Evangelism is About Revelation, not Reason

                                          

Last night, while I was visiting the Del Amo mall, a young man walked up to me.

His name was Anthony.

He started talking to me about Jesus Christ. He wanted to share the Gospel with me. I had no problem with him talking to me, since I had announced at the outset that I believe in Jesus, that He is my Savior, and I am so grateful for all the blessings which He has--and is--lavishing on me.

He began rattling off a number of Scriptures, including key passages in the Book of Revelation. He showed me passages about the Spirit and the Bride, and how they both invite us to draw from the Water o Life:

"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Revelation 22:17)

He then asked me "What does the water of life represent?"

I said "The Holy Spirit." and I referenced this verse in the Gospel of John:

"37In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" (John 7:37-39)

He then mentioned the account of Jesus with the woman at the well in John chapter. I agreed.

He then asked me whether I had the Holy Spirit or not. I shared with him: "Yes, I do."

He then asked me: "How do you get the Holy Spirit?"

I told him that because I believed in Jesus, I have received the Holy Spirit.

He seemed perturbed somewhat, that I had answers to many of his questions. It really showed how disrespectful he was, that he refused to listen to me at the outset, that I had said that I am a Christian, and that I believe in Jesus Christ.

At that point, I asked him which church he belonged to. I was starting to wonder if he was a Seventh Day Adventist or a Mormon, or a member of the so-called United Church of Christ, which denies the full deity and pre-eminence of Jesus Christ.

The discussion then veered to how people need to keep the law of the New Covenant. He pointed to the passage in which Jesus took the cup of blessing at the Last Supper, and He declared "This is my blood of the new and everlasting covenant."

I was really disturbed when he said "Law" in relation to the New Covenant. I began to interrupt him, but gently. "We are no longer under law. We are under grace. You can find this in Romans."

He would not let me finish. He then stood up, said to me "You are a lawbreaker," and he walked away. A simple rush of peace came over me. I did not lose my temper, I did not raise my voice. Before he walked away though, I chided him, "Why will you not let me speak. I have allowed you to speak, haven't I?"

At that point, he called me a "lawbreaker," and he left. He did not get the answers that he was hoping for, I suppose. He had probably been trained that he would force me into an intellectual corner and cause me to acknowledge that I am a sinner or something else. He was hoping to win me over with a clear decision for Jesus.

What was really striking about his evangelism, if one can call it that, is that he did not mention the name of Jesus even once. He did not give the impression that he even knew how Jesus is!

While that dialogue between Anthony and me had been taking place, there was another gentleman, an older man, who was watching. When Anothony walked away, he laughed and asked me "What was that all about?" I told him how he was trying to share the Gospel with me--although the reality is that he had no good news to share, since he wanted to bring me back under law, and did not mention grace once.

He then remarked: "Wow! That's so sad. He was upset that you are religious, even though he was trying to make you religious. One would think that he would be happy for you!"

He was not interested in helping me. He was interested in "winning a convert," or at the very least winning an argument. That is not true evangelism.

I must admit, however, that I waded into this similar fight for pre-eminence with the older gentleman who started speaking with me afterwards. He told me that he is not religious, and he believes that there are too many inconsistencies with belief, plus all the complexities in the world, for him to believe that there is a God.

I insisted on asking him some questions. He clearly was not prepared to articulate his views on the issue. He wanted to defend evolution, and I asked him the usual questions which set such thinking to naught, such as "where is the evidence?" I also asked him "Where in the fossil record does one find the transitioning species?"

I felt the Lord telling me "This is not the right time to share with this man. This is not the approach to sharing the Gospel with him." Still, I pressed him a few more times on a couple of questions about the origins of the uinverse, how everything came about if not by intelligent design. Then, it seemed as though he had to take a call, and I took that motion as my cue to walk away.

As I walked away toward the center of the mall, I realized a number of things. I used to be an agressive evangelist like Anthony. I had a set of questions that I would press on someone, and then I could turn the whole situation around on them to say "You are a sinner, and you need a Savior. Would you like to believe in Jesus Christ and let Him be Lord of your life?"

Back then, I was so interested in winning arguments based on intellect. Today, I realize that Jesus is not just real, and real to my experience, but that He is more than a nice thought or a sentimental result of our reasoning.

Jesus is alive! He is a person! And evangelism should be all about sharing a great revelation of how great He is in our lives. We should be talking about Jesus the same way that we talk about a loving friends, relative, spouse, i.e. someone whom we know intimately, and whom we want others to know intimately, too!

Evangelism is about sharing the Good News, and that Good News is summed up perfectly in Acts 13:

"38Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13:38-39)

We receive forgiveness of sins--all our sins. We are justified from all things, that we cannot receive by the law of Moses.

I did not understand the Gospel in this fullness at all. I had understood the Gospel as something so work-centered, so "I" centered. How sad it is, yet so true. No wonder I was not much of a witness in years past!

Today, I understand fully God's unmerited favor, which I receive through Christ Jesus. Today, I know that He is my life, my Savior. I am connected to a real Person, not just some figment of my imagination, or a set of principles or verses. 

"Herein is love perfected among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17)

It has taken me a long time to understand how fully real Jesus is to me. It's never been about me or about my self-efforts. It was never about having the right thoughts or doing the right things to ensure that Jesus would always be with me, that His Spirit would always be at work in me.

Today, I am learning so much about how to let that River of Life flow through me uninterrupted, unhampered by my efforts. I am learning that to share the Gospel is as simple as declaring: "Jesus Christ has died for all your sins. You can receive full freedom from condemnation and receive His life!"

Final Reflections on Billy Graham, America's Pastor

Billy Graham, America's Pastor, passed away three weeks ago. He received unprecedented civilian honors, and he deserved it. A man who had nearly reached a century for his time on this earth, Graham worked with Presidents on both sides of aisle, as well as men and women of grand and low estate. His efforts to combat racism and segregation are duly noted and honored.

It was frustrating and sad that the media selected a few clips from private conversations he had shared with President Richard Nixon, including some unjust snipes at Jewish people. Those were private remarks which no doubt Graham never supported or enabled in his public life, and even when they went public nearly 20 years ago, Graham dutifully apologized and moved on to greater opportunities and victories in witnessing. America's Pastor was not afraid to stand out for Christ Jesus, and he was not afraid to admit that he made mistakes. In his connections and conversations with political figures, he had to learn that they sought to use him rather than learn from him. Nixon was the hardest lesson he learned. Nixon was power-hungry and used Graham's popularity for his own venal ambitions.
In spite of these small setbacks, Billy Graham recognized that he was a human being, once a sinner now a saint saved by grace. Many pastors fall from grace because they rest in their own power rather than trusting in the Lord for all things. How else could a man have launched crusades across the globe for decades? Such strength and commitment is supernatural.

Graham's legacy continues to amaze through his son Franklin, a powerhouse of faith and fervor. His passion for this country and its Judeo-Christian ethic is beyond astounding. Franklin Graham had a troubled past, too, but broke through a life of drug addiction of loss to become a powerful preacher and witness for Jesus. Thank God that He uses people who aren't perfect, but rather seeks to work through those who have been perfected in their conscience towards God (Hebrews 10:14).

Three week past Graham's passing, there were diverse opinions about his passage from death to life to death again. The Washington Post "conservative" columnist George Will's diatribe against the pastor was not surprising, but certainly disappointing. Will used to describe himself as agnostic, since he didn't have the intellectual fortitude to be an atheist. Now he has jumped fully into folly and acknowledges that there is no God to acknowledge.

The Scriptures have a ready response for such heady nonsense:

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." (Psalm 14:1)

It's very difficult to take a limited government conservative seriously who does not honor The Deity or any form of Providence. What is left in a world without God but a war of all against all, and the stronger always win over the weaker? The rise of government control over individual liberty and sovereignty is inevitable where no God is acknowledged. Look at former and current communist states for proof.

What else about Will's anti-Graham polemic was wrong? He disdained that Graham was not a prophet because they take "adversarial stances toward their times, as did the 20th century’s two greatest religious leaders, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Pope John Paul II. Graham did not. Partly for that reason, his country showered him with honors."

I could not disagree more. There is nothing more officious to any leader, to any government than to hear that there is a great Leader who whose shoulder rests the government of this universe (Isaiah 9:6). Millions of people around the world were desperate to hear Good News. No one should be shocked. Graham also had his detractors. I saw them personally when I attended his last crusade in Pasadena 2004.

For me, however, the biggest problem I have with Billy Graham is that he did not portray a Savior who saves us every day. We never learned about the High Priesthood of Christ Jesus, who ministers on our behalf after the power of an endless life (Hebrews 7:16). Many Christians struggle through this life because they know about Jesus as the Savior who takes us from spiritual death into life. But what about the day-to-day life that I live on this earth still?

The other formulation, perhaps one he used to make the most sense to his audiences, was flawed. Graham would routinely exhort listeners: "Give your life to Christ." That invitation is not Biblically accurate. When Adam and Eve sinned, they died. Jesus did not come to give Himself as an option for living better.

Jesus spoke very clearly on this matter:

"I have come that you might have life, and that more abundantly." (John 10:10)

Man needs forgiveness of sins--and of sin, but He also needs life, a recognition that apart from Jesus, none of us can accomplish anything (John 15:5). This is one of the most neglected revelations in Christendom today, along with the full promises accorded to us in the New Covenant as well as Christ's High Priesthood.

Granted, Billy Graham was an Evangelist, as much as other members of the Body of Christ are also called to be apostles, prophets, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). Still, evangelism will be more effective the more that adherents recognize that man has a two-fold problem: He is dead in trespasses. The "Dead" part must be brought to light so that all men can enjoy Jesus' everlasting life (John 3:16) and the glory of reigning in His life even here on earth (Romans 5:17).

With that, I will close by saying that there was no greater communicator for the faith than Billy Graham, and let us hope that more people will rise up to share the Good News of Jesus Christ before His Coming.