Ongoing Personal Evangelism

Factors That Influence Evangelism

John P. Davis

• Editore: Resource Publications
• Anno: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781666710762
• Argomento: Teologia e religione
• Categoria: Ministro del culto cristiano

Ongoing Personal Evangelism provides a biblical survey of personal evangelism and discusses the factors evident in the lives of those who practice personal evangelism throughout their life. Hopefully the book will encourage more spiritual growth and involvement in personal evangelism, as well as providing material for training others in personal evangelism.

1

Biblical-Theological Foundations for OPE

Donald A. McGavran concludes from the New Testament that any believer who is spiritually healthy is involved in evangelism.

No one can be fully biblically sound and spiritually renewed without being tremendously concerned about the multitudes of unreached men and women and, indeed, of unreached segments of society.1

If McGavran’s statement is true, then a biblical-theological survey of evangelism should set forth clearly the responsibility of personal evangelism.

The biblical responsibility for all believers to be involved in personal evangelism and the accompanying factors can be supported in a number of ways:

1.The portrait of God in the Old Testament, which presents him as One who seeks the lost

2.The example of Christ, whom all believers are called to follow (Matt 4:19)

3.The example of the disciples, who are the foundation of the church

4.Christ’s commissioning of the church

5.The example of the early church, which went everywhere preaching the word of God (Acts 8; 1 Thess 1)

6.The frequent admonitions of New Testament epistles

7.The example of Paul

8.The nature of the gospel message as a verbal communication

The following survey discusses the relationship of each of the above to OPE.

The Old Testament Portrait of God

Concerning the presence of personal evangelism in the Bible, John Stott remarks: “Ever since Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well of Sychar and Philip sat beside the Ethiopian in his chariot, personal evangelism has had impeccable biblical precedent.”2 Actually, personal evangelism has even deeper roots that go back to the Old Testament.

The first act of personal evangelism is found in Gen 3, when God seeks to bring Adam out of hiding. God asks, “Where are you?” The Hebrew word is translated by three English words. It is an interrogative pronoun with a second person masculine singular suffix. God designs a personal question that causes Adam to personally evaluate what is presently happening in his life in relationship to God. God himself models the first activity of personal evangelism. He speaks words that expose Adam to his guilt.

From this point on, the Old Testament furnishes numerous examples of God’s seeking the lost and calling individuals to himself. It is clear that God’s concern is to redeem some for his own glory. Willem VanGemeren summarizes this Old Testament concern with redemption:

The history of redemption unfolds a progression in the outworking of God’s plan of redemption that will unfold completely in the restoration of all things. All blessings, promises, covenants, and kingdom expressions are reflections or shadows of the great salvation in Jesus Christ that is to come at the end of the age.3

The call of Abraham in Gen 12 issues forth a whole new focus in God’s plan of redemption. This text focuses on the personal call of an individual, one who is then called to mediate God’s blessing to others. The following exegesis may serve to understand the significance of this text for personal evangelism.

Gen 12:1–3 introduces God’s purposes with Abraham as a promise. The first four prefix conjugation forms in verses 2 and 3 are all cohortatives,4 denoting God’s resolve:5 “I will make you into a great nation”; “I will bless you”; “I will make your name great”; “I will bless those who bless you.” The one non-perfective, “I shall curse the one who treats you lightly,” signifies a contingent future.6

The vav preceding the cohortative signifies either purpose or result after the imperative go.7 Yarchin adequately defends the command/promise structure of Gen 12:1–3.8

The combined sense is that God says to Abraham, “Go . . . to the land I will show you that I may make you into a great nation, that I may bless you, that I may make your name great.’” The imperative with vav conjunctive signifies that these divine resolves have the further purpose that Abraham be a blessing. The first person cohortative and non-perfective of 12:3, “I will bless, I will curse,” give the purpose/result of Abraham’s becoming a blessing to others.

God filled Abraham with life that he in turn might mediate life to others, i.e., be a redemptive blessing to them. As Abraham became a blessing, verse 2 (“be a blessing”) describes how God fulfilled his purpose of bringing blessing to others. Here we have God initiating blessing for Abraham so that he can mediate blessing to others. Abraham’s mediation of blessing to others was predicated on his authentic experience of God’s blessing.

A conclusion drawn from these words to Abraham is that God intended for Abraham and his descendants to mediate the blessings of redemption to the world. This is an Old Testament parallel for speaking about personal evangelism, for ultimately the blessing of Abraham is tied to the gospel of Christ (Gal 3). This somewhat parallels the Great Commission, where the church is told to “go and make disciples of all nations.” It then follows in the Old Testament that those who are called into relationship with God engage in the activity of calling sinners to reconciliation with God.

Ps 67 reflects on a national level the personal responsibility given to Abraham to be a blessing. As a result of God’s blessing on his people, he intends that his people mediate that blessing to the world. Listen to the psalm:

God be merciful to us and bless us,

And cause His...