Evangelism For Today
All are familiar with the parable of the prodigal son recorded in Luke 11:15-32. In this great parable of our Lord many miss the outstanding truth; namely, that in order to advance, the prodigal first had to return. He had to go back to the old paths. Like the prodigal, before we advance, we must go back.
During the first century the church was established and all the instruction necessary to guide it down through all the ages was given. The church grew mightily and by the close of that century it had been planted in all the then known world. If evangelism makes its mark on the world today as it did in the time of the apostles, there must be a return to the simplicity of the New Testament way of doing things and giving its message to a lost and dying world; it must go back to the old Jerusalem gospel. The way back is the way forward.
In spite of the fact that politically, socially and religiously theirs was an unspeakably corrupt world, this first era of Christianity was glorious. The growth of the church was amazing. Three thousand, five thousand, then a million or more were added to the church before the close of the first century. Country after country fell before the onslaughts of the stalwart soldiers of the cross. The story is told that in one attempt to restore the pagan gods of Rome Julian, their leader, was fatally wounded. As the blood gushed from his side he cried, "Oh, Galilean! Oh, Galilean, thou has conquered!" The Jerusalem gospel won thousands then and it will do it again. The way forward is the way back. We now consider four salient points to guide us back.
I. Apostolic Preaching
The first messengers of the gospel spoke with power and conviction. At Thyatira Paul and his associates were charged by the Jews with exceedingly troubling the city (Acts 16:20); at Thessalonica Jason and other brethren were taken before the rules by the Jews who said, "These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also." (Acts 17:6.)
These men that so stirred the world were not policy men nor ear ticklers. They were holy men of God who "spoke as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:4.) They were Christ-centered and fearless in their attack upon the godless people of their day and ardent promulgators of the gospel in spite of every conceivable type of opposition. We have departed from the old Jerusalem gospel and must go back to it to get results that count. Any modern Philip can lead hundreds, yea, thousands to Christ if he will be Christ-centered instead of self-centered and return to the apostolic method of preaching and follow with a burning zeal the example of the early Christians and the apostles. When Jesus sent out the twelve, he "commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: but be shod with sandals and not put on two coats." (Mk. 6:8,9) — in other words put their trust solely in God to supply their needs. How many of our modern preachers would do as the pioneer preachers did, travel many miles and preach Saturday night and three times on Lord's Day with no assurance of receiving any remuneration other than the approbation of a loving Heavenly Father? How many of them would condescend to follow Paul's example? (See Acts 18:3; 20:33,34; also I Cor. 4:12).
II. The Plan Of Salvation Divinely Revealed
There can be no compromise in truth. We have some who would sacrifice certain parts of New Testament teaching for the sake of harmony. Such a compromise does not meet the crying need of our time nor the challenge of our day. Compromise always weakens the defender's position. Strong spiritual men are needed to lead the church out of the morass of unbelielf and lethargy in which it is now engulfed — men who will not compromise with error regardless of its magnitude or the extent of its ramifications.
A. After hearing the gospel the first step toward Christ is faith. He said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mk. 16:16.) Was this command ever abrogated? To the early disciples Jesus was God-man. He was Lord of all to them or He was not Lord at all. Faith in this Person as the only begotten Son of God was never compromised in apostolic preaching.
B. Jesus told those who believed, to repent. "Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish." (Lk. 13:3.) Was this command ever abrogated?
C. Confession was to follow repentance and precede baptism. (Matt. 10:32; Rom. 10:9.) In my study of astronomy at college I learned that the sun is the center of our physical universe, around it all planets revolved and that upon this truth the whole Copernician system rests. Just so, the good confession maintains the same relationship to Christianity. It is the foundation rock upon which the Christian system is built. If the good confession is not true and Jesus is not the Son of God in that unique and unrivaled position we have given Him, then our faith and worship are vain. If a man preaches it and does not believe it, he has no business to stand in a pulpit erected by men of faith. He had better get out of the pulpit and go to peddling automobiles. Jesus said, "Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 10:32,33.) Paul wrote, "With the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Rom. 10:10.) John tells us "Deceivers have gone forth into the world, even they that confess not that Jesus Christ cometh in the flesh." (2 Jno. 7.RV.) The noun "deceivers" is in apposition with the pronoun "they"; hence, are the same persons. Has this command of our Lord been abrogated?
D. The final step in obedience to Christ, according to the New Testament, is baptism. It would be vain to claim to believe in Christ and then refuse to obey Him. Confession without obedience is plain unadulterated mockery. Christ commanded baptism. Has that command ever been abrogated? We had better ask a few very personal questions of those presenting themselves for membership in our congregations even though we run the risk of offending the candidate. The church is still under that command. Those who for sake of convenience or popularity will let the bars down on any one of Christ's commands are miserable failures as gospel preachers.
Argument about the mode of baptism simply shows one's ignorance. There are no "modes" of immersion or burying, and that is exactly what the word "baptize" means. No, it is not a question of modes but one of obedience. Sprinkling and pouring are not baptism and to practice them is to fail to obey Him whom we call Lord. "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46.)
The glory of this final command of our Lord grows upon us when we realize that in baptism we meet His shed blood. "Apart from the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin." (Heb. 9:22.) Ananias said to Paul, "Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins." (Acts 22:16.) (See also 1 Jno. 1:7; Acts 2:38 and 1 Pet. 3:20,21.) One of these scriptures says "water." Read these passages with Rom. 6:3 and we learn that we are baptized into His death and that it was in His death that His blood was shed. God beautifully has united blood and water in Salvation! At his death both blood and water came from his pierced side. (1 Jno. 5:6-8.)
III. The Plea For Unity
The world's greatest tragedy is a divided church. Unity of believers was the bidden of the real "Lord's Prayer" in John seventeenth chapter. Let us pray, let us preach and let us work for that grand and glorious day when Christ's followers shall be truly united. Judging from many of the articles now appearing in our papers Christ's prayer for the unity of believers has been forgotten by the writers. This badly hinders the evangelistic work of the church. Only when we can go forth into the world as a united group can the world be taken for Christ.
IV. Methods Of Evangelism
There are three methods of evangelism — personal, educational and the revival meeting. These are inseparable and if a church is to reach the unsaved, all three methods must be used. Many of our largest congregations baptize the smallest number of people. They get the transfers; but the truly evangelistic spirit of the congregation is measured by the number of baptisms and not the number of transfers of membership to it. The congregations that baptize are the ones carrying out our Lord's commission given in Matt. 28:19, 20.
"The gospel is the power of God unto salvation." (Rom. 1:16.) Like any kind of power it is useless unless properly applied. Only good can come from the application of the gospel to the hearts of men. We ought not to be ashamed to use the methods given us by examples found in the book of Acts. On Pentecost Peter preached at Jerusalem (Acts 2:14-42); Philip did educational work when he taught the eunuch (Acts 8:28-40), and Paul used two methods, working from house to house and public preaching (Acts 20:20.) Even the members of the church when scattered abroad by persecution preaching the gospel as we learn from Acts 8:4 and 11:19. All three methods were very successfully used by the apostles and the disciples in the first century. Is there any apostolic command abrogating any one of the three methods used in the early church? Some are too proud and dignified to make house to house calls using the excuse that this method "cheapens" the church in the mind of the public. It seems that some professed Christians would rather die and go to hell than to do their part in carrying out our Lord's direct command given in Matt. 29:19,20 and Mark 16:15,16. After all, the great commission applies to all the children of God. The writer believes in doing the Lord's work in the way He has directed by command or through example given us by the early church as it operated under the direction of our Lord's inspired apostles.