Biblical Evangelism

[Biblical_Counselor]

Hello and greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. While I am still doing the study on the Discernment on Music, I thought it would be appropriate if I start up a study about Biblical Evangelism. I am not putting myself up or saying that I know everything to know on how to witness to someone or share my faith to this individual or that individual. I don't have it altogether. But the one thing that I can say, I am still pressing on. I don't let my inexperienced stop me from witnessing, but I have a burden for the souls of men.

But I am afraid that a lot of us, not necessarily meaning the guild, but a lot of Christians do not share the faith. A poll was taken a few years ago and only 2% of the professing Christianity regularly share their faith with others. Where are the 98%? If we are Christians, why aren't we going into the highways and byways and compelling everyone to come in as Jesus commands us in Luke 14:23, Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:19 & 20, and so on?

There are many reasons, but mostly it is just plain excuses. Such as: "America is Gospel-hardened", "I don't have the gift to go and preach", "Everyone heard the Gospel in one form or another in America", "I am too shy", "I just can't seem to tie witnessing in with my work schedule", "I don't know what to say" and on, and on, and on, and on. The list is almost infinite, but I believe that they are just rather excuses for us not to go and share the Gospel with someone, and I think it is sin. It is Satan's way of holding us back or down in fulfilling the final command of the Lord Jesus Christ.

That is the purpose of this series, to get a passion for the souls of men, also, to address a lot of the reasons on why we don't go. Also, I will go in depth of the Bible to look how did Jesus witnessed and how did His disciples proclaim the faith. And my vision is to give you some tools and insights to equip you to share your faith. We are a Christian guild, but wouldn't it be great if we would not just be a Bible study guild, but a Soul-winning guild, to put our faith in action.

I must tell you that some of what I am going to speak are not my notes. I will be getting a lot of my notes from Way of the Master: The School for Biblical Evangelism. I will also add my experience of the times I went out and preached on a street corner or go 1 on 1 with someone.

Table of Contents:

1) The Forgotten Key to Biblical Evangelism (Pg. 1)
2) Making Grace Amazing (Pg 1)
3) The Problem with the Modern Gospel (Pg. 1)
4) How to Confront Sinners (Pg. 1)
5) The Ten Commandments (Part 1) (Pg. 2)
6) The Ten Commandments (Part 2) (Pg. 2)  

[Biblical_Counselor]

The Forgotten Key to Biblical Evangelism

Have you ever thought, “There must be a key to reaching the lost”? There is—and it’s rusty through lack of use. The Bible does actually call it “the key,” and its purpose is to bring us to Christ, to unlock the Door of the Savior (John 10:9). Not only is it biblical, but it was used throughout church history to unlock the doors of revival. Much of the church today doesn’t even know it exists. The problem is that it was lost around the turn of the twentieth century. Keys have a way of getting lost. Jesus used it. So did Paul (Romans 3:19,20) and James (James 2:10). Stephen used it when he preached (Acts 7:53). Peter found that it had been used to open the door to release 3,000 imprisoned souls on the Day of Pentecost. Jesus said that the lawyers had “taken away” the key, and had even refused to use it to let people enter into the kingdom of God (Luke 11:52). The Pharisees didn’t take it away; instead, they bent it out of shape so that it wouldn’t do its work (Mark 7:8 ). Jesus returned it to its true shape, just as the Scriptures prophesied that He would do (Isaiah 42:21). Satan has tried to prejudice the modern church against the key. He has maligned it, misused it, twisted it, and, of course, hidden it—he hates it because of what it does. Perhaps you are wondering what this key is. I will tell you. All I ask is that you set aside your traditions and prejudices and look at what God’s Word says on the subject.

In Acts 28:23 the Bible tells us that Paul sought to persuade his hearers “concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets.” Here are two effective means of persuading the unsaved “concerning Jesus.”

Let’s first look at how the prophets can help persuade sinners concerning Jesus. Fulfilled prophecy proves the inspiration of Scripture. The predictions of the prophets present a powerful case for the inspiration of the Bible. Any skeptic who reads the prophetic words of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, etc., or the words of Jesus in Matthew 24 cannot help but be challenged that this is no ordinary book.

The other means by which Paul persuaded sinners concerning Jesus was “out of the law of Moses.” The Bible tells us that the Law of Moses is good if it is used lawfully (1 Timothy 1:8 ). For what purpose was God’s Law designed? The following verses tell us: “The Law is not made for a righteous person, but...for sinners” (1 Timothy 1:9,10). It even lists the sinners for us: the disobedient, the ungodly, murderers, fornicators, homosexuals, kidnappers, liars, etc. The Law was designed primarily as an evangelistic tool. Paul wrote that he “had not known sin, but by the law” (Romans 7:7). The Law of God (the Ten Commandments) is evidently the “key of knowledge” that Jesus mentioned in Luke 11:52. He was speaking to lawyers—those who should have been teaching God’s Law so that sinners would receive the “knowledge of sin,” and thus recognize their need of the Savior.

Prophecy speaks to the intellect of the sinner, while the Law speaks to the conscience. One produces faith in the Word of God; the other brings knowledge of sin in the heart of the sinner. The Law is the God-given “key” to unlock the Door of salvation.

The Bible says in Psalm 19:7, “The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul.” Scripture makes it very clear that it is the Law that actually converts the soul. To illustrate the function of God’s Law, let’s look for a moment at civil law. Imagine if I said to you, “I’ve got some good news for you: someone has just paid a $25,000 speeding fine on your behalf.” You’d probably react by saying, “What are you talking about? That’s not good news—it doesn’t make sense. I don’t have a $25,000 speeding fine.” My good news wouldn’t be good news to you; it would seem foolishness. But more than that, it would be offensive to you, because I’m insinuating you’ve broken the law when you don’t think you have.

However, if I put it this way, it may make more sense: “While you were out today, the law clocked you going 55 miles an hour through an area set aside for a blind children’s convention. There were ten clear warning signs stating that fifteen miles an hour was the maximum speed, but you went straight through at 55 miles an hour. What you did was extremely dangerous; there’s a $25,000 fine. The law was about to take its course, when someone you don’t even know stepped in and paid the fine for you. You are very fortunate.”

Can you see that telling you precisely what you’ve done wrong first actually enables the good news to make sense? If I don’t clearly bring understanding that you’ve violated the law, then the good news will seem foolishness and offensive. But once you understand that you’ve broken the law, then that good news will become good news indeed.

In the same way, if I approach an impenitent sinner and say, “Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins,” it will be foolishness and offensive to him. It will be foolishness because it won’t make sense. The Bible says that “the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness” (1 Corinthians 1:18 ). And it will be offensive because I’m insinuating he’s a sinner when he doesn’t think he is. As far as he’s concerned, there are a lot of people far worse than him. But if I take the time to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, it may make more sense. If I open up the divine Law, the Ten Commandments, and show the sinner precisely what he’s done wrong —that he has offended God by violating His Law—then when he becomes “convinced of the law as a transgressor” (James 2:9), the good news of the fine being paid will not be foolishness. It will not be offensive. It will be “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16).

With that in mind, let’s look at some of the functions of God’s Law for humanity. Romans 3:19 says, “Now we know that whatsoever things the law says, it says to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God.” So one function of God’s Law is to stop the mouth, to keep sinners from justifying themselves by saying, “There are plenty of people worse than me. I’m not a bad person, really.” No, the law stops the mouth of justification and leaves, not just the Jews, but the whole world guilty before God.

In Romans 3:20 we read, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” So God’s Law tells us what sin is. First John 3:4 says, “Sin is transgression of the law.” In Galatians 3:24 we learn that God’s Law acts as a schoolmaster to bring us to Jesus Christ that we might be justified through faith in His blood. The Law doesn’t help us; it just leaves us helpless. It doesn’t justify us; it just leaves us guilty before the judgment bar of a holy God.

Charles Spurgeon, called the Prince of Preachers, stated, “I do not believe that any man can preach the gospel who does not preach the Law. The Law is the needle, and you cannot draw the silken thread of the gospel through a man’s heart unless you first send the needle of the Law to make way for it.”

Conclusion: There is a key to Biblical evangelism, which is the Law of God. The four functions of God’s Law for humanity are as follows: It stops sinners from justifying themselves; helps the whole world realize that they are guilty; brings the knowledge of sin; and acts as a schoolmaster to bring them to Christ. The Law doesn't save them, but just leave them helpless and reveals on what they did. It points the way to the Cross where they would be forever grateful and cling to the cross for their Salvation. "The Law is the needle, and you cannot draw the silken thread of the gospel through a man’s heart unless you first send the needle of the Law to make way for it."  

[Meili Kyumee Youichi]

Thank you so much! I think it's a great reminder for me. <3

I've been facing the similar case like:
"I approach an impenitent sinner and say, "Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins,” it will be foolishness and offensive to him."
[not that extreme case though]

No wonder it ends up quite in a fight ._. But no one like their mistakes to be point out first too!

So the case is: I've been in discussion with my best friend who believe that she doesn't need to depend on God.
If I say that you are proud and self-centered, that's going to fail and its rude. I only tried to persuade the belief that God works behind everything, altogether for good. But its harder for her to involve God; as previously when anything bad happened, she blamed God. It is now better when she put God aside so she doesn't blame God anymore.

She doesn't want to talk about the matter anymore, so I won't push further. But I would appreciate more tips in dealing with similar matter in the future. Thank you.  

[Biblical_Counselor]

Meili Kyumee Youichi

Thank you so much! I think it's a great reminder for me. <3

I've been facing the similar case like:
"I approach an impenitent sinner and say, "Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins,” it will be foolishness and offensive to him."
[not that extreme case though]

No wonder it ends up quite in a fight ._. But no one like their mistakes to be point out first too!

So the case is: I've been in discussion with my best friend who believe that she doesn't need to depend on God.
If I say that you are proud and self-centered, that's going to fail and its rude. I only tried to persuade the belief that God works behind everything, altogether for good. But its harder for her to involve God; as previously when anything bad happened, she blamed God. It is now better when she put God aside so she doesn't blame God anymore.

She doesn't want to talk about the matter anymore, so I won't push further. But I would appreciate more tips in dealing with similar matter in the future. Thank you.

No problem. I was meditating about that phrase that you have mentioned. How could they believe that He died for our sins if they do not know what sin is? How could someone wanting to be rescued if he/she doesn't see themselves drowning? The magnitude of God's Law says that it will act as a teacher to bring us to Christ. It teaches what sin is and it will point to the cross.

But I fear that we got into a habit of teaching a Prosperity Gospel, which I will explain in 2 more lessons. Prosperity Gospel is teaching people, saying "If you accept Jesus in your heart, you will have love, joy, peace, happiness, and go to Heaven when you die." I believe it is not Scriptural to do so, and it is not Scriptural to say that Jesus died for your sins without going through the Law to show what sin is. Sin is the transgression of the Law.  

[Meili Kyumee Youichi]

Living_for_the_Lord

No problem. I was meditating about that phrase that you have mentioned. How could they believe that He died for our sins if they do not know what sin is? How could someone wanting to be rescued if he/she doesn't see themselves drowning? The magnitude of God's Law says that it will act as a teacher to bring us to Christ. It teaches what sin is and it will point to the cross.

But I fear that we got into a habit of teaching a Prosperity Gospel, which I will explain in 2 more lessons. Prosperity Gospel is teaching people, saying "If you accept Jesus in your heart, you will have love, joy, peace, happiness, and go to Heaven when you die." I believe it is not Scriptural to do so, and it is not Scriptural to say that Jesus died for your sins without going through the Law to show what sin is. Sin is the transgression of the Law.

Yes, I agree with you about the illusion of prosperity gospel 3nodding
btw, do you have any recommendation in what should I say in the case of my best friend not depending on God?  

[Biblical_Counselor]

Meili Kyumee Youichi

Living_for_the_Lord

.
No problem. I was meditating about that phrase that you have mentioned. How could they believe that He died for our sins if they do not know what sin is? How could someone wanting to be rescued if he/she doesn't see themselves drowning? The magnitude of God's Law says that it will act as a teacher to bring us to Christ. It teaches what sin is and it will point to the cross.

But I fear that we got into a habit of teaching a Prosperity Gospel, which I will explain in 2 more lessons. Prosperity Gospel is teaching people, saying "If you accept Jesus in your heart, you will have love, joy, peace, happiness, and go to Heaven when you die." I believe it is not Scriptural to do so, and it is not Scriptural to say that Jesus died for your sins without going through the Law to show what sin is. Sin is the transgression of the Law.

Yes, I agree with you about the illusion of prosperity gospel 3nodding
btw, do you have any recommendation in what should I say in the case of my best friend not depending on God?

Well.... I think one of the ways is ask her if she has all of the fruits of the Spirit. "Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, and temperance." Christians displays all of these fruits because they are the character of God. A friend of mine asked a person this question and he said "no" to 7 of the 9 fruits of the Spirit. My friend said "By what you said, it shows clear evident that you are not soundly born-again." That person went home, reconsider his life and got soundly converted. Afterwards, he was such a fruitbearer that he was trusted to be in charge of that church's ministry. So, I would suggest to go right into the root. Instead of being dependent on God, maybe you should see if she is soundly saved. In the later lessons, I will be sharing True and False Conversions, which explains more.  

[Biblical_Counselor]

Making Grace Amazing

The good news of the gospel is that, in the cross of Calvary, God extended grace toward humanity. Words cannot express the wonders of His grace so graphically illustrated in that bloody cross. Grace can be defined as “unmerited favor to the infinitely ill-deserving,” or, in other words, “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.”

The question that should be on the heart of every Christian is how we may best show God’s amazing grace to this lost world. We tell sinners God loved them so much that He gave His only Son to die in their place, and yet it seems to have less relevance than the day’s weather forecast. To them, the forecast is at least applicable to them here and now.

The solution to this dilemma can be found in Romans 5:20. Here we are informed why God gave His Law to us: “Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”

When sin abounds, grace “much more” abounds, and according to Scripture, the thing that makes sin abound is the Law.

We can see the work of God’s Law illustrated in civil law. For example, when there is no visible sign of the law on a freeway, motorists often transgress the speed limit. Apparently each speedster says to himself that the law has forgotten to patrol his part of the freeway. He is transgressing the law by only 15 mph, and besides, he isn’t the only one doing it.

Notice what happens when the law enters the fast lane, with red lights flashing. The speedster’s heart misses a beat. He is no longer secure in the fact that other motorists are also speeding. He knows that he is personally as guilty as the next guy, and he could be the one the law pulls over. The fact that there are other people doing it is irrelevant. Suddenly, his “mere” 15 mph transgression doesn’t seem such a small thing after all; it seems to abound.

Look at the freeway of sin. The whole world naturally goes with the flow. Who hasn’t had an “affair” (or desired to) at one time or another? Who in today’s society doesn’t tell the occasional “white” lie? Who doesn’t take something that belongs to someone else, even if it’s just a little “whitecollar” crime? Sinners know they are doing wrong, but their security is in the fact that so many others are just as guilty, if not more so. It seems God has forgotten all about sin and the Ten Commandments; the sinner says in his heart, “God has forgotten; He hides His face; He will never see it” (Psalm 10:11).

Now watch the Law enter with red lights flashing. The sinner’s heart skips a beat. He lays his hand upon his mouth. He examines the speedometer of his conscience. Suddenly, it shows him the measure of his guilt in a new light—the light of the Law. His sense of security in the fact that there are multitudes doing the same thing becomes irrelevant, because every man will give an account of himself to God. Sin not only becomes personal, it seems to “abound.” His mere lust becomes adultery of the heart (Matthew 5:27,28 ); his white lie, false witness (Revelation 21:8 ); his own way becomes rebellion; his hatred, murder (1 John 3:15); his “sticky” fingers make him a thief—“Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound.” Without the Law entering, sin is neither personal, nor is it evident: “For without the Law, sin is dead [the sense of it is inactive...]” (Romans 7:8, Amplified).

It was the “Commandment” that showed Paul sin in its true light— that it is “exceedingly sinful” (Romans 7:13). Paul spoke from his own experience because he had sat at the feet of Gamaliel, the great “teacher of the law,” and therefore saw sin in its vivid colors.

According to the Scriptures, “[the real function of] the law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin [not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance...]” (Romans 3:20, Amplified).

Charles Spurgeon said that “the Law serves a most necessary purpose.” How true are his words regarding sinners: “They will never accept grace, until they tremble before a just and holy Law.” Those who see the role of the Law will be Sons of Thunder before they are the Sons of Consolation. They know that the shoes of human pride must be removed before sinners can approach the burning bush of the gospel.

It is important to realize that we can evoke a tearful response from sinners by saying that God loves them. The message is more appealing to both the Christian and the sinner. It certainly is easier to speak of love than of sin. Many years ago, before I understood the function of God’s Law, I told a prostitute of God’s love and was delighted that she immediately began weeping. Unbeknown to me, her tears were not tears of godly sorrow for sin, but merely an emotional response to the need of a father’s love. In my ignorance, I joyfully led her in a sinner’s prayer. However, I was disappointed sometime later when she fell away, and her tender heart became very callous toward the things of God.

Paradoxically, the Law makes grace abound, in the same way that darkness makes light shine. It was John Newton, the writer of “Amazing Grace,” who said that a wrong understanding of the harmony between Law and grace would produce “error on the left and the right hand.” I don’t know if any of us could claim to have a better understanding of grace than the one who penned such a hymn.

To help sinners understand that grace is truly amazing, use the Moral Law of God. As John Wesley advised a young evangelist, for effective evangelism, preach 90 percent Law and 10 percent grace.

Conclusion: The word "Grace" to the world is almost as meaningful as tomorrow's forecast, maybe even less. Grace is the unmerited favor to the infinitely ill-deserving, or God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. By knowing the full-extent of the wages of sin, that they are worthy of death, that nothing they could do to save themselves, they humbly accept the Grace of God and cling to it for their Salvation.  

[Meili Kyumee Youichi]

Living_for_the_Lord

Meili Kyumee Youichi

Living_for_the_Lord

.
No problem. I was meditating about that phrase that you have mentioned. How could they believe that He died for our sins if they do not know what sin is? How could someone wanting to be rescued if he/she doesn't see themselves drowning? The magnitude of God's Law says that it will act as a teacher to bring us to Christ. It teaches what sin is and it will point to the cross.

But I fear that we got into a habit of teaching a Prosperity Gospel, which I will explain in 2 more lessons. Prosperity Gospel is teaching people, saying "If you accept Jesus in your heart, you will have love, joy, peace, happiness, and go to Heaven when you die." I believe it is not Scriptural to do so, and it is not Scriptural to say that Jesus died for your sins without going through the Law to show what sin is. Sin is the transgression of the Law.

Yes, I agree with you about the illusion of prosperity gospel 3nodding
btw, do you have any recommendation in what should I say in the case of my best friend not depending on God?

Well.... I think one of the ways is ask her if she has all of the fruits of the Spirit. "Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, and temperance." Christians displays all of these fruits because they are the character of God. A friend of mine asked a person this question and he said "no" to 7 of the 9 fruits of the Spirit. My friend said "By what you said, it shows clear evident that you are not soundly born-again." That person went home, reconsider his life and got soundly converted. Afterwards, he was such a fruitbearer that he was trusted to be in charge of that church's ministry. So, I would suggest to go right into the root. Instead of being dependent on God, maybe you should see if she is soundly saved. In the later lessons, I will be sharing True and False Conversions, which explains more.

I wish it could be that easy sweatdrop
She doesn't really like anything too God or scripture related. But I think she is at least saved as she believe in Jesus as saviour, although its not too deeply meaning it. I'll be looking forward for your "True and False Conversions". Thank you smile  

[Spirit Reborn]

I'm so thankful to God that He's using you to open our eyes to this crucial issue.

I personally shy away from using that key. I tell them of His love, Christ's death and the grace displayed on the cross for our sins but I don't tell them of the Law. I always think that I'd offend them more and push them more away if I did so. And yes, I am making excuses, I can admit that. I forget that God grows the seeds, we can plant them but He is ultimately the One who grows them.

I just don't know how to go about discussing the Law as well as to show our need of a Savior, in a soul-impacting way.  

[Biblical_Counselor]

The Problem with the Modern Gospel

As I began to look at church growth records from around the country, I found to my horror that 80 to 90 percent of those making a decision for Christ were falling away from the faith. That is, modern evangelism was creating 80 to 90 of what we commonly call backsliders for every hundred decisions for Christ.

For example, in 1991, a major U.S. denomination was able to obtain 294,000 decisions for Christ. Unfortunately, they could find only 14,000 in fellowship, which means they couldn’t account for 280,000 of their decisions—and this is a normal, modern evangelical result.

The tragedy of modern evangelism is that, around the turn of the twentieth century, the church forsook the Law in its capacity to convert the soul and drive sinners to Christ. Modern evangelism therefore had to find another reason for sinners to respond to the gospel, and the reason it chose was the issue of “life enhancement.” The gospel degenerated into “Jesus Christ will give you peace, joy, love, fulfillment, and lasting happiness.” Something like this is usually said, “You will never find true happiness until you come to the Lord. You have a ‘God-shaped vacuum’ in your heart that only He can fill. God will heal your marriage and take away that addiction problem. He’ll get you out of financial difficulty and be your best friend.” The following anecdote will illustrate the unscriptural nature of this very popular teaching.

Two men are seated on a plane. The first is given a parachute and told to put it on, as it would improve his flight. He’s a little skeptical at first, since he can’t see how wearing a parachute on a plane could possibly improve his flight. He decides to experiment and see if the claims are true. As he puts it on, he notices the weight of it upon his shoulders and he finds he has difficulty in sitting upright. However, he consoles himself with the fact he was told that the parachute would improve his flight. So he decides to give it a little time.

As he waits he notices that some of the other passengers are laughing at him for wearing a parachute on a plane. He begins to feel somewhat humiliated. As they continue to point and laugh at him, he can stand it no longer. He slinks in his seat, unstraps the parachute, and throws it to the floor. Disillusionment and bitterness fill his heart, because as far as he was concerned he was told an outright lie.

The second man is given a parachute, but listen to what he is told. He’s told to put it on because at any moment he’ll be jumping 25,000 feet out of the plane. He gratefully puts the parachute on. He doesn’t notice the weight of it upon his shoulders, nor that he can’t sit upright. His mind is consumed with the thought of what would happen to him if he jumped without the parachute.

Let’s now analyze the motive and the result of each passenger’s experience. The first man’s motive for putting the parachute on was solely to improve his flight. The result of his experience was that he was humiliated by the passengers, disillusioned, and somewhat embittered against those who gave him the parachute. As far as he’s concerned, it will be a long time before anyone gets one of those things on his back again.

The second man put the parachute on solely to escape the jump to come. And because of his knowledge of what would happen to him if he jumped without it, he has a deep-rooted joy and peace in his heart knowing that he’s saved from sure death. This knowledge gives him the ability to withstand the mockery of the other passengers. His attitude toward those who gave him the parachute is one of heartfelt gratitude.

Now listen to what the modern gospel says: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. He’ll give you love, joy, peace, fulfillment, and lasting happiness.” In other words, Jesus will improve your flight. The sinner responds, and in an experimental fashion puts on the Savior to see if the claims are true.

And what does he get? The promised temptation, tribulation, and persecution—the other “passengers” mock him. So what does he do? He takes off the Lord Jesus Christ; he’s offended for the Word’s sake; he’s disillusioned and somewhat embittered... and quite rightly so. He was promised peace, joy, love, and fulfillment, and all he got were trials and humiliation. His bitterness is directed at those who gave him the so-called “good news.” His latter end becomes worse than the first, and he’s another inoculated and bitter “backslider.”

Instead of preaching that Jesus improves the flight, we should be warning sinners that they have to jump out of the plane—that it’s appointed for man to die once and then face judgment (Hebrews 9:27). When a sinner understands the horrific consequences of breaking the Law of God, he will flee to the Savior, solely to escape the wrath that is to come. If we are true and faithful witnesses, that’s what we’ll be preaching —that there is wrath to come—that God “commands all men every where to repent: because he has appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:30,31).

The issue isn’t one of life enhancement, but one of righteousness. It doesn’t matter how happy a sinner is, or how much he is enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season; without the righteousness of Christ, he will perish on the day of wrath. Proverbs 11:4 says, “Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivers from death.”

Peace and joy are legitimate fruits of salvation, but it’s not legitimate to use these fruits as a drawing card for salvation. If we continue to do so, the sinner will respond with an impure motive, lacking repentance.

Can you remember why the second passenger had joy and peace in his heart? It was because he knew that the parachute was going to save him from sure death. In the same way, as believers we have “joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13) because we know that the righteousness of Christ is going to deliver us from the wrath to come.

With that thought in mind, let’s take a close look at an incident aboard the plane.

We have a brand-new flight attendant. It’s her first day. She’s carrying a tray of boiling hot coffee. She wants to leave an impression on the passengers, and she certainly does! As she’s walking down the aisle, she trips over someone’s foot and slops the hot coffee all over the lap of our second passenger.

What’s his reaction as that boiling liquid hits his tender flesh? Does he say, “Man, that hurt!”? Yes, he does. But then does he rip the parachute from his shoulders, throw it to the floor, and say, “The stupid parachute!”? No; why should he? He didn’t put the parachute on for a better flight. He put it on to save him from the jump to come. If anything, the hot coffee incident causes him to cling tighter to the parachute and even look forward to the jump.

If we have put on the Lord Jesus Christ for the right motive—to flee from the wrath to come—then when tribulation strikes, when the flight gets bumpy, we won’t get angry at God, and we won’t lose our joy and peace. Why should we? We didn’t come to Christ for a better lifestyle, but to flee from the wrath to come. If anything, tribulation drives the true believer closer to the Savior. Sadly, we have multitudes of professing Christians who lose their joy and peace when the flight gets bumpy. Why? They are the product of a man-centered gospel. They came lacking repentance, without which they cannot be saved.

Conclusion: The Modern Gospel is all about a better lifestyle, but it makes no sense. Paul, Peter, John, and the other disciples, and great missionaries, such as John Wesley and George Whitfield suffered persecution. If we tell others about love and happiness, they most likely will fall away because of the promised persecutions, tribulations, and temptations. They will become bitter towards Christians because they see hyprocrisy in this teaching. But what we should be telling them that at any moment, they may die. Go down through the law, and shut them up under the law. When they realize that the only way to escape death is Jesus, they will hold on to him like holding onto a parachute while jumping out of a plane at 25,000 feet in the air.  

[Biblical_Counselor]

Spirit Reborn

I'm so thankful to God that He's using you to open our eyes to this crucial issue.

I personally shy away from using that key. I tell them of His love, Christ's death and the grace displayed on the cross for our sins but I don't tell them of the Law. I always think that I'd offend them more and push them more away if I did so. And yes, I am making excuses, I can admit that. I forget that God grows the seeds, we can plant them but He is ultimately the One who grows them.

I just don't know how to go about discussing the Law as well as to show our need of a Savior, in a soul-impacting way.

I know how that is. I personally want to talk about God's love and His Grace. I want to establish, what they call "Friendship Evangelism." But as I look at the reality of Hell, and the thought of 125,000 people die a day on average and the majority is going to Hell for eternity, I want to warn them about the judgement.

Here is a little illustration that I often remind myself sometimes. Imagine that you see a blind man walking towards a cliff. Would you yell at him and say "Don't go that way. This way is much nicer." I wouldn't. I would yell "Blind man, don't go that way. There is a cliff." We should be warning them about the danger that is to come, just like John the Baptist did in Matthew 3:7 - 8: "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance."  

[Spirit Reborn]

Living_for_the_Lord

I know how that is. I personally want to talk about God's love and His Grace. I want to establish, what they call "Friendship Evangelism." But as I look at the reality of Hell, and the thought of 125,000 people die a day on average and the majority is going to Hell for eternity, I want to warn them about the judgement.

Here is a little illustration that I often remind myself sometimes. Imagine that you see a blind man walking towards a cliff. Would you yell at him and say "Don't go that way. This way is much nicer." I wouldn't. I would yell "Blind man, don't go that way. There is a cliff." We should be warning them about the danger that is to come, just like John the Baptist did in Matthew 3:7 - 8: "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance."

That's a good point.. If they at least know, then ultimately the choice would be theirs to make instead of blindly going about their lives not knowing about the judgement.
How would you personally address unbelievers in the judgement as well as the grace of God, and our need of a Savior? What would you say or how would you bring up the topic? I know that, for me personally, it's easier for me to address this online instead of in real life and that can be problematic down the road for me as I need to be able to speak up and that's where Christ's strength comes in.  

[Biblical_Counselor]

Spirit Reborn

Living_for_the_Lord

I know how that is. I personally want to talk about God's love and His Grace. I want to establish, what they call "Friendship Evangelism." But as I look at the reality of Hell, and the thought of 125,000 people die a day on average and the majority is going to Hell for eternity, I want to warn them about the judgement.

Here is a little illustration that I often remind myself sometimes. Imagine that you see a blind man walking towards a cliff. Would you yell at him and say "Don't go that way. This way is much nicer." I wouldn't. I would yell "Blind man, don't go that way. There is a cliff." We should be warning them about the danger that is to come, just like John the Baptist did in Matthew 3:7 - 8: "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance."

That's a good point.. If they at least know, then ultimately the choice would be theirs to make instead of blindly going about their lives not knowing about the judgement.
How would you personally address unbelievers in the judgement as well as the grace of God, and our need of a Savior? What would you say or how would you bring up the topic? I know that, for me personally, it's easier for me to address this online instead of in real life and that can be problematic down the road for me as I need to be able to speak up and that's where Christ's strength comes in.

Well.... for me personally, I am still learning more about 1 on 1 conversations. I prefer open air preaching. But I would ask them if they think they are a good person. Most of the times, they said that they are. Then ask them if they want you to test them. Ask them some questions about if they ever lied, stolen, looked with lust, and so forth. The law speaks to their conscience and they, a lot of the time, agree with you. Once they are broken, then go to the Gospel.  

[Biblical_Counselor]

How to Confront Sinners

God’s Love: The Biblical Presentation

The modern message of the gospel is “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” However, our idea of “wonderful” and the world’s may be a little different. Take a sinner through the pages of the Book of Acts and show him the terrifying scene of rocks breaking the bones of Stephen. Then smile and whisper, “Wonderful...” Listen together to the sound of a cat-o’-nine-tails as it rips the flesh off the back of the apostle Paul. Follow together the word “suffering” through the Epistles, and see if you can get the world to whisper, “Wonderful!” Tell them that “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). After such a ride down Honesty Road, they may think the pleasures of sin are a little more attractive than the call to “suffer affliction with the people of God” (Hebrews 11:25).

Who in the world is going to listen to our message if we are so blatantly honest about the Christian life? Perhaps not as many as are attracted by the talk of a wonderful plan. The answer to our dilemma is to make the issue one of righteousness, rather than happiness. This is what Jesus did. He used the Ten Commandments to show sinners the righteous standard of God (Luke 10:25,26; 18:18–20). Once the world sees the perfect standard by which they will be judged, they will begin to fear God, and it is through the fear of the Lord that men depart from sin (Proverbs 16:6). They will begin to hunger and thirst after the righteousness that is in Jesus Christ alone.

If you study the New Testament, you will see that God’s love is almost always given in direct correlation to the cross: herein is love, for God so loved, God commended His love, etc. (See John 3:16; Romans 5:5,6,8; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 2:4,5; 5:2,25; 1 John 3:16; 4:10; and Revelation 1:5, among others.) The cross is the focal point of God’s love for the world. How can we point to the cross without making reference to sin? How can we refer to sin without using the Law (Romans 7:7)? The biblical way to express God’s love to a sinner is to show him how great his sin is (using the Law—see Romans 7:13; Galatians 3:24), and then give him the incredible grace of God in Christ. This was the key to reaching so many on the Day of Pentecost. They were “devout” Jews who knew the Law and its holy demands, and therefore readily accepted the mercy of God in Christ to escape its fearful wrath.

When you use the Law to show the world their true state, get ready for sinners to thank you. For the first time in their lives, they will see the Christian message as an expression of love and concern for their eternal welfare, rather than of merely proselytizing for a better lifestyle while on this earth.

Ponder this quote by John MacArthur until it is written in the corridors of your mind: “We need to adjust our presentation of the gospel. We cannot dismiss the fact that God hates sin and punishes sinners with eternal torment. How can we begin a gospel presentation by telling people on their way to hell that God has a wonderful plan for their lives?” It is true that God has a wonderful plan for their lives—but it is that they would repent and trust the Savior, and receive the righteousness of Christ.

Making Sinners Tremble

For a biblical illustration of how to confront sinners using the issue of righteousness, let’s look to the life of King David. When David sinned with Bathsheba, he broke all of the Ten Commandments. He coveted his neighbor’s wife, lived a lie, stole her, committed adultery, murdered her husband, dishonored his parents, and thus broke the remaining four Commandments by dishonoring God. Therefore, the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to reprove him (2 Samuel 12:1–14).

There is great significance in the order in which the reproof came. Nathan gave David, the shepherd of Israel, a parable about something he could understand—sheep. He began with the natural realm, rather than immediately exposing the king’s sin. He told a story about a rich man who, instead of taking a sheep from his own flock, killed a poor man’s pet lamb to feed a stranger.

David was indignant, and sat up on his high throne of self-righteous-ness. He revealed his knowledge of the Law by declaring that the guilty party must restore fourfold and must die for his crime. Nathan then exposed the king’s sin of taking another man’s “lamb,” saying, “You are the man . . . Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight?” When David cried, “I have sinned against the Lord,” the prophet then gave him grace and said, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.”

Imagine if Nathan, fearful of rejection, changed things around a little, and instead told David, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. However, there is something that is keeping you from enjoying this wonderful plan; it is called ‘sin.’” Imagine if he had glossed over the personal nature of David’s sin, with a general reference to all men having sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). David’s reaction might have been, “What sin are you talking about?” rather than to admit his terrible transgression.

Think of it—why should he cry, “I have sinned against the Lord” at the sound of that message? Instead, he may have, in a sincere desire to experience this “wonderful plan,” admitted that he, like all men, had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. If David had not been made to tremble under the wrath of the Law, the prophet would have removed the very means of producing godly sorrow, which is necessary for repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10).

It was the weight of David’s guilt that caused him to cry out, “I have sinned against the Lord.” The Law caused him to labor and become heavy laden; it made him hunger and thirst for righteousness. It enlightened him as to the serious nature of sin as far as God was concerned.

Here, then, is how we can get sinners to cry out, according to Paris Reidhead:

If I had my way, I would declare a moratorium on public preaching of “the plan of salvation” in America for one to two years. Then I would call on everyone who has use of the airwaves and the pulpits to preach the holiness of God, the righteousness of God, and the Law of God, until sinners would cry out, “What must we do to be saved?” Then I would take them off in a corner and whisper the gospel to them. Don’t use John 3:16. Such drastic action is needed because we have gospel-hardened a generation of sinners by telling them how to be saved before they have any understanding why they need to be saved.  

[Spirit Reborn]

Living_for_the_Lord

Spirit Reborn

Living_for_the_Lord

I know how that is. I personally want to talk about God's love and His Grace. I want to establish, what they call "Friendship Evangelism." But as I look at the reality of Hell, and the thought of 125,000 people die a day on average and the majority is going to Hell for eternity, I want to warn them about the judgement.

Here is a little illustration that I often remind myself sometimes. Imagine that you see a blind man walking towards a cliff. Would you yell at him and say "Don't go that way. This way is much nicer." I wouldn't. I would yell "Blind man, don't go that way. There is a cliff." We should be warning them about the danger that is to come, just like John the Baptist did in Matthew 3:7 - 8: "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance."

That's a good point.. If they at least know, then ultimately the choice would be theirs to make instead of blindly going about their lives not knowing about the judgement.
How would you personally address unbelievers in the judgement as well as the grace of God, and our need of a Savior? What would you say or how would you bring up the topic? I know that, for me personally, it's easier for me to address this online instead of in real life and that can be problematic down the road for me as I need to be able to speak up and that's where Christ's strength comes in.

Well.... for me personally, I am still learning more about 1 on 1 conversations. I prefer open air preaching. But I would ask them if they think they are a good person. Most of the times, they said that they are. Then ask them if they want you to test them. Ask them some questions about if they ever lied, stolen, looked with lust, and so forth. The law speaks to their conscience and they, a lot of the time, agree with you. Once they are broken, then go to the Gospel.

Amen.
Lately, I've been..hungering for wanting to help bring others to Christ- to help God save as much souls as possible from perishing in hell for eternity. And I would like to try this. Loved reading your recent post of How to Confront Sinners! Very eye-opening indeed.