A Biblical Reworking of Our Message and Methods of Evangelism

Rev. Cory Kloth

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I started thinking about the message and methods of evangelism when I was in college. I was up late one night studying while watching one of those late night talk shows. This particular show had scheduled as the main guest a popular evangelical Christian. During his interview, he gave his testimony and presented the gospel with this sentence: "Jesus can be Lord of your life, if you want him to be. He is not going to intrude where He is not wanted." This interview raised several questions in my mind: What kind of God are we sharing? What kind of Jesus are we presenting? Is this popular message of the gospel the most biblical? I have been striving since that night to work out a more biblical message and method of evangelism.

While the message given by this evangelist is a popular one, it may not be the most biblical. The focus of many evangelistic presentations in the recent past has made the status of Jesus Christ subject to the whims of the individual. Notice the statement, “Jesus is Lord of your life if you want Him to be.” Jesus being Lord is predicated on the individual’s acceptance of that message. Counter this statement with the following interpretation of the gospel from N.T. Wright:

…A message about God—the one true God, the God who inspired the prophets—consisting in a message about Jesus. A story—a true story—about a human life, death, and resurrection through which the living God becomes king of the world. A message which had grasped Paul, and, through his work, would mushroom out to all the nations. That is Paul’s shorthand summary of what ‘the gospel’ actually is.

It is not, then, a system of how people get saved. The announcement of the gospel results in people being saved…But ‘the gospel’ itself, strictly speaking, is the narrative proclamation of King Jesus…When the herald makes a royal proclamation, he says ‘Nero (or whoever) has become emperor.’ He does not say ‘If you would like to have an experience of living under an emperor, you might care to try Nero.’ The proclamation is an authoritative summons to obedience—in Paul’s case, to what he calls ‘the obedience of faith.’ (What Saint Paul Really Said: Was Paul of Tarsus the Real Founder of Christianity?, p. 45. Eerdmans. 1997.)

I find this to be a more biblical, Jesus-centered, truth-centered approach than the message we have inherited from the past few generations (thanks largely to Rudolph Bultmann and existential theology). The type of public proclamation advocated by Wright removes a subjective understanding concerning the objective truth of Jesus. He is presented as He is, not whom people decide they want him to be.

Taking into account this biblical message of the gospel, I generally use the following gospel presentation found in the Lord’s Prayer (which is still a work in progress):

What We Learn In “The Lord’s Prayer”
(Matthew 6:9-15)

Our Father, Who Is In Heaven…

There is but one only, living, and true God: “But to us there is but one God, the Father, and everything is for Him, and we exist for Him”-1 Corinthians 8:6

Holy Be Your Name…

The purpose of life is to glorify God: “…whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.”-1 Corinthians 10:31

Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done, On Earth As It Is In Heaven…

God’ Son, Jesus Christ, rules this kingdom. He came to earth 2000 years ago, was crucified on the cross, and was raised from the dead. Everyone is called to have faith (to trust and obey) in Him: “Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess Jesus as Lord, to the glory and praise of God the Father.”-Philippians 2:10-11

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread…

The most important thing in life is worshiping God. We are able to learn about God through the Bible: “Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”- Deuteronomy 8:3

And Forgive Us Our Trespasses…

We live in disobedience to God’s law, which is called sin, and we can only be saved from His anger by asking for forgiveness and depending upon the grace (unmerited favor) of Jesus Christ, which we cannot earn: “It is by grace we have been saved through faith, and not of ourselves, it is a gift of God, so that no one should boast.”-Ephesians 2:8-9

As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us…

A Christian is someone who has a changed life because they believe in Jesus: “…I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling which you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”- Ephesians 4:1-2

And Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil…

A Christian cannot depend upon themselves to continually walk in obedience to God, but they must depend on God’s Holy Spirit: “Those who obey his commands live in Him, and He in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”-1 John 3:24.

For Yours Is the Kingdom And the Power And The Glory, Forever and Ever. Amen.

Our prayer for you is that you may come to believe in God the Father, that you have faith in the King Jesus Christ, and that you rely upon the Holy Spirit to live a life that is glorifying to God.

I like this for several reasons:

1) Unlike many evangelistic tracts this presentation doesn't presume that someone believes in a God
2) One rare point of biblical contact with people is the Lord's Prayer. Almost everyone knows it, is familiar with it, and has recited it. It is a wonderful Gospel presentation given to us by Jesus (Aunt May even says it in the "Spider-Man" movie)
3) It is a biblical message: it is Trinitarian, it emphasizes the need for forgiveness, and it highlights the demand for a changed life
4) It doesn't introduce Jesus as a 'friend' or 'buddy' but as an accessible King.
5) The call is not to get 'fire insurance' or to make a decision in order to achieve some emphatic satisfaction. The demand is for obedience and worship of King Jesus.

Once a more biblical understanding of the gospel is achieved, a biblical methodology of evangelism needs to be put into practice. Evangelism should occur in three stages, and a healthy church should practice all three. First it happens from the pulpit. Paul charges Timothy “…to devote himself to the public reading of the word of God, to preaching, and to teaching.” The gospel message (the accomplishment and rule of King Jesus Christ) needs to be present at every worship service. This focus of evangelism from the pulpit is why I think Covenantal Renewal Worship (see The Lord’s Service: The Grace of Covenant Renewal Service by Jeffrey Meyers. Canon Press. 2003.) is the best liturgy for the Church because it incorporates all these things within the model that God has dealt with His people from the beginning.

This first stage (from the pulpit) may sound basic, but there are many pulpits in many churches where you will never hear the name of Jesus, never hear a call to repentance, or never hear that Jesus has been given “all authority in heaven and in earth…” These sermons become self-help seminars. I have also been to reformed churches where the sermon is so deep into systematics that the gospel message is lost amid theological dictum. The call of the Church for every Sunday is to remind the people of Jesus Christ as King.

Second, evangelism takes place through personal relationship. The prayer for all believers is that the Lord will bring people into our lives that need to hear of King Jesus. These people can cross our paths in a variety of ways: a workout partner at the gym, a co-worker at the office, a befriended neighbor, a classmate, etc. Every relationship that God puts us in should be geared toward sharing the gospel. This is where 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 is put into practice:

For though I am free from all [men], I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

Let me give an example of how this works in extended relationships: when I was in seminary, working as a chemist while going to school, I had a co-worker who had experienced severe emotional trauma in his life. I met him and found out quickly that he loved NASCAR. Now, I could care less about NASCAR, but I became fluent in the subject so that avenues of communication would be open (avenues that I would then use to share the Gospel over time). I was in constant prayer for this fellow, praying specifically that God would convert him before I finished seminary, and He was gracious enough to do so. This example is just one of many ways how we can “…become all things to all men…”

Third, evangelism occurs through the public proclamation of King Jesus to the world (as witnessed in the city streets as described in the book of the Acts of the Apostles). This is where door-to-door evangelism is incorporated. Our church takes a group out on a Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon (most people are home during this time). We walk up to homes, greet people politely, and introduce ourselves as being members of our church (located in their community). We ask them how we (as a church) can pray for them (most people like the idea of someone praying for them). Depending on their demeanor we sometimes pray for them right there. Afterwards, we hand them a piece of paper with content on it that gives directions to our church, times of worship, and a public proclamation of the gospel (usually in the form of the Lord’s Prayer as given above). If they do not have time for this, then I make a public pronouncement about Jesus (something like..."Do you know that Jesus is King..."). We share with them briefly that Jesus lived, died, was raised again, and now rules over all things, including their lives. Sometimes this brief illustration is helpful:

Let's say that someone lived in the middle of Georgia (or whatever the state) and had no means of communication. They lived all by themselves and never cared to talk to anyone about anything. In fact, this person didn't even know that George Bush was elected President of the United States. Even though this person doesn't know about George Bush, does that change the fact that he is the President? This is the truth about Jesus Christ: He is your king whether you know it or not, whether you believe it or not.

We then share with them a small analogy concerning people who went against a king in medieval times (and what happened to them) and apply it to Jesus coming again in judgment. We finish by asking them a question: will you serve King Jesus or will He find you in treason?

These three stages of evangelism (pulpit, personal, and public) incorporate a sound biblical methodology in proclaiming the reign of King Jesus. Each church should be practicing all three stages of evangelism in order to fulfill the models given to us through the New Testament. We become better heralds of King Jesus if we are sharing the gospel in these three ways.

This biblical re-working of both the message and method of sharing the gospel does not guarantee conversions nor provide a promise that a church will see growth if the message and method as given is put into full practice. However, it does guarantee a more truth-centered objective proclamation of King Jesus’ reign and full obedience to the manner in which the church is called to herald that message to a fallen world.

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