the Master, as I believe they will make people think. I admire him for tackling controversial issues that others have avoided. There is no doubt that his work has done a lot of good in the American church. But personally, I would use New Testament texts where possible in evangelism and ensure that the biggest sin of all—rejection of God—is highlighted in any presentation.