People Won't Respond to Irrelevant News

A few decades ago there was a British sitcom called The Office. In one of the episodes, the office manager, David Brent, gathers all his employees and announces that he has good news and bad news. They ask for the bad news first and he tells them that some of them will be losing their jobs. Then, they hopefully ask for the good news and he tells them that he is being promoted. The classic response from one of the by now very annoyed employees is “that’s not good news, that’s bad news and irrelevant news!”

I’ve been thinking about whether we are doing the same thing in evangelism when we start with the Good News of the Gospel or tell people that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives.

Christians often comment that “people just don’t seem to see their need.”

Does our Good News become irrelevant news in the minds of the people because we haven’t started with the sin problem and shown them they need rescuing?

I’ve noticed a trend in Gospel preaching both in the open air and in churches, to major on Jesus and the cross (a good thing) but not to give much context. Sometimes, preachers miss out essential truths like what we need saving from (sin, death, judgement, Hell) and even what we are being saved to (Heaven).

The Message is often, “Come to Jesus, come as you are, especially if you are weary and heavy laden, He will give you peace and rest.” or “Make Jesus king of your life, you won’t regret it.” Many of these preachers make Jesus Himself the end goal rather than Heaven. Does this make any sense to a non-believer, or even a believer?

These messages are often focused on the here and now rather than the eternity that awaits. Listening to some Christians, it’s not clear that there is anything to look forward to in Heaven as they are so invested in the things of the world. But the world is passing away and we are only here for a short time, then we will be in Heaven or Hell, forever.

Ray Comfort (an evangelist) has written a lot about this subject and how we share the Gospel. He favours the Good Person Test where God’s moral law (the 10 commandments) are used to show people their sinfulness. He asks them if they’ve ever told a lie, stolen anything or looked at someone with lust etc….

When they have admitted guilt, he asks them if they were to die would they go to Heaven or Hell. Only when they are well and truly humbled and aware of their dangerous position does he offer the Good News of God’s rescue plan for sinners in Jesus.

I was reading in Nehemiah 8 last week about what happened when Ezra read from the book of the Law. It says he was “making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.” Their response was to weep in repentance as they listened to the words.

Jesus and John the Baptist began their ministries by declaring “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

In Acts 2, Peter confronts the Pentecost crowd with their sin of crucifying Jesus. They were cut to the heart and asked, “What shall we do?”

When Stephen speaks about the prophets having been killed and the law not being kept in Acts 7, the religious leaders are cut to the heart but they gnash their teeth and stone him to death.

Later in Acts, Paul explains the historical context and his own story to the governor, Felix, resulting in him becoming afraid when Paul deals with righteousness, self-control and the judgement to come.

It’s clear from these passages that confronting sin produces a reaction one way or the other. Some people will be afraid and respond in repentance and faith. Others may get angry and reject the message or simply just stop their ears and walk away. There is a division between those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  

Last week in Cambridge in the sweltering heat we met an extremely proud man who was unfortunately acting as a hospital chaplain for the area. He told us that he would never talk to people who were dying about sin or judgement because it was cruel and that instead he would seek to offer them peace and comfort in their final moments. There was no reasoning with him as he thought he knew better than Jesus. What a tragedy that this man, who is in a position to help people find eternal security, is more concerned with earthly provision and being culturally appropriate.

When I share the Gospel, I usually start with Heaven and ask people how they think God decides who gets in. This leads on to something similar to the Good Person Test. Having established that the person isn’t good in God’s eyes. I usually go back to Creation and the Fall of man. Only then does God’s redemption plan for humanity (Jesus on the cross) really make sense. Towards the end of the discussion, I urge the person not to stand before God on Judgement Day with all their unforgiven sin because God will send them to Hell. Then I return to the Good News of Jesus.

In Cambridge last week, after I’d shared the Gospel, three different people in three separate conversations, told me they would go away and read books that I had given them that very night! This doesn’t always happen and it’s not a reflection of my skill as an evangelist. But these individuals had obviously sensed the urgency of their situation and realised that this was something they needed to look into immediately.

We can’t convert people, only God can change a person’s heart, but we can certainly ensure they understand their situation and try to convey the importance of these matters. It’s almost impossible to do this without talking about sin, judgement, death and Hell.

In the parables of the pearl of great price and the hidden treasure, when the characters find what they are seeking, they sell all they have to buy it. In John 6, when Jesus asks his disciples whether they are going to leave as everyone else has done, Peter responds, “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

I asked Ray Comfort recently through a Zoom Q and A if we should be including counting the cost in our Gospel presentations. His answer was no for an interesting reason. He said that if we are sharing the Gospel properly and biblically, we shouldn’t need to.

He was right. None of the people in the Bible stories above needed to be advised to count the cost. They understood what was on offer and they were all in.

If people are made aware of their perilous situation, then we can offer true hope in the Gospel as a remedy for their alarm. Instead, we are often putting the cart before the horse, offering comfort and peace or other life enhancements when the person is teetering on a cliff edge. We must warn people of the judgement that is coming and urge them to repent before it’s too late.

We need to remember that Jesus came into the world on a rescue mission. He came to die on a cross for the sins of the world. He bridged the gap between God and man making a way for us to be saved from the wrath to come, and enter Heaven.

Let’s make sure our news isn’t irrelevant by starting with the bad news which ensures people understand their situation and can joyfully respond to the Good News!

Why We Shouldn't Worry About Climate Change

Global warming and the drive to net zero seem to be the big issue of the day, at least in the West.

The reasons for this are debatable; some would say there is evidence things are heating up, whilst others might point to the attractiveness of a common purpose in the face of increasing helplessness in other areas of life. I’m sure there are other reasons too.

Environmentalism and taking care of the planet are also being given more and more house room in Christian circles. Whether it stems from panic about the scientific warnings or an interpretation of God’s instructions to Adam and Eve, again people have different reasons for their willingness to consider these things.

So what is the right interpretation of global events in the here and now? How should Christians respond to these challenges?

Here are some reasons we shouldn’t worry about climate change:

1. God is in control

This is the most obvious point. God created and sustains the Universe. He made sure conditions on Earth were exactly right for humans to live and function, albeit things have been spoiled by sin. The Bible says that “as long as the Earth remains Summer and Winter, seedtime and harvest, day and night will never cease”. It makes sense for atheists to panic about the possibility of us all being fried as temperatures increase, but not for Christians to do likewise. We should trust the God who created us and Who loves His Creation.

2. It’s a distraction

There are a lot of people jumping on the bandwagon with this issue which can act as a distraction from the chaos in the world. It’s well known that having a common purpose or goal and being involved in something of a team effort can motivate, encourage and inspire people to action. People need to pour their energies into something and climate activism and saving the planet are the flavour of the decade. But when all is said and done, it is just a distraction that won’t help people figure out the important issues of life and eternity.

3. We are meant to use the resources

Another one for Christians. God told Adam and Eve to use the Earth’s natural resources. In the Garden of Eden they were told to work and to take care of the garden mainly to get food to eat. After the fall, Adam was told that working the land would be harder but that was still God’s instruction. Later, after the flood, God tells Noah he can now eat animals as well as plants. If preserving the planet means that we cannot use resources in the way God intended, then we need to have a rethink.

4. It’s expensive

This is linked to the previous point. The drive to reach net zero is costing a fortune and exacerbating the cost of living crisis. Making things more sustainable and avoiding fossil fuels in favour of more expensive, cleaner energy isn’t practical for most people. The EPC targets for landlords are pushing up rents and causing landlords to exit the markets in droves as they can’t afford to operate. This will lead to a lack of affordable housing and increase the number of homeless.  Is the trade off worth it?

5. There are more important issues

Even if climate change is a problem, it doesn’t have anything to do with the most important things in life. A person’s greatest need, whether they know it or not, is forgiveness of their sin and peace with God which is obtained through the cross of Jesus. Then, they will have an eternity in Heaven to look forward to if and when the Earth fails.

I was disappointed when a well-known evangelist, who died in recent years, told us he had added “the environment” to his list of priorities for the future. In contrast, a church went viral when it displayed a large banner stating "We preach Christ crucified, not climate change!"

Seeking to preserve life in the here and now is an obvious priority for an atheist who thinks this life is all there is, but why are Christians focusing on environmentalism. Our home is not here on Earth, at least it shouldn’t be. We should be laying up treasure in Heaven. Even if we manage to preserve our planet for longer, people are still dying every day and heading to a lost eternity in Hell, our priority should be to reach them with the Gospel before it is too late.

6. We are told not to worry

Another one for Christians. The Bible tells us not to worry or to be anxious about anything because God knows what we need and will provide our necessities. Our attitude towards these things which can create panic and make people feel helpless, should be different from those who aren’t trusting in an all powerful Creator God. 

We have an opportunity to show that Christians aren’t afraid that things will implode or explode outside of God’s will. A bit like during Covid when some Christians seemed to be just as anxious as their non-believing friends and neighbours, we miss a trick if we succumb to the same “doom and gloom” as the people of the world.

7. The evidence shows it has happened before

A scientist professor friend of mine has spoken extensively on this topic and suggests the world has heated up and cooled down in similar ways before. Here is his YouTube research which is far more eloquent than I could be in this area  What about Climate Change? (with Prof. Steve Taylor)

8. It’s impossible to reverse

Let’s play devil’s advocate for a minute and suggest that climate change is a real and serious threat to humanity. Can we really do anything about it? Studies have shown that even when we do our very, very best to reach our net zero targets, we fail drastically.

It may be possible to make some progress in the developed world, if we give up some creature comforts for the good of the masses, but what about those developing nations that aren’t interested in being part of the mission? What about the huge economies of China and India who can’t or aren’t playing ball?

Nations would all have to work together and history tells us that this isn’t possible and that there will be wars and rumours of wars. Imagine trying to get to net zero in the middle of a war when these things go out of the window.

9. We don’t really know what we are doing

Scientists may think they have the answer to this problem but because Earth is sustained and controlled by God, there is much that isn’t known. Look at what happens when people change one element of the eco-system or add or remove something from it. Suddenly, we see what that element was there for and how valuable it was. There are all manner of unintended consequences and side effects when we meddle.

As the Earth was supernaturally created in the first place, perhaps some natural laws haven’t been properly understood. The idea that billions of tiny ant like people, even working together, can reverse the decline of the Earth by changing our habits is bonkers if you think about it.

10. The earth will be destroyed

According to the Bible and as a consequence of sin, the Earth will be destroyed by fire at the end. Indeed, it says in 2 Peter that “the elements will be destroyed by fire and the Earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.” This passage further instructs that “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?” You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire and the elements will melt in the heat….” It’s clear that to be focusing on preservation of the planet which is intended for destruction is folly.

Conclusion

Should we look after the planet that God has given us to the best of our ability? Yes, of course. We should love our neighbour and value the resources we have been given by God.

Should we invest huge amounts of money, time and energy seeking to preserve the Earth or reverse the decline? Even if we could change the course that God has set, we should have other priorities.

All people need to hear the Good News that Jesus came to save them from their sin. They need to be called to repentance (turn from their way and start going God’s way) and faith. This call is urgent and determines where people spend eternity which is far more important than this life on Earth which is passing away.