Evangelism & the Church
I have been encouraged as of late to see a kind of waking up to the individual call of evangelism and discipleship. This calling is among the most important calls that a Christian person is tasked with. Thus, it would seem obvious that we all have an individual duty to participate in this calling. It gets confusing though. The messages we preach do not always marry well with the culture we nurture through church policies and practices.
Two things before I continue. What do I mean by "calling?" AND What do I mean by "evangelism." Both of these words can be understood in various ways, so it would be good to define what it is I am speaking about, that you might understand well the points I am trying to convey.
Calling (call): I use this word in the broadest sense. As Christians we are, all of us, called to the same things. Here is a list of some things Christians are called to:
Evangelism: When I speak of this, I do not mean it in the sense that we get from Ephesians 4:11, where it lists "the evangelist" among other gifts that Christ gave to, presumably, specific people in the church. While it is still an active discussion within Christendom, many people would liken this gift of the evangelist to a modern day missionary or traveling preacher (such as Billy Graham was). Instead then, when I use this word, I use it to describe the actions of regular Christians in verses like Acts 8:4
"4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word."
Or Acts 11:19-20
"19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus."
Or the charges to Christians we read about in verses like Jude 22-23
"22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh."
Or 1 Peter 3:15
"15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect"
Or of course the great commission given by Christ to His apostle before his ascension in Matthew 28:18-20
"18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The truth is there are many verses in both the old and new testament which exemplify and even command the calling to share the truth of God with people who do not yet know it. This is done by sharing the gospel message directly, living lives of righteousness, and sharing testimony of what God has done. Psalm 105:1 reads, " Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!"
So then, back to where we left off. We know that a Christian is called toward these kind of evangelistic efforts, and we even preach it from the pulpits of our churches. Still, often times in our churches we function in such a way so as to promote, not individual evangelism, but a kind of corporate evangelism instead. The promotion and exercising of corporate evangelism can look something like this:
The church organization has engaging and inviting (sometimes "seeker sensitive") services on Sunday. The church organization uses buzzwords and phrases like being "outwardly focused." The church organization has outreach events like fall fests, Christmas celebrations, plays, city clean up days, fun activities, etc. As a result, it is often true that Christians don't tell people about Jesus, they tell people about their church. Christians don't invite people to Jesus, they invite people to church services and functions.
What's wrong with that? There are far worse things you can invite someone to. There is even Biblical president for inviting people to the weekly fellowship gathering (1 Cor 14:23). Many people come to Christ at church services and functions. This is all very true. Yet there are two problems which, as far as I can tell, have emerged from this kind of church culture.
If these negative consequences can and often do happen when the church focuses it's budgets, programing, rhetoric, and thus culture on being outwardly focused, what would happen with the inverse. Well, it is my conviction that when the church organization focuses inward on it's people, the people focus outward. Essentially, the church equips it's member to live evangelical lives. The biggest outreach program the church then has is not a program at all, it is it's people. What does it practically look like to do this?
A church is inwardly focused when it's programing, budgets, rhetoric and thus culture are laser focused on pouring into the individual Christian people that make up the church. Take discipleship for example.
Every new believer should go through discipleship. At RCC we do it via our "One on One" discipleship program. If you find your way to Christ because of the faithful witness of one of the Christians at RCC, we do not invite you into discipleship, we just assume it. We pair you up with someone who walks through the milk stage toward the solid food stage. This program does not just work for new believers either. It is great for those older believers who like a new car which was parked in a garage a few days after rolling off the lot, are now in need of a dusting off, oil change, and jump start. What good is faith that is parked in a garage? Or, to use our Lord's illustration, what good is your talent if it is buried in the ground? Or, to quote James, "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?"
In addition to this, and inwardly focused church is intentional about taking people deeper on Sunday mornings. This does not mean that the preaching can not be sensitive in many ways to seekers and new believers. It means that the preaching does it's best to get the congregation to the deeper end of the proverbial pool. This takes intentionality and skill development on the part of our preachers, but it can be done.
I reject the idea that you either have a message which is so shallow that it is nearly an insult to our Christian attendees or a message that is so technically advanced that even our Bible college professors would be scratching their heads. That's a bit dramatic, sure, but the hyperbole drives the point home.
On top of all this, good Bible education is an essential element of an inwardly focused church. This education can come in many forms. Here are three examples:
Of course, all of this can easily serve to create the polar opposite problem that the outwardly focused church has. Churches hyper focused on being inward can quickly become isolated congregations of intellectual hubris. Once more becoming totally sterile in terms of spiritual reproduction. So in addition to all this, we need to have constant preaching and teaching on evangelism as a calling and as an art. We need reminders of our calling, the education to speak intelligently about our faith, and a steady exposure to the testimonies of Christians who have successfully lived out this calling.
So today I am encouraged. I am encouraged because, in my small world, I see believers reigniting with a fervor for evangelism. I see believers learning not just what they believe but why they believe it. I see Christians adopting a DIY approach to evangelism while they reject the idea that they can simply "hire" the church to do it for them. I see them studying up on youtube by watching street evangelists and Biblical apologists. I see them sharing their faith boldly, lovingly, and wisely. I see a rejection of the old adage that we ought not talk about religion or politics. In fact, that's almost all I ever hear people talking about (perhaps with too much focus on politics and worldly matters)! When done with shrewdness, it is so effective.
So, as a result, I see others coming to faith in Jesus. Whats better, is when they do, I see them taken on a discipleship journey to learn about their new found faith that they too might become effective in multiplication.
No one wants to be the faithless servant that buried his talent in the ground. We want to be numbered among those who multiplied our faith by sharing it with others. We like to envision ourselves as the "good soil", yielding 100, 60, or 30 times what was sown. To my knowledge, it has always been true that Christians want this. Now though, for the first time, I see it consistently in action. People not just hoping to be useful, but they are working hard to be useful. Praise God for this. Are you among them?
Two things before I continue. What do I mean by "calling?" AND What do I mean by "evangelism." Both of these words can be understood in various ways, so it would be good to define what it is I am speaking about, that you might understand well the points I am trying to convey.
Calling (call): I use this word in the broadest sense. As Christians we are, all of us, called to the same things. Here is a list of some things Christians are called to:
- Obedience (righteousness) to God's word. One could argue that everything else falls under this.
- Love God with all that we have
- Love other as ourselves
- Love, specifically our fellow Christian brothers and sisters in the extra and unique ways the scriptures teach us to.
- Participate in/with the body of Christ (aka. the church).
- Share the Gospel with others.
- Disciple other Christians towards a more mature faith. (teach them)
Evangelism: When I speak of this, I do not mean it in the sense that we get from Ephesians 4:11, where it lists "the evangelist" among other gifts that Christ gave to, presumably, specific people in the church. While it is still an active discussion within Christendom, many people would liken this gift of the evangelist to a modern day missionary or traveling preacher (such as Billy Graham was). Instead then, when I use this word, I use it to describe the actions of regular Christians in verses like Acts 8:4
"4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word."
Or Acts 11:19-20
"19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus."
Or the charges to Christians we read about in verses like Jude 22-23
"22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh."
Or 1 Peter 3:15
"15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect"
Or of course the great commission given by Christ to His apostle before his ascension in Matthew 28:18-20
"18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The truth is there are many verses in both the old and new testament which exemplify and even command the calling to share the truth of God with people who do not yet know it. This is done by sharing the gospel message directly, living lives of righteousness, and sharing testimony of what God has done. Psalm 105:1 reads, " Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!"
So then, back to where we left off. We know that a Christian is called toward these kind of evangelistic efforts, and we even preach it from the pulpits of our churches. Still, often times in our churches we function in such a way so as to promote, not individual evangelism, but a kind of corporate evangelism instead. The promotion and exercising of corporate evangelism can look something like this:
The church organization has engaging and inviting (sometimes "seeker sensitive") services on Sunday. The church organization uses buzzwords and phrases like being "outwardly focused." The church organization has outreach events like fall fests, Christmas celebrations, plays, city clean up days, fun activities, etc. As a result, it is often true that Christians don't tell people about Jesus, they tell people about their church. Christians don't invite people to Jesus, they invite people to church services and functions.
What's wrong with that? There are far worse things you can invite someone to. There is even Biblical president for inviting people to the weekly fellowship gathering (1 Cor 14:23). Many people come to Christ at church services and functions. This is all very true. Yet there are two problems which, as far as I can tell, have emerged from this kind of church culture.
- We invert the main purpose of the church. The church organization (the collective fellowship of believers) has a primary role. It's primary role(s) is to equip Christians for ministry, and to build them up (encourage). Thus, the church organization is supposed to be inwardly focused, not outwardly focused. We read about this in Acts 2:42, Ephesians 4:12, Hebrews 10:24-25, and many other verses. There is a lot that is included in equipping and building up too. Here is a list of some of the things housed within those two phrases:
- Discipling/teaching
- Admonishing
- Holding accountable
- Encouraging/edifying
- Mourning together
- Rejoicing together
- Helping each other emotionally and financially when needed.
- The second problem is a consequence of the first. Since we have made the main purpose of the church organization to be outward, we have created a culture where Christians sub-contract their individual call of evangelism to their church organizations. As long as they give their offering, they don't have to share the good news with anyone. I say this in jest, but I do think there is a subconscious truth to this statement with many believers.
If these negative consequences can and often do happen when the church focuses it's budgets, programing, rhetoric, and thus culture on being outwardly focused, what would happen with the inverse. Well, it is my conviction that when the church organization focuses inward on it's people, the people focus outward. Essentially, the church equips it's member to live evangelical lives. The biggest outreach program the church then has is not a program at all, it is it's people. What does it practically look like to do this?
A church is inwardly focused when it's programing, budgets, rhetoric and thus culture are laser focused on pouring into the individual Christian people that make up the church. Take discipleship for example.
Every new believer should go through discipleship. At RCC we do it via our "One on One" discipleship program. If you find your way to Christ because of the faithful witness of one of the Christians at RCC, we do not invite you into discipleship, we just assume it. We pair you up with someone who walks through the milk stage toward the solid food stage. This program does not just work for new believers either. It is great for those older believers who like a new car which was parked in a garage a few days after rolling off the lot, are now in need of a dusting off, oil change, and jump start. What good is faith that is parked in a garage? Or, to use our Lord's illustration, what good is your talent if it is buried in the ground? Or, to quote James, "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?"
In addition to this, and inwardly focused church is intentional about taking people deeper on Sunday mornings. This does not mean that the preaching can not be sensitive in many ways to seekers and new believers. It means that the preaching does it's best to get the congregation to the deeper end of the proverbial pool. This takes intentionality and skill development on the part of our preachers, but it can be done.
I reject the idea that you either have a message which is so shallow that it is nearly an insult to our Christian attendees or a message that is so technically advanced that even our Bible college professors would be scratching their heads. That's a bit dramatic, sure, but the hyperbole drives the point home.
On top of all this, good Bible education is an essential element of an inwardly focused church. This education can come in many forms. Here are three examples:
- Classes. Classes should not be more of what we get in our Sunday morning services. Classes should be laser focused on leveling people up in specific ways. We should work hard to put our best teachers and curriculum forward so that our classes rival what one might experience at a university level in terms of quality.
- Small Groups/Bible Studies. One of my pet peeves is that we often call small groups Bible studies when they are not at all Bible studies. My experience has been that when someone says they want to be in a Bible study they mean they want some volunteer to rigorously study the Bible in their free time, then for it to be presented to them over cake which another volunteer made, in the living room which another volunteer has offered to share. Where is the collective "study." The truth is, most Christians have not the first clue in how to study the Bible. So, lets teach them. Exemplify it on Sunday mornings. Teach them with classes. Then, give them collective opportunity with true group Bible studies. That is, a group of people reading the Bible in a room with shared resources floating around. Bible dictionaries, Bible encyclopedias, study Bibles, and commentaries should float around while the facilitator keeps the flow. Read a few verses, then let people think and study on them. Talk about it, then move it along. This is not to say that the video led small groups don't have their place, because they do. What it is to say is that we ought to maximize the opportunities we offer for people to become true students of the scriptures.
- Resources. Churches ought to provide and promote resources in a myriad of ways. Start a little book store and tie the latest book offering to the sermon series for those who want to dig in more. Write topical articles and share them on your social platforms. Share links to online resources, of which there are so many. There is a lot you can do.
Of course, all of this can easily serve to create the polar opposite problem that the outwardly focused church has. Churches hyper focused on being inward can quickly become isolated congregations of intellectual hubris. Once more becoming totally sterile in terms of spiritual reproduction. So in addition to all this, we need to have constant preaching and teaching on evangelism as a calling and as an art. We need reminders of our calling, the education to speak intelligently about our faith, and a steady exposure to the testimonies of Christians who have successfully lived out this calling.
So today I am encouraged. I am encouraged because, in my small world, I see believers reigniting with a fervor for evangelism. I see believers learning not just what they believe but why they believe it. I see Christians adopting a DIY approach to evangelism while they reject the idea that they can simply "hire" the church to do it for them. I see them studying up on youtube by watching street evangelists and Biblical apologists. I see them sharing their faith boldly, lovingly, and wisely. I see a rejection of the old adage that we ought not talk about religion or politics. In fact, that's almost all I ever hear people talking about (perhaps with too much focus on politics and worldly matters)! When done with shrewdness, it is so effective.
So, as a result, I see others coming to faith in Jesus. Whats better, is when they do, I see them taken on a discipleship journey to learn about their new found faith that they too might become effective in multiplication.
No one wants to be the faithless servant that buried his talent in the ground. We want to be numbered among those who multiplied our faith by sharing it with others. We like to envision ourselves as the "good soil", yielding 100, 60, or 30 times what was sown. To my knowledge, it has always been true that Christians want this. Now though, for the first time, I see it consistently in action. People not just hoping to be useful, but they are working hard to be useful. Praise God for this. Are you among them?
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