Reformed Perspective in Evangelism

[Joseph Scibbe]

My friends and I go out to an area mall on Friday nights to share the Gospel. I often find it dificult to find a balance between sharing the Gospel in a way that people will want to listen and not argue with me and also having a Reformes perspective. An example is in the doctrine of Limited Atonement. How would you stay tru to what the Bible says but when you know that most people will try and artgue it. If that made no sense then please let me know, if you can understand it please help.

 

[LawrenceU]

Just a quick question: How is Limited Atonement coming up on a public witnessing encounter?

 

[toddpedlar]

Just a quick question: How is Limited Atonement coming up on a public witnessing encounter?

good question. I can't imagine any good reason for the concept to arise in any public witnessing discussion. It should rarely if ever be introduced by the witness - and if the person being witnessed to brings questions of the ones for whom Christ died, I think the discussion should be redirected back to the state of their own soul, the only one they should have any concerns about at that moment.

 

[CharlieJ]

Hi Joseph, it's interesting. I spent about two years leading a group of students in Friday night street and mall evangelism. In that whole time, we had only one visible convert, but he was a teenage boy sunk into Satanism and witchcraft. What a blessing!

We all have struggles faithfully communicating the gospel, so I want to encourage you to keep it up. To echo my brothers, I wouldn't be teaching through TULIP or anything like that (I'm not sure that you're doing that, though.) I found that a simple, effective way to deal with that subject. At the appropriate point in the conversation, when you are ready to discuss Jesus' death, say something like this: "Jesus, who lived a perfectly sinless life, died as a substitute for everyone who would believe in him. 'For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2Cor 5:21).'" Then, after explaining the resurrection and tying up any loose ends, go back and call on him/her to trust Christ as their righteousness instead of trying to deny their sin or establish a righteousness of themselves.

In any case, if you keep the emphasis on what Jesus DID accomplish, you avoid fights and proclaim the wonderful gospel. Keep up the faithful work.

 

[Iconoclast]

My friends and I go out to an area mall on Friday nights to share the Gospel. I often find it dificult to find a balance between sharing the Gospel in a way that people will want to listen and not argue with me and also having a Reformes perspective. An example is in the doctrine of Limited Atonement. How would you stay tru to what the Bible says but when you know that most people will try and artgue it. If that made no sense then please let me know, if you can understand it please help.

You can explain the role of the High Priest in the OT. Then you can explain how Jesus Is now the only true and acceptable High Priest that the Father accepts.
Sometimes the extent of the atonement comes up with cult members , or nominal christians thinking Jesus has died for everyone, and everyone is now forgiven.
Always have the doctrinal and scriptural root of truth in your presentation, but remember that those you ar speaking to might not follow some of theological language that is used here on the PB.
Todd was right to suggest that the conversation should be re-directed to the personal sin question that must be faced.

 

[jambo]

To the person you would be talking too, limited atonement would probably be the last thing on their mind and secondly has nothing to do with any discussion. He may be elect or he may not be, you do not know. We are commanded to preach the gospel to ALL.

The focus is upon who Christ is and what he has done whilst the responsibility lies with the person to repent. If the Holy Spirit enables him to repent then amen! The Holy Spirit may choose to water the seed you have sown and cause him to repent in a week, a month, a year, or ten years time. Again you really have no idea.

There are unnumerable responses people make but they basically boil down to one response, namely: I am not/could not become a Christian because...

Then you have opportunity to answer his objections or correct his misconceptions.

You should not expect anything less than people not wanting to listen or wanting to argue with you. Those are the weeds growing in the fields we are sowing the seed in.

As I think of the parable of the sower; most Christians are caught up with the shallow soil, the rocky ground or the weeds and thorns. Our evangelism is done with the conviction that although a lot of seed falls on those types of soil, yet our seed also falls on good soil that yields 30, 60 or 100 times what was sown.

I would also go forward with the conviction of Is 55

"Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David. (v1-3)

We have a gracious and undeserved invitation to something substantial and satisfying. The world by contrast does not satisfy for long.

"Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (v6-7)

The command to repent of your ways and an abundant pardon

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (v10-11)

Sometimes one can go home discouraged but God's word does not return empty. It achieves exactly what God has ordained. To some it may bring life, for others they will remember your words at the judgment and be judged by them.

 

[ReformedWretch]

Just a quick question: How is Limited Atonement coming up on a public witnessing encounter?

 

[Jimmy the Greek]

"God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Jesus loves you and has paid for your sins. He is now waiting for you to invite him into your heart so that you may have eternal life and experience victory in this life as well as the next. Just pray this prayer. . . repeat after me. Halleluiah! Welcome to God's family. Go in peace brother."

"OK, that's one. Now let's go talk to that guy over there."

 

[turmeric]

"God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Jesus loves you and has paid for your sins. He is now waiting for you to invite him into your heart so that you may have eternal life and experience victory in this life as well as the next. Just pray this prayer. . . repeat after me. Halleluiah! Welcome to God's family. Go in peace brother."

"OK, that's one. Now let's go talk to that guy over there."

STOP! You're giving me flashbacks! Now I'll be in therapy for years!

 

[Nebrexan]

"Share Jesus Without Fear" (PDF) is a simple evangelism method I discovered a few years ago. It uses the "how do you read it?" approach as you take the person through several scriptures (basically, the Roman Road). It was developed by Bill Fay who used to be a Mafia boss. I'd be interested in hearing opinions of the method.

 

[steven-nemes]

The apostles were Reformed (I use the term loosely here) and I don't think they went into theological discussions when preaching the word (except for Paul whose habit it was to reason with the Jewish religious leaders in the temple). I don't see why limited atonement or unconditional election (for example) need to be brought up at all in evangelism; why not just, "Repent of your sins"? Surely in teaching doctrine and theology, yes, but not in evangelizing.

 

[Michael Doyle]

Hi Joseph, it's interesting. I spent about two years leading a group of students in Friday night street and mall evangelism. In that whole time, we had only one visible convert, but he was a teenage boy sunk into Satanism and witchcraft. What a blessing!

We all have struggles faithfully communicating the gospel, so I want to encourage you to keep it up. To echo my brothers, I wouldn't be teaching through TULIP or anything like that (I'm not sure that you're doing that, though.) I found that a simple, effective way to deal with that subject. At the appropriate point in the conversation, when you are ready to discuss Jesus' death, say something like this: "Jesus, who lived a perfectly sinless life, died as a substitute for everyone who would believe in him. 'For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2Cor 5:21).'" Then, after explaining the resurrection and tying up any loose ends, go back and call on him/her to trust Christ as their righteousness instead of trying to deny their sin or establish a righteousness of themselves.

In any case, if you keep the emphasis on what Jesus DID accomplish, you avoid fights and proclaim the wonderful gospel. Keep up the faithful work.

-----Added 1/22/2009 at 06:38:25 EST-----

"God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Jesus loves you and has paid for your sins. He is now waiting for you to invite him into your heart so that you may have eternal life and experience victory in this life as well as the next. Just pray this prayer. . . repeat after me. Halleluiah! Welcome to God's family. Go in peace brother."

"OK, that's one. Now let's go talk to that guy over there."

Yikes!!!! I know your kidding...right?

 

[cih1355]

My friends and I go out to an area mall on Friday nights to share the Gospel. I often find it dificult to find a balance between sharing the Gospel in a way that people will want to listen and not argue with me and also having a Reformes perspective. An example is in the doctrine of Limited Atonement. How would you stay tru to what the Bible says but when you know that most people will try and artgue it. If that made no sense then please let me know, if you can understand it please help.

You don't have to discuss the doctrine of the limited atonement. You could say that Jesus died on the cross for all kinds of people or Jesus died on the cross for other people.

When I share the gospel with non-Christians, no one ever asks me about whether or not Jesus died for every single person on this earth. They never ask me about predestination or unconditional election. They never ask me about Calvinism. When you share the gospel with people, you are more likely to hear the question, "Why should I believe in your religion instead of some other religion?", than the question, "Did Jesus die for every single person on earth?".

 

[Iconoclast]

Any one of the 5 points , or all 5 can easily come up in an evangelistic encounter. As they are revealed truths there is no need to back off, shrink back from, disguise, or look to avoid them. Jesus did not avoid them.
As a matter of fact, he primarily spoke of them. Lie here in Jn 10

24Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.

25Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.

26But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

29My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

30I and my Father are one.

31Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

and obviously this in Jn 6

30They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

31Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

32Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

33For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

34Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

35And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

36But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.

37All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

38For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

39And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

40And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

41The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

42And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?

43Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

44No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

45It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

46Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

47Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

48I am that bread of life.

49Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

50This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

51I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

52The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

53Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

54Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

55For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

56He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

57As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

58This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

59These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.

60Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

61When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?

62What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?

63It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

64But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

65And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

66From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

67Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

68Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.