SYSTEMATIC EVANGELISM

ROMANS 1:16–17

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes …

(Rom. 1:16).

Some of us go through our entire Christian lives never seeing a person come to Christ through our personal evangelism. For most of us, personal evangelism is a very haphazard thing. We rarely talk about it unless we happen into a conversation in which it cannot be avoided. There is, in other words, nothing systematic about it. Systematic evangelism is an approach by a method, by employing some technique. It is the expression of a program that has been constructed by those who have been particularly gifted in the area of evangelism. It is the use of helpful questions that lead one into a conversation that gets to the heart of a person’s relationship with Christ. Most of us do not do evangelism that way, but it might help if we did. We shouldn’t use some insincere sales pitch, but we should employ thoughtful and helpful techniques that enable us to get the Gospel out in a less haphazard way.

One particular technique used by Evangelism Explosion is asking someone, “If you died tonight, why should God let you into His heaven?” The most common answer to that question is works righteousness: “God will let me in because I have been a good person.” Or, “I did this; I did that.” Very few have heard the message of the Gospel, of justification by faith alone. Questions such as this one help us engage others in conversation about the Gospel, getting us to the heart of the matter. We can often talk to people about theological issues all day long without ever really getting to the Gospel, without bringing it to a personal level, without causing them to ask, “Why do I need Christ?” To evangelize, you must be able to get personal, and simple techniques and realistic programs sometimes help you do just that.

Using this kind of program does not mean that you should ever use a “canned” approach. Such techniques should help you get started. They should not simply be asked as if a computer were processing information. And such techniques should not be used as springboards into theological tangents and lofty philosophical discussions. There is a place for that, for apologetics of the faith, but evangelism is the proclamation of the Gospel. That is what we must do in a personal, dynamic, and direct way.

CORAM DEO

Amos 7–9

Revelation 7

Do you find that you have many theological discussions with people, but that you never proclaim the Gospel? Do you find that alter you have spoken with someone at length about religion you realize that you never dealt with their personal need of Jesus Christ? If so, try using a technique like the EE question; it can help.

For further study: Acts 3:11–26; 8:4–8; 16:25–34

wednesday

december