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The Six Styles of Evangelism

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Charles Spurgeon, the great Baptist pastor at London’s Metropolitan Tabernacle (in the mid-1800’s), was known for his bold evangelistic style of preaching. In fact, he is credited (along with George Whitfield, Charles Finney, and others) with the “altar call” or “invitation” moment that became popular in many Baptist churches (and other protestant churches) in the 1900s. On one occasion a woman challenged him, saying she didn’t like his way of evangelism. As he talked to her, he asked how she shared with Christ others and over the course of the conversation she had to admit that she really didn’t. To that, Spurgeon answered, “Well, I like my way better than yours.”
What is your way of telling others about Jesus? If you are a follower of Jesus, you are the light of the world. Jesus says that you are not to hide out, but you are to let your light shine before others. So how are you intentionally doing this?
I thought about entitling this post, “Being Yourself” or “You’ve Got Style”. There are actually as many “styles” of evangelism as there are people, because it takes all kinds of believers to reach all kinds of unbelievers. Do this exercise: Read through each one thoughtfully and decide which one best describes you (most of us will lean toward more than one but you’ll discover yourself in one style primarily). Determine which one you are and then hone that “style” and the skills/gifts that God brings with that particular style. The six styles below are adapted from “Becoming a Contagious Christian”, by Bill Hybels. A wonderful, practical guide to personal evangelism.

1. Direct Style
Biblical Example: Peter- Acts 2
Characteristics: confident, assertive
Theme Verse: “Preach the word; be prepared in season & out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction.” 2 Tim. 4:2
Examples: Billy Graham, Greg Laurie, Tim Tebow
Cautions: Be sure to use tact when confronting people w/truth – Don’t offend!

2. Intellectual Style
Biblical Example: Paul- Acts 17 (while in Athens- his challenge regarding the “unknown god”). Paul is regarded as one of the greatest intellectuals ever known.
Characteristics: inquisitive, analytical, logical
Theme Verse: “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15
Examples: Josh McDowell, N.T. Wright, Tim Keller
Cautions: Don’t substitute giving answers for sharing the Gospel Message. Don’t become argumentative and learn to be a good listener.

3. Testimonial Style
Biblical Example: Blind man- John 9 He’s healed by Jesus and they ask him, “Was this man a prophet?” He responds by telling his story. “I don’t know. All I know is I was blind and now I see!” No one can deny your personal story.
Theme verse: “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:3
Examples: Corrie Ten Boom, Lee Strobel, Joni Erikson Tada, “I am Second” website. Caution: Talk about Jesus and what He’s done- not simply about yourself. Bring glory to Him.

4. Interpersonal Style
Biblical Example: Matthew- Luke 5:29 He invited all his tax-colleting buddies over to his house for a party in order to meet Jesus.
Characteristics: Generally a warm personality, conversational, friendship-oriented
Theme Verse: “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:22
Examples: Much has been written about “Lifestyle Evangelism” and how to open your life to those around you. I love a book called, “Questioning Evangelism” by Randy Newman (he proposes that asking questions is the primary means to share the Gospel- not unlike Jesus’ “rabbinic method”).
The caution: Do not value friendships over truth-telling.

5. Invitational Style
Biblical example: Woman at the Well- John 4
Characteristics: hospitable, relational, persuasive
Theme verse: “Then the master told His servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.” Luke 14:23
We see another example of this in John 1. Here we see a sequence of events, one person inviting another person to meet Jesus. In John 1:40 it says the first thing that Andrew did was tell his brother Peter. Then the next day Philip invited Nathanial to come and see Jesus. Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said: “Come and see.” Sometimes we just need to say, “Come and see!” Just come. Imagine this: If you know anything about Peter’s role in the early church- What if Andrew had never invited Peter to meet Jesus? A single invitation can change a life, or many lives.

6. Serving Style
Biblical Example: Dorcas- Acts 9:36 (a.k.a. Tabitha) “She was always doing good and helping the poor.”
Characteristics: Others-centered, humble, patient, caring.
Theme verse: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Examples: We see this approach to evangelism in ministries like Buckner International, World Vision. So many examples within our church family.
The caution: Actions are no substitute for words (Rom. 10:14). Nowhere in the Bible does anyone come to faith without words- even the Ethiopian Eunuch (who was reading the Scriptures) needed Philip to explain it to him and share the Gospel.

So, what’s your style? Put it to practice.. today.

The Misplaced Doctrine of Lostness

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Throughout the Bible it is very clear that sin has separated us from God and we are in desperate need of rescue. We are LOST apart from God’s intervention. It was Jesus Himself who explained His core purpose in coming in Luke 19 when He said,

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

Save from what? What does it mean to be ‘lost”? The Bible describes the state of the lost as “dead in trespasses and sins,” “children of disobedience,” “perishing,” “condemned,” “under the wrath of God,” “blind,” “in the powers of darkness,” “living in darkness,” “under the control of Satan,” “disobedient to God”. THIS is the scandal of the cross- this is what’s so offensive about the Gospel. You are lost and hell-bound apart from Christ and there is nothing you can do about it. The most well-known verse..

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

It says, “perish”, but perish in what way? Jesus said,

“Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and His angels.” Matthew 25:41

In fact, it was JESUS spoke more about hell than anyone else- because He did NOT want anyone to go there. Have we become so sophisticated, so educated, so enlightened, that we no longer believe in hell? Well, unfortunately studies (Pew Research and Barna) reveal that we do NOT. Only 59% of Americans believe in hell. Interestingly, about 80% believe in heaven and of those who do and most- close to 70% believe they’ll go to heaven when they die. But most troubling is the differences in how they anticipate getting there. The Barna Research group says that only 43% of those who think they’re going to heaven said that they would get there because they have “confessed their sins and have accepted Christ as their Savior”. The other 57% believe they’ll get to heaven because they’ve “tried to obey the 10 commandments” or they’ve “basically been a good person” or because “God loves everyone and will not let anyone perish”. And only one-half of 1% of Americans believe they’re going to hell. Here’s where all these numbers come down for us today: Probably the MOST disturbing number from studies like this is that 50% of people in Protestant churches today are NOT Christians- that is, they have never received Christ as their Lord and Savior. Have most of us become “closet universalists”- believing that, in the end, everyone is going to heaven?

The Power of the Gospel (Romans 10:9-17)
1. The Gospel is salvation through faith in Christ. (9-10)
• IF you…
Notice that our salvation is conditional- immediately we see that not everyone is saved.
• confess with your mouth
What Paul is NOT saying is that simply SAYING something out loud will save you. We must understand our context here, he has said that the people of Israel, under Moses and the Law- had the word in their mouths- they knew the Law, they could say the Law, but it also had to be in their hearts. He’s continuing this parallel of thought and expression. In fact he explains:
• believe in your heart
Believe what? “That Jesus raised Him from the dead”- this would involve His life, suffering, death, burial and resurrection- the Gospel is Christ’s death upon the cross and His subsequent burial and resurrection. Notice Paul says, it is with the heart that we believe and are justified.
• you will be saved. What is the Gospel? In the end the Gospel is Jesus.
When we get saved, we get Him. The GOSPEL is not being a good person- it’s Christ’s righteousness covering my sin. I am superior to no one- I’m a Christian because of what Christ has done- NOT what I have done.
Let’s rediscover the doctrine of lostness in our preaching, our teaching, and in all aspects of our mission.

Revolutionary Prayer

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An elderly Jewish man had been praying at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem for Arabs and Jews to stop their fighting. Someone asked him, “How long have you been praying?” “50 years” “How do you feel, praying for that long and the fighting continues?” “Like I’m talking to a brick wall.”

Have you ever felt like that guy? Let’s all just get real honest- we’ve all struggled with prayer. We’ve all felt guilty for not praying enough, we’ve all doubted the reality of prayer and we’ve all wondered if God really answers prayer. We’ve all walked through seasons of prayerlessness and the truth be known many of us pray very little.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

In Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus teaches us that the main reason for unanswered prayer is prayerlessness.

In his classic work, With Christ in the School of Prayer, Andrew Murray writes, “Moses gave neither command nor regulation with regard to prayer: even the prophets say little directly of the duty of prayer. It is Christ who teaches us to pray.”

What is prayer? Prayer is communication and communion with God. Again, only in Christ do you find a relationship, a friendship, communion with God.

Why pray? The purpose of prayer is to develop my relationship and intimacy with Christ and align my life up to His will.
I’ve thought about my relationship with Stacy (think about anyone you love)- my relationship with her has very little to do with asking her to do things for me. It’s really all about expressing my love for her, just being with her, getting to know her, and asking, “How can I love you more?” This is the kind of intimacy our Lord Jesus seeks with us:

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

Why don’t we pray? The main reason we do not pray is our own self-sufficiency. We think we do not need our Lord’s help.

Common Misconceptions of Prayer:

1. Prayer doesn’t work.
That’s another way of saying that God doesn’t answer my prayers. What happens is some of us have prayed and we think God hasn’t answered our prayers so we assume that He must not answer anyone’s prayers. We hear testimony of answered prayers and we think, “That didn’t happen. That was just a coincidence.” Well, for those who have discovered the adventure of prayer, we know that it’s sure interesting how many coincidences start happening when we pray.
“I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.” Psalm 17:6 It’s been said, “When we work, WE work, when we pray, GOD works.”

2. Prayer is breaking down the reluctance of God.
Prayer is not getting beyond God’s reluctance; it is laying hold of His highest willingness.

“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:11

3. Prayer is not necessary. Again, prayer is the essence of the Christian life because the Christian life is all about a passionate pursuit of intimacy of relationship with Christ. It’s the ONE thing you’ve been called and the ONE thing you must devote your attention to.

4. Prayer is about asking God for what I want.
Johnny had been misbehaving and was sent to his room. After a while he emerged and informed his mother that he had thought it over and then said a prayer. “Fine,” said the pleased mother. “If you ask God to help you not misbehave, He will help you.” “Oh, I didn’t ask Him to help me not misbehave,” said Johnny. “I asked Him to help you to able to put up with me.” We need to move from selfish prayers. We struggle with our needs vs. our wants.

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:3

5. Prayer must be eloquent.
The most common prayer in the Bible is the simple prayer. A quick study of the prayers in the Bible reveals raw, heartfelt, and desperate prayers are the most common.

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” Matthew 6:7
One night Will’s parents overheard this prayer. “Now I lay me down to rest, and hope to pass tomorrow’s test, if I should die before I wake, that’s one less test I have to take.” Raw, heartfelt, honest prayer is the prayer of a child of God. All of these misconceptions are hindrances to prayer but:

6. The most common hindrance to unanswered prayer: Prayerlessness.
“…you do not have, because you do not ask God.” James 4:2
When we pray, according to His will, His character, His “name”, God answers our prayers- 100% of the time.

“I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” John 16:23-24

What’s the Gospel?

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At the core of our Message, our ministries, our lives, our hope, and life is the Gospel.  The longer I preach the more convinced I am that I (we) have but one message: the Gospel of Grace found only in Christ. Surely all of Scripture is inspired by God and all of the Bible is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness- but it is the Gospel that is central. I’ve heard Christians through the years express a desire to go “deeper” in the Word. Sometimes this is a true desire to get beyond the surface preaching that seems to come from many of our pulpits. But most of the time this is a desire for more knowledge (and not a desire nor evidence of obedience to what is already known- i.e. kindness, compassion, care for the poor, the marginalized, a lack of grace and purity, etc..).

I ask, “What’s deeper than the Gospel?” How can we ever tire of studying, scrutinizing, exploring, and- indeed- applying the Gospel to every aspect of life. The Gospel is the well that never runs dry. Jesus is eternal and the exploration of His majesty is never-ending. Let’s preach, teach, and apply the Gospel. It is (HE is) the Only hope of salvation for those who believe.

Here Tim Keller (who is always Gospel-centered) answers the question: “What is the Gospel?”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0g-s4Qhtyk&feature=youtu.be]

Birds and Bees

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The “birds and bees” is an odd euphemism for human sexual relations and reproduction- namely because the way birds and bees create baby birds and bees is radically different from the way humans do.  Most children (and adults) probably know more about human reproduction than they do about birds or bees.  Of course, most of us know that birds lay eggs but you may not know that most birds are monogamous- they stay together to raise their little family. You may not know that bees actually start the process of making baby bees in mid-air (wow) and shortly thereafter, the male bee dies. Now, there’s an abstinence plan we have not considered.  Just say “no”… or else!

Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Perhaps, in no other area of life is this truer than in the area of gender, sex, and relationships. Throughout February we’re bringing much-needed truth to the topic.  Let’s start with some of the wonderful, God-given male/female differences:

He said, she said…

1. He is purpose-driven; she is heart-driven. Men are more driven than women to “get ‘er done”.  It’s why a boys’ soccer game will not stop if one of the guys goes down with an injury, (that’s an advantage)!  A girls’ game may not start again.  The feelings of the one matter more than the purpose of the game.

2. He is goal-oriented; she is feeling-oriented. Girls- ever had this happen to you?  You’re talking with a guy (husband, friend) and you’re just sharing your heart and he starts to offer solutions.  Men- she talks to get closer to her feelings not to get solutions (and besides, she doesn’t think you’re that smart). Girls talk to get to their feelings. This can be a problem because guys have a short attention span ‘cause he’s thinking, “Get to the point!” Fellas, that is the point.  Conversation is the point.

3. He operates specifically; she operates holistically. Men are segmented, women are connected. Men are like waffles, women are like spaghetti.  An example of this is shopping- guys are from Walmart; women are from Nordstrom.  Walmart is more of a hunt and is designed for the kill.  Nordstrom is an experience (they have a guy playing the piano in there)!

4. He needs admiration; she needs affection. Author John Eldridge noted that every guy is asking the question “Do I have what it takes?” Every girl is asking “Am I lovely?” Men tend to strive toward independence and women strive for relationships but men need relationships and women need to find their worth apart from any man.

Words to live by: Men want to hear: “That makes sense. Thank you. You’ve been so helpful.”  Women want to hear: “I understand. Tell me more.”  Try these pointers and watch your relationships thrive.

“What Religion are you of?”

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John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, preached a whole sermon in 1744 on Acts 4:31- (“And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly”) to an audience at his alma mater, Oxford University, no less.  Here’s what he said:

“How few of you spend, from one week to another, a single hour in private prayer?  How few have any thought of God in the general tenor of your conversation!  Who of you is, in any degree, acquainted with the work of His Spirit, His supernatural work in the souls of men?  Can you bear, unless now and then, in a church, any talk of the Holy Ghost?  Would you not take it for granted, if one began such a conversation, that it was either hypocrisy or enthusiasm?  In  the name of the Lord Almighty, I ask, What Religion are you of?”

So, are you a hypocrite or an enthusiast?  (Or do you not speak of the Spirit and His work in your life at all?)  Let your words prove that you are a follower of Jesus Christ today.  Leave no room for questions regarding the “religion” you choose.  If you’ve chosen Jesus, let others know it.

Make sure HIS name comes up in your conversations today.  Let’s talk about Jesus.
Jeff