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Elmer Towns, Dean Liberty Baptist Seminary Release Immediately Lynchburg, VA 24516 804-237-5961 ANALYZING EVANGELISM: (Pl) (P2)

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Elmer Towns, Dean Liberty Baptist Seminary Release Immediately Lynchburg, VA 24516 804-237-5961 ANALYZING EVANGELISM: (Pl) (P2) Elmer Towns, Dean Liberty Baptist Seminary Release Immediately Lynchburg, VA 24516 804-237-5961 ANALYZING EVANGELISM: (Pl) (P2) or (P3) by Elmer L. Towns For God so loved the unsaved, that He sent Christians to evangelize them. To most observers, evangelism is simple and straight forward; yet great controversy swirls around soul winning. Some Christians go house to house attempting to win souls to Christ, yet other Christians criticize them. Some Christian magazines will not print the term soul winning because it is a fundamentalist term. They say the term soul winning suggests manipulation or "arm twisting" . These magazines prefer the softer term witnessing . Some Christians emphasize the number of decisions or the number of baptisms that are recorded each year. Others disagree with emphasis on outward measurement , they claim the Holy Spirit works in hearts and that -more - -2- cannot be measured. They claim the Christian's duty is to proclaim the gospel whether or not there are results. Some preachers are intense in their speaking a~ainst sin to produce guilt or conviction so sinners will come forward and get saved. Other preachers disagree with emotional or revivalistic methods. They preach by using the overhead projector to help people understand the gospel. Some even use conversational preaching. The controversy over results in evangelism continues. Those who are criticized for large results defend themselves by saying their attackers are jealous. The other side attacks results in soul winning as America's worship of success, and that the idea of measuring "souls" is "cultural" not scriptural. The answer to the problem lies with an understanding of the types of evangelism and the biblical words that define soul winning. EVANGELISM TYPOLOGY There are three approaches to evangelism that Dr. Peter Wagner of the Institute of Church Growth has called Presence Evangelism (P-1), Proclamation Evangelism (P-2), and Persuasion Evangelism (P-3). Presence Evangeli~m (P-1) stems from the biblical word witness or testimony. The Christian does evangelism by living the gospel before the lost. This involves being a positive testimony so the unsaved will want to become a Christian . On the mission field , (P-1) may be medical evangelism or agricultural evangelism . In some Moslem countries where missionaries are not allowed to enter, Christian business­ men evangelize by their presence. At home (P-1) evangelism is iden­ tified by charity or social service. It is "giving a cup of cold water" in the name of Christ. -more- -3- Some say the Christian can do (P-1) evangelism actively or anonymously. When the Christian is influencing society, or standing for justice, he is doing (P-1) evangelism, whether or not the unsaved realize he is a Christian. Those who advocate revolutionary theology, claim the Chrisian is doing (P-1) evangelism when he is helping tq ,CTV~rt~tow the unjust social system. They consider revolution good news, hence presence evangelism. Others feel (P-1) is God's plan of evangelism to get rid of sexism, racism, ageism, and other so-called social diseases. They are usually against military build-up and nuclear proliferation, saying the Christian should be a person of peace, not aggression. Proclamation Evangelism (P-2) is the Christian making the good news of Jesus Christ known so that the lost will understand it. J. I. Packer's book, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God advocates (P-2) evangelism. Packer, an Anglican minister, changed the church of England's state~ent of evangelism to read, "To evangelize is to so present Christ Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit that men may come to put their trust in God through Him, to accept Him as their Saviour, and serve Him as their King in the fellowship of His church. 11 Notice the phrase may come leaves the obligation with the sinner. The previous phrase shall come meant the minister had an obligation to get people to respond. At the Lucerne, Switzerland conference on Evangelism, Stott said, 1'not to preach so something will happen, but tb preach whether anything happens or not ." This is simply proclaiming the gospel (P-2), with no obligation to get results . Persuasion Evangelism (P-3) is not only proclaiming the gospel , but it involves persuading or motivating the unsaved to respond . If the process of proclaiming the gospel is effective , then the minister should compel the lost to Christ. Persuasion Evangelism (P-3) is intentional -more- -4- preaching so that there are results such as soul winning, decisions, or believers added to the church. The command to "Go therefore and make disciples ... " (Matt. 28: 19, NKJV) implies that the minister has an obligation to get results in evangelism. Disciples are countable, also their number can be expanded. Hence disciples are the result of evangelism. But not everyone agrees with this definition of "making disciples" (Matt. 28:19). There seems to be three contemporary definitions. First, some used the phrase "to disciple" to mean following-up a young convert so that he is memorizing and studying the Word of God with a view of growing in Christ. Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators, taught that dis­ cipling was "producing reproducers" so that a person could disciple another after he was discipled. Second, many use the term disciple to mean getting a convert in the church and in Bible class. These point to the two parti­ ciples (baptizing and teaching), that are included with "making disciples" implying they are chu rch related. The third use of the term "make disciples" is to bring a person to Christ. This definition includes more than getting a person to make a decision for Christ, but going on to follow Christ as His disciples . This third definition seems to be the biblical one that fits (P-3) persuasion evangelism. The biblical basis of persuasion is found in the word rrc <.Pw, 11 to persuade", which means 11 to bring another to a point of view. 11 Paul states 11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men 11 (II Cor. 5:11). When Paul preached in Cori nth , 11 He reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded ... 11 (Acts 18:4) . SOLUTION The evangelist must begin with (P-1) presence evangelism , by 11 winning a hea ring . 11 He must have a good testimony and be interested in the needs of -more- -5- the lost. The godly life of the soul winner will motivate the lost to give an honest hearing to the gospel. Next, the fundamentalist soul winner must proclaim the gospel (P-2) to the unsaved. Before a person can be saved, he must hear the gospel (Rom. 10:14) and understand the message. The soul winner must not add I water baptism to the gospel, nor must he require short hair. Finally, the fundamentalist soul winner must persuade (P-3) people to receive Christ. At times Paul pleaded with tears (Rom. 9:2; 10:l) at other times he persuaded with the rational arguments of a trial lawyer (Acts 13:43). Those who only advocate a (P-1) evangelism are usually so blind to (P-2) or (P-3) that they water down the gospel. They are faithful in Christian living but do they ever win anyone to Christ? Those who only maintain (P-2) evangelism do not feel an obligation to get results. They maintain the process is imperative, it is not whether you win or lose , it's how you play the game. The (P-3) evangelist maintains the product is imperative, if winning is not important, why do they keep score? If the (P-2) evangelist were in business instead of preaching , he would give his attention to good organization and procedure. If the (P-3) evangelist were in business , he would be a "bottom-line" man, concerned about profits . Another answer to the controversy is to examine the words used in t he New Testament for evan gel i sm . Note the progress ive na ture of t hese eight words that define evangel i sm , beg i nning at (P-1) and ending at (P -3). First , the evangelist is to witness µ a..f.,-vp c.w , (Acts 1 :8) which is sharing what he saw and heard . Second , he is to speak ~ o.. ~cw (A cts 4:1) which communi cates a message . Third, he is to evan gelize , cua. yy£At'Jw (Act s 8:4) , which mea ns "to gos peli ze ". Fourth, he -more- -6- is to teach, J,tQ~kw (Matt. 28:20), which was a systematic explanation so people could understand the gospel. Fifth, he is to reason, ~la~£yopal, which involves answering objections to the message. Sixth, he is to announce kd,ayy~~~w (Acts 17:3), which was to call the gospel to people's attention. Seventh, he is to proclaim, l<~poo-o-w (Acts 8:5) which was publically to announce the gospel so that people can respond to it. Eighth, he is to make disciples, .;'-(O../)f/T£Vo-a.r£ ("'latt. 28:19), which is to bring people to a conversion experience and get them to follow Christ in the church. These eight words show that evangelism starts with (P-1), presence evangelism, but does not stop there. The evangelist must proclaim (P-2), but his obligation is not finished until he persuades men to respond (P-3). Some fundamentalistshave planted and built their churches on (P-3), persuasion evangelism. They have sent soul winners door-to-door to win people to Jesus Christ and their deacons have preached on street corners. They have given an invitation at the end of every sermon.
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