Evangelism gives me joy! But I
recall how I used to struggle to start a conversation. By the
time I had planned my approach, my little sermon and my plea for
a decision, I was so uptight that my surprised victim became
embarrassed, too. But in a couple of weeks I would try again
because a few of my victims did find God. Very few.My problem–I was a hunter. A
hunter with a reaping mentality. But I became free to enjoy evangelism when I shifted from
hunting to fishing.
Most Christians dislike hunting, so they rarely
evangelize. I rewrote these pages after reading in two
publications that even most Christian workers do not
evangelize! They do other ministries. It confirmed my own
observation. Most do not share their faith–because they
do not know how!
A major hurdle is initiating conversations.
We feel uncomfortable invading the privacy of unsuspecting
targets and surprising them with unwanted religious information.
So if hunting is the only approach we know, we will not do
it often.
But fishing evangelism is
different. It is selective. It draws out the seekers from
a mixed group of people and focuses on them instead of giving the
gospel to non-believers indiscriminately. Seekers are people who
have become hungry for God through their own deep need and
through observing the character and conduct of Christians and
hearing their casual references to God. Seekers nibble at this
bait. They ask questions. So you begin your evangelistic
conversations by answering the questions of people who want to
know about God!
Fishing is ideal for Christians who
see the same non-believers daily–in the workplace or on
campus. It is ideal for tentmakers who witness discreetly
as they support themselves in hostile countries, and for all of
us who try to win our own compatriots and the internationals
around us.
I will consider six subjects:
I.
Fishing out seekers–explanation, examples, benefits,
contexts, components of bait, and work and witness issues.
II.
Answering questions–attitudes, readiness, kinds of
questions.
III. Drawing seekers to Christ–focusing
their attention on God, tuning them in to God, using information
and people resources.
IV. Encouraging commitment and
caring for new believers.
V. Noting kinds of seekers.
VI.
Getting started.
I. Fishing out seekers
I stumbled onto this 2000-year-old fishing concept
during my tentmaking years in Brazil, and then found that some
other Christians had discovered it, too–from the Bible! This
is how Paul and Peter teach us to evangelize!
I was earning my living as head of a secular international
school in Sao Paulo. A teacher came into my office and said,
"Weren’t you lucky to find that money you
lost?" I almost agreed. But instead, without interrupting my
work, I turned my head toward her, and said, "Oh, it
wasn’t luck–I prayed like mad and God helped me
to find it!" Then I changed the subject. She left, surprised
at my answer. But because I did not push the matter she returned
and asked, "You don’t really think God cares
about a little problem like this, do you?" I told her about
a prayer God answered the previous week–and I changed the
subject, leaving her free.
I wanted to explain the gospel to her from the start, but she
might then have avoided me, fearing I was trying to convert her.
She asked more questions on successive days–because she
felt she had the initiative. I let her set the pace
for our conversations as she was ready–and to set the agenda.
Her questions showed me what answers she was ready for. It struck
me that I should always act and speak in a way that would cause
people to ask the questions I longed to answer! I should
fish out seekers from among the indifferent or resistant
people around me.
Fishing can help Christians share the good news more
often, more joyfully and more fruitfully. But let us examine both
approaches.
1. Explanation and examples
Christians who fish focus on a godly lifestyle where
they work or study–a place where non-believers can
scrutinize their lives. They learn to insert fitting comments
about God casually and naturally into secular conversations. This
verbal and non-verbal bait causes spiritually hungry people to
ask questions. The Christians then answer the seekers’
initial questions, win their friendship and gradually lead them
to put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christians who hunt are more aggressive than those who
fish, but they proceed in the dark. Their hit-or-miss approach
may lead them to a seeker, but more likely to a non-believer who
is indifferent or antagonistic. So hunters often recite a
one-size-fits-all sermonette to everyone because they know little
about these strangers. If their small speech is memorized it also
lacks the authenticity of spontaneity. Many hunters also
use a model of evangelism adapted from selling. Their message is
one-sided, psychologically packaged to elicit a positive
response. They present their sales pitch without relating to the person. They are intent on finishing the
little sermon so they can ask for a decision. They call for the
deepest and most profound realignment of people’s lives
while ignoring the reality of their personalities and
circumstances.
Hunters do get people to make decisions. But many who sign
cards do not understand enough to be born again. The slant of
some stereotyped presentations leads listeners to think,
"What can I lose? It probably can’t hurt." But it
leaves many people mistaken or confused about their spiritual
state. Several victims told me they just signed to get rid
of the Christian. Others responded with anger. Some were
disillusioned–the decision had changed
nothing–Christianity was a hoax.
The hunting Christian tries to reap a harvest without first
planting and watering! A few people in the U.S. may be
ready for a decision because others have sowed and watered, but
this is rarely true here or in other cultures.
When Jesus sent out the Twelve he instructed them to speak
only to the Jews, because he saw that they were like fields
white for harvest. (Mt. 9:37, 38, Jn. 4:35-38.) He sent the
Twelve to reap. Although the Gentile towns scattered throughout
Galilee were needier, they were not ready for reaping and the
Twelve were not at all ready for cross-cultural ministry. Only
the Jews had had enough chance to see Jesus.
As Paul evangelized the Roman Empire, he had to begin near
zero in each Gentile city, sowing and watering. He was doing
pioneer church planting. He had to present God’s Word and
demonstrate it before he could reap converts and form
house fellowships. He always started by fishing out seekers in
the synagogues–Jews, and Gentile God-fearers–people who
knew something about God from the Old Testament.
For us today to indiscriminately accost strangers with the
gospel may be harmful to them, but in hostile countries it can be
dangerous also for us. It can lead to job loss, arrest or
expulsion, sometimes on twenty-four hours notice.
Although most Christians feel uncomfortable and even afraid to
intrude into people’s lives and to impose religious
conversations on reluctant listeners, most books on evangelism
only tell us about better ways to hunt.
Yet even Jesus fished. He did and said things to incite
questions. In Jn. 4 he surprised an immoral Samaritan woman by
asking for a drink of water–something no other Jewish man
would have done! He saw past her promiscuity to her deep
spiritual need and led her to ask the right questions. . . But in
John 3 Jesus’ miracles were bait. They brought Nicodemus on a
night visit. Then Jesus’ puzzling statements about birth
elicited the right questions from this Jewish theologian. Jesus fished!
Jesus referred to evangelism in general as fishing for
people (Mt. 4:19), so the term fishing evangelism is
redundant. But it is a helpful reminder that we should fish
out the seekers from the ponds of people around
us – our family circle, neighborhood, workplace, campus, club,
etc. We can call it workplace evangelism, or neighborhood or campus evangelism, because it is ideal for those
portions of this planet’s great sea of people which God has
assigned to each of us–those people with whom we associate
most often. Above all, it is tentmaker evangelism–ideal
for professional people employed in hostile environments where
hunting can have disastrous consequences. It is ideal for all
intercultural sharing of the gospel.
So switching from a hunting to a fishing model is one secret
of effective evangelism anywhere. It frees messenger and
seeker. Your bait induces outsiders to ask the crucial
questions.
But bait varies in each situation. On a layover in a Texas
airport I could have talked to 100 travelers in the boarding
area. But which one should I choose? What should I say to people
I did not know? I broke the ice with a friendly "hello"
to everyone nearby as I sat down. This freed one woman to ask me
what work I do. An evasive answer would have ended the
conversation. Instead I said, "I assist caring Christians to
obtain salaried positions abroad, so they can tell hurting people
around them how Jesus Christ can help."
The woman grabbed both my hands and said, "I’m so
glad you are here – I am a hurting person!" Her
husband had just died. I was sorry when my plane was called, and
then realized we were on the same flight. She was assigned to
seat 12A and I to 12B! God had planned our encounter! On
takeoff she made the sign of the cross three times–so I knew
she was Catholic and that she was afraid to fly. After
significant conversation I gave her a Gospel of John.
(Pocket-sized Gospels and evangelistic booklets can continue your
conversations, and your address inside may lead to
correspondence.)
On another flight I chatted with a businessman about current
events. An attendant brought our meals and I said softly what I
felt, all in one breath: "I am hungry –t his looks
good – Thank you God for good things to eat! Now as you
were saying. . ." By returning immediately to our subject I
was leaving him free. I had not closed my eyes. He did not bat an
eyelash. I decided he had not heard my little one-sentence grace.
After the meal we both returned to our reading. A half hour later
he put aside his book and began a barrage of questions about
God. He had needed time to decide if he wanted to talk
and then, what to ask. He chose when to speak. If I had
pressed a conversation after my prayer, he might have been
defensive.
So bait can be any casual thing you do or say that discreetly
announces, "I know about God and I am willing to talk."
In the workplace there may be no response for several days. But
when your colleague or client or patient or student faces a
crisis, he or she will know where to come for help.
This happened to me one Monday soon after my arrival in Sao
Paulo to head up an international elementary school. The
principal of the adjacent secondary school came to say that one
of his teachers had drowned in a storm at sea during the weekend.
The high school teachers were preparing a memorial service for
the student body and parents. (I agreed that the elementary
school should participate.) The Glee Club was learning a hymn.
But no high school teacher was willing to say the prayer. He
said, "They suggested you would know how to do that."
Now what made my new acquaintances think that I could pray?
Had someone noticed me briefly bow my head in the teachers’
lunchroom?
So in my short prayer at the service I asked God to comfort
the bereaved family and friends. Then I added confidently,
"Thank you, Lord, that we can know about life after
death!" My little prayer brought teachers and students from
both schools into my office for days, to ask questions. It was
also how I fished out several Christian high school students and
started a Bible club in my apartment to help them win their
friends. In this way I multiplied my own ministry in both
schools!
This event also speeded up my ministry. It could have
taken awhile for most people in the elementary school to find out
about my faith, and months before I would have enough contact
with the high school. But God used the service to quickly inform
everyone in both schools, and many upper class Brazilian parents.
Yet I was not imposing religious conversations on anyone–I
was answering their questions!
This chain of events occurred because I had quietly put out
bait at work where I was being watched. If I had been hunting, most people around me would already have become defensive.
Fishing had proved advantageous.
2. The benefits of fishing
Note just 14 benefits of the fishing approach to evangelism.
1) Fishing evangelism is enjoyable! You look at the
people around you and think, like Jesus, "If you only knew what I have to give you, you would be
begging me!"
(Jn. 4:10) When people ask, you enjoy telling them the
gospel because they want to know, and you want to
tell them!
Their first questions are often indirect, but Marta came
straight to the point. I had just come to Lima to teach in a
secular school and I met this Peruvian teacher at the school
board’s reception for us newcomers. After a bit of small
talk, she asked, "Would you teach me the Bible?" I was
surprised! I did not know what I had said to make her ask. But
when I learned that her pilot husband had just been killed in a
crash, I knew how this hurting young widow had become so open to
Jesus Christ. After a few studies at my house she invited him
into her life. What joy that gave us both!
Then she brought her three sons to learn about God–sons
whom this doting mother had named Miguel, Rafael and Gabriel! I
soon learned they were not angels–just three normally
naughty teenagers whom God loved. A year later Marta died in a
car crash. I was so glad God had led me to her in time!
2) Fishing evangelism is easy since anyone can put out
bait–a godly lifestyle and occasional appropriate words
about God. Bait is little. You need not elaborate a sermon. You
learn to drop tiny spiritual bombshells in the most casual,
natural way! Speak with confidence–as if every thinking
person would agree. But do not be dogmatic, arrogant or preachy.
Fishing is easy because you put out bait in tiny bites.
3) Fishing evangelism is kind–never rude, not
imposing on someone who might become defensive, embarrassed or
angry. A graduate student at U.C. Berkeley saw me with my Bible
in a campus coffee shop and thought I might help with her
research paper on the Protestant Reformation. I wanted to tell
Daphne so much! But she assured me she had no personal interest
in religion. I soon suspected that was not true. But she was
prickly! So I let her questions guide me. I answered each one
briefly, adding bits of bait to keep more questions coming. It
became a long, substantial conversation that let me say most of
what I had longed to tell her. Then I gave her the names of two
pastor friends in a fine church just off campus. She said goodbye
and left. But then she returned and said, "Thank you for not
being pushy." This showed me why she had been so sensitive
to any initiative on my part. She had been the victim of hunters! Hunting can make people very difficult to win.
Good
evangelism is always kind.
4) Fishing evangelism is patient, allowing seekers to
pace the conversations with their questions as they are ready. We
can turn people off or confuse them by saying too much too soon
and using terms they do not yet know. Speak briefly and then
think, "The next move is up to you." Seekers need time
to process what we tell them and time for the Holy Spirit to work
on them.
That was true of Joao Olavo, a medical student in Curitiba,
Brazil, who had been attending an investigative Bible study in my
apartment for a couple of months. Late one evening he asked me,
"What does the death of Jesus 2000 years ago have to do with
me today?" I thought to myself, "Dear Joao Olavo, where
have you been these last three weeks?" As I began to
explain it again, tears filled his eyes and a smile filled his
face. He grasped the meaning for the first time. A bad
experience that week had shown this very intelligent,
self-sufficient, self-righteous young man that he desperately
needed God. It can take time for people to understand spiritual
truths even after hearing them several times.
So we must be patient with seekers because the Holy Spirit is
patient with them and we must not run ahead of him. We can let
the seekers’ partial responses encourage our faith and we
can rejoice over each small step they take toward God. I put
small t’s after their names in my prayer notebook for
a small "Thank you, Lord," and then a big T when
they make their commitment. A whole row of t’s tells
me God is working, so I can be patient.
5) Fishing evangelism is respectful of individuals.
You
treat people as persons, not objects. You customize your approach
for each one. When you get a nibble, determine what kind of
seeker your bait has drawn. Listen to what that person
says, making sure you understand. As I started university
fellowships in Brazil, I spoke differently to Catholic philosophy
student Ramon, to Marxist economics professor Maria Eugenia, and
to my maid, Benta, who panicked at rainbows, fearing they could
make her pregnant! Individuals are as unique as their
fingerprints.
6) Fishing evangelism shows you what to say. It puts
you right on target, with little hit-or-miss. You will not be
giving a lot of answers to questions no one is asking.
Seekers’ questions reveal their spiritual history, the
gospel truths they already understand, their misconceptions,
their felt needs, and obstacles that might hinder their turning
to the Lord. Listen to them. Build on what God’s Spirit is
doing with them. Do not fear their questions. (See Section II.)
7) Fishing evangelism shows you what to pray. None of
your effort or expertise can bring anyone to the Lord unless you
pray. Hunters can only offer general prayers. Fishers can be
specific. You ask God to change Lucho’s concept of him as a
severe Judge, and the idea that he may get by if he balances his
sins with good deeds. You pray that he will do well on his math
exam, and won’t be distracted by the soccer game or his
girlfriend, and that Friday’s study on the rich young ruler
in Luke 18 will touch his heart. Our prayers free the Holy Spirit
to do what he is longing to do for us.
8) Fishing evangelism is wise and discreet. It is not
indiscriminate, but selective. You let your light shine for
everyone, because it can turn indifferent and hostile people into
seekers. You answer their questions, too. But you focus on those
whose questions show they are seeking. You take them aside to
talk without arousing the opposition of the spiritually hostile
people around them. (Evangelism is so risky in non-Christian
countries that I will return to this subject later.)
9) Fishing evangelism is versatile. If you do not get a
nibble, wait for an appropriate moment and try another kind of
bait! There is a right kind of bait for every kind of fish. Many
Christians should cultivate broader interests in order to have
more in common with non-believers. At least we should be able to
ask intelligent questions about current events, business, sports,
literature, art, music, TV, etc.
Scripture is versatile, containing a variety of salvation
metaphors to help people respond to the Lord–terms like
finding him, believing in him, inviting him in, being born again,
submitting to him, making a commitment to him. As alienated from
God, they can be reconciled to him. As guilty and condemned they
can come to the Judge for acquittal. As disobedient children they
can beg forgiveness from the loving Father. As lost sheep they
can let themselves be found by the seeking Shepherd. As broken
people they can be made whole by the Great Physician. As slaves
to sin they can let the Redeemer buy them out of the slave market
and set them free. As rebels they can change sides and make an
unconditional surrender to the King of Kings! Use the metaphors
and Bible passages best suited to the seeker’s questions.
In a crowded but quiet hotel elevator in Manila, a
well-dressed Filipino man saw my Bible and asked me if I was one
of those people who believe Jesus is the Good Shepherd. I said,
"Yes–are you one, too?" He said, "No. My
brother is. But I value my freedom too much to give it up."
So I asked, using his metaphor, "Which lamb has the
most freedom–the one near the shepherd’s rod and staff,
or the one in the dark alone with the lions and bears?" He
said, "You have just put a whole new perspective on the
subject!" (A captive elevator audience listened.) I had no
time to explain how Jesus can make us truly free (Jn. 8:32). I
did not have with me the booklet, Becoming Free. I pray
his brother has won him.
10) Fishing evangelism is rightly motivated by a biblical
definition. It is not headhunting, chalking up numbers or
filling a quota. Evangelism is not even winning people to the
Lord, although that is a desired result. Evangelism is
joyfully, reverently, tactfully "declaring the glory of
God" as we know him from Scripture and personal experience.
It is storytelling! It is the purpose for which the church exists
(1 Peter 2:9, Psalm 96:3)
A bad definition kept me limping along for years. I feared
starting a conversation that would not result in a
decision–I could not risk another failure. But this biblical
definition freed me to sow and water. God was pleased whenever I
spoke of him. Because I was no longer uptight, seekers came to
me. Even if I see no response in a listener, I rejoice–God
can make my words bear fruit in coming days or weeks–for
other Christians to reap.
11) Fishing evangelism is biblical. It is not another
gimmick. Both Paul and Peter describe evangelism as answering
the questions of seekers.
Listen to Paul in Col. 4:5, 6: "Conduct yourselves wisely
toward outsiders, making the most of each opportunity. Let your
speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so you may know
how you ought to answer every one." A godly,
non-judgmental, attractive lifestyle and tactful, thirst-inducing
comments elicit the questions we long to answer.
Listen to Peter in 1 Peter 3:14-16: "Have no fear of them
(persecutors), nor be troubled. But in your hearts reverence
Christ as Lord. (His presence gives courage and wisdom and
power!) Always be ready to make a defense (an answer) to any one
who asks you the reason for the hope that is in
you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your
conscience clear (lifestyle)." According to Peter, what most
attracted non-believers? The Christians’ hope! They
puzzled over what secret gave the Christians joy and peace and
confidence even as they suffered physical persecution, property
confiscation and economic discrimination.
In our hectic, anxiety-filled world today, non-believers
wonder what hope gives Christians peace and patience in
the daily grind of work and the frustrations of life, and peace
in spite of future uncertainties.
But fishing evangelism cannot work if no one asks questions.
Three reasons they do not ask: a) Too little contact. The
Christians ignore non-believers, eating meals and spending free
time with each other. b) Seekers see nothing different in the
believers’ behavior–they gripe like all the rest. c)
Seekers admire the Christians’ conduct but do not relate it
to God because they rarely mention him. Christians must put
out bait, in a context they share with outsiders–the
neighborhood, workplace, campus or club. This is biblical
evangelism.
12) Fishing evangelism leads to evangelistic Bible studies.
After a few questions, even if you could answer, say,
"I’m not an authority on this subject–I’m
still learning about my faith. (You are non-threatening.) But
would you like to see what Jesus said?" Pull out a New
Testament or Gospel and do a one-on-one study of a few relevant
verses. Ask questions and let the seeker find answers in the
text. These will raise new questions. Agree when to meet for a
longer passage. This kind of study usually grows into weekly
encounters with several seekers. (Say investigative Bible
study–IBS, because an outsider could be offended or put on
guard if you say evangelistic.)
IBS’s are not a new idea. Remember Philip, the social
services administrator who fled Saul’s persecution and
evangelized in Samaria and the Gaza Strip. He hitchhiked south
along the international highway and hooked a ride in the
luxurious chariot of a foreign dignitary, who turned out to be
the treasurer of Queen Candace of Ethiopia! Philip knew he was a
seeker because he was reading aloud from an Isaiah scroll! He got
the man to ask him to explain Isaiah 53, then led him in an IBS
of this wonderful passage. He helped him to trust in Jesus and
then baptized him by a roadside pool!
I have seen more people find God through IBS’s than any
other means. It is a patient way to provide the background
seekers need to make an intelligent decision. Each one discovers
truth as he or she is ready for it. You study gospel
narratives. Stories have always been the main conduit for
truth, especially in non-Western cultures. Stories link mind,
heart and emotions in a way that abstract teaching and linear
arguments do not. In the Bible, the gospel stories are the main
evangelistic literature. John 20:31 says, "These things were
written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ. . . and
that you might have life in his name."
Most important, the stories are about Jesus, who is
always the shortcut in evangelism. You watch him in
action, listen to his words and to the testimony of his friends
and enemies. As you stress his humanity–he is tired,
hungry, thirsty, sleepy, lonely or sad–his deity
stands out in sharp contrast. Ask questions that help
participants interact vicariously with him through the characters
in the story.
IBS discussions are quite different from the usual Bible
study. The majority of the participants should be
non-believers. They share more honestly and spontaneously
when there is no psychological pressure from a Christian
majority. But emphasize the ground rules–to answer the
questions from the text–to discover what the passage
means, not to exchange religious opinions. This avoids arguments
and makes sure the participants will not leave with wrong
conclusions. (But note the opinions they present and discuss them
privately between studies.)
IBS’s enable you to rejoice as seekers take small steps
toward God. Their comments and questions show when you should ask
for commitment. It produces converts who are lay evangelists,
because the new Christians can immediately win others, as they
were won–leading an IBS with a question guide on the
gospel stories! In Spain, Marisa had not yet made a verbal
commitment herself when she took a page of questions to lead that
week’s study with her non-believing father and sister! See GO
Paper: Investigative Bible Studies.
13) Fishing evangelism facilitates follow-up, because
it quickly leads to an IBS, which not only helps seekers find
God, but provides the matrix in which the converts are taught and
nurtured. The IBS turns into a DBS–a discipleship Bible
study. You also begin new IBS’s, with the converts inviting
their friends and leading them to God.
14) Fishing evangelism facilitates church planting,
because
it quickly leads to an IBS which soon turns into a DBS–and
that soon becomes a house church! A larger congregation can be
formed if tentmakers bring two or three DBS groups together. But
in Muslim countries they may have to wait until the converts
learn to trust each other, since they fear infiltration by spies
(phony converts) seeking to report them to authorities.
The above 14 benefits of fishing can be experienced in
different situations.
3. Fishing contexts
Fishing evangelism is useful in our travel, our nuclear and
extended families, our neighborhoods, our places of work or study
and in our social activities. We will consider first where Paul
evangelized, then our contemporary workplaces or campuses, and
then hostile environments.
1) Paul’s contexts for evangelism.
Intellectual Paul, who supported himself by making animal skin
tents, integrated work and witness in the workshop. There
he probably saw some fellow laborers, customers, suppliers, and
artisan guild members with shops on the same narrow street. He
may have worked for an employer or hired his own employees,
managed a workshop or trained apprentices. In the streets
of Corinth he talked to drunks, thieves, idlers and other
bums–and won many to the Lord! (1 Cor. 6:9-11) Conversations
would have spilled over into his residence–maybe
above or behind the workshop, especially when he lived with
Priscilla and Aquila. He talked to people in the market
squares and was invited to lecture to the philosophers in the Aeropagus council in Athens and to the Asiarchs in Ephesus
(Acts 17,18). But he always taught first in synagogues to
fish out seekers, until Jewish hostility forced him to move
meetings to a convert’s home–like that of Jason
in Corinth. In Philippi there was no synagogue so he looked for
worshipping Jews along the riverbanks, and found the
Gentile God-fearer, Lydia. (Acts 16) In Ephesus Paul taught
during the long noontime siesta hours in a borrowed lecture
hall and evenings in large local households. (Acts
19:8, 9, 20:20.) He evangelized on board ship and on long
journeys on foot (Acts 27, 28, 19:1ff). He witnessed
in several jails (Acts 16) and won converts under
Nero’s very nose–in his palace prison! (Phil.
1:12-15, 4:21,22.) He turned his arrests and trials into
evangelistic outreach! (Acts 21-26.)
Although theologically educated, he served as a working man,
not clergy–because it gained him credibility with the
skeptical, suspicious Gentiles. He was erudite and upper class
but he identified with artisans. He modeled and taught fishing
evangelism in all these contexts. (Col.4:5, 6).
2) Today’s workplace and campus.
What makes fishing evangelism so necessary where we work or
study is that we see the same people over and over. We must not
turn them off by saying too much at the beginning.
Maria Celia learned this in her first year of medical school
in Curitiba, Brazil. When she came to share my apartment, she
said, "Don’t expect me to evangelize. Last year I
talked about God so much that when I walked down the hall
everyone disappeared into classrooms!" She was right. More
talk would be counterproductive. I said, "Let’s not
talk to them about God unless they ask." I knew they
would ask if we used the right bait in a context of caring about
them as whole people–not just religious souls.)
Students came to our little apartment mainly from the Catholic
medical faculty next door and the federal medical school a block
away. Once we had 60 people! Sometimes groups studied all night
for exams, with human hearts and lungs on the table exuding
formaldehyde! We provided coffee, Brazilian mate tea and cookies.
Students dropped by almost any time of day, and some asked about
God. When they started working on cadavers Orlandina had trouble
sleeping, so she asked me what happens when we die. As we sat
down to study 1 Cor. 15 others came in, and she called them to
join us. We had these spontaneous Bible studies almost any hour
of the day, and a scheduled study each Saturday. We ended these
studies in an hour, but discussion continued for another hour or
two. When we divided into three groups, some came three times a
week! Maria Celia became popular and wisely used her evangelistic
gift.
This discreet approach is even more important in antagonistic
milieus.
3) Hostile environments. Fishing evangelism is ideal
among that 80% of the world’s people that is off-limits to
missionaries. China comprises about 22% of the world and India
20%. Muslim countries add another 20%. Even some fairly open
countries no longer issue missionary visas. Yet all governments
welcome expatriates with expertise they need. But fanatics can
get you dismissed, arrested or expelled. Yet how could you face
God if you did not tell the gospel to local people who had never
had a chance to hear it?
Solution: You fish! You do selective evangelism,
finding the spiritually hungry people in any group and taking
them aside to talk. Genuine seekers are not likely to report you
to authorities. Non-seekers may not even notice your subtle bait.
But your godly lifestyle can turn even them into seekers.
Jesus evangelized in an extremely hostile situation, not
unlike Muslim cultures today. Jewish society was characterized by
the same fanatical monotheism of people who do not believe in a
triune God. As opposition to Jesus grew, he used parables to fish
out seekers. The crowds could react with curiosity, indifference,
anger, sentimental approval, mockery or perplexity, but only
those who stayed and asked, discovered the meaning of his stories
(Mk. 4:12). He did not "cast pearls before swine" (Mt.
7:6). He did not speak precious truths to the hostile crowds who
would trample and mock. They would discourage timid seekers.
Jesus fished out hungry people and explained the life-giving,
spiritual meaning of his stories to them in private.
A similar tactic would have helped Dick, a music teacher in
Kuwait. He related warmly to the local people, and the Muslim men
in his neighborhood invited him to join their evening chats
outdoors or in their homes. It was an honor to be invited to a diwaniya
and Dick courageously talked to the men about Jesus Christ. Once
they even asked him to bring his Injil (N.T.) But soon they were
fiercely arguing among themselves in Arabic. If a hesitant seeker
was present, he was probably discouraged by the majority. Dick
needed to fish out the seekers and talk with them elsewhere.
Engineers Roy and Carol, working in a sensitive Muslim
country, became discouraged when she and the children fell ill
with hepatitis and he injured his back. The Arab employers were
never happy with his work–it is how they control employees.
The two bosses lied to each other and Roy would get caught in the
middle. The couple asked for thirty days vacation leave in the
U.S. They wanted to reconsider if God expected them to stay in
this hard place.
The bosses protested. If Roy left for a month the whole
factory would fall apart! For the first time he saw how pleased
they were with him. Just before the couple left, one boss came
with a little suitcase, asking for books about Jesus! Roy
thought he was entrapping him–to get him arrested. He would
not have dared to bring a whole suitcase full of Christian books
into this country! But Roy gave him an Arabic New Testament and a
book about Jesus.
The boss proved to be sincere and the couple returned. The
boss had been made hungry for the gospel, first by Christian
radio, then by how Roy related to them at work and how the couple
faced their multiple problems. Anyone can do right when all goes
well. But suffering enhances our testimony.
However, even tentmakers who are discreet can be expelled. It
had taken us only two weeks to get Tom a civil engineering job in
Saudi Arabia. He was helping a small fellowship of mainly Asian
Christians. He returned to his job after a four-week break
outside the country, and found the whole group being expelled,
because of the exuberance of a few new believers. In a week or
two Tom was also ordered to leave. But in a short time all had
jobs elsewhere in Muslim countries and their ministries
continued.
Tentmakers should not flaunt their religious activity before
authorities. But if arrested, they should see God’s hand in
it, since no one can touch them without God’s permission!
Jesus said his followers should expect arrests so they could
witness to authorities. (Mt. 10:16-20). The first tentmaker ever
has assured us that God "makes all things work together for
good for those who love him, and for their families!" (Rom.
8:23-28)
So Christians must be in a context where they can be regularly
observed by the same outsiders, and they must put out bait that
will draw seekers.
4. Components of bait
Note first what is not bait. Bumper stickers and
Christian motto shirts are not witnessing, but advertising.
These turn off most non-believers. But as I traveled in Asia, my
tiny cross or fish lapel pins fished out a surprising number of
seekers. But effective bait where we live, work or study must
contain these four characteristics.
1) Personal integrity. The first component is moral
integrity. Our relationships with the opposite sex must be above
reproach. Our lives must be characterized by honesty,
truthfulness and transparency. In most cultures people ask
personal questions, like how much money we earn, what rent we
pay, the price of our car, why we are in their country. If you
are single, they ask why. If married, they ask why you have no
children, etc. It is good to have nothing to hide. Openness gains
trust.
As tentmakers in sensitive countries we must be who we say
we are, with no pretense. A math teacher who knows Jesus
Christ must be just that. Christians who see themselves as
regular missionaries with a job as a cover or a front,
often develop a clandestine mentality which sooner or later
destroys their credibility. Fear may lead them to evade
questions, to speak half-truths or use code words. Each small
deception requires others. Local people catch on quickly. The
believer’s evasions and inconsistencies puzzle them and
undermine trust. Their actions can result in the very detection
they fear.
No passage of Scripture permits half-truths or other
deceptions. The end does not justify the means. Truth and
righteousness are major parts of our spiritual armor that we must
consciously put on–daily, as we dress. (Eph. 6: 10ff.) In
this cosmic war we dare not risk holes! An untruth gives Satan a
foothold. He can turn us into perpetual liars by keeping us in
hot water. The problem is not only that people will find
us out, but Satan knows, and our lack of trust dishonors
God!
Jesus said our evangelism would bring us before authorities.
(How else would they ever hear the gospel?) He promised that the
Holy Spirit would tell us what to say. Does the Spirit of Truth
ever coach us to lie? Don’t short-circuit what God is trying
to do when you are face to face with potentially dangerous
authorities. It is how God turned the chief persecutor of the
church, Saul of Tarsus, into Paul, the beloved apostle! (See GO
Paper on Tentmaker Ethics.)
Tentmakers who genuinely earn their living in substantial
positions for which they are qualified, have more freedom in
almost every way to live out the gospel in the workplace and to
answer the questions that invariably arise. Tentmaking is not
regular missionary work, but a unique approach to spiritual
ministry. To abstract Paul’s model of secular work but
ignore his instructions for workplace evangelism is to forfeit
most of the benefits of tentmaking.
The Christian professional must live out the Christian life
under the unrelenting scrutiny of non-believers. Personal
integrity is seen in small things. We all fail under stress so it
matters how we deal with failure. We must be willing to
apologize, to say we are still learning. We do not claim
perfection, but we long to please God in all that we do.
Paul’s manual labor enabled him to model the Christian
life for converts (2 Thess.3:8ff). They had never seen a
Christian! It was not enough to tell them how to live holy lives.
It was not enough to show godliness in church. Paul demonstrated
holy living in the same seductive, idolatrous, immoral cesspool
of Roman society in which the seekers lived and worked.
Paul lived out honesty, truth, holiness and love in the same
atmosphere of persecution that tempted new believers to lie and
compromise their faith. But he did not let fear
short-circuit what God was doing in people around him.
Two thousand years after Paul, it is equally important for us
to live out Christ in the world’s diverse marketplaces, to
speak the truth, to refrain from bribery, to avoid illegal
monetary exchange, to respect authority, to deal kindly with
everyone, to be irreproachable in our relationships to the
opposite sex–according to the Bible and local customs. Our
integrity matters!
And so does our work. Note some of Paul’s most
astonishing instructions!
2) Quality work. The second component of bait is honest
work for our employer. Paul also taught and modeled a biblical
work ethic in a society that had none. A contract with an
employer was a contract with the Lord.
Slaves made up 90% of the population in Rome and the Italian
peninsula and 70% in the provinces! The basic social unit of
Greco-Roman society was the wealthy household. It consisted of
the owner’s extended family, slaves who did house chores,
slaves who did farm labor, and slaves who were artisans and
managers who ran the family businesses. A household also had
teachers, and often a doctor and a lawyer. Who were all these
slaves? Some had been born to slave parents and were the
master’s property. Some were picked up as abandoned babies.
Some were freeborn people who fell into debt. The majority were
foreign captives, taken in war or peace and sold in slave
markets. These households were multicultural!
But in Eph. 6:5-8, Paul speaks not only to slaves but to wage
earners–to free citizens, to ex-slaves, to small business
proprietors, to day laborers. He says, "Slaves, be obedient
to those who are your earthly masters, with fear and trembling,
in singleness of heart, as to Christ, not with eye service,
as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God
from the heart, rendering service with good will as to the
Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good any one
does, he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is
slave or free." See also Col. 3:23-25.
Regardless of the Christian’s social status or the work
done, Jesus was the real boss–rather than the person who
gave the orders or authorized the paycheck. Quality work might
even win the employer to the Lord, improving life for many! To
win a householder could result in a new house church! The
households became the main social unit of the church!
Paul gives us a new perspective on secular work.
Jesus
observes us and evaluates the quality of our work. We are to
serve our human employers as though they were Jesus Christ! Even
if they are cruel slave masters. If we do it consciously for
Jesus Christ it is no longer secular work. Even a hard job, or a
boring one, is transformed into sacred ministry and worship!
So architect Don served God, in the Arabian Gulf, not only by
his evangel ism, but also by the Arab style houses he designed
for Muslim extended families! Engineer Stan pleased God by
providing water resources for rural southeast Asians. Tim did
surgery in Turkey, and Norma played violin in Portugal’s
national symphony orchestra. Brian managed a supermarket in Saudi
Arabia. Keith taught high school math in Kenya. The Ponds taught
children in Belarus. The 70-year old Johnsons taught English in
China. But all had the same employer–Jesus Christ.
Work is part of our cultural mandate (Gen.1:28). It is one of
the ways in which we reflect the image of God. It is how we care
for the resources God has entrusted to us. It is how we
"bless" our new host country. It is how we let God love
people through us. That God "so loved the world"
means he loves the rebels everywhere. He wants his followers to
make life better for them. God told his exiled people in
idolatrous, pagan Babylon, "Seek the welfare of the city
where I have sent you, for in its welfare is your welfare."
(Jer. 29:7) We must integrate our cultural mandate and our
missionary mandate (Mt.28:18-20). Daily work done for God is
spiritual ministry.
But the witness of our work can never take the place of
the witness of our character and words. Both verbal and
non-verbal testimony are as necessary in evangelism as both wings
are to a superjet! All the tentmakers above also shared the good
news on their jobs as well as in free time. Their quality work
opened doors for verbal witness and gave credibility to their
words.
3) Caring relationships. The third component of bait is
how Christians relate to people in the workplace or on campus.
They must be pleasant to all around them and give comfort,
encouragement and practical help where they can. They may help a
colleague at work, help a family move, take meals to the sick, do
the shopping, babysit the children, prepare a fellow student for
an exam, find him part-time work or a place to live. They may
invite their neighbors or colleagues for meals.
Carlos Garcia, fourth year law student, came to our Bible
study group in my apartment in Lima, Peru. The next Saturday was
his birthday so I baked a cake. I should have guessed he would
spend that day with his family. So the next Saturday I baked
another cake for a late celebration. After he found the Lord and
became a pastor he told his congregation that no one had ever
baked him a birthday cake–and it had touched him that I had
baked two! More recently this godly leader was elected Vice
President of Peru.
For Paul’s converts, hospitality and generosity were part
of life and witness. (Gal. 6:9, 10, 1 Tim. 3:2) He wrote in 1
Thess. 2:8: "We shared with you not only the gospel of God
but our very own selves, because you had become very dear to
us."
Americans are judged by foreigners to be friendly, but
unavailable when needed. Most cultures make a big distinction
between friends and acquaintances. People test your friendship by
requesting favors, but they expect you to request favors, too.
You cannot have many real friends at once. Find a few seekers
and focus on them and their families.
When Bob and Betty taught English in China, the government did
not want students to associate with foreign faculty outside the
classroom. But this couple loved the students and knew how boring
their lives were. So they found a way to invite a few at a time
for meals in their pleasant apartment. They designed a course on
how to be a guest in an American home. These students saw a
Christian book or two on the coffee table and a Bible verse on
the wall. On one visit, a young engineer said, "I want to
know about God. Is there any kind of a book about him?"
In another city a young Chinese woman expressed surprise that
her English teachers were volunteering their free time to provide
sacrificial service to children in one of China’s desperate
orphanages. (People abandon girl babies at these institutions
almost daily.) She protested that orphans are the
government’s job! But she became ashamed that it was
foreigners, not her own people, who gave loving care to these
abandoned little ones. She said, "Soon I begin to suspicion
that these teachers are Christians. I ask, and they say to
me ‘yes.’"
Christian groups can show caring on an even larger
scale. An IFES-related student group in Peru painted the filthy
restrooms on campus as a service to the student body! A few years
ago in Communist Hungary the persecuted churches canceled a
Sunday morning’s services so members could help clear away
flood debris for their neighbors. Their labor became worship.
Whenever possible, our personal help to people should be
reciprocal, not paternalistic. In Yemen, Clare, who is an
engineer, stays home to care for her children and to befriend her
Muslim neighbors. But the local women were not friendly until her
first baby was born. Then they came to help this young mother
whose own mother lived so far away. After that Clare could go to
market with the women–her hair wholly covered, like theirs.
She adjusted their sewing machines and they taught her to sew
their long colorful gowns. Give-and-take allays suspicions that a
one-sided relationship creates.
In every conversation we must play the role of either host or
guest. Shy people are often guests–passive. We must learn to
be hosts. Take the initiative to make others comfortable, instill
confidence, free them to confide. Make yourself vulnerable by
sharing personal experiences. Being the host takes your mind off
yourself, reducing your shyness and freeing you to love others.
So we must live out the gospel in a non-judgmental,
non-compromising, attractive way. We must maintain personal
integrity even in the most difficult situations, with quality
work and caring relationships–and watch for openings to talk
about the Lord.
4) Verbal witness. This is the fourth component of
bait. If you do not speak of God, an exemplary life may merely
confuse people. So you must casually, naturally and confidently
insert fitting comments about God into secular conversations. Do
not overdo. Avoid being preachy. But watch for openings. Your
informed, pleasant conversations on non-religious topics make
your occasional religious comments acceptable.
Section II gives more help on verbal witness. But first,
consider mission issues in integrating work and witness.
5. Work and witness issues
Quality work is basic to tentmaker witness everywhere, along
with integrity, caring relationships and speaking. But the
following problems are due to cultural factors or to an
undervaluation of secular work in evangelical circles.
1) Social barriers that inhibit witness. It bothers
Christian faculty in some countries that they may not socialize
with their students without losing respect. Students will expect
favors and good grades without effort. Usually tentmakers find
ways to converse with them. But they have more freedom to
evangelize colleagues, former students and students in other
people’s classes.
In many countries, business people also may not associate
freely with subordinates. But even in this situation, God helps
you fish out the seekers.
2) Little appreciation for efficiency. Many countries
have no work ethic and quality work may be resented. Your
efficiency may mean fewer employees are needed. You do not want
to jeopardize the job of a friend who needs to support his
family. How do you reconcile biblical teaching on work and your
responsibility to your employer, with problems you could cause
coworkers?
Paul faced a similar dilemma. The Jews had a work ethic from
the O.T., but the Gentiles had none. Paul made a big issue of
work. He taught and modeled a biblical work ethic for his
converts. Why? Many had been idlers and thieves, and even after
their conversion Paul had to exhort them to quit stealing! (1
Cor. 6:9-11, Eph. 4:28). He said that idlers unwilling to work
were not to eat. Without a biblical work ethic there could not be
godly, respectable church members, nor well-supported families,
nor indigenous, independent churches. Converts could not give to
the needy, nor have any positive effect on their community. In
many countries today a small Christian minority has great
influence partly because of its work ethic.
In spite of initial disadvantage, in the long run the work
ethic is better for everyone. But rather than compete with
coworkers, earning their enmity and threatening their jobs, help
them all to do better. Help your superior to raise the
productivity of the whole department in a way that gets him the
credit. Gain both the short- and long-term benefits of a biblical
work ethic.
3) The myth of the Christian presence. Some expatriates
who go to China are persuaded not to evangelize. If they just
show what good people Christians are, it is said, the government
will give permission to evangelize a few years from now. But it
is doubtful that any country ever gained religious freedom this
way. How can Christians refrain from giving the gospel to the
Chinese around them who have never had a chance to hear it? They
must do low key evangelism now, eliciting questions to answer.
4) Evangelizing elsewhere but not on the job. It is
easy to understand why some tentmakers do not want to risk their
jobs and work permits by evangelizing in the workplace. They wish
to avoid the cost and hassle of moving their family to another
country. But the people we see daily are our main responsibility
before God. Biblical evangelism is a lifestyle, not an activity
to switch on or off. The solution? Quit hunting. Fish! God
provides a particular job so the tentmaker can witness
specifically in that context. They must trust him to care
for them and their families. No one dare touch them without his
permission!
5) A supposed conflict of interest between job and
ministry. Many tentmakers are told by their Christian
superiors, "Do not put so much effort into your job because that
is not what you are here for." This puts stress on the
workers. The job is viewed as a necessary nuisance to permit
residence in the restricted country. But it is wrong to use
an employer for a visa unless one intends to give wholehearted
service.
Tentmaking and regular missionary work are not just two
different means of financial support, but two quite different
mission strategies for different people in different situations.
Scripture gives us examples of both approaches. God called
Peter to leave his two-family fishing business forever and to
fish for men, as a regular missionary, on donor support. Years
later Paul reports approvingly that Peter and his wife still
traveled and ministered on church support. (Luke 5:1-11, John 21,
1 Cor. 9:5) Paul then gives a long list of arguments to establish
his own right as an apostle to church support. But then in the
same chapter Paul says three times that he has never made
use of this right! Three times! (1 Cor. 9:12, 15, 18) He
writes near the end of his third missionary journey, so all his
journeys are included. God called him to a
self-supporting, tentmaking ministry. His pioneer church planting
among Gentile unreached peoples required a different strategy
from the work of Peter, which was mainly among Jews.
Paul says the Christian’s job is important. He tells
slaves and paid workers that they must serve their human
employers with the same dedication that they would give to Jesus
Christ! Col. 3:23-25: "Whatever your task, work heartily, as
serving the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will
receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord
Christ." See also Eph. 6:5,6. We dare not minimize
tentmakers’ jobs, because they are an integral part of their
spiritual ministry, and can produce more churches than any other
approaches.
The incompatibility of job and ministry is exaggerated in
mission circles for three reasons: a) A failure to heed
Paul–his considerable teaching on work and witness, and
his marketplace example. b) Leaders’ inexperience. Few
mission leaders have done self-supporting ministry. Many have not
held secular jobs! Even most tentmakers did little or no
workplace evangelism in their previous jobs at home. c) The
problem of hybrid ministries. All combinations of
self-support and donor support are legitimate if they are honest.
But people who depend mainly on donor support are not tentmakers,
but regular missionaries, pretending self-support, using a
minimal job as a front or a cover. Each finds "a secular
identity" behind which to hide his or her true identity. But
they tend to develop a clandestine mentality that can lead to
deceitfulness and loss of credibility. It predisposes them to do
the very things which can make them suspect.
Tentmaking is not regular missionary work. But it is
full-time
ministry, since work and witness are integrated on the job.
In their free time tentmakers have additional ministries. A
linguistics instructor translated the New Testament into the
language of five million Muslims as he supported himself in the
local university! Paul considered tentmaking better for pioneer
church planting in hostile regions than the donor-support
approach of Peter. (See GO Paper: Why did Paul Make Tents? A
Biblical Basis for Tentmaking.)
6) The problem of an unethical employer. Deal with the
situation with prayer and patience. Daniel’s bosses were no
saints! Yet he won Nebuchadnezzar to the Lord ! But if an
employer’s reputation compromises your testimony you must
take the proper steps to resign. We know of no tentmakers who
have had to do this.
7) The danger of jeopardizing the employer. All
vocations have occupational hazards. Tentmaking in sensitive
countries adds another–persecution. A Christian expatriate
in Saudi Arabia may be willing to take risks for Jesus Christ,
but what if he jeopardizes his employer? What if his firm loses
its contract because of his indiscretion? a) The firm risks more
by hiring non-believers who are immoral, or use drugs, or
home-brew their own liquor. Most Christians share Muslims’
objection to alcohol and their other scruples. b) Tentmakers may
not remain silent in any country. It is usually legitimate to
answer the questions of local people, so fishing evangelism
reduces the risks. c) They must trust that God brought them there
to witness and he cares for them, their families and their
employers.
But tentmakers must fish, not hunt! Bait is similar
everywhere: personal integrity, quality work, caring
relationships and fitting words about God.
But there is more to evangelism than fishing out the seekers.
Fishing helps you to get started. It helps you over a major
hurdle. Your lifestyle evangelism draws seekers into your
friendship evangelism. As the relationship develops you can take
more initiative in the conversations. But how do you proceed? How
do you handle the seeker’s questions?
II Answering questions
1. Basic attitudes
Confidence and humility. Do
not fear the questions! The key is to evangelize as a learner,
not as an authority. It is less threatening to the seeker and
it takes the pressure off of you. You never claimed to have all
the answers. The Christian faith is not going to be hurt because
you haven’t yet learned everything. After 2000 years no one
is going to think up a question that no Christian can answer! But
we must share our certainties, not our doubts. Be honest. Rather
than bluff or answer poorly, say, "Let me have until
tomorrow so I can give you a clear explanation." Then work
on the answer.
2. Preparedness
1) How do you find the answers? Consult books like Josh
McDowell’s Evidences that Demand a Verdict (CCC) or
Cliff Knechtle’s Give me an Answer (IVP). (See
Bibliography.) Do you have access to a church library? Talk with
fellow Christians–a pastor or campus staff worker. Organize
your data. Make a simple outline of your best arguments and
related Scriptures. Find a relevant booklet to lend. We should
not be unprepared twice for the same question.
2) How can you prepare beforehand? Both Peter and Paul
tell us to be ready for the questions. I found the
following helpful.
a) I started a question file in a shoe-box. On divider
tabs I wrote the questions people asked or that I feared they
might ask. Then I filed outlines of my best answers, with Bible
verses. I kept adding scraps of paper with notes from books,
magazines and sermons–as I found them.
b) I prepared inductive Bible study guides on several
passages for IBS’s like: the woman at the well (Jn.4) the
Syro-Phoenician woman (Mt. 15), blind Bartimaeus (Lk.18), the
rich young ruler (Lk. 19), Zacchaeus (Lk. 19, the Roman
centurion, the widow of Nain, Simon and the sinful woman (all in
Luke 5). These simple stories have tremendous theological
and evangelistic content. 7). I also did mini-studies on
even shorter passages, like Jesus’ promise of freedom in
John 8:31-36; Jesus at the door in Rev.3:20, 21 and on the cross
in 1 Peter 2:18-25, etc. (See Bibliography and GO Paper on Inductive
Bible Study: Preparing a Passage.)
c) I memorized evangelism Bible verses–and their
addresses, so I could find and use them quickly. I started with
salvation verses like John 1:12, 3:16-21, 5:24, 1 John 5:11, 12,
Rev. 3:20,21. (The Navigators memory system and packet are
helpful.)
These three steps should prepare you, as they did me, to
answer questions with more confidence. You must depend on
God’s Spirit to bring to remembrance what you should say in
each case. But the Holy Spirit cannot retrieve data from your
memory bank that you have never stored there!
3. The questions
People ask three main kinds of questions–all of
them important. Understanding them can give balance and keep us
from spinning our wheels. They relate to apologetics, personal
testimony and gospel proclamation. Consider samples of
each.
1) Apologetics–that is, defense of our faith.
Peter’s Greek word for answer is apologia, reason,
defense. It divides into two kinds of questions. a)
Philosophical: If God is good how can he allow evil? How can
he allow a hell? How can he let the innocent suffer? Is there
absolute truth? Where do we get our feelings of right and wrong?
Are human beings more than biochemical machines? What is death?
Is incarnation a reality? b) Historical: How can we know
that Jesus existed? Why not regard him merely as a great teacher?
Why not regard him merely as an impersonal Christ principle or
Christ consciousness? Why should we believe he is God in a unique
sense? Why believe that he arose bodily from the grave,
never to die again? Why believe that the Bible is true? Why is it
more valid than the The Gospel of Thomas, The Unknown Life of
Jesus or extra-sensory messages? Why believe that biblical,
historical Christianity is uniquely different from and superior
to all other religions?
It is permissible to argue, to give reasons, to
persuade–as Paul did. But he said to do it gently and
courteously (2 Tim. 2:23-26, Eph. 6:10ff). The
non-believers are not the enemy, but victims of the enemy,
blinded and held captive by him. It is possible to win all the
arguments but to lose the seeker.
Some years ago, Paul Little pointed out in his book
How to
Give Away Your Faith (IVP) that only a few intellectual
questions occurred repeatedly, even when you worked with students
and professional people. Today, in our much more complex society,
his observation is still true. Most people are not well informed
nor interested in religious and philosophical issues. Most have
little understanding of the Christian faith and have accepted
popular objections with little thought. We can confidently
undermine their shaky foundations.
But we hear more varied questions today than two decades ago,
for two reasons. a) Our increasingly pluralistic society brings
new questions from eastern religions. (See Section V.) b) We
are undergoing a shift from modernity to post-modernity all
over the world among urbanized people. This is a major shift from
three centuries of culture dominated by science and
rationalism–to a new anti-rational, metaphysical, neo-pagan
era. People are less likely to ask, "Is it true?" and
more likely to ask, "What does it do for me? How does it
make me feel?" Post-modernity consists of a variety
of cults, under the loose term New Age. They claim Jesus
as an enlightened guru, but deny his deity, distorting all that
we know of him. They use spurious books about Jesus and turn to
the mystical, the magical, to channeling, to supposed contact
with the dead and with spirit beings. Angels are popular. Many
believe in reincarnation. For them the Bible is not more valid
than any other writings or extra-sensory messages.
There is no need to panic. The devil is not very creative.
Many of these false teachings are like those of the Docetists and
Gnostics in the ancient Greek world–the same heresies the
apostles confronted! Some New Agers today even use old Gnostic
texts found in Egypt. So the tactics and the answers the apostles
used are valid also for today. Just because non-believers’
first concern is not truth does not mean they have no interest in
it, nor that we must discard this weapon. God’s absolute
truth is our sword, which remains as powerful as ever! (Eph.
6:17, Heb. 4:12,13). This great cosmic war is still a war of
ideas–between God’s absolute truth and human lies,
which we must demolish with his Word (2 Cor. 1::3-5) How can we
tell if we are speaking to a modern or a post-modern person?
By their questions! (We will continue to deal with basic
evangelism and discuss special kinds of seekers, like post-modern
ones, in Section V.)
The Christian faith is on trial, but so is every belief
system! Not a single one begins to have the vast amount of
evidences that we have! Many will see that the overwhelming
evidences for the New Testament make it more credible than exotic
books with not a shred of evidence, or the extrasensory messages
of strange gurus.
God’s truth makes sense of God’s world and
everything in it. No religious system that rejects the existence
of our Creator God can present an alternative view of the world
that people can live with. If God is dead: a) Then there can be
no supernatural. Yet in a recent jet crash everyone on board
prayed. b) If there is no God, then human beings are only
chemicals, elusive atoms–yet people know their loved ones
are more than that. c) Without God, morality and sexual ethics
are just a matter of taste, yet these same skeptics are rigid
moralists concerning child abuse or racial prejudice. d) Without
God, everything is meaningless. But people have to live their
lives as God’s creatures in God’s rational world, so
they constantly butt their heads on this objective reality.
Most important, no matter what people in any era or any
culture say they believe, we know they have that same
inner emptiness–that God-shaped vacuum which only God can
fill–as the French mathematician-philosopher, Blaise Pascal,
said in the mid-1600's.
We also have the Holy Spirit coaching us and reinforcing what
we say!
We also have God’s Word which is self-authenticating and
powerful. Defend the Bible as you would a lion–let it out of
its cage! Get seekers into Bible study. They do not need to
believe the Bible is true, but only that it is worth
investigating. Do not raise the issue of
credibility–assume they have that much confidence in it. Even
Muslims consider it a holy book. It has the "ring of
truth." It speaks to people’s hearts whether they
believe it is from God or not, because it agrees with the reality they experience as God’s creatures in the world God
designed. While their mouths argue against God’s Word, their
hearts and consciences are saying "You know it’s
true!"
If people want evidences for the truth of Scripture, begin
with The New Testament Documents: Are they Reliable? by F.
F. Bruce. Once they accept this verification of the New
Testament, they must accept Jesus’ authentication of the Old
Testament.
Some Christians consider all intellectual questions insincere.
But many questions come from doubters wanting to believe. Paul
made a distinction between unbelievers in the synagogues
who rejected the gospel, and outsiders who had never heard
it. (1 Cor. 14)
You can discover if a person’s questions are only excuses
to reject the gospel. After a few answers, ask if they would be
willing to receive Jesus if all their questions were resolved. If
they say No, try to determine their real obstacle to faith. An
immoral life? Fear of losing freedom? Fear of persecution? Fear
of family opposition? (A Jewish convert can be disowned and a
Muslim one put to death!)
But watch for people like Jean Louis, a student I met in
France. He had never met an evangelical until he came by
accident to a French GBU (IFES) leadership conference at
Valbonne. His girlfriend, Armelle, a seeker, somehow heard about
this student activity, and came, bringing him along. He asked me
many questions between classes, until the last day, when he said
he had no more questions and he was satisfied with all my
answers.
So I asked, "Then are you ready to invite Jesus Christ
into your life?" He said, "It is all so new to
me–I need to think it over." So I said, "Yes. You
must not make such an important commitment lightly. " I
explained again how he could do it. Two weeks later he wrote that
he and Armelle had both invited Jesus Christ and were being
helped by the local GBU group.
If your evangelism is of the Holy Spirit, you can trust him to
continue the convicting work he has begun in seekers’
hearts. Often we are one link in a chain of people God uses to
win someone to himself. Your answer to a single question may be
such a link.
2) Personal testimony. Another kind of question relates
to your experience of God. How did you find God? How do you know
he accepted you? How do you hear him speak? Could your experience
be self-suggestion? What difference does Jesus Christ make in
your life? On your job? In your marriage? In other relationships?
Could your answers to prayers be mere coincidences? (Someone
said, "When I pray much my life is full of coincidences and
when I pray little, there aren’t any!")
Post-modern seekers and people from non-Christian religions
may be more interested in evidences of God’s presence and
power in us than in our apologetics. Both are needed. (See more
below on spiritual power in evangelism.)
But talk about your spiritual experience in ordinary English.
Avoid evangelical cliches, because most outsiders will not
understand them or will think you quaint. Spiritual language or a
shift to a religious voice or facial expression are bad habits
some Christians learn in church, but they turn outsiders off. So
be casual and be yourself.
Answer experience questions with honesty and humility–not
how Christians should be, but how we are. We are God’s
children, saved for eternity, but we are still sinners,
constantly learning and growing and needing forgiveness.
I recall a dark stormy night in southern Brazil, when I
finally boarded a little prop plane that was two hours late. The
businessman next to me had asked what I was reading and I said it
was a book on how God accepts us as we are and cares for us. But
as the little plane lurched into the air for a very bumpy flight,
I dug my fingernails into the armrests. I didn’t pray,
"God, protect us," but rather, "Don’t let
this man see that I am afraid because I just told him you protect
us!" Christians should not be afraid, should they? But we
are human, and the fear instinct is God’s gift for our
protection. I had caught myself being phony! So I turned to the
man and said, "I really believe God protects us, but on a
rough flight I am still afraid." He said, "I’m
afraid, too, because if this plane goes down I’ll go
straight to hell. God could never accept such a wicked man as I
have been."
My honest admission of fear gave me the chance to tell this
man about God’s grace and forgiveness, as tears filled his
eyes. On debarking, I gave him the little book I had been
reading, because I knew God had intended it for him.
Seekers will sense phoniness and an attitude of superiority.
Even when God’s Spirit has helped us grow spiritually and to
pray effectively, we are still learners. It is wise to give out
the good news "the way beggars tell other beggars where they
have found bread." Bread is the gospel–the third
kind of question people ask.
3) Gospel truths. Seekers cannot be born again through
apologetics or personal testimony alone. They need the facts
of the gospel. The minimum the seeker must understand fits a
three-point outline, and a fourth for response. You would not
usually explain these points in order, like a sermon. Rather,
they are your mental checklist to evaluate how much the seeker
knows and what still needs to be clarified. Remember four words: God,
people, Jesus, and response.
The first word is GOD–Creator of everything,
including ourselves. So we owe him all that we are and have. We
should respond with worship, thanksgiving, love, trust,
obedience, loyalty and willing service. Sin is the insult of
withholding this response. If there were no Creator, there would
be no sin. (Rom. 1:18-32)
But do not get sidetracked into a discussion of: Evolution or
Creation? A bad question cannot have a good answer. What matters
is a prior question: Does everything owe its existence to God or
to blind fate or chance? If to God, then it becomes secondary how
he chose to create–over a long period, in six literal days
or in six seconds. The how is not essential to salvation
and the Bible is silent on the subject. Genesis answers the far
more important questions of who created, what he
created and why he did it.
Do not argue about the existence of God unless seekers ask.
Assume
they believe in a supreme Being. In America 90% do. (See Section
V for those who do not.) But what kind of God?
God is love. "He so loved the world that he gave
his only Son." But love is not just a sentimental feeling.
It seeks the beloved’s highest good. God’s love is
limitless, unfathomable, undeserved and unconditional. "He
does not love us because we are valuable, but we have infinite
value because he has set his love upon us." (Thielicke)
God is holy. (Hab.1:13, Dt. 4:24) His love makes him
hate everything that could harm us. His love keeps us away from
the fire of his holiness until we allow him to enter by
his Spirit and give us life. His Spirit cannot die. So we become
eternal beings, able to be in God’s presence. He wants to
reproduce his holy character in the diverse personalities of his
children. His laws are valid for all time. They are not
arbitrary. They are not to fence us in but to keep danger out.
They are the Manufacturer’s instructions for how we can
function best physically, mentally, socially and spiritually.
Emphasize God’s holiness to the self-righteous and
complacent, and his love to the guilt-ridden.
The second word is PEOPLE. They were created by God in
his image, so they have worth, dignity and meaning. They were
created for himself to find their purpose in fellowship with him
(Col. 1:16). But they rebelled (Rom. 5:12, Is. 53:6). The result
is separation from God–spiritual death. They are cut off
from their only source of life–the living God. A sawed-off,
toppled apple tree may look as green and fruit-laden as the
upright one growing next to it. But it is only a matter of time
before the toppled tree will reveal its deadness.
So human beings are not just spiritually needy, but
spiritually
dead, unless God makes them alive (John 5:24). Their deadness
shows itself in active or passive rebellion against God. Sins
are the symptoms of sin–the fatal disease of
independence from God. Legally all people are already under
God’s condemnation (Rom. 3:23, 6:23). There is no neutral
place from which to make a decision. Even kind, moral people need
conversion. The question is not Are they good or bad? but Are
they dead or alive? Is God’s Spirit in them?
The third word is JESUS. He is both God and man.
He
is the second Person of the Trinity who was active
throughout the Old Testament era, sometimes as "the Angel of
the Lord." He became man as Jesus Christ, to restore the
broken fellowship and give us new life. (Col. 1:19-20, John 5:24,
1 John 5:10, 11). He lived a sinless life as his friends
and his enemies attested (1 Pet. 2:22). He died a voluntary
death–he could have called 12,000 angels! (Mt. 26:53,
54) He chose the moment for his arrest and his crucifixion and
the moment to give up his spirit to the Father. He died as our
substitute, paying our penalty (Rom. 5:8). He was buried. Muslims
claim that Jesus never died because at the last moment God
provided someone else who just looked like him.We must insist
that he died and was buried.)
Jesus arose bodily to live forever (1 Cor.
15:3,4)–a resurrection, not a mere resuscitation. His
followers became convinced by the empty tomb and by his personal
appearances during forty days. (See The Evidence for the
Resurrection, J.N.D. Anderson.) That Jesus lives today we
know from his Word, from history and from our constant personal
and collective experience with him. (Rom. 5:1ff.)
The resurrection proved God was just in saving the O.T. saints
on credit (and the N.T. saints prepaid. Rom.
3:25,26) It signified Jesus’ triumph over all his enemies,
human and non-human! (Col. 2: 13-15). He sat down on the throne
at the Father’s right hand and received all power and
authority! Now he enters his followers by his Spirit, multiplying
himself many times over, and goes into the world through them, to
win rebels in every tribe and nation to himself. He will
return to judge the world, to sentence many and to reward the
faithful.
These three terms–God, people and Jesus, indicate
the minimum to believe. But math student Jose Manoel in Portugal
made a commitment the day he learned Jesus would return to earth!
Two Vietnamese girls asked me about "the Christian
heaven." The best Bud-dhism offers is total loss of identity
in a nebulous Nirvana. I told them Jesus will reunite us forever
with all our departed family members who loved God! Our new
bodies will never be less than those we have now, but more, and
our planet will never be less than it is now, but it will be
transformed into much more. Even the plants and ani-mals groan,
waiting for their transfor-mation when we are glorified! (Rom.
8:18-24)
Belligerent Bob at the University of Oregon responded to the
kingship of Jesus Christ. He heard I was on cam-pus and asked me
to debate him before a large roomful of fellow athletes. They
came to ridicule. So I gave an overview of history as a cosmic
war for control of the world, beginning with the devil’s
coup in Eden. I told how Adam and Eve betrayed God’s world
into the hands of his archenemy, how death entered the human
race, how God then visited our enemy-occupied planet, in Jesus,
to reconcile everything again to himself–to undo all the
damage of the coup. (Eph. 1:9, 10, Col. 1:19, 20).
I told how Jesus’ death and resurrec-tion were the
decisive battle in this cos-mic war–that Jesus triumphed
over all his enemies, human and non-human (Col. 2:13-15). But it
is useless to take enemy territory unless there are troops to
occupy it. So till the King returns, we are commissioned to
occupy every nation. But not by force. We lovingly
persuade rebels to change sides–to turn against the imposter
and pledge their allegiance to the only rightful King. He is
patient because he loves the rebels, as he loved us while we were
still his enemies. He is not willing any should perish (Rom. 5:8,
2 Pet. 3:9). He will save all that he can!
Instead of presenting his arguments, Bob said quietly to the
men, "For the first time it all makes sense!" After
many questions, I had to leave. I do not know what happened to
them all, but rebel Bob surrendered to his new King a few days
later.
The fourth word is RESPONSE. We must act upon what we
believe. Con-version requires three steps: a) To believe the
gospel facts about God, people and Jesus. b) To repent of
our passive or active rebellion toward God and our resultant
sins. c) To invite Jesus Christ into our innermost being,
to be Lord of our lives, to manage us, our relationsips and
activities. To deny him this would be an insult.
We respond with faith. But this word needs
clarification–even Christians are influenced by popular
misconceptions. So before proceeding, I want to deal with
the question: What is faith?
4. What is faith?
Faith has no saving power in itself. People say
faith can save (or heal) if you have enough of it–like a
magic substance. Some years ago, my driving instructor said he
believed God would accept him as long as he had faith–in
something. I said, "Now Mr. Dixon, my faith could kill us
both if I believe I can race through the busy intersection
ahead." He said, "Slow down–I get your
point!" Faith can bring death as well as life. It is good
only if its object is worthy of our trust.
Faith has no value without action. Eternal life depends
on how we act on the facts we believe. "Even the demons
believe and they shudder!" (James 2: 17-24) We can believe
the identity of a person at our front door, yet not ask him in,
especially if he will stay forever and take charge! (Luke 6:46).
But if we really believe that Jesus loves us more than we love
ourselves, we will invite him in to take over. To ask seekers
only for mental assent to a few facts and a signature, is to
delude them, and to make them harder to win.
Faith is not against reason. People say if we
can’t know, we must believe. But faith that
is not based on facts is superstition! It is pretense. God
asks us to believe what we cannot see, but not what is against
reason. He made our minds and renews them and wants us to use
them. He doesn’t manipulate our minds with proofs, but
gives evi-dences so it is more logical to believe than
disbelieve. Faith is a gift–created in us by gospel
facts. (Rm.10: 17, Eph. 2:8-10).
It is logical to believe what God says because of who God is!
Saving faith is trusting God–acting on God’s
word.
So we must be prepared to answer seekers’ questions about
apologetics, our personal experience and the gospel facts, under
the key words: God, peo-ple, Jesus and response. We
will consi-der response further in IV. But first, how do
we bring seekers to that point?
III. Drawing seekers to God
The fishing approach we have de-scribed solves major obstacles
in evan-gelism by helping us fish out hungry people and initiate
conversations. But once we have begun a friendship with a seeker
and we know where he or she is spiritually, we can take more
initiative. We can ask our own questions to draw them to
Jesus Christ.
The most important activity by far is the investigative
Bible study. But consider four additional suggestions:
Focusing them on God; tuning them in to God; using information
resources and people resources.
1. Use a God-centered approach
Focus on who God is and what we owe him. The popular
man-centered approach focuses on people’s felt
needs–how to have a happy, fulfilled life. God’s love
is emphasized but his holiness neglected. Gospel facts are
selectively presented to attract buyers for quick sales. But the
gospel is no Band-Aid for personal or social inade-quacies, no
cheap insurance against problems, no guarantee of health or
wealth. Paul scorned the evangelists who packaged the gospel to
disguise its cost. He said, "For we are not, like so many, peddlers
of God’s word; but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by
God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ." (2 Cor. 2:17)
To converts he wrote: "We told you beforehand that you would
suffer." (1 Thess. 3:1-4)
Jesus turned down volunteers who came on false premises. They
must put him first before family, possessions and personal
safety. If not, they would nev-er endure. The dropout rate would
da-mage Jesus’ movement. (Lk. 9:50ff, 14:25-35) His
conditions for disciple-ship do not contradict grace–undeserv-ed
merit. Salvation would be forever impossible except that God
offers it to us freely. How could anyone presume to buy what
it cost God his own Son to provide for us? God’s love is
uncondi-tional, but our acceptance by God is not. No one has to
receive God’s gift of salvation, but whoever does, must
accept its obligations with its privi-leges. It is like marriage.
Two people freely enter into the relationship, but both have
rightful expectations of each other.
So we aim to please God by our love-motivated obedience (Jn.
14:21, 23, Lk. 6:46). Paul defines evangelism as bringing people
"to the obedience of faith." We do not obey to gain
life, but because we have it. We do not focus on a legal code.
But in pleasing God we inadvertently fulfil his law (Rom. 1:5,
16:26). Jesus summarized the Ten Commandments as loving God
wholly and loving people as ourselves (Mk. 12:29-31). (This verse
has nothing to do with self-esteem, but with unself-ishness.)
To invite Jesus Christ is to put our lives under new
management (Rev. 3: 20, 21). To eat together depicts a shar-ed
life–confiding, seeking the other’s highest good,
sharing common goals.
Although people’s felt needs matter, a
God-centered approach begins with God as our Creator, to whom we owe all we are
and have, and whom we have offended and insulted by our active or passive rejection. He owes us nothing.
Yet he has provided salvation for us at great cost to himself.
He gives his Son. The Son gives his life. But many people have no
chance to hear the good news. Paul completes what is lacking in
the sufferings of Jesus Christ, by get-ting the word
out–spreading the good news, or else Jesus’ death would
have been in vain! (Col. 1:24) Paul cares about Jesus’
reputation in the world and for the salvation of people.
God-centered evangelism produces more disciples willing
to endure hard-ship, than converts who only care what they
can get out of God. Jesus’ clear command is for us to
make disciples.
2. Help seekers tune in to God
This is helpful because many seekers in this post-modern
period who dabble in cults and in the occult, look for spiritual
reality and fulfilment but they value experience over
beliefs. Here are four God-centered ways to bring them into
direct contact with God.
1. Turn the tables–remind seekers God has the
initiative. They think they do, so they postpone decision to
some day. But no one can come to the Lord unless they have a
chance to hear the good news (Rom. 10:17ff) and unless the Father
"draws them" (John 6: 44, 65). Rev. 3:20 says Jesus
stands at the door of each person’s life, gently knocking
and calling. But he may not always do so. "Now is the
day of salvation." (2 Cor. 6:2) God has no obligation to
save anyone. Let seekers begin to worry if God will receive them!
Two women students in Portugal told me, "We
invited Jesus in, but as we expected, nothing happened." I said, "Rev. 3:21
shows that the person you have ignored for many years is the King of Glory! He
never rejects a sincere
invitation that is without reservation. If he sees that you ean
this more than anything else in the world he will hear you."
(John 6:37) A few days later they knew he had come into their
lives.
2) Explain how seekers can recognize God’s overtures
to them. Luke 19:1-10 shows that Zacchaeus, the wealthy,
extortionist tax administrator in Jericho, had already repented
and was busy cleaning up his act, before Jesus arrives in
his city. When Jesus comes, Zacchaeus makes enormous effort just
to get a glimpse of him, not expecting more. But Jesus comes to
his house, and this seeker for Jesus learns that this
Shepherd-King had come to Jericho seeking him! All
seekers, when they are found, discover Jesus has been actively
seeking and calling them.
How does Jesus gently knock on the door and call to seekers?
When their thoughts turn to ultimate questions it is always
God’s prompting. He also gives good gifts, hoping they will
thank him and repent (Rom. 2:4, James 1:17). He allows suffering,
hoping they will call for his help (Psa. 119:67, 71). He sends
the good news via literature, TV, radio, even Internet! He sends
his people. Since he indwells his messengers, these are his own
personal visits to them–more important than visits from
angels. (2 Cor. 3) None of these messages are accidental, but are
special signs of God’s love!
Last week in southern California an auto mechanic named Mike
realized that. My car battery died on Saturday and my repair shop
was closed. I found another one–and Mike. We chatted. I
said, No, I had never been to Hawaii, but I lived overseas for 21
years. He asked what I did there and I said, "Missionary work." He made no
comment and I did not intend to reopen the conversation. But he came back full of questions. (He had needed
a bit of time.) When I left he said, "I know God let your
battery die today so you would come here to talk with
me."
Have seekers ask themselves about daily events, "What may
God be saying through this?" In Sao Paulo, a few days after
a Zacchaeus study, a Jewish atheist student came to say he had
an awed feeling as he played violin. Was it God? I said, "It
could be. He loves you and wants your attention." People
begin to suspect God speaking everywhere. Be-cause they are listening
for God, he speaks to them!
3) Get seekers to converse with God over the texts of the
Bible, to tune in to God through Bible reading. Encourage
even atheists to read Mark or Luke, a few paragraphs a day, and
to assume God is speaking through them. They must interact
honestly with him. They may say: "I want You to know I
cannot believe this verse. Why does this story make me
uncomfortable? This story is beautiful–but is it true? What
does this verse mean?"
God begins answering, often from the Bible–maybe a few
verses down. This can be startling! He answers through
circumstances, people or books. Invite the seekers to bring you
their questions on what they do not understand.
Becky Pippert adds a step. She asks seekers to try
to obey
every instruction as soon as they can. Obeying predisposes them to more light.
It is a good tactic–post-modern seekers are concerned about doing. An agnostic friend, whom Becky led to the
Lord in my apartment later called these exercises her former
"pagan Quiet Times!"
4) Show seekers how God answers prayer. This
fourth way to tune seekers in to God works best if they mention problems.
Ask if you may pray for them. Pray aloud briefly. Even skeptics
are touched. God may give an un-mistakeable answer. Tell seekers that God may
answer Yes or No or Wait awhile, but he always hears and cares. Seekers in this
post-modern period, and especially adherents of non-Christian religions often
show more interest in a demonstration of Jesus’ presence and power than in the
truth claims of Christianity. Prayer shows God in action.
You can pray briefly for friends as you give thanks before a
meal. I tell guests it is my custom and would they mind. Then I
say, "Thank you Jesus for this food and for my new friends,
Yusef and Sulema. Amen." Or "Help Gudrun prepare for
her anatomy exam." The guests are often visibly moved. I
pray also in restaurants if it will not embarrass my friends.
(Muslims pray in pub-lic on prayer rugs five times a day!)
You can pray for God to heal some-one’s cold or
headache, or reduce pain or give sleep. You will know that all healing is
ultimately from God. But the healing may occur in a way that convinces the seeker God has intervened. You do not
have to be a healer, nor use a healer’s methods.
Simply pray. But it would be counterproductive to ask God to give
instantaneous sight to a blind person. Pray what you can believe.
Use prayer wisely in your evangelism.
In addition to these four tactics, we must use Christian
materials.
3. Use information resources
Make sure each seeker has a modern language Bible, or N.T.
with Psalms. In a hostile country start with a tiny pock-et
gospel they can hide in a pocket or purse. Or a magazine format
gospel with pictures. An excellent N.T. in easy English is Good
News for Modern Man (TIV). Bilingual N.T.s–with English
opposite the local language– are popular even with
non-believers, as an English-learning aid.
My favorite book for seekers is John Stott’s
Basic
Christianity (125 pages), now in 50 languages, with
translations in progress in 22 more! Evangelistic Bible study
guides are available in quite a few languages. Look for
attractive evangelistic booklets for various kinds of seekers.
In other countries make sure the literature is culturally and
spiritually appropriate. If you cannot read the language, ask
someone you trust to evaluate the material you wish to give out.
Ask missionaries, or the leaders of the Christian campus
ministries in your new host country. Avoid tracts that look like
cheap pro-paganda. (See Bibliography.)
People more readily read a book if it is small and you lend
it. They know you will ask their opinion when they return it. You
can give it to them then.
Many tentmakers use videos. English teachers find that even
secular videos raise issues for evangelism. An English teacher in
China used Fiddler on the Roof. Christian videos are
available, too. The excellent Jesus Film (and video) is
dubbed into 394 languages, with 200 more in progress! In a North
African country, an enterprising Muslim discovered it could also
be lucrative. He made illegal copies and sold them all over the
city! He inadvertently did for the gospel what no tentmaker at
that time dared to risk!
Thousands of sermons are available on audio-cassettes in
English and in other languages. Gospel Recordings makes cassettes
in tribal languages, especially for the illiterate.
Young people learn English through popular
music cassettes. A tentmaker in a strict Muslim city could hardly believe his ears,
when the music blaring from the public square loudspeakers gave
way to "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me
so!" It could be played only because it was part of a
Whitney Houston album!
Discover when Christian radio and TV programs transmit in your
new host country, and encourage people to tune in. Then discuss
the content with them. TWR has announced that TV satellite transmissions have
now begun in the Middle East from the new Christian Sat-07! Ninety percent of
Middle Easterners have TV!
In sensitive countries tentmakers find seekers who have been
made thirsty for the Lord by Christian radio. Then they see the
gospel lived out by the tentmaker. So our Christian aerial
forces and our ground troops work together in this cosmic war for
human hearts.
The gospel is already being transmitted all over the world
through the Internet! Even backward cultures leap directly into
the 21st century, so learn how to make the best use of this new
resource.
Just as important as using media resources is involving your
Christian friends in your evangelism.
4. Use people resources
Introduce seekers to your Christian friends. Take them to
larger group activities. Note four of the benefits:
1) The larger group more fully demonstrates the gospel.
Francis Schaeffer said true Christian fellowship is our most
compelling evidence for the truth of the gospel, because everyone
longs for it and the devil cannot duplicate it. In John 13:34,
35, 17:18ff, Jesus prayed for unity and love among his
future disciples, because it would guarantee their survival, and
compel the belief of outsiders. An individual cannot demonstrate
Christian interrelationships. To see Christians love one another
(1 John), be patient and forgive one another (Col.3:9), help and
comfort one another (1 Thess. 4:18), or trust one another (Rom.
12:10)–you must have a minimum of two together!
Larger group contact is important, because post-modern seekers
yearn for community, because many come from dysfunctional
families, where there is little understanding and security. But
people from almost any background seek love and acceptance.
Take Marisa, in Barcelona. She finally agreed to come to a
meeting in my apartment so Ana Maria would quit bugging her. But
she was surprised that the GBU students seemed to love each other and seemed to
care about her–a stranger. She had to find out why. It was the love she sensed
that kept her coming to Bible studies until she understood the gospel and received Jesus
Christ. She became our first IFES staff worker in Spain.
Rodolfo, from Madrid, was amazed at the mutual
trust of Christian students. His first contact with them was a week-end camp on
a Spanish beach. He said he could hardly believe his eyes when they left their
books and clothes and even their handbags and wallets out in the open–unguarded!
A group can demonstrate Christ in a way individuals cannot.
2) The larger group exposes seekers to more Christians.
The
Lord ex-presses his character through our diverse personalities.
A seeker may ex-plain away one believer, but not a dozen! A
seeker may relate more comfortably to someone other than you. I
could not win my college friend, Lois, because I knew nothing
about Catholicism, but my ex-Catholic friend, Marie, won her
quickly.
In the larger group, Christian men can refer female seekers to
women members and take over the evangelism of the men–while
all remain friends. The spiritual and the emotional are easily confused. It can
be devastating if a seeker and a believer of the opposite sex have different
expectations for their friendship. Some seekers cannot sort out the spiritual
from the emotional in their decision. Christians should refrain from any romantic
involvement with a seeker or new convert, since seekers
should be free for a time to focus only on their relationship to
the Lord. (To use a romantic relationship to lure someone into
God’s kingdom is despicable, and usually backfires.)
3) The larger group may help you reap. If six Bible
study leaders bring eight non-believers each from their small
groups to hear an evangelistic speaker, expect good response.
This is not the typical meeting of mainly Christians with a
handful of merely curious, first-time visitors. Your audience
contains 48 prepared, partly evangelized seekers! It will be
easier for some to commit to Christ in a large meeting where
others are doing it, too.
4) The larger group helps you fish out new
seekers. In this case, advertise widely. It is like casting a net. Your audience
may include some who are indifferent, curious, hostile or intensely interested.
At the end of the meeting offer a printed copy or audiocassette of the lecture.
Have people leave name and address so Christians can take the items personally,
to gauge their interest, and maybe invite them to an IBS.
(You should charge a little. To give things free arouses
suspicion. Students in Latin America suspected subversive foreign
organizations to be behind high quality color handouts, so we
used poor campus quality paper and printing. )
Large group activities can take many forms. When Billy Graham
came to Sao Paulo, our ABUB student movement had him speak in a
rented auditorium on Peace with God–based on his book in Portuguese . Hans Burki lectured on topics like
Human
Dignity and Sexual Ethics and Samuel Escobar on Dialogue
between Jesus and Marx. Dr. Ross Douglas spoke on Bible
and Science. We did a book discussion on Bertrand
Russell’s Why I am Not a Christian, when it was hot
in campus bookstores. In Barcelona, Os Guinness led us in a
discussion of the Ingmar Bergman movie Seventh Seal. We
went to see Jesus Christ Superstar and discussed it. At
Christmas we listened to Handel’s Messiah and
explained the words.
We took seekers to concerts, fun nights, picnic outings, camps
and one-day social work projects in the slums, like getting sick
people to free clinics, and children registered in schools. Some
students started literacy pro-grams for campus hired help.
Today social work projects appeal to post-modern young people,
many of whom genuinely wish to do good–to help solve social
problems.
So larger group activities can give a fuller demonstration of
the gospel, ex-pose seekers to other Christians, fish out new
seekers, and facilitate decisions for Jesus Christ.
IV Encouraging commitment
How can you know a seeker is ready to invite the Lord? You can
damage a harvest if you reap too soon or too late.
1. Helping seekers to decision
A few people will invite the Lord the first time you
meet–if others have sowed and watered. When I told Dutch
folk dance star, Lientje, to think it over for a few days, she
said, "Oh, can’t I do it today?" Other people need
months.
Why do I not pressure people for a decision?
For a time I did, and my converts did not stick. I want to be sure the Holy Spirit
has them ready. But if I think someone has understood and is
delaying for wrong reasons, I stress that postponement can be
dangerous.
Seekers’ questions, comments and even body language show
when they are ready. GBU students, leading Bible studies on a beach in Spain,
were finishing a section in Romans. As I passed
by one group I saw first-time visitor Pilar lean forward, her
perplexed face suddenly brightening. The study ended and I asked,
"Pilar, did you understand what St. Paul said about
justification by faith?" She said, "Oh, yes!" I
had her explain it to me, and then asked, "Do you think
Jesus’ death provides this justification also for you?"
She said Yes, so I asked if she had thanked God for this. She
said, "No–I never heard about it until today–but I would like to thank
him." We prayed, and two hours later she was in a sidewalk cafe answering the questions of strangers!
You can also test readiness by asking key questions. Often
when I visit a campus a Christian introduces me to a friend from
his IBS group. I ask, "How are you enjoying the Bible
studies?" And then, "At this stage of things, what do
you think is the most important rea-son why Jesus
died?" My question allows for several correct answers–I
am not giving an exam.
If the student says, "Jesus died for my sins," I ask
if he has invited him into his life. If he says Yes, I ask for
details. We pray, thanking God, affirming his new life, and then
make sure the group welcomes and disciples him. It is damaging
to be left out because no one knows about the conversion.
But when I asked Karl about the crucifixion he said,
"Jesus died to give us an example of love." I agreed,
showing him where Peter says Jesus left us an example so we
should follow in his footsteps. (1 Pet. 2:18-25) But then we
concluded that the footsteps were so big no one could ever follow
them. I said I was glad Peter added v. 25–that Jesus also
died as our substitute, to pay for our sins. No other
passage com-bines these two ideas so well.
When seekers understand Jesus’ death I urge them to
invite him in. But if they are reluctant, I explain how they can
do it later. Catholics often feel insincere unless the
atmosphere is right and the moment deeply felt. I ask them to
tell me when they have made this commitment. I want to affirm
them.
If seekers are willing to make a decision, I explain a
promise like Rev. 3:20, 21 or 1 John 1:11, 12. I do not say a
prayer for them to repeat since I do not want to put words into
their mouths. The Lord will understand their hearts. But the
seeker may ask, "What shall I say?" Suggest the 3-part
response–what he believes, and his desire for forgiveness
and his invitation to the Lord. A sentence is enough. But a good
prayer would be:
Lord Jesus, I thank you for dying on the cross in my place to
pay for my sins. I am sorry for my rebellion against you and for
my sins. I invite you to come into my life to forgive and cleanse
me and be my Lord forever. Help me obey you. Amen.
When they have prayed aloud–usually a shorter
prayer–I pray, thanking God that he keeps his promises. I
ask him to receive and reassure the seeker.
Most often, new believers are filled with joy
and wonder. But not always. I do not tell seekers, "Now you are a Christian." A
decision is not a new birth–though they may coincide. Only God’s Spirit knows if
they have under-stood and are sincere. It is he who must give assurance. But I
repeat Jesus’ promises and remind them he keeps his
word regardless of our feelings.
Watch the people in your Bible study groups. When I see a new
glow on a participant’s face and a hunger for God’s
word, I suspect we have discipled one more seeker into the Kingdom. I ask a few questions to verify this and to affirm the
person. In Sao Paulo, after a John 3 study, Isabel prayed aloud
for the first time, "Oh, thank you, God, for showing me
today that I can be born again!" In Barcelona, medical
student Pablo mistakenly invited class-mate Juan, to a meeting on
how to help seekers take this crucial step. But at the end, Juan
prayed for the first time, saying, "Thank you, God, for
finally showing me how to receive you!"
Should you ask new converts at the same time to take a second
step and invite the Holy Spirit? Many Christians do this
regularly in conjunction with the Four Spiritual Laws. It
is very bad theology and confusing to the converts. When they
receive Jesus Christ they have received the Holy Spirit because
he is the Spirit of Jesus! If any do not have the Spirit, they
have not received Jesus. (Rom. 8:8, 9, 1 Jn. 5:11, 12)
In fact, genuine new converts are filled with the Holy
Spirit! He pours the love of God into their hearts! They often
feel great joy and peace and purity. After that, the Spirit will
never leave them, but he can be grieved. They must daily confess
their sins and be-come filled again. New believers need
instruction on the Christian life.
2. Caring for new believers
How can you know if a seeker has been really
born again? Good signs are peace and joy and a hunger for God’s Word. But Jesus
said initial peace and joy can be snatched away by the evil one or crowded out
by cares or pleasures. When this happens you
know the decision was based on an inadequate understanding
of the gospel (Mt. 13: 18-23). Jesus said the mind is
important in conversion. Spiritual birth, like physical birth,
is a process, which may begin with a decision, but may need
completing during follow-up.
1) Meet the convert regularly. De-sign a good plan of
prayer, counseling and Bible study. Give immediate first
aid–verses on assurance, with varied metaphors, like
John 3:16, 5:34, Rom. 10:9.10, Phil. 1:6, John 10:28, 1 John
3:1-3. Tell them sins may take away their joy but not their
salvation. Ex-plain how to receive daily forgiveness–1
John 1:9, Psalm 51, 32, 103.
Tell them God will speak to them mainly through their
Bible
reading, as it relates to their thoughts, prayers and
circumstances. (Psalm 1; 119:11, 24, 103-105; Acts 20:32; 1 Pet.
3:18; 2 Tim. 2:15.) Prayer is how they talk to God. (John
16:24, 15:7, James 1:6,7, 1 Pet. 5:7, 1 John 5:14, 15, Heb. 4:15,
16.) Pray with them. Help them start a small prayer notebook.
Their faith and love must be shown by their obedience
to the Lord (Lk. 6:46, John 14:21, 23) and by their witnessing
to others. (John 15, Mt. 10:32, 33, Col. 4:5,6, 1 Pet. 3:14-16.)
I like to give them a copy of Quiet Time to read, and
then take them through the study guide, Christ in You
(both IVP). Navigators who popularized the follow-up concept,
have a 13-week Bible study guide–Growing in Christ,
complete with perforated pages of memory verse cards. |