Lovingly Evangelize

So far, my most popular post has been Simply Evangelize. This is encouraging to me because it seems like Christians are genuinely interested in spreading the gospel. I hope the practical suggestions have been helpful.

The ideas in that post were from a variety of experienced evangelists. But, I thought it would be good to hear from Scripture…straight from Scripture…about evangelism. Below is a series of passages presented in paragraph form. I have done my best to do two things: to keep true to the context and original intent of each passage; and to clearly portray God’s ideas for evangelism. If we get all of the practicalities and methods right, but miss the intent behind Biblical evangelism, then we miss the point altogether. Spend some time with these Scriptures, and feel free to comment with your own ideas and passages.

The Lives We Live

I just want to take some time to make something very clear. One reason that men steer clear of the kitchen when the family is gathered for the holidays is because for every woman in the kitchen there are exactly that many ways of doing a simple task like opening a stubborn jar of pickles. Tap the edge of the lid on the counter. Run the lid under cold water. No, hot water. No, not just the lid but the whole jar. Try this rubber gripper thing. All a man wants to do is show his strength by wrestling with the jar until either the lid comes off or his hand comes off. What’s so wrong with doing it that way?

There are also about as many ways to live a life as there are people. Some are clean, some are messy. Some are punctual, some cannot be on time. Some are formal, some are informal. Some are rude, some are almost too nice. And with all of this variety we have developed two extreme views: either we view every one else as wrong if they do not live exactly like us, or we claim that the way you live does not matter as long as it works for you (whatever that means).

Books You Should Read

It is important for Christians to be challenged by differing views. As Solomon said, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” [Proverbs 27:17] If you think you and/or your church have got all of the right answers, then it is definitely time to let someone challenge you. If you are right, then you have nothing to fear by being challenged. If you are wrong, then you have nothing to fear by being corrected.

So, I recommend that every Christian make it a habit to read books on biblical topics on a regular basis. Some might say, “Well, all I need is the Bible,” and that’s very true. The problem is that no one has only the Bible. Everyone has their biases, assumptions, and presuppositions along with the Bible.

Paul said, “Test everything; hold fast to what is good.” [1Thessalonians 5:21] Do not hesitate to test your beliefs…from the basic to the controversial to the complex. Find out what others are saying. Do not write other views off before hearing the case, and do not accept any views before hearing the case.

Here is a list of books in no particular order that I recommend for a variety of reasons…but mostly because I believe they will help you question and grow.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Mere Discipleship by Lee Camp
Faith and Reason by Ronald Nash
The Edge of Evolution by Michael Behe
The Christian View of Science and Scripture by Bernard Ramm
The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel
Surprising Insights from the Unchurched by Thom Rainer
Biblical Eldership by Alexander Strauch
I Sold My Soul on eBay by Hemant Mehta
Go Ye Means Go Me by Ivan Stewart

Take some time to challenge yourself. Pick up one of these books.