Eight Questions: Spiritualized or Neutralized Evangelism?

How should a Christian evangelize? What should one say? Where does a believer begin in his discussion, and what end should he seek? Are there tools a believer should employ during evangelism or 'tools' that ought to be excluded? And are there right and wrong ways to "do" evangelism?

There are different answers offered to the above questions. Arguments for or against various witnessing methodology answer the above questions according to each respective group's values and authority. The different methodology are adopted by its adherents according to the group's value judgment (a hierarchy of the importance of effects or action that is the basis for one's consideration of what is important in contrast to that which is not important, etc) and also authority (who/what are we attempting to honor and submit to in our methodology?).

A system's authority and value standards are inter-related. A system's authority would dictate the system's values standards. Similarly, value standards within a system rest upon the system's authority.

A Christian final authority ought to be God. To reflect this, the value standard in judging witnessing methodology ought to be derived from the Bible. There is no neutrality or middle ground to Biblical authority and value standard. Anything short of God as one's ultimate authority would be replacing God with something else in His place. This would be idolatry. To reject Biblical value standards would be replacing it with another standard. This would be rejecting God's authoritative Word of God and thereby failing to obey the Lord's precepts.

Typically, God's authority is undermined in unbiblical evangelism methodology when pleasing the nonbeliever becomes greater than or equal to pleasing God. This may be consciously or subconsciously assumed yet it reveals itself in many ways including unbiblical value standards that guide what one does during witnessing.

Are you adopting neutralized foundation in how you witness for Christ? Two common pitfalls occur when Christians adopt the nonbeliever's immediate emotional response and cultural norms as the measuring standard.

The following are questions to consider and are by no means comprehensive:

1. Are there Biblical truths you are holding back because you do not want to offend the nonbelievers?
   -The gospel will be offensive towards unregenerate minds.
2. Are you obeying nonbelievers when they try to authoritatively command you not to share elements of the gospel?
   -Recall that when they attempt to do this to Peter, "Peter and the other apostles replied: 'We must obey God rather than men!'" (Acts 5:29)
   Are cultural norms dictating what you can and can not say instead of the Word of God?
3. -Remember that culture could be unbiblical and sinful because it originates from sinners and can hardly be a reliable source of rules.
4. Are you 'witnessing' only by your behavior and without words at all?
   -Remember the Word of God, "And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" (Romans 10: 13b)
5. Are there enough content in your message for the nonbeliever to reject?
   -If there are not even enough content of your message for a nonbeliever to reject, it might also not be enough content for the listener to believe in for salvation.
6. Is your gospel presentation attempting to avoid provoking sorrow in your unbelieving audience?
   -Take heed with what the Word of God has to say: "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." (2Corinthians 7:10)
7. For everything that you tell your listeners, can you provide Biblical verses for what you have to say?
   -The concern is whether what you have to say is God's message or your own message.
8. Did the message make clear that the listeners are sinners and the consequences of sin?
   - "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord". (Romans 6:23)
   

By Jimmy Li