Friday, September 26, 2008

Politics and witnessing

This was posted here a year ago. With all the news, I thought it was a good question to ask again for further comments
It is obvious to me that we shouldn't preach about politics while seeking to evangelize someone, because it is a big distraction to the main point of the law and gospel. But, should we use politics as a jumping-off point to preach the main point of the law and gospel?

The presidential election is a year away and politics are on our minds. Like anything in the news or daily life, politics can be used as a good "natural" thing to talk about in order to start a conversation with a stranger and then swing to the supernatural. It seems like everyone has an opinion on the presidential candidates, and to allow them a minute to explain, if they are interested, can be good. However, political issues are also divisive and can sometimes lead to hostility almost as much as the gospel can. Is it better just to avoid politics altogether when witnessing, or should the topics of politics be used just like any other topic when we talk with strangers? Please leave your responses on this post; if you haven't registered, go ahead and do so--it won't take long.


The reply from Ben:
We should us anything that can convict of sin.

Political stances can reveal what people value. In a witnessing encounter, we can use these values to bring the conviction of sin.

At the same time, we need to reallize that the U.S. is a temporary kingdom and prioritize accordingly.

Patrick
But if we use priorities in politics as a value judgment, do we risk offending our hearers--not with the law or gospel, but about political positions which they disagree with? For example, the road to the gospel seems straight-forward. It might look like this:

1. "Shouldn't the president should oppose legal abortions?"
2. "Isn't abortion murder?"
3. "Isn't hateful or insulting speech murder?
4. "Haven't you sinned in this way?
5. "Don't you need a savior?

Won't our contacts be so distracted by their strong opinions on #1 and #2 that they never think about #3, they don't consider #4, and then #5 seems utter foolishness?

Ben:
Hmm...

I don't think it would be wrong to promote a candidate, but I wouldn't go out of my way to do it either. I think of Daniel's service to Nebuchadnezzar. Now granted, Daniel didn't have stump to get him elected, but from reading Daniel it is clear that Daniel had a concern for preserving the reign of this pagan man. Yet He provided a powerful testimony for our God by serving God even more loyally than Nebuchadnezzar.

I just think we need to be careful to understand why a person is voting for so-and-so. If someone knows that God cares about the poor and thinks that a certain Democrats do a better job of taking care of the poor than Repuplicans do of protecting the unborn, then we have several roads we can pursue. I can pursue my appraisal of the weight of these issues and try to push my candidate, which leads to a political debate. Or we can have a gentle discussion knowing that we agree on the issues but not on their priority. Or we can talk about the character of God who cares for the poor and stands up for the helpless. We could also point out opportunities and organizations outside of the government for them to partner with in helping the poor if they don't know already.

Let's say the issue that a person is passionate about is "global warming." Now I know this world is going to be destroyed, but the earth is a legitimate stewardship given to men by God. The state of earth reflects our stewardship over it both morally and physically. A person could go into a diatribe about how global warming is some big liberal conspiracy and come off as a lunatic. Or we could talk about how God does actually care how we "tend the garden" and rule over the things He has created. We can go on to say that we think that the deliberate murder of ~1.5 million unborn babies is a greater moral evil than burning too many fossil fuels (itself partly caused by our greedy self-centered consumer cultures), but that we understand your concern for our stewawrdship over the earth itself - God cares too and He is looking forward to restoring His Universe in the age to come (See Romans 8:20-21).

I think we need to do a better presenting our first citizenship in political discussions. When I don't spin for a party, then hopefully it's the kingdom of God that comes through.

Okay one more scenario. A person is a fiscal republican but disagrees with it's "values platform." (The type of Republican who is amped about Giuliani and Schwartzeneggar). Are we glad they have helped us vote in several pro-lifers, or do we dig into their heart condition. Do they agree with God's morallity, but think it is the churches job to teach it rather than the governments? Then we might respectfully disagree and have a discussion without taking on the burden of persuading. Do they think gays should marry and that abortion helps people get out of bad situations? Then we're talking about a situation where we could turn the conversation to diagnosing the heart.

I think discussion in disagreement is a real lost art in this country, but giving up isn't the answer. I think part of the issue is the overall fragmentation and de-socialization of our culture - prioritizing entertainment over relationship (and engaging in relationship with the barrier of "personal space.") I think, as Christians we need to stand out from the Democratic and Republican spinsters by our humble and gentle political voice (without compromising our deep convictions). Then I think politics and evangelism can co-exist just fine.

I don't think it's a matter of taking the easy or obvious road, but a matter of respecting the person and understanding that even real Christians come to different conclusions concerning who to vote for. As a result, we ought to treat people as individuals who might even have perspectives that we ought to consider.

I do think politics is a more difficult road to evangelism. There are many traps. At the same time, it may be well worth the effort. There are some people who wouldn't talk about religion, who would talk about politics. As with any, evangelism (or discussion really) a lot of discernment is needed.

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posted by Patrick at 6:00 AM | 0 Comments

Thursday, January 1, 2004

How to PREACH the Gospel

I hope you have taken the time to review some Biblical concepts regarding evangelism. We always must remember to give "law to the proud, grace to the humble" in all our evangelism efforts. I have devised the mnemonic P-R-E-A-C-H to help us remember some other important steps when we preach the Word. We should first PRAY before our witnessing efforts; REMEMBER God's Word and be prepared to use it; begin an ENCOUNTER with a person; ASK the person pointed questions; show your CONCERN for the person as you speak about the law and perhaps the gospel; and, whatever the results, HOLD OFF any feelings of accomplishment or disappointment, leaving the growth in the hands of the Holy Spirit.
 
Pray: I will not forget how God strongly reminded me to always pray about evangelism, and to ask him to bless my efforts. One Tuesday, I was out with the intent of street witnessing with my friend Eric. We were excited about those few hours, and we separately began approaching people with tracts and our own willpower. After about an hour had passed, I had grown completely frustrated with my efforts. No one had been willing to talk with me, and many even refused to take a tract! I was feeling very discouraged and disgusted with the whole evening. Eric and I met up again and he reported much of the same thing, immediately pointing out that we had forgotten to pray to begin the evening. We immediately realized that we could either leave for the night or pray and go on witnessing. We prayed together for about five minutes, asking God to push our own will and effort aside and do his work for the rest of that evening. After that prayer, we resumed attempting to approach people on the street. God brought me an interesting contentment for the rest of that evening--the rejections no longer discouraged me, and I did have some seemingly good encounters.
 
I do not dogmatically command a ritual prayer before every evangelistic effort, but rather I implore you to pray before, during, and after your efforts. Pray for God to work through them, to bring his will to people. Pray for God to use your words as a divine utterance. Pray that your own selfish ideas be put aside. Pray for strengthening of your resolve and conviction in this effort. Pray for those you are about to meet, and specifically for those that you already have met. Most of all, just pray.
 
Remember God's word. Any words we say in evangelism can never compare to Bible verse spoken directly or paraphrased to those we encounter. It is important to begin memorizing Bible verses. Most of these that we might quote are short and are thus easy to memorize. Being memorizing these verses, just a few minutes a day, and you will become a much sharper tool in the hands of the Holy Spirit.
 
Most everyone we meet will be proud. The Ten Commandments are in Exodus 20, and the law is how people will be brought to humility. If a person is self-righteous and expresses confidence in his/her works over his/her sins, we may need to quote Isaiah 64:6, Luke 18:18-20, or James 2:10. Does someone claim belief in God or Christ, yet seems to be proud or self-righteous? It may be effective to quote Matthew 7:21 or James 2:10. Does someone claim that God will not judge the people? Revelation 21:8 or John 5:28-29 might have an impact. Is someone humble, realizing their sins prevent them from reaching God? Share any of the verses about repentance, dying to self, and the good news of salvation! Romans 8:13 and John 3:16 come to mind. Did someone outright reject your message? Perhaps you might quote Hebrews 9:27.
 
Encounter someone. This is obvious, but not obvious enough! If you never look for opportunities to share God's word, you never will actually share it. There are two ways to approach someone with the Gospel. The first is to begin in the natural--perhaps you will talk about the weather, sports, news, a movie--and then deliberately swing the conversation to the spiritual realm. It is okay if your segue is somewhat corny--if so, you can make fun of yourself and put your contact more at ease--but try to make it a natural transition while still being honest and genuine. Jesus did this with the Samaritan at the well in John 4. Here are some other examples:
  • "Have you seen that movie, The Passion of the Christ? Did you like it? What is it about? What about Jesus? Why do you think he died? Do you think you are a good person? ..."
  • "May I sit down? What do you think of these hot dogs? Kind of bland, aren't they? I just finished one myself, but I don't think I'll get another. May I speak with you about something important? I'm out here today..."
  • "Nice day, huh? What have you been doing today? Really, sounds like fun. I've been having a good day too, enjoying this weather. I've been out here talking to people about death and the afterlife..."
The second approach is to simply be direct and firm in preaching the word of God. You are approaching people, and they will immediately know your intent. Speak your point directly and strongly:
  • "Excuse me, sir, are you saved? If you died tonight, would you go to heaven or hell?"
  • "We're talking with people tonight about death and the afterlife. What do you think is going to happen to you after you die?"
  • "Can I ask you some questions? Do you think you are a good person?"
: If you are witnessing to strangers, use these or think of some other general ways to approach them. If you are witnessing to someone you know, you can probably think of some specific ways to bring up the subject with them.
 
Ask the person pointed questions. We are witnessing to give the good news of the cross, but this news is foolishness to those who don't realize any need. One good formula is Ray Comfort's "WDJD" questions: "Would you consider yourself a good person? Do you know the Ten Commandments? When God judges you, will he find you innocent or guilty of breaking his commandments?" (Judgment) "If you are found guilty, will you be sent to heaven or hell?" (Destiny) Try to avoid apologetics questions or other tangential issues--people often try to bring up any objection to avoid the real question of guilt before God. Hopefully you have read other materials on these questions and listened to some witness encounters to prepare for the responses you will get; further information in this area is beyond the scope of this article.
 
Concern for the person's eternal well being must be conveyed. It will be very ineffective if we go out witnessing "hell-fire" and "damnation" preaching by telling our contacts that they are going to hell and demanding that they repent. Instead, the goal in asking the questions is to get them to realize themselves that they are sinners in need of a savior. Once they realize our point, we must show how concerned we are. We want to rescue people from hell, not hatefully tell them they are going there! It should always be out of a heartfelt, deep concern that we go out witnessing--not just out of obligation, nor with the intent to prove that we're right and they're wrong. Our contacts will be less likely to put up walls of resistance if we always convey our genuine concern along with the truth of God's wrath.
 
If the person would admit, "I have broken the Ten Commandments, I will be found guilty before God, and he will justly send me to hell," you can further ask if that concerns him/her. This will help you to get an idea on whether they are genuinely humbled. If they seem humble, then by all means present the gospel! Explain that, for forgiveness of sins, there must be shedding of blood (Heb 9:22). Explain Christ's death on the cross and how he paid the fine, that he took the punishment for our transgressions. Explain what repentance is, and that God wants to put to death our old, sinful nature (Rom 8:13). Explain that God loves them and wants them to be saved, and urge them to repent and trust in Christ on their own, soon.
 
Hold off congratulating yourself or becoming discouraged after a witnessing encounter. Take a moment now to read 1 Corinthians 3:6-8 and Matthew 28:19-20. God commands us to plant seeds and water them, to go and preach the gospel. He promises that he will be with us and that he will give the growth. He does not promise that we will know the results of our labor. Far too often we think an encounter failed, but actually, God is working in that person to convict them of their sins. The average adult convert to Christ has rejected the message several times before he/she is saved, and each time God makes an impact on that person. Similarly, we cannot congratulate ourselves for a "job well done" when someone seems receptive or humble, because in that case God is the one again doing the work. Any impact we have on people is God's work alone--we are just his tools! Instead, transfer this glory up to God in prayer and thanks! Furthermore, God judges the heart while we can only see the outward things. A witness contact may be deceptive in his/her reaction, saying what we might want to hear. No matter! Preach the word without self-love or self-hate; appeal to God in all things. It is okay to look for encouragement in our efforts, and we should also encourage one another always. However, the real measure of our success is the faithfulness and eagerness we have in seeking God's will, not in our own faulty idea of how effective we are.
 
Techniques such as these can help us to PREACH God's word more effectively, but they only go so far. Remember, it is not our words or actions that will ultimately save people, but the power of God alone (see also 1 Corinthians 2:3-5). Hopefully, these six steps will help to guide you when you PREACH the gospel. If you believe I have erred in an interpretation here, or you have some other comment, do not hesitate to e-mail us through our web site, ShareYourFaith.org.

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posted by Patrick at 12:00 PM | 0 Comments