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.

Does God Still Speak to us in Dreams?

I was planning to write a post about free speech as our open-air keeps getting shut down in Rochdale, then I thought about the importance of relevancy in evangelism because people don’t want to hear irrelevant news. 

Somehow, these topics didn’t inspire me and then last night, I had a dream…..

 In my dream, I was standing in front of a mirror in the toilets of a hospital, presumably washing my hands. A girl appeared at the wash-basin next to me and I saw her reflection in the mirror. Her head was shaved completely and she was dragging an intravenous drip containing medications. She was wearing a dressing gown and looked very unwell.

 On seeing my face in the mirror she immediately smiled and enthusiastically said my name. I looked closer but I didn’t recognise the girl. It was difficult to put an age on her due to the absence of hair on her head. Despite my lack of acknowledgement, she began chattering about things that had happened in the past. It was obvious that she knew me and knew me well. I concluded that we must have been good friends.

The girl told me that she had been given a terminal cancer diagnosis and only had two months to live. I felt terribly sad for her. She asked if I could come and visit her and proceeded to escort me to her ward.

At this point, I realised that I needed to say something rather than just allowing myself to be swept along by the girl’s excitement at recognising an old friend. I said simply, “You know that if I come and visit you, I will be speaking to you about Jesus.”

The girl hesitated and temporarily let go of my arm. Then, she nodded and quietly said, “I know I didn’t want to hear this stuff before, but now I’ve got nothing to lose.”

 Then, I woke up.

It’s fair to say that a dream like this is unsettling. Is there an old friend somewhere in the UK dying of cancer that I’m meant to share the Gospel with? Is that person actually in Southeast Asia or America or another part of the world that I’ve visited on my travels? Is it someone I knew in the UK who now lives elsewhere? 

If I start thinking like this, the possibilities are endless and could lead to panic as I try to identify them before it’s too late!
 
Perhaps, I should try to work out what my dream means by reading the Bible? After all, that’s always good advice, isn’t it? 

My Old Testament reading today states this:
 
    “When there is a prophet among you. I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams.” (Numbers 12 vs 6)
 
According to this verse, the only one in my reading today that refers to dreams, if God sent my dream, I must be a prophet. Hmmm…
 
This may sound silly, but sadly this is how some Christians respond to every dream, sign or other seemingly miraculous event in their lives. They come up with their own interpretation of what God is saying and take Bible verses out of context to support their chosen path. I sometimes meet confused people who have done this and are still focusing on a dream wrongly interpreted and sometimes even confirmed by unwise church leaders.
 
If God had been wanting me to take some specific course of action in relation to an individual, the person would probably have had a face that I recognised. God doesn’t hide His will from us; He wants us to find it. The Bible passage that I read can’t be applied to this situation as, clearly, I’m not a prophet.
 
So, is my dream worthless? Did I eat too much cheese yesterday?
 
Well, God is in control and He allowed me to have this dream so it may be useful. I can take certain things from the dream, submit them to the Bible and perhaps take a less drastic course of action than frantically travelling the world to find my unidentified dying friend.
 
    -The theme of the dream is obviously the urgency of evangelism. The girl had been given two months to live which had put everything into perspective for her. The distractions of the world were no longer her focus as she faced death and eternity. Some here would object to Christians preying on the vulnerable, but the reality is that this girl needs to be offered hope for a future life in Heaven. Surely, telling a person how they might be forgiven of sin and find peace with God is the loving and kind thing to do at the end of their earthly life.
 
    -The dream could be a reminder that it’s never too late to make peace with God. In conversations on the street people often tell me that it’s too late for them which we know isn’t true because of stories like the thief on the cross who received forgiveness as he was dying. However, occasionally, someone asks a question like, “Can I do this at any time?” The answer is always, “Yes, but don’t leave it too long as we aren’t guaranteed tomorrow.”
 
    -Another aspect of the dream might be that a person may be more likely to listen to someone they already have a connection with whether it’s current or from the past. My main evangelistic work is with strangers but I still have responsibility to share with people I know.    
 
   -We can also see from the dream that although someone has rejected God in the past, their circumstances might change and they may be willing to listen on a second, third or fourth attempt.  So, we should persevere and not give up even if they have previously told us they aren't interested. We must find the courage to try again.
 
     -The setting of the dream was a hospital. As a result of attending the FEW conference for evangelists a few weeks ago, I had already looked into the possibility of joining Good News for Everyone (GNFE). One of the reasons for this was to try and get Bibles into places locally, including hospitals and to have conversations with people in these settings. I had spoken to one of my church leaders, who is involved with GNFE and I’m hoping to attend a prayer meeting with local members soon. Perhaps, the dream was a reminder not to forget this ministry and to ensure I get to that meeting.
 
   -In the dream, I was also struck by how alone the girl appeared to be. Being given a terminal diagnosis with such a short time left, will make a person feel alone even if they are surrounded by friends and family, but we mustn’t assume people have a support network as there are plenty of people who don’t have anyone. We know this because of the tragic cases of people who die in their homes and lay undiscovered for weeks, months and even years because no one has missed them. You might be the only person who cares for someone.
 
   -The final lesson that can be extracted from the dream is the importance of taking every opportunity to share the Gospel. It would have been easy to enjoy reminiscing and there probably were plenty of memories that could have made the girl’s last days enjoyable enough, but her greatest need in that moment was to hear that Jesus saves and that she needs to get right with God. It was interesting that, in the dream, she responded as if she knew what was coming when she encouraged me to visit her. It wasn’t the reason she asked me, but she was open to the possibility in a way that she hadn’t been before. I only found this out when I braved the conversation.
 
Perhaps, you’re thinking that I’m over analysing my dream and that there’s no way God intended to communicate all of this to me or maybe that I come across as a bit too much of a hero. I did wonder this myself as, confronted with this situation in reality, I may not have been as bold as I was in my dream.  
 
However, all of the things that I’ve extracted can also be found in the Bible and are a good motivator for evangelism so I think they are profitable.
 
To answer my original question: Does God still speak to us in dreams? 

I don’t really know, but if He does, He will confirm anything He wants us to learn through His Word and it will always be in context.

Bridging the Gap by Keeping the Focus on the Gospel

In my last post, I reflected on the growing gap between believers and non-believers, as well as those attending church and those who don’t go to church. This separation is evident in the ignorance of many people--there is no longer an understanding of what the Bible teaches or of mainstream Christian beliefs. Children are not taught these truths in school and parents have stopped sending their children to Sunday school. Adults don’t discuss religion and don’t see how anything the Bible could have to say would be relevant to them.

I have recently started taking a book table with free Christian books out in my local town centre for a few hours a week. I thought it would be a pretty non-confrontational way to get Christian literature into the hands of those living in the town. It is a different type of low-key evangelism aiming to build contacts and, in time, get people to church.

A few weeks ago I was sitting quietly reading near to the table, but not on top of it. I try to keep a distance so people don’t think I’m going to pounce on them and preach a sermon if they show a flicker of interest. I can usually sense whether someone wants me to talk to them or not by their body language as they look at the books.

Anyway, on this day, my peace and solitude was suddenly disturbed by the noisy arrival of a white van man. He crashed to a stop directly in front of me obscuring the table from view. He then jumped out and marched to the back of the van where he began opening then slamming doors. He was a youngish man wearing shorts and casual clothing. I did not expect to have any interaction with him.

I watched his activity thinking that, based on his appearance, (I know this is a stereotype but we all do it!) he wouldn’t even cast a glance at my books. I was also silently praying that he would move along quickly so that my table would be visible again. However, there was an “Oy love” or something similar shouted in my general direction followed by something about Bibles. Confused, I immediately felt a stab of guilt, this man was actually a lost soul looking for a Bible and I had been wishing him somewhere else….

“You are looking for a Bible?” I keenly asked him.

“No, I said, what version of the Bible do you use?” He responded as he continued loudly going about his work.

Still thinking he was looking for a Bible, I said “Well, I have some John’s Gospel’s here and my church uses the New King James version.”

“You know that’s corrupted,” he responded. He then proceeded to tell me the reasons why, at length. At times he was shouting at me across the street as he moved around his vehicle. This was obviously drawing the attention of passers by. Nothing like a loud debate about religion to draw a crowd.

I patiently waited for him to finish before explaining why the Bible wasn’t corrupted. At this point, he changed the subject and still in the same loud voice began explaining why Christians should use the “flat earth theory” as their foundation for evangelism. (You think I’m joking but there are an increasing number of these people around.) He even had proof of the effectiveness of this method in the form of a recent convert, or so he said.

After discussing some of these issues somewhat fruitlessly with the man who was becoming more and more aggressive as I refused to accept what he was saying, he disappeared into a shop. Re-emerging he tried to continue insisting that I needed to watch certain videos on Youtube and to change my methods of evangelism and the Bible I was using etc etc. I changed the subject by asking him which church he was involved in. Turns out, he doesn’t go to church, corruption there as well….

Why have I relayed this story? Not to highlight the absurdity of this man’s beliefs, or to express my frustration with this type of situation. Purely to demonstrate what happens when the focus of our faith becomes something other than the Gospel. It makes me very sad that this man had become so fixated on two areas that don’t have much, if anything, to do with forgiveness of sin through Jesus. He was so desperate to convert me to his way of thinking that he wasn’t hearing the true message that I was trying to convey to him.

This man claimed to be a Christian yet he was willing to spend time debating these issues aggressively in public in the presence of many non-believers. What an evangelistic tool a conversation between two believers in the street could have been if we had been able to encourage each other with truths from the Bible, whichever version we happened to be holding.

Similarly, in my town, I have been attempting to befriend a drug addicted lady who mixes with some pretty dangerous people. I learned, the hard way, in the Philippines, how to try and truly help people with these types of problems. I also developed a thick(er) skin for self preservation!

This lady was ranting and raving abuse at me whilst standing smoking behind my book table. Clearly, the situation was less than ideal not only because passer’s by probably assumed she was my ministry partner which raised some Christians eyebrows and kept the rest well away, but now because she was screaming and swearing at me.

It crossed my mind that the police might be called which would be tricky. She was upset because I was trying to draw some basic boundaries about what I was and wasn’t prepared to do to help her. This involved reminding her constantly that I could and would give her short term help on the day she needed it, but that long term help could only come from God and that her true need was to get right with Him.

Afterwards, it occurred to me that this was probably akin to gobbledegook in her drug induced rage and that I was probably frustrating her by referencing a Deity that she could not comprehend or see the relevance of, for her immediate problems. This became evident when she calmed down sufficiently for me to offer to buy her lunch at a nearby cafe. After initially refusing due to a sudden stab of conscience and not wanting to “use me,” she consented.

We sat down and she began eating. I tried to broach the God topic again, this time with more urgency as I honestly didn’t know how long this woman could continue living in her emaciated body with the risks she was taking on a daily basis. I could see that she was softening towards me, probably due to the food. She realised that she needed to show willing and that all I really wanted was for her to listen to me talk about God. This is what she said….

“Do you mean like when the man gets some bread and …er…does something…and dips it in something and er……”

“No, look, forget all that.” I cut her off abruptly with a wave of my hand. Perhaps, I shouldn’t have told her to forget her vague idea of Communion but that could be dealt with at a later stage.

Improvising, I looked around and grabbed two sugars. I placed them on different sides of the table then placed a teaspoon in the middle. “This is God,” I said, pointing to one of the sugars. “This is you, and me.” I pointed to the other sugar which she was staring at intently. “This spoon is all the bad things we do. It keeps us separated from God because He is perfect and holy and cannot get close to us because of it. That is also why we cannot get to heaven.” I looked around for something else and grabbed a ketchup bottle, it helped that it was red but I think this aspect was lost on her. “This is Jesus. He died for the bad things we do. He died instead of us and took our punishment. He is like a bridge between us and God.” As I said this, I picked up the spoon and balanced it on top of the ketchup bottle. My presentation had become even more urgent as I was just desperate for her to understand. She was still staring at the hastily assembled items then she looked up. Making eye contact she spoke softly, “I get it now.” She cried then about her life and everything that had gone wrong. We talked for a long time, I made sure I explained how she could get right with God and filled in some of the gaps, then she went home.

I saw her again a few weeks later and she seemed a lot calmer, something was different in her general demeanour, she was less frantic. She had started making gradual changes and was trying to keep off the drugs. She mentioned the sugars, spoon and ketchup bottle and how she had heard bits of this message over the years but hadn’t understood it. Now, she said she did. She took a John’s Gospel from my table. She asked to come to church.

We arranged to pick her up but she didn’t turn up at the meeting point. The next time I saw her she blanked me in the street. This is where the thick skin comes in and I have to trust that if God has His hand on her, she will be back. I sense that she is lost in the darkness of the underworld and that she can see the light of Jesus hovering at the edge, that she is starting to grasp for it but that things are getting in the way. Please pray for her.

This story is another example of the gap between believers and non-believers. I established later that the lady had been thinking back to a time when she had been given Communion, or their equivalent, in a Greek Orthodox church. Christianity had become about this vague ceremony in her mind.

A Christian recently told me how excited he was that a local school had allowed a vicar in to give all of the children Communion. I was shocked commenting that most were probably not Christians and that this would surely do more harm than good, according to the warnings in the Bible. However, this man felt that the fact that there was Christian influence in the school through the Communion was a good thing. Is this not, though, just another way of getting side-tracked from a person’s true need?

During evangelism, it is essential that we stick to the core truths of the Gospel and simplify them to the level of the person we are speaking to. This is where debates about methods fade into obscurity because we cannot plan for every situation. Sometimes, when we are faced with someone ready to listen and in a desperate condition, all we will have is two sugars, a spoon and a ketchup bottle!

In our town, a group of churches (not including our church,) have regular healing meetings on the street. They combine this with preaching. A fair number of people stop and receive prayer for healing. At least one of the main leaders believes that it’s always God’s will to heal and I’m sure he’s communicating this to the non-believing community.

Will these people go away and find peace with God as a result of this intervention? What will happen to them if they aren’t healed? Surely then, the gap between believers and non-believers will be wider as they won’t trust anything that is said by Christians in the future. Perhaps, they will also doubt the God that the Christians claim to represent when they promise healing in His name and He doesn’t deliver. If God does deliver and heal the person, will they know enough of the Gospel to realise that their greatest need is forgiveness of sin rather than just earthly healing?

We must keep the focus on the Gospel during our evangelism. Forgiveness of sin through Jesus is the only way that a person can be saved eternally. We can bridge the gap between believers and non-believers by communicating the life-saving message in a way that the recipient can understand and relate to.

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

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.

The Offence of Christian Evangelism

In Western society, people are increasingly concerned about what is and isn’t offensive. You will hear the words tolerance, openness, inclusivity and diversity in almost every speech. Aspiring political leaders vie to offer a greater demonstration of these values.  But what do these words really mean? Is it even possible to apply them in a society that we expect to actually function? 

A previous post asked the question “What is truth?” Some would say that people with a definite answer to that question are offending others who hold a different view. If I answer that truth is found in the Bible, I am offending those who believe that it is found elsewhere, or those who believe that truth is relative. But for the moment, due to freedom of speech, “offending” someone is still okay.

What about those who, after Brexit, decided to express their suppressed prejudices through racism, xenophobia or other criminal acts? They believed that the vote legitimised their illegal expression. I think we can all agree that these activities are unacceptable and that such people should be punished in accordance with the law. But what about the views that led to the actions--should people be allowed to hold those views in the first place? How can they be prevented from forming and holding convictions that the vast majority find offensive?

The whole debate is really nonsense as it is totally subjective. Who decides what is and isn’t offensive? If free speech is enshrined in law, then we have to accept that sometimes we will not agree with each other and may therefore be offended by someone else’s viewpoint. The alternative is a society where everyone thinks, speaks and acts in an identical manner to avoid offending another person. Individuality, creativity and intelligent thought are dead—slain on the altar of political correctness. Do we really want to end up living in the utopia’s of 1984, Brave New World or Fahrenheit 451? 

That sets the context for my narrower subject which is the “offence” of Christian evangelism. I thought it would be helpful for those who do not appreciate Christians’ efforts to “convert” them to hear a different perspective. From conversations over the years, I’ve surmised that a lot of atheists, agnostics and people of other faiths believe that Christians evangelise for one or all of the following reasons:

●     To prove that they are right and everyone else is wrong

●     To gain numbers for the church/their own personal “soul count”

●     To earn their way to heaven by gaining favour with God

●     To impress others with their good deeds

●     Because their church leader/denomination tells them to

It’s no wonder, then, that most people resist these evangelistic efforts and may even get irritated when they see the evangelist coming. The common denominator in this list is “self-focus.” Unfortunately, many of us have fallen into the trap of making evangelism about ourselves and our churches instead of about God.

So what should be the motivator for Christian evangelism? I once read a short story about a Christian man who was staying for three weeks with a friend that he had not seen for a very long time. At the end of the period, when he was about to leave, he was rebuked by a series of questions; 

“Tell me, you are a Christian are you not?” 

 “Yes sir, I am”

 “Does Christianity then dry up all the milk of human kindness and compassion, rendering it obsolete?”

 “Whatever do you mean?”

 “Here you have been staying under my roof for three whole weeks. We have been eating together, conversing and spending much time in each other’s company. And yet not once have you placed your hand on my shoulder and sought to tell me how I might save my own soul from an eternity in hell. That is where you believe I am heading, is it not?”

I cannot recall the source and the exact dialogue between the two men, but that was the gist of their conversation and it has stayed with me through the years. The salient point is obviously that the non-believer was expecting the believer to share his faith with him. He saw the failure as evidence of a lack of love and care for him as a friend. It should be the natural, innate desire of a Christian to share the Good News with those that cross their path.

Society tells Christians to pipe down—that espousing their views is offensive. Christians begin to conform and to ask one another whether they even need to tell others what they believe. Maybe they can have a private faith and keep it all in house. Maybe it is more loving and less offensive in a free society—live and let live!

But the Gospel is an offence and God tells us to share it with others. It is an offence to tell someone that unless they believe that Jesus died on the cross in their place and for their sin, they are going to hell forever. We don’t need to be offensive in the way that we deliver the message. But if it is the message itself that offends, then so be it, if we really believe the truth of our own message. Maybe that is the bigger issue….

Sadly, we may never have the chance to hear those fateful words “But why didn’t you tell me?” Our friends, neighbours and colleagues who either didn’t hear or didn’t believe the Gospel will already be spending an eternity in hell. In heaven, we will not have the chance to empathise with them in their predicament because there is no sadness, mourning or crying. It will be too late.

Today is the day of salvation. Time is short. Let’s remember that this world with its values and ideas about what is and isn’t offensive is passing away. There will be no platform for political correctness on judgement day. Let’s not be hampered by those who seek to silence us for the perceived public good. Let’s steer clear of church politics, soul counting and other similarly damaging practices. Let’s instead reach out to those around us with the right motivation—love for them and concern for their eternal souls.

1 Corinthians 1 vs 18

 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Acts 4 vs 12

 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Acts 4 vs 19-20

 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

2 Corinthians 6 vs 2

Behold, now is the favourable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.