Take Jesus Pleeeeeaseeeeee, ErrrrNah!!!!

 

Today when many hear Jesus, they only hear either the cure that is Jesus or the disease or the consequence that is sin and hell.

When you see evangelisers on the street either you just hear we are all going to hell, or that Jesus will enhance your life, both have truth in it, yes, if you do not believe in Jesus you are going to hell and Jesus will make your life better. But that is not how a Christian should preach to an unbeliever and that is not why an unbeliever should accept Christ.

I will demonstrate a few examples of wrong and right ways to evangelise.

The video from Rob bell, gives the exact illustrations.

 There are four doctors:

Doctor 1: Doctor scare, he goes round the hospital shouting, “die die”, that is just scary, he is also unreasonable because he does not tell you why you are going to die.

Doctor 2: Doctor Woo, goes round telling people to come to the hospital because they have great food and have a good social weekly meetings

Doctor 3: Doctor Love, tells patients to come and see him, and tells them that he loves them and likes to listen to their problems and stories. Nevertheless, he never examines them and never tells them that they have a terminal disease because he does not think that is very loving. So everybody leaves thinking they have been loved but have no clue that they are sick and dying.

‘Love should not make someone feel good for superficial reasons’ (Rob bell). Proverbs 27:5; ‘better is open rebuke than secret love’.

Doctor 4: Doctor Reason, this doctor takes the time to examine the patient and breaks the hard news gently and in love, when the patient is trembling in fear with this news, the doctor offers the cure for the terminal disease and the patient then desires the cure and is appreciates the cure.

Which out of the four doctors is a good one? The obvious answer I hope all of you got was doctor 4. In the same way that as a Christian when we tell unbelievers about Jesus we have to tell them that the terminal disease (sin) will lead to death (Romans 6:23), however the cure (Jesus’ blood) will prevent us from the consequences of sin and reconcile us back to our Father in heaven (1 Corinthians 5:19). We need to give them a balanced view, not a sketchy one. Love speaks truth, right. (1 Corinthians 13:6).

Let me demonstrate another ample example of a good and bad way of evangelising.

There are two passengers on a flight, passenger A is told that if he puts on this parachute that it will save them from a 30,000 feet fall. Passenger B is told that if he puts on this parachute his flight will be enhanced.

So Passenger A is more appreciative of the parachute right. When both passengers are being mocked at because the parachute is big and they cannot sit down properly. Passenger B will be annoyed because the parachute was meant to enhance the flight not to induce mockery and shame. However, Passenger A holds on to the parachute more because he knows that the parachute will save him from impending death. Therefore, when very hot coffee is spilt on Passenger B, he gets even angrier and flings the parachute on the floor. Why? Because he did not get what he expected, he was told that the parachute will enhance the flight but all he got was mockery and shame. While passenger A is grateful for the parachute as he knows this hot coffee is nothing compared the 30,000 feet fall that he is saved from because of the parachute.

This is what some Christians do; they tell unbelievers that if they accept Jesus, your life will be greater; you will have peace, happiness and so on. However, when they receive scorn, trails and persecution, they leave the faith because they were not promised this when they accepted Jesus. They wanted the blessings rather than the one that gives the blessing. Of course, I am not stating that Christ does not produce all those qualities but they are a fruit of salvation, not the only reason why we should accept God’s salvation. God says if you are a Christian persecution will follow (John15:20), also as Christians we will have to bear the cross; emotional blackmail from family and friends, we will have to bear the reproach, persecution and affliction. However, we are able to do that because we love God. Jesus Loves us not because we are worthy of his love, but because his love makes us worthy!

Galatians 3:24; the Law is our Schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. The Law is a mirror, to reveal to us our sinfulness and the need for a saviour. Only when a person realises their need for a saviour will they ever accept Christ.

So when we evangelise to unbelievers we should tell them that because of your sin you are separated from God (Isaiah 59:2), so we were all on our way straight to hell, then Christ stepped in bore all our sins and gave us the free gift of eternal salvation (Romans 6:23). Moreover, without Christ, you will go straight to hell. Therefore, the reverential fear of the Lord will bring an unbeliever humbly to the foot of the cross, ask God for forgiveness, and repent form their old ways.

Only a person that acknowledges their sinfulness, and only then will a person want to receive Christ, you cannot bribe them by promising them that they will have a great life on earth. Look at the Christians under so much persecutions in the east, even dying for their faith, if they were told that believing Christ would make all their problems go away, do you think many of them will profess their faith as they do. Of course, not, they went to Christ because they knew that without Jesus, they would be heading to hell and they could not save themselves as God’s impending wrath is coming. Jesus came first to save, and is coming again to enforce his judgment on the world (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9). We all have a chance to accept him now.

If you do not tell a person why they need a cure, they will not want it will be insulted and will not even appreciate it. E.g. if you someone told you to drink a medicine without telling you that you are sick, most of us will look at the person and be like o, ok then and pour it away. Like so many others, “take Jesus”, “why should I”, “just take him”, “erm ok if you say so” (secretly thinking allow this Jesus person, I do not want him).

Let me ask you a few questions, before you read on try and name at least five of the Ten Commandments. How many did you get?

The Ten Commandments found In the book of Exodus chapter 20.

Have you broken any? Of course you have, we all have (Romans 3:23). Well if we break one you break them all (James 2:10).

Ok let’s just say, if I ask you “have you lied”, you say “of course everyone lies”, and I ask then “what do you call someone that tells lies”, “a liar”. “Ok have you stolen anything in your life”, “erm no”, “o remember you just said you lied”, “ok, yes I have stolen a few things”. “So what does that make you” “erm a stealer”, “haha a stealer, no a thief”, “oh yeah that’s what I meant”. “Ok the 7th commandment, have you ever committed adultery? Have you ever looked at a woman or man with lust, you know when they walk past you, you’re like ummmmm, yhhh man. If so God says that if you look at a woman in lust you have committed adultery in your heart”. (Matthew 5:28).  “So by your own admission you are lying, thief and adulterer at heart, if God was going to judge on those laws you broke, will you be innocent or guilty,” “guilty”, “ok if you are guilty will you go heaven or hell”, “heaven”. “Why”? “Because I am a good person, I have not killed anyone.” “The Bible also says that is you are even angry with a brother for no reason you are guilty of murder (Matthew 5:21-22). Ok let me say this if you are convicted of murder and the judge says, what do you have to say for yourself and you say that I should be let go because you are a good judge. Because he is a good judge, he is obliged to establish justice and punish those that break the law. So in the same way if God was to judge you, based on those three laws you broke will you be going hell or heaven”. “I guess hell”. “Does that concern you?” “Yes it does.”

 So then the hope is that 2000 years ago, Christ paid the fine for the law you broke, the penalty of sin is death which Jesus paid for with his life (Romans 6:23). He loved you so much that he put his life down so that we may live with him in all eternity. John 3:16. Therefore, when we believe in him, he sends the Holy Spirit and we are filled with him and become children of God.

This way of evangelising is adapted from the way of the master. http://www.wayofthemaster.com/.

A very great website to equip you with great evangelising tools.

Here is a simple but sincere prayer for anyone that wants to surrender his or her Life to the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Dear Lord, I now believe that you are the Messiah and that you came to save the world, and you were crucified for our sins and you were raised on the third day. I openly receive the free gift of the Holy Spirit, I turn from my sins and truly repent. Thank you God.

Amen!!!”

If anyone did say the prayer, please email us on truspire@ymail.com so we can pray with you.

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Seeker.