There is only one reason to be a Christian: because it’s true. —Francis Schaeffer
Toward the end of the “Does God Exist?” teaching from April 20 (which was re-recorded and includes extra material we didn’t cover in church—call it the “director’s cut”), I offered the following “either/or” version of the Gospel:
- Either God exists, or he doesn’t. The Gospel says he exists, so…
- Either we’re accountable to him for our lives, or we’re not. The Gospel says we’re accountable to God for our lives, so…
- Either we’re in trouble with God, or we’re not. The Gospel says we’re in trouble, so…
- Either God offers forgiveness, or he doesn’t. The Gospel says he offers forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ, so…
- Either Christ is the only way to forgiveness, or he isn’t. The Gospel says he is the only way.
Like I said in an earlier post, you lead with the Gospel, not apologetic arguments. Putting things in simple either/or, true/false points can help find common ground and keep evangelism from becoming a mutually unpleasant exercise in preaching at people.
Maybe you don’t lead with these points in such a frighteningly analytical fashion as I’ve done here. My point is, if you’re a follower of Christ, you want to give people a chance to hear the Gospel and then engage them according to their response—and do it in a way that is intelligent, thoughtful, and respectful. Tell them what you believe and listen carefully to their response. Find out if they agree or disagree. If they disagree, find out what they disagree about.
And be ready to defend your position. Because there’s one more either/or question to consider:
Either the Gospel is true, or it’s false.
There’s no question more important than that.
Hugh,
I’m glad that you mentioned being respectful towards the person you are witnessing to. I am heading home to Philly this weekend to see family,(Tons of them) and it is a great reminder for me to remember to listen. Over the years I have shared the Gospel with them in different ways. As of late I have found it more productive to listen. I am shocked to find the different views of Christianity there are among people that don’t attend church. For instance, my last visit home one of my brothers said, “I have a hard time taking Christians seriously because they rule out life on other planets.” I stood there dumbfounded; shocked that a mere thought has been a stumbling block for him. I also thought, “How long have I looked like a joke to you, and possibly other family members, my dear brother?” I said to him. “God is big enough to produce life on other planets if He wants to. As a Christian, I am not saying there is not life on other planets, but if there is, it is the God of the Bible that put it there.”
There is a verse in Proverbs that says “A fool speaks before listening”. I am finding this to be true in sharing my faith. This past “God Questions” series coupled with the teaching of Greg Koukl (What do you mean by that?) has been very eye opening to me on sharing my faith. I used to push my faith in people’s faces, and try to discredit their thinking to win them. I never put much thought into people’s preconceived views of me as a Christian. Now I see that they have as strong of a faith in what they believe as I do, and unless I take them seriously in their realm of thinking, they will write me off just the same. It doesn’t mean that I am to agree with them, but just consider why they believe what they believe. It also does not mean I can win them with my words, I know God is the mover, but in my humility, the Holy Spirit shines. Yes, lead with the Gospel, and be prepared to listen. Thanks for the reminder.
Vicki – that reminds me of a couple of things Francis Schaeffer said:
He also said that our generation is going to have to do more “pre-evangelism” because people are learning less and less about the Bible from the culture. It used to be the case that people knew the basic storyline of the Bible, but as Kevin Hosner observed during God Question #3, there are people in our own community who don’t even know that Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead!
So I think Schaeffer was right: there is a real need for “pre-evangelism”… it’s all about setting the table so you can have fruitful conversations with people.
Great Quote! Thanks Hugh!