#1 PRINCIPLES OF EVANGELISM – MEN’S BIBLE STUDY Introduction: Where we are today Definitions of Evangelism – Good and Bad Biblical Context for Defining Evangelism

WHERE WE ARE AT TODAY Motivation or Method? “When men have the will to speak of their Lord, they find no shortage of ways in which to do it. Indeed, it is the motivation of these men and women which impress us more than their methods.” Life and Lips! “Christianity is enshrined in the life, but it is proclaimed by the lips. If there is a failure in either respect the gospel cannot be communicated. ” Evangelism without a church building? “ . . . For more than 150 years they possessed no church buildings.”

EVANGELISM: DEFINITIONS AND METHODS WHAT EVANGELISM IS NOT . . . It is not getting people to make a decision It is not leading someone in a prayer It is not living the Christian life in front of the unsaved It is not a method, any method used to win people to Christ Evangelism is not the teaching of general truths about God’s existence

WHAT EVANGELISM IS NOT . . . Evangelism is not teaching about the moral law of God Evangelism is not setting forth the historical Jesus Evangelism is not offering Jesus as a helper or a friend Evangelism is not presenting Jesus for a detached critical and comparative study Evangelism is not showing someone a good time and ending it with a pointed challenge Evangelism is not inviting someone to a small group Bible study where they can be confronted openly with the Scriptures

WHAT EVANGELISM IS NOT . . . Evangelism is not bringing people to hear special speakers at church, special meetings or encouraging them to listen to one on TV Evangelism is not pegging every person that crosses your path and “giving them the gospel” Evangelism is not even passing out gospel tracts, leaving them at restaurant tables as tips, in bathroom stalls, or with gas station attendants

WHAT EVANGELISM IS . . . Classic Definition In 1918 Church of England’s Report of the Archbishops’ Third Committee of Inquiry entitled, The evangelistic work of the Church formulated what has been the classic definition of the term “evangelize.” “To evangelize is so to present Christ Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, that men shall come to put their trust in God through Him, to accept Him as their Savior, and serve Him as their King in the fellowship of His Church.” J.I. Packer puts it very simply as, “According to the New Testament, evangelism is just preaching the gospel, the evangel. IT IS A WORK OF COMMUNICATION in which Christians make themselves mouthpieces for God’s message of mercy to sinners”  

WHAT EVANGELISM IS . . . 1. IT CANNOT BE DEFINED BY METHODS Evangelism, then, is “to share or announce the good news” and as such it is not to be defined in terms of particular methods. Methods may vary widely, provided only that their style matches the message to be proclaimed – the message remains the same!!! “For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.” (2 Cor. 2:17) “But we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. ...For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond servants for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Cor. 4:2, 5)

WHAT EVANGELISM IS . . . 2. IT SHOULD NOT BE DEFINED IN TERMS OF RESULTS The NT shows that wherever the good news is proclaimed some will respond with repentance and faith, while others will be indifferent, and still others will reject it. (Acts 17:32-34) John Stott has said that evangelism should be defined solely in terms of it message , not its target (i.e., the recipients of the message), or its results (i.e., whether or not people are converted), or the methods used (i.e., how it is done). Some popular definitions: “Evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where to get food.” D.T. Niles “Evangelism is bringing Christ to people and people to Christ.” Popular, succinct definitions can be deceiving. They presuppose more than one might initially think. Most definitions of evangelism either explicitly or implicitly include something about the purpose and intended results, and often also refer to the methodology.

WHAT EVANGELISM IS . . . 3. IT SHOULD BE DEFINED BY THE BIBLE “The words euangelion and its related word family (euangelizesthai) are used a total of 132 times in the Greek New Testament. By comparison with other key words in its 27 books, this is a significant amount.” A definition of evangelism must be derived from the original setting in which the word was used. The Greek verb euangelizo means “to announce good news”, and is found 56 times in the NT. Mostly in Luke and Paul. It is used to explain the mission and message of Jesus. The essential meaning derived from Scripture is “to offer or communicate good news, with whatever result.”

WHAT EVANGELISM IS . . . The Translator’s New Testament puts it, “The fundamental idea is the telling of news to people who have not heard it before (evangelization). So then a simple definition of evangelism might be: EVANGELISM IS THE ACT OF PRESENTING THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD’S SAVING GRACE THROUGH JESUS, IN THE CLEAREST POSSIBLE WAY, TO THE UNSAVED.

WHAT EVANGELISM IS . . . Summary: It all comes down to the fact that true, biblical evangelism is an act of communication. The communication is to be the message of the Gospel, delivered by a believer to another person or group of people. Therefore, we need to understand how we might become the best possible communicators of the Gospel message. In order to do that in the next three sessions we will look at…

WHAT’S COMING UP Evangelistic Methodologies The Present Day Audience and Special Challenges A Significant Break-through in Gospel Communication