For the patrol officer, there is no such thing as a “routine” traffic stop. Seasoned officers know that their next traffic stop could be their last. An officer rarely, if ever, knows who is behind the wheel of the car he or she just stopped. The person might be driving an unreported stolen car. The person might have just committed a murder and the dead body is in the trunk. The person might be heavily armed having just committed a robbery, or maybe they are transporting a large quantity of illegal drugs. Maybe the person is a fugitive from justice. They know if they are caught they are going back to prison for a long time. So, they might as well kill an officer and return to prison with a reputation. Or, maybe the person behind the wheel is suicidal, but they don’t have the courage to take their own life. So, they force an officer into a position in which he or she serves as suicide’s deadly instrument. There is no such thing as a “routine” traffic stop.
While I hope I have changed your perspective about one of the most dangerous aspects of law enforcement, the purpose of this article is to use the law enforcement traffic stop as an analogy for why the Law of God should be shared with the unsaved before speaking to them about God’s judgment. God’s judgment should likewise be shared with the unsaved before speaking of God’s grace, love, and mercy.
Place yourself in the following scenario. You are driving through town when you come to a relatively quiet intersection. You don’t see any other cars around, you are in a hurry, and so you make what is popularly known as a “California Stop.” In other words, you slowly roll through the stop sign, never bringing your car to a complete stop. You think nothing of it. You’ve done it hundreds of times before, at this intersection and others. You don’t see it as a big deal because, after all, everyone does it.
Moments later, your heart skips a beat and you gasp when you hear the blare of a siren and look in your rearview mirror to see the flashing red and blue lights of a patrol car. You are being pulled over. “Oh, no!” You think. “What did I do wrong?”
You sit motionless behind the wheel, listening to the rapid beating of your heart, waiting for the ominous, uniformed figure to approach your car. The officer leans down and forward as he or she peers into your driver’s door window. The officer hands you a pen and his ticket book, and barks the following. “Sign here! You’re guilty! The fine is $200! See you in court!”
How would you respond? Would you be angry? Confused? Insulted? Would you sign the ticket without at least asking why you were being cited? You might even consider filing a complaint against the officer because you found his behavior to be rude and unprofessional.
Such is the likely response by the unsaved person to the so-called “fire and brimstone” evangelist. Such is the likely response to the person who stands on a street corner and insults passers-by, who points their finger at people, calling them liars, thieves, fornicators, adulterers, and sinners, who tells people that God has judged them and that they are going to hell. Granted, everything the “fire and brimstone” evangelist says might very well be true. The problem, however, is the manner in which the message is communicated (I Timothy 1:8). A message about God’s judgment sounds foolish, even insulting, to the unsaved person, if the message is not preceded by a clear presentation of God’s Law and the consequences for violating it.
Let’s return to the traffic stop. This time, however, when the officer approaches your car, he or she says this. “Hello, sir (or ma’am). I pulled you over because you did not come to a complete stop at the stop sign. There was a very serious accident at that intersection yesterday. A child was struck and critically injured when a motorist failed to stop at the stop sign. Because you violated the law, I’m going to issue you a citation. Please sign here. Your court date is at the bottom of the ticket.”
Does the ticket seem more reasonable now? Keep in mind that I didn’t ask if you liked getting the ticket or if you felt better about the second officer. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how you feel about the ticket or the officer. The question is whether or not the ticket seems more reasonable now that your violation of the law has been explained to you. It should. Now that you understand why you were stopped and what you did to violate the law, accountability and punishment should not only seem reasonable—it should be expected.
As Christians (as seed sowers), it is vitally important that we expose the sin of the unsaved by holding in front of them the mirror of God’s Law. And we must do so before we confront the unsaved with the reality that they will one-day stand before the Lawgiver and Judge (James 4:12) of the universe, when they will be judged (Hebrews 9:27) in perfect righteousness, for every violation of God’s holy Law. Once an unsaved person honestly sees himself or herself for who they really are, in light of God’s Law (Romans 3:19-20), the idea, the truth of God’s wrath and judgment will make sense—whether or not the unsaved person likes it.
So what about grace? As my law enforcement brethren who read this will likely attest, more people talk themselves into tickets than talk their way out of tickets. Patrol officers have a certain amount of discretion when it comes to enforcing the law—especially when it comes to traffic violations. Such discretion is often referred to as the “spirit of the law” and the “letter of the law.”
When I worked patrol, my rule of thumb when it came to ticket writing was simple. If a person wanted to argue with me about a violation, or if they had a bad attitude, the person always received a ticket (the letter of the law). I would cut the conversation short, have the person sign the citation, give them their copy, and told them to take their chances with the judge. No one ever argued his or her way out of a ticket. Why? The reason was that there was no contrition on the part of the violator. There was no humility and no remorse. The likelihood was that the person would continue to thumb their nose at the law and continue to violate it with impunity. I saw no reason to extend grace (the spirit of the law) to such people—motorists who would not appreciate grace and would likely take advantage of it in the future.
The same principle should apply in evangelism. When we present the Law of God and the consequences for violating it to an unsaved person, and there is no contrition, humility, remorse, or an appropriate level of fear of God’s righteous wrath and judgment, then we should not talk to them about God’s amazing grace. We should not cast the pearl of Jesus Christ’s redemptive and atoning work on the cross, before people who do not and cannot appreciate it. We should not share the gospel of God’s amazing grace with people who are not humbled by the truth that they have sinned against almighty God and that judgment and hell await them (Hebrews 10:26-31). Why? There are two reasons.
First, a message of grace and forgiveness of sin is foolishness (I Corinthians 1:18) to the unsaved person who either finds such grace and forgiveness to be unnecessary, or who finds such grace and forgiveness to be something they deserve. Grace is only amazing to the unsaved sinner who, by the power and leading of the Holy Spirit, recognizes grace for what it truly is—unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor. A right understanding of God’s Law and judgment (again, by the power and leading of the Holy Spirit) is the only means by which God’s grace—as well as His mercy, love, and forgiveness—can be rightly understood.
Second, there is a terrible risk involved with presenting God’s grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness before or without first helping an unsaved person come to terms with how God truly sees them—as a sinner who has broken God’s Law and is worthy of His judgment and eternal punishment. The risk is producing false converts—people who think they are saved when they are not. Just like the person who is left to think they are above the law or worthy of an exemption from the law when they get out of a ticket, so to is the person who is offered and accepts a message of grace and forgiveness without first being humbled at the foot of the cross, recognizing they are a lawbreaker who deserves nothing more than God’s swift, terrifying, and eternal judgment. Neither the person who gets out of a ticket, nor the person who is offered a worthless “get out of hell free” card, are brought to repentance—a turning away from sin and an authentic changing of one’s mind. The motorist will continue to roll through stop signs, and the unsaved person who accepted Jesus will continue to sin without fear of consequence and with out genuine concern about offending their heavenly Father.
So the next time you are conducting a spiritual traffic stop, the next time you have the opportunity to witness to an unsaved person (which should be today), make sure you explain the reason for the stop. Help the person to understand how they have violated God’s Law. Then, make sure they understand the consequences for violating God’s Law—which, unless they repent of their sin and put their trust in Christ alone for their salvation, is eternity in hell. Finally, and only if the Law and the reality of God’s judgment has humbled the person, offer them the message of God’s amazing grace, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the only message that has the power to save their life (Romans 1:16).
Who will you stop today?
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Monday, September 04, 2006
Letting Theology Dictate Methodology
William C. Nichols has carefully and concisely collected and edited some of the great evangelistic sermons of Jonathan Edwards, in a book titled, “Seeking God: Jonathan Edwards’ Evangelism Contrasted with Modern Methodologies.” Prior to the text of each sermon, Nichols gives a brief synopsis of the sermon, along with observations that contrast the preaching of Edwards with modern-day evangelism strategies. Nichols wrote the following in his introduction to the book:
“What should dictate how we do evangelism? Should tradition or the Word of God be our guide? Should we do things the way they always have been done in our lifetime, because it seems to produce outward results? Shouldn’t our theology dictate our evangelistic methodology? Yes, it should, but does it? If you really believe in total depravity, that man is dead in trespasses and sins, then why do you do evangelism that is dependent upon the one who is dead raising himself from the dead? If you really believe in divine election, then why do you do evangelism which elevates the free will of man above the will of the sovereign God? If you really believe in sovereign grace, then why do you teach that God is under obligation to save every vile rebel who prays the sinner’s prayer or asks Jesus into their heart? Is tradition the most influential factor in the way you do evangelism, or the Word of God?”
Evangelism methods that can be found in Scripture include the proclamation of the Law and the gospel through one-to-one conversations and open-air preaching. While these may not be the only evangelism methods that can be drawn from the pages of Scripture, they are certainly the predominant methods, with the greatest scriptural support.[i]
On Friday evening, 09-01-06, I joined a group of about twenty-five other like-minded Christians to engage strangers in one-to-one evangelism conversations, and to gather crowds of unsaved people to hear the preaching of the Law and the gospel, in the public square—thus doing what we could to make sure that our methodology was supported by our theology.
We spent the evening at the Burbank (CA) Town Center. More than two hundred people, in two sessions, heard the preaching of the Law and the gospel. Many other unsaved people would find themselves talking to Christians in one-to-one conversations about how they have violated the Law of God and were worthy of His righteous judgment, and about salvation from the wrath of God to come through repentance and genuine faith in Jesus Christ. Still other conversations took place with professing Christians who never heard the combination of the Law and the gospel preached before, or who never heard it preached in the open air of the public square.
The hecklers were few that night, but they were interesting, to say the least. During the first session a lady announced that she was from New York City and believed that Burbank was heaven. She went on to insist that she was a christ because the love of God was in her. I explained to the lady that she was not the Christ. When she tried to argue the point, I explained to her that when Jesus Christ returns He will be surrounded by His glory (Luke 9:26; see also I Thessalonians 4:16-18). I looked at her and said, “I do not see any glory around you!” She eventually walked away in disgust saying that she was going to get some ice cream.
The crowd was even larger for the second session. The “christ” lady was nothing by way of distraction compared to the emotionally disturbed (and possibly demon-possessed) woman who quickly made her presence known during the second session. As soon as I chose someone (not her) to take the “Good Person Test,” she jumped in front of me and shoved a crucifix in my face. “See! I’m good! I have this!” Every muscle in her body tensed and her eyes opened wide.
For the next ten minutes she continually ran back and forth in front of me, yelling, often incoherently. When I could understand her, she was yelling things such as, “I love God. I love you.” She bounced back and forth in front of me. She would lunge toward me and then crouch low like a wild animal ready to pounce. At one point, she through her arms around my waist. (I was standing elevated slightly above her on a box.) I grabbed her arms, broke free from her grasp, and pushed her away. I pushed her hard enough to move her, but I was careful not to push her in such a way as to cause her to fall to the ground.
I could tell that the woman was distracting the crowd, many of whom were stunned by what they were seeing. I watched the eyes of the people in the crowd as they tracked the movements of the woman. I was losing them. So, I yelled louder and explained to the crowd that there was a spiritual reason why the woman was being such a distraction. There were spiritual forces at work that didn’t want them to hear what I was saying. I pleaded with the people to ignore the woman and pay attention to what I was saying. Their lives could depend on it. They listened.
When I stepped off my stool many in the crowd moved closer. What ensued were several great conversations with people who were sensing various levels of conviction and concern for their eternal well being. The entire team was actively engaged in these important conversations. The distracting woman continued to try to interrupt. At one point, I had to ask Jeff, one of our team members, to keep the woman away from me, which he quickly and gently did.
One conversation in particular was very special—a conversation I had with a young couple by the names of Colin and Brianna. Brianna left the conversation unsure if she had ever truly repented, while Colin walked away still unrepentant, but concerned and in deep thought about his eternal destiny. Both were appreciative of the conversation, and I was blessed and thanking God for the opportunity.
It looks like we will be returning to the Burbank Town Center as many Friday nights as the Lord permits. I was told by other teammates that people were asking, with anticipation, if we would return next week. As I preached to the crowds, my heart went out to them. Certainly there were those present who were simply curious and found the preaching humorous—even weird. Some were there to see what the “crazy lady” was going to do next. But there were others in the crowd who had looks of deep concern in their eyes. I could tell that they were hearing the preaching of the Law and the gospel and that the Lord and His Holy Spirit were at work.
Pray with me that those who heard the preaching of the Law and the gospel would be brought low under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Pray with me that even now, several days later, that people are wrestling with their conscience. Pray that the Lord, as part of His sovereign will, would draw many of the unsaved that were there that night to genuine repentance and faith in Jesus Christ for their salvation. And may He, and He alone, receive all honor, praise, and glory due His name.
[i] See passages such as: John 3:1-21; 4:7-38; Acts 3-5; Acts 6:8-7:60; 8:25-40; 10:34-48; 16:13-15; 16:22-34; Acts 17:10-12; 17:22-34; Acts 22; Acts 24-26.
(C) 2006
“What should dictate how we do evangelism? Should tradition or the Word of God be our guide? Should we do things the way they always have been done in our lifetime, because it seems to produce outward results? Shouldn’t our theology dictate our evangelistic methodology? Yes, it should, but does it? If you really believe in total depravity, that man is dead in trespasses and sins, then why do you do evangelism that is dependent upon the one who is dead raising himself from the dead? If you really believe in divine election, then why do you do evangelism which elevates the free will of man above the will of the sovereign God? If you really believe in sovereign grace, then why do you teach that God is under obligation to save every vile rebel who prays the sinner’s prayer or asks Jesus into their heart? Is tradition the most influential factor in the way you do evangelism, or the Word of God?”
Evangelism methods that can be found in Scripture include the proclamation of the Law and the gospel through one-to-one conversations and open-air preaching. While these may not be the only evangelism methods that can be drawn from the pages of Scripture, they are certainly the predominant methods, with the greatest scriptural support.[i]
On Friday evening, 09-01-06, I joined a group of about twenty-five other like-minded Christians to engage strangers in one-to-one evangelism conversations, and to gather crowds of unsaved people to hear the preaching of the Law and the gospel, in the public square—thus doing what we could to make sure that our methodology was supported by our theology.
We spent the evening at the Burbank (CA) Town Center. More than two hundred people, in two sessions, heard the preaching of the Law and the gospel. Many other unsaved people would find themselves talking to Christians in one-to-one conversations about how they have violated the Law of God and were worthy of His righteous judgment, and about salvation from the wrath of God to come through repentance and genuine faith in Jesus Christ. Still other conversations took place with professing Christians who never heard the combination of the Law and the gospel preached before, or who never heard it preached in the open air of the public square.
The hecklers were few that night, but they were interesting, to say the least. During the first session a lady announced that she was from New York City and believed that Burbank was heaven. She went on to insist that she was a christ because the love of God was in her. I explained to the lady that she was not the Christ. When she tried to argue the point, I explained to her that when Jesus Christ returns He will be surrounded by His glory (Luke 9:26; see also I Thessalonians 4:16-18). I looked at her and said, “I do not see any glory around you!” She eventually walked away in disgust saying that she was going to get some ice cream.
The crowd was even larger for the second session. The “christ” lady was nothing by way of distraction compared to the emotionally disturbed (and possibly demon-possessed) woman who quickly made her presence known during the second session. As soon as I chose someone (not her) to take the “Good Person Test,” she jumped in front of me and shoved a crucifix in my face. “See! I’m good! I have this!” Every muscle in her body tensed and her eyes opened wide.
For the next ten minutes she continually ran back and forth in front of me, yelling, often incoherently. When I could understand her, she was yelling things such as, “I love God. I love you.” She bounced back and forth in front of me. She would lunge toward me and then crouch low like a wild animal ready to pounce. At one point, she through her arms around my waist. (I was standing elevated slightly above her on a box.) I grabbed her arms, broke free from her grasp, and pushed her away. I pushed her hard enough to move her, but I was careful not to push her in such a way as to cause her to fall to the ground.
I could tell that the woman was distracting the crowd, many of whom were stunned by what they were seeing. I watched the eyes of the people in the crowd as they tracked the movements of the woman. I was losing them. So, I yelled louder and explained to the crowd that there was a spiritual reason why the woman was being such a distraction. There were spiritual forces at work that didn’t want them to hear what I was saying. I pleaded with the people to ignore the woman and pay attention to what I was saying. Their lives could depend on it. They listened.
When I stepped off my stool many in the crowd moved closer. What ensued were several great conversations with people who were sensing various levels of conviction and concern for their eternal well being. The entire team was actively engaged in these important conversations. The distracting woman continued to try to interrupt. At one point, I had to ask Jeff, one of our team members, to keep the woman away from me, which he quickly and gently did.
One conversation in particular was very special—a conversation I had with a young couple by the names of Colin and Brianna. Brianna left the conversation unsure if she had ever truly repented, while Colin walked away still unrepentant, but concerned and in deep thought about his eternal destiny. Both were appreciative of the conversation, and I was blessed and thanking God for the opportunity.
It looks like we will be returning to the Burbank Town Center as many Friday nights as the Lord permits. I was told by other teammates that people were asking, with anticipation, if we would return next week. As I preached to the crowds, my heart went out to them. Certainly there were those present who were simply curious and found the preaching humorous—even weird. Some were there to see what the “crazy lady” was going to do next. But there were others in the crowd who had looks of deep concern in their eyes. I could tell that they were hearing the preaching of the Law and the gospel and that the Lord and His Holy Spirit were at work.
Pray with me that those who heard the preaching of the Law and the gospel would be brought low under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Pray with me that even now, several days later, that people are wrestling with their conscience. Pray that the Lord, as part of His sovereign will, would draw many of the unsaved that were there that night to genuine repentance and faith in Jesus Christ for their salvation. And may He, and He alone, receive all honor, praise, and glory due His name.
[i] See passages such as: John 3:1-21; 4:7-38; Acts 3-5; Acts 6:8-7:60; 8:25-40; 10:34-48; 16:13-15; 16:22-34; Acts 17:10-12; 17:22-34; Acts 22; Acts 24-26.
(C) 2006
The Sting of Death
I opened the door this morning to head out for my morning walk. The pre-dawn sky was still filled with stars. As I stepped out the door, I picked up the morning paper to put it inside the house. I was stunned by one of the headlines. “Crocodile Hunter Killed by Stingray.”
Steve Irwin, known worldwide as the “Crocodile Hunter,” has entertained people for years through his Animal Planet television shows. Each week Irwin would wrestle crocs, tangle with venomous snakes, and educate his television audience about exotic animals. He was enthusiastic, passionate, and seemingly fearless.
I spent part of the day working on this article, in one of the local Starbucks. At the table next to me sat a couple and they were talking about the tragic death of Steve Irwin. As I eavesdropped on the conversation, I could hear the couple saying things similar to what was said in my own home this morning. “Wow. The kids have grown up watching Steve Irwin.” I can remember a time when my three daughters were much younger, when we saw Irwin on television for the first time. The program was about the life of an Australian dingo (a wild dog). In our home, Irwin was affectionately known as “The Dingo Man.”
Irwin leaves behind his wife and sidekick, Terri, and two children, Bindi Sue (8, and named after one of Irwin’s favorite crocodiles and his dog) and Bob (2). In 2004, Irwin received worldwide criticism for taking infant Bob into a crocodile enclosure while he fed the man-eater whole, dead chickens, during a show at Australia Zoo.
Irwin was filming a new show in the Great Barrier Reef, about the world’s deadliest sea creatures, at the time of his death. According to published reports, Irwin was swimming in shallow water when he swam overtop a stingray. He must have startled the animal, which reacted by thrashing its tail. The barb at the end of the stingray’s tail, which can reach up to a foot in length and contains gelatinous poison, is capable of penetrating a quarter-inch of plywood. The stingray’s barb pierced Irwin’s heart. Experts say that the injury was like being stabbed in the heart with a box cutter or a dirty dagger. Apparently, there have been only seventeen recorded deaths by stingrays.
As I walked around my neighborhood this morning, I prayed for the Irwin family. I also prayed for the likely millions of people familiar with Irwin who might be contemplating the manner and suddenness of his death and, in turn, might be thinking about their own mortality. I prayed that the Lord would use the tragic death of this contemporary icon to draw unsaved sinners to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Throughout the morning, the following passage of Scripture was on my heart and mind.
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” ~ I Corinthians 15:55-57
Sin is the “dirty dagger” that has pierced the heart of every person—man, woman, and child—since the fall of man, in the Garden of Eden. Just as the venom from the bite or sting of a poisonous animal travels through a persons bloodstream destroying healthy cells and tissue, sin, having penetrated every person’s heart, has infected every aspect of a person’s life—his or her thoughts, emotions, motives, and actions. And just as venom, if not arrested and counteracted, will kill the person infected, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). The inevitable end of a life infected by sin—if that life is not saved by stopping and reversing sin’s deadly course through the gift of repentance, and by the direct and miraculous intervention of God’s saving grace through the atoning and redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross—is not only physical death, but also eternal death in hell.
Steve Irwin entered the water this morning to do what he has done thousands of times: interact with the animal world around him. He knew that his chosen profession and passion was dangerous, but he likely entered the gorgeous and majestic reef not thinking that he would soon stand before a holy and righteous Judge—God, the maker of heaven and earth, and his Creator.
I do not presume to know where Irwin has now begun to spend the rest of his eternal existence—heaven or hell. I did not know the man, and I did not know his heart. “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy (James 4:12a), and I’m not Him. However, I can say with absolute certainty (because this is what the Bible teaches) that if Steve Irwin had never repented of his sin and put his faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for his salvation, then the heart-piercing strike of a scared stingray is nothing compared to the eternal sting, pain, and misery he is now experiencing in hell. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides in him” (John 3:36). And Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
If Irwin had never repented of his sin and put his faith and his trust in Jesus Christ, then he is like the rich man in the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus. “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame’” (Luke 16:23-24). As I think about Irwin’s death, knowing I cannot pray a dead man into heaven, my hope is that the rich man’s eternal punishment and existence is not Irwin’s.
The good news is that if you are reading this, your time has not yet come. Your day of judgment has not yet come. “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). The God who gave you life has granted you yet one more day (a gift you do not deserve) to turn from your sin and put your faith and your trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation.
“The power of sin is the law.” God has given you a conscience, so you know that you have broken His Law, His Commandments. Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen anything, no matter how insignificant the item may be to you? Have you ever taken God’s name in vain, using the name of the God who has given you life to curse or express disgust? “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7). Have you ever hated another person? “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in Him” (I John 3:15). Have you ever looked at another person to lust after them? Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).
Then, if the above is true of you, by your own admission you are a lying, thieving, blasphemous, murderous, adulterer at heart. Maybe you’re thinking that you may have broken one or two of God’s laws, but you’re not guilty of breaking all of them. Maybe you think that if there are people in the world who are “worse sinners” than you, God will let you off the hook. Not so fast. The Bible says, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all” (James 2:10). You have violated God’s Law and are therefore deserving of His final judgment—a sentence of eternal punishment.
“But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 15:57). Your only hope is Jesus Christ. “[God] made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:21). Jesus Christ, fully man and fully God, died on the cross to pay the full penalty for your sins.
Read the following very carefully. “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:6-10).
Not only did Jesus Christ die on the cross for your sins, He rose again. And He is alive today! “To these [Jesus] also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).
You will only avoid the wrath to come if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. There is no other way. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).
You will only avoid the wrath to come if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. There is no other way. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).
Repent. Turn away from your sins. “Therefore repent and return so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).
You cannot and will not earn or deserve heaven. “For by grace you have been saved, by faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Believe with your heart that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Submit to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior so “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
If after reading this you’ve come to realize your need for salvation, through faith in Jesus Christ alone; if you do not want to spend eternity in hell, separated from God; then submit to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Pray—asking Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior. Acknowledge your need for His forgiveness. Tell Him that, with His help, you want to turn from pursuing sin in your life to living a life that is pleasing to Him. And thank Him for the salvation that only He can provide. Through faith in Jesus Christ alone, you will avoid the sting of eternal death and instead live the promise of the free gift of eternal life, which only Jesus Christ can give.
Then find a solid, Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church. Spend time in fellowship with other followers of Christ who will help you grow in your newfound faith in Him. Read the Bible every day and obey what it says. Spend time with the Lord in prayer, every day. And tell others about who Jesus Christ is and how He saved you from the just punishment for your sins.
If you need help finding a good church in your area, we would love to help you. If you do not have a Bible, or cannot afford one, we would like to give you one.
© 2006
Steve Irwin, known worldwide as the “Crocodile Hunter,” has entertained people for years through his Animal Planet television shows. Each week Irwin would wrestle crocs, tangle with venomous snakes, and educate his television audience about exotic animals. He was enthusiastic, passionate, and seemingly fearless.
I spent part of the day working on this article, in one of the local Starbucks. At the table next to me sat a couple and they were talking about the tragic death of Steve Irwin. As I eavesdropped on the conversation, I could hear the couple saying things similar to what was said in my own home this morning. “Wow. The kids have grown up watching Steve Irwin.” I can remember a time when my three daughters were much younger, when we saw Irwin on television for the first time. The program was about the life of an Australian dingo (a wild dog). In our home, Irwin was affectionately known as “The Dingo Man.”
Irwin leaves behind his wife and sidekick, Terri, and two children, Bindi Sue (8, and named after one of Irwin’s favorite crocodiles and his dog) and Bob (2). In 2004, Irwin received worldwide criticism for taking infant Bob into a crocodile enclosure while he fed the man-eater whole, dead chickens, during a show at Australia Zoo.
Irwin was filming a new show in the Great Barrier Reef, about the world’s deadliest sea creatures, at the time of his death. According to published reports, Irwin was swimming in shallow water when he swam overtop a stingray. He must have startled the animal, which reacted by thrashing its tail. The barb at the end of the stingray’s tail, which can reach up to a foot in length and contains gelatinous poison, is capable of penetrating a quarter-inch of plywood. The stingray’s barb pierced Irwin’s heart. Experts say that the injury was like being stabbed in the heart with a box cutter or a dirty dagger. Apparently, there have been only seventeen recorded deaths by stingrays.
As I walked around my neighborhood this morning, I prayed for the Irwin family. I also prayed for the likely millions of people familiar with Irwin who might be contemplating the manner and suddenness of his death and, in turn, might be thinking about their own mortality. I prayed that the Lord would use the tragic death of this contemporary icon to draw unsaved sinners to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Throughout the morning, the following passage of Scripture was on my heart and mind.
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” ~ I Corinthians 15:55-57
Sin is the “dirty dagger” that has pierced the heart of every person—man, woman, and child—since the fall of man, in the Garden of Eden. Just as the venom from the bite or sting of a poisonous animal travels through a persons bloodstream destroying healthy cells and tissue, sin, having penetrated every person’s heart, has infected every aspect of a person’s life—his or her thoughts, emotions, motives, and actions. And just as venom, if not arrested and counteracted, will kill the person infected, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). The inevitable end of a life infected by sin—if that life is not saved by stopping and reversing sin’s deadly course through the gift of repentance, and by the direct and miraculous intervention of God’s saving grace through the atoning and redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross—is not only physical death, but also eternal death in hell.
Steve Irwin entered the water this morning to do what he has done thousands of times: interact with the animal world around him. He knew that his chosen profession and passion was dangerous, but he likely entered the gorgeous and majestic reef not thinking that he would soon stand before a holy and righteous Judge—God, the maker of heaven and earth, and his Creator.
I do not presume to know where Irwin has now begun to spend the rest of his eternal existence—heaven or hell. I did not know the man, and I did not know his heart. “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy (James 4:12a), and I’m not Him. However, I can say with absolute certainty (because this is what the Bible teaches) that if Steve Irwin had never repented of his sin and put his faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for his salvation, then the heart-piercing strike of a scared stingray is nothing compared to the eternal sting, pain, and misery he is now experiencing in hell. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides in him” (John 3:36). And Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
If Irwin had never repented of his sin and put his faith and his trust in Jesus Christ, then he is like the rich man in the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus. “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame’” (Luke 16:23-24). As I think about Irwin’s death, knowing I cannot pray a dead man into heaven, my hope is that the rich man’s eternal punishment and existence is not Irwin’s.
The good news is that if you are reading this, your time has not yet come. Your day of judgment has not yet come. “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). The God who gave you life has granted you yet one more day (a gift you do not deserve) to turn from your sin and put your faith and your trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation.
“The power of sin is the law.” God has given you a conscience, so you know that you have broken His Law, His Commandments. Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen anything, no matter how insignificant the item may be to you? Have you ever taken God’s name in vain, using the name of the God who has given you life to curse or express disgust? “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7). Have you ever hated another person? “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in Him” (I John 3:15). Have you ever looked at another person to lust after them? Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).
Then, if the above is true of you, by your own admission you are a lying, thieving, blasphemous, murderous, adulterer at heart. Maybe you’re thinking that you may have broken one or two of God’s laws, but you’re not guilty of breaking all of them. Maybe you think that if there are people in the world who are “worse sinners” than you, God will let you off the hook. Not so fast. The Bible says, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all” (James 2:10). You have violated God’s Law and are therefore deserving of His final judgment—a sentence of eternal punishment.
“But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 15:57). Your only hope is Jesus Christ. “[God] made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:21). Jesus Christ, fully man and fully God, died on the cross to pay the full penalty for your sins.
Read the following very carefully. “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:6-10).
Not only did Jesus Christ die on the cross for your sins, He rose again. And He is alive today! “To these [Jesus] also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).
You will only avoid the wrath to come if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. There is no other way. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).
You will only avoid the wrath to come if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. There is no other way. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).
Repent. Turn away from your sins. “Therefore repent and return so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).
You cannot and will not earn or deserve heaven. “For by grace you have been saved, by faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Believe with your heart that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Submit to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior so “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
If after reading this you’ve come to realize your need for salvation, through faith in Jesus Christ alone; if you do not want to spend eternity in hell, separated from God; then submit to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Pray—asking Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior. Acknowledge your need for His forgiveness. Tell Him that, with His help, you want to turn from pursuing sin in your life to living a life that is pleasing to Him. And thank Him for the salvation that only He can provide. Through faith in Jesus Christ alone, you will avoid the sting of eternal death and instead live the promise of the free gift of eternal life, which only Jesus Christ can give.
Then find a solid, Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church. Spend time in fellowship with other followers of Christ who will help you grow in your newfound faith in Him. Read the Bible every day and obey what it says. Spend time with the Lord in prayer, every day. And tell others about who Jesus Christ is and how He saved you from the just punishment for your sins.
If you need help finding a good church in your area, we would love to help you. If you do not have a Bible, or cannot afford one, we would like to give you one.
© 2006
Friday, September 01, 2006
Drunk Driving -- An Analogy Driving Home the Importance of Truth Over Belief
During my career as a deputy sheriff, I arrested hundreds of people for drunk driving. More often than not the people I stopped, after watching them weave all over the road, insisted that they did not have too much to drink. They believed they were okay to drive.
After having them perform a series of field sobriety tests, it was not uncommon for the impaired driver to say that they believed they passed the tests. (It never ceased to amaze me when drunk drivers thought they were a better judge of their performance than a sober deputy sheriff.)
After placing the drunk driver under arrest, I transported them to the station to administer a breath test. When I showed the person the results of their test, they believed the sophisticated and painstakingly calibrated piece of equipment was broken.
When it was time to go to trial, the person believed they would win their case by trying to poke holes in the arrest report.
Ultimately, it didn't matter what the drunk driver believed. What mattered was the truth--the truth that they had too much to drink and got behind the wheel of a 3,000 pound deadly weapon; the truth that they were too intoxicated to perform simple tests of coordination; the truth that chemical tests proved their blood alcohol level was above the legal limit; the truth that the written report that documented their crime was accurate.
Regardless of what the drunk driver believed about their innocence, it didn't change the fact that they were guilty of breaking the law. Likewise, it doesn't matter what the unsaved sinner believes about their innocence before God. What matters is the truth about their spiritual condition. What matters is the truth that they have broken God's Law and will one-day, maybe sooner than later, face God on the Day of Judgment. The unsaved sinner's beliefs, no matter how strongly held or asserted, will never change or supercede the truth.
One of the saddest and most frustrating aspects of working patrol was when I had to respond to a fatal traffic collision, late at night, involving a drunk driver. And I had to handle several during my career. Each tragedy could have been avoided if the drunk had submitted to the truth that they were too drunk to drive, instead of operating under the false belief that they were okay to get behind the wheel. I admit that there were times when I said to myself, "If only I had seen him (or her) on the road before they crashed."
Every time I arrested a drunk driver I was, in a sense, stopping and confronting a person about the truth of their physical condition, before their false belief about their sobriety caused their death or the death of someone else.
As born again followers of Jesus Christ, we must be like the police officer patrolling the streets hoping to take drunk drivers off the road, before it's too late. We must confront lost sinners with the truth of their fallen spiritual condition, before they die in their false beliefs. We must warn them of the wrath and judgment to come if they continue living life according to their false beliefs. We must patrol the streets, always on the lookout for people who need to be confronted with the Law of God and presented with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must patrol the streets as if lives depend on it--because lives depend on it.
(C) 2006
After having them perform a series of field sobriety tests, it was not uncommon for the impaired driver to say that they believed they passed the tests. (It never ceased to amaze me when drunk drivers thought they were a better judge of their performance than a sober deputy sheriff.)
After placing the drunk driver under arrest, I transported them to the station to administer a breath test. When I showed the person the results of their test, they believed the sophisticated and painstakingly calibrated piece of equipment was broken.
When it was time to go to trial, the person believed they would win their case by trying to poke holes in the arrest report.
Ultimately, it didn't matter what the drunk driver believed. What mattered was the truth--the truth that they had too much to drink and got behind the wheel of a 3,000 pound deadly weapon; the truth that they were too intoxicated to perform simple tests of coordination; the truth that chemical tests proved their blood alcohol level was above the legal limit; the truth that the written report that documented their crime was accurate.
Regardless of what the drunk driver believed about their innocence, it didn't change the fact that they were guilty of breaking the law. Likewise, it doesn't matter what the unsaved sinner believes about their innocence before God. What matters is the truth about their spiritual condition. What matters is the truth that they have broken God's Law and will one-day, maybe sooner than later, face God on the Day of Judgment. The unsaved sinner's beliefs, no matter how strongly held or asserted, will never change or supercede the truth.
One of the saddest and most frustrating aspects of working patrol was when I had to respond to a fatal traffic collision, late at night, involving a drunk driver. And I had to handle several during my career. Each tragedy could have been avoided if the drunk had submitted to the truth that they were too drunk to drive, instead of operating under the false belief that they were okay to get behind the wheel. I admit that there were times when I said to myself, "If only I had seen him (or her) on the road before they crashed."
Every time I arrested a drunk driver I was, in a sense, stopping and confronting a person about the truth of their physical condition, before their false belief about their sobriety caused their death or the death of someone else.
As born again followers of Jesus Christ, we must be like the police officer patrolling the streets hoping to take drunk drivers off the road, before it's too late. We must confront lost sinners with the truth of their fallen spiritual condition, before they die in their false beliefs. We must warn them of the wrath and judgment to come if they continue living life according to their false beliefs. We must patrol the streets, always on the lookout for people who need to be confronted with the Law of God and presented with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must patrol the streets as if lives depend on it--because lives depend on it.
(C) 2006
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
It's As Simple As a 'Different Jesus'
I was listening to the “Way of the Master” radio show (something I do as often as my schedule permits). During the second hour of the show, host Todd Friel and Kirk Cameron had a phone conversation with a Mormon young man. The conversation went as many conversations do with Mormons who are educated regarding their chosen religious system.
To the discerning listener, it didn’t take long to pick up on the errant theology that puts Mormonism squarely in the category of the cults—doctrinal beliefs such as Jesus, the created being who is the spirit-brother of Lucifer, and a works-righteousness formula for salvation. Like so many conversations with cultists, regardless of their spiritual and ideological bent, the Mormon on the phone with Todd and Kirk tried to disguise his aberrant theology with a superficial and disingenuous agreement about salvation by grace through faith. In the end, the conversation deteriorated to the point that the Mormon was upset with Todd because Todd dared to ask direct questions about his religious beliefs—specifically, his beliefs about the person and deity of Jesus Christ.
Seeing that the conversation was starting to disintegrate (It always fascinates me when spiritual darkness cringes when exposed to the light of Christ, much the same way as the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz melted when she was doused with water.), Todd, before letting the Mormon off the phone, asked him to ponder the following thought. Todd said (and this is a paraphrase), “I want you to consider this. If you’re right, the consequence for me is that I will spend eternity in what you would call the ‘terrestrial kingdom’ (the placed reserved for non-Mormons and those who would be considered bad people). If I’m right, you’re going to spend eternity in hell. Thanks for talking to me.”
The point Todd was making was that the Mormon idea of Jesus and the Jesus of the Christian faith (the true Jesus) are not one in the same. The former leads only to death and eternity in hell. The latter is the only way to forgiveness of sin, reconciliation with God, justification by God, and salvation. If the Mormon’s idea of who Jesus turns out to be right (and according to the truth of God’s Word, the Mormon can’t be right), the Christian is no worse off than he or she is in the present world. If the born again Christian’s understanding of the person and deity of Jesus Christ is correct (and it is), the Mormon will one-day face God’s wrath, righteous judgment, and eternity in hell.
Can it be that simple? Can evangelism with cultists, or any unbeliever, for that matter—regardless of his or her religious stripes, be as simple as pointing out the fallacy of the Jesus in whom they profess faith? The answer is a resounding, yes!
As I thought of the implications of what, for me, amounted to yet another evangelistic and philosophical epiphany, I shot Todd an e-mail thanking him for adding another effective and biblical tool to my evangelist’s “war bag.” What are the implications?
Those reading this article who are actively engaged in one-to-one evangelism with lost sinners (If you’re not, you should be!) have likely found themselves in situations where they have concisely shared the Law and the Gospel with someone only to have the person stubbornly (even passionately and sincerely) stick to their guns—holding on to a Jesus they’ve created in their imaginative religious system, or holding on to their outright denial of the truths about who Christ is.
The conversation reaches a point where, for the evangelist, to continue the conversation would be to move away from the Law and the Gospel, to a tit-for-tat argument over differing opinions about doctrine. When the conversation reaches such a point, more often than not, the conversation leaves the realm of the conscience to the quagmire of man’s fallible intellect. Not only has the unsaved person stopped listening at this point, but also the Christian runs the very real risk of continuing the conversation motivated by pride (I must win this fight!), instead of being motivated by love and compassion for the lost person and where he or she will spend eternity.
When one regularly shares the Law and the Gospel with people, whether friend or stranger, there are times during such conversations when the evangelist rightly discerns that it is time to end the conversation. A way to do that while maintaining the high ground in word and spirit, while just about assuring yourself of having the last word, and while leaving the unsaved listener with something honest, spiritually penetrating, and eternal to think about as they lay their head on their pillow at the end of the day, is to employ what I will from here-on-out refer to as the "Different Jesus" principle.
Just as Todd Friel strategically and effectively employed the principle with the Mormon caller, the principle can be employed to close conversations with closed-hearted Jehovah’s Witnesses, Buddhists, Muslims, unsaved Catholics, agnostics, atheists, and professing Christians who are not saved. I’ve already documented through Todd’s real-life example how the principle can be used when talking to Mormons. Let’s look at how the principle can be used with adherents to some of the other before-mentioned religious systems.
Ending of a conversation with a Jehovah’s Witness:
Jehovah’s witnesses deny the deity and bodily resurrection of Christ. They believe that Jesus Christ is a created being and the incarnation of Michael the Archangel. While they will refer to Jesus as the Son of God, they deny that He is God. They deny the doctrine of the Trinity—believing in one god in one person. Jehovah’s Witnesses also deny the doctrine of hell and believe that annihilation awaits those who are not remembered by God. Those who are remembered by God, if they are not numbered among the chosen 144,000, will repopulate the “new earth.” They believe that Satan was charged with the duty of overseeing the creation of the earth. Faith in Jehovah and obeying God’s commandments is how one earns the privilege of being among the “new earth” population, which is more desirable to the Jehovah’s Witness than going to heaven.
Employing the “Different Jesus” principle with a Jehovah’s Witness might sound something like this. “Let me leave you with this thought. The Jesus in whom you believe is not the same Jesus in whom I have put my faith and trust. If you’re right about Jesus Christ and the way to eternal life, then I will either be annihilated or help in the re-population of the new earth. If what I believe about Jesus Christ and the way to eternal life is right, then you will spend eternity in hell. That should concern you. Thank you for talking to me.”
Ending a conversation with a Muslim:
Like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims believe in one god in one person. They believe that Jesus was a great prophet, but not the Son of God. While there is no assurance of heaven, Muslims believe that if your good deeds outnumber your bad deeds, if you believe in Allah, and if you sincerely repent of your sins, you may go to heaven. They believe that the Holy Spirit is the angel Gabriel. Since Jesus was/is not God, Muslims deny the bodily resurrection of Christ. They believe that God allowed Judas to look like Jesus and take His place on the cross. Muslims believe that hell awaits those who are not Muslims.
Employing the “Different Jesus” principle with a Muslim might sound something like this. “Let me leave you with this thought. You see Jesus as no more than a man who was a great prophet. I see Him as God in the flesh—the very Son of God. If you’re right about Jesus, then I am bound for hell because I am not a Muslim. If I’m right about Jesus Christ—that He is the way, and the truth, and the life, and that no one will receive the free gift of eternal life accept through faith in Him and Him alone, then it is not I, but you, who will spend eternity in hell. Your Jesus can do nothing to save you from the wrath of God and His righteous judgment. The Jesus I know—my Lord and Savior—has already done everything, through His death on the cross and His resurrection, to secure my place in heaven. Your god can offer neither of us any hope. In my God, I have eternal hope, through Jesus Christ the Lord. Thank you for talking to me.”
Ending a conversation with a person who professes to be a Christian, but is not saved:
I do not think it is hyperbole to say that there are likely more unsaved people than saved people in churches around America, on any given Sunday. They may have prayed a prayer, or raised a hand, or gave some level of intellectual agreement to the truths about Jesus Christ at some point in their life, but they never truly repented of their sin and put their trust in Christ alone for their salvation. Many people think attending a church or giving money to a church makes them right with God.
Those who claim to be Christians when they’re not will often see God as all benevolent, all forgiving, all forgetting, and non-judgmental. Only the worst of sinners (a group to which the professing believer would say he or she does not belong)—such as murderers, rapists, and child molesters—go to hell. That is, if they even believe in the existence of hell.
They are often pluralistic in their views of salvation; meaning they don’t see faith in Jesus Christ as the only way to heaven. After all (in their mind), a loving God would not send someone to hell just because they worship God in a different way. They may consider themselves to be a good person—relying on Jesus and their good works for their salvation. With no appreciable spiritual fruit in their lives, they may see their faith in Christ as little more than a “get out of jail free” card. They see Christ as their benefactor, not as their Lord.
Employing the “Different Jesus” principle with a false convert might sound something like this. “Let me leave you with this thought. If your understanding of Jesus Christ and salvation is true, then we are both going to heaven someday. But what if you’re wrong? What if your faith, up to this point, has been built on a false hope? What if one-day when you find yourself standing before the Lord, instead of welcoming you into heaven, He says, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’? If you’re wrong, you’re going to hell. Don’t go to sleep tonight without being sure that you know the true Jesus Christ, and not a false god you have created in your own imagination. Thank you for talking to me.”
Some of you reading this may have winced each time the principle was demonstrated. Maybe you are thinking, “Wow! That’s kind of abrupt. That doesn’t seem like a loving and caring way to end a conversation. You didn’t end the conversation on a very positive note.”
Yes, it’s an abrupt end to the conversation. Yes, the person on the receiving end of the conversation will likely not walk away with a “warm fuzzy.” They may walk away upset—even angry.
It’s okay.
If during a one-to-one, spiritual conversation the person with whom I’m speaking scoffs at the Law of God and rejects the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I don’t want them walking away feeling good about themselves and their unbelief. I don’t want to hurt their feelings (This principle should always be employed with a tone of voice and demeanor that reflects genuine care and concern for the unsaved person.); but I am more concerned about where they will spend eternity than how they feel in this present life. If during the conversation they are not drawn, by the power of the Holy Spirit (and not by me), to genuine repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, then my prayer for them is that they will not rest until they are brought into a right relationship with God.
While it may be easier to say than the principle I have tried to share in this article, I see ending a conversation with an unsaved person by telling them that “we will just have to agree to disagree” as being unloving. Are we really showing love and concern for people if we allow them to walk away from the conversation arrogantly feeling as though they have won a spiritual victory? Better that they walk away to wrestle (even war) in their heart and mind with their unbelief, with a terrifying expectation of judgment (Hebrews 10:26-31), and with the thought of spending eternity in hell.
There is only one Jesus Christ—the One revealed to us in the Scriptures. We must do whatever we can—with love, compassion, and honesty (even when it stings)—to warn people about the wrath of God and His future judgment and to point them to the only One who can save them.
Now go share your faith in Christ, with a lost and dying world.
(C) 2006
To the discerning listener, it didn’t take long to pick up on the errant theology that puts Mormonism squarely in the category of the cults—doctrinal beliefs such as Jesus, the created being who is the spirit-brother of Lucifer, and a works-righteousness formula for salvation. Like so many conversations with cultists, regardless of their spiritual and ideological bent, the Mormon on the phone with Todd and Kirk tried to disguise his aberrant theology with a superficial and disingenuous agreement about salvation by grace through faith. In the end, the conversation deteriorated to the point that the Mormon was upset with Todd because Todd dared to ask direct questions about his religious beliefs—specifically, his beliefs about the person and deity of Jesus Christ.
Seeing that the conversation was starting to disintegrate (It always fascinates me when spiritual darkness cringes when exposed to the light of Christ, much the same way as the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz melted when she was doused with water.), Todd, before letting the Mormon off the phone, asked him to ponder the following thought. Todd said (and this is a paraphrase), “I want you to consider this. If you’re right, the consequence for me is that I will spend eternity in what you would call the ‘terrestrial kingdom’ (the placed reserved for non-Mormons and those who would be considered bad people). If I’m right, you’re going to spend eternity in hell. Thanks for talking to me.”
The point Todd was making was that the Mormon idea of Jesus and the Jesus of the Christian faith (the true Jesus) are not one in the same. The former leads only to death and eternity in hell. The latter is the only way to forgiveness of sin, reconciliation with God, justification by God, and salvation. If the Mormon’s idea of who Jesus turns out to be right (and according to the truth of God’s Word, the Mormon can’t be right), the Christian is no worse off than he or she is in the present world. If the born again Christian’s understanding of the person and deity of Jesus Christ is correct (and it is), the Mormon will one-day face God’s wrath, righteous judgment, and eternity in hell.
Can it be that simple? Can evangelism with cultists, or any unbeliever, for that matter—regardless of his or her religious stripes, be as simple as pointing out the fallacy of the Jesus in whom they profess faith? The answer is a resounding, yes!
As I thought of the implications of what, for me, amounted to yet another evangelistic and philosophical epiphany, I shot Todd an e-mail thanking him for adding another effective and biblical tool to my evangelist’s “war bag.” What are the implications?
Those reading this article who are actively engaged in one-to-one evangelism with lost sinners (If you’re not, you should be!) have likely found themselves in situations where they have concisely shared the Law and the Gospel with someone only to have the person stubbornly (even passionately and sincerely) stick to their guns—holding on to a Jesus they’ve created in their imaginative religious system, or holding on to their outright denial of the truths about who Christ is.
The conversation reaches a point where, for the evangelist, to continue the conversation would be to move away from the Law and the Gospel, to a tit-for-tat argument over differing opinions about doctrine. When the conversation reaches such a point, more often than not, the conversation leaves the realm of the conscience to the quagmire of man’s fallible intellect. Not only has the unsaved person stopped listening at this point, but also the Christian runs the very real risk of continuing the conversation motivated by pride (I must win this fight!), instead of being motivated by love and compassion for the lost person and where he or she will spend eternity.
When one regularly shares the Law and the Gospel with people, whether friend or stranger, there are times during such conversations when the evangelist rightly discerns that it is time to end the conversation. A way to do that while maintaining the high ground in word and spirit, while just about assuring yourself of having the last word, and while leaving the unsaved listener with something honest, spiritually penetrating, and eternal to think about as they lay their head on their pillow at the end of the day, is to employ what I will from here-on-out refer to as the "Different Jesus" principle.
Just as Todd Friel strategically and effectively employed the principle with the Mormon caller, the principle can be employed to close conversations with closed-hearted Jehovah’s Witnesses, Buddhists, Muslims, unsaved Catholics, agnostics, atheists, and professing Christians who are not saved. I’ve already documented through Todd’s real-life example how the principle can be used when talking to Mormons. Let’s look at how the principle can be used with adherents to some of the other before-mentioned religious systems.
Ending of a conversation with a Jehovah’s Witness:
Jehovah’s witnesses deny the deity and bodily resurrection of Christ. They believe that Jesus Christ is a created being and the incarnation of Michael the Archangel. While they will refer to Jesus as the Son of God, they deny that He is God. They deny the doctrine of the Trinity—believing in one god in one person. Jehovah’s Witnesses also deny the doctrine of hell and believe that annihilation awaits those who are not remembered by God. Those who are remembered by God, if they are not numbered among the chosen 144,000, will repopulate the “new earth.” They believe that Satan was charged with the duty of overseeing the creation of the earth. Faith in Jehovah and obeying God’s commandments is how one earns the privilege of being among the “new earth” population, which is more desirable to the Jehovah’s Witness than going to heaven.
Employing the “Different Jesus” principle with a Jehovah’s Witness might sound something like this. “Let me leave you with this thought. The Jesus in whom you believe is not the same Jesus in whom I have put my faith and trust. If you’re right about Jesus Christ and the way to eternal life, then I will either be annihilated or help in the re-population of the new earth. If what I believe about Jesus Christ and the way to eternal life is right, then you will spend eternity in hell. That should concern you. Thank you for talking to me.”
Ending a conversation with a Muslim:
Like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims believe in one god in one person. They believe that Jesus was a great prophet, but not the Son of God. While there is no assurance of heaven, Muslims believe that if your good deeds outnumber your bad deeds, if you believe in Allah, and if you sincerely repent of your sins, you may go to heaven. They believe that the Holy Spirit is the angel Gabriel. Since Jesus was/is not God, Muslims deny the bodily resurrection of Christ. They believe that God allowed Judas to look like Jesus and take His place on the cross. Muslims believe that hell awaits those who are not Muslims.
Employing the “Different Jesus” principle with a Muslim might sound something like this. “Let me leave you with this thought. You see Jesus as no more than a man who was a great prophet. I see Him as God in the flesh—the very Son of God. If you’re right about Jesus, then I am bound for hell because I am not a Muslim. If I’m right about Jesus Christ—that He is the way, and the truth, and the life, and that no one will receive the free gift of eternal life accept through faith in Him and Him alone, then it is not I, but you, who will spend eternity in hell. Your Jesus can do nothing to save you from the wrath of God and His righteous judgment. The Jesus I know—my Lord and Savior—has already done everything, through His death on the cross and His resurrection, to secure my place in heaven. Your god can offer neither of us any hope. In my God, I have eternal hope, through Jesus Christ the Lord. Thank you for talking to me.”
Ending a conversation with a person who professes to be a Christian, but is not saved:
I do not think it is hyperbole to say that there are likely more unsaved people than saved people in churches around America, on any given Sunday. They may have prayed a prayer, or raised a hand, or gave some level of intellectual agreement to the truths about Jesus Christ at some point in their life, but they never truly repented of their sin and put their trust in Christ alone for their salvation. Many people think attending a church or giving money to a church makes them right with God.
Those who claim to be Christians when they’re not will often see God as all benevolent, all forgiving, all forgetting, and non-judgmental. Only the worst of sinners (a group to which the professing believer would say he or she does not belong)—such as murderers, rapists, and child molesters—go to hell. That is, if they even believe in the existence of hell.
They are often pluralistic in their views of salvation; meaning they don’t see faith in Jesus Christ as the only way to heaven. After all (in their mind), a loving God would not send someone to hell just because they worship God in a different way. They may consider themselves to be a good person—relying on Jesus and their good works for their salvation. With no appreciable spiritual fruit in their lives, they may see their faith in Christ as little more than a “get out of jail free” card. They see Christ as their benefactor, not as their Lord.
Employing the “Different Jesus” principle with a false convert might sound something like this. “Let me leave you with this thought. If your understanding of Jesus Christ and salvation is true, then we are both going to heaven someday. But what if you’re wrong? What if your faith, up to this point, has been built on a false hope? What if one-day when you find yourself standing before the Lord, instead of welcoming you into heaven, He says, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’? If you’re wrong, you’re going to hell. Don’t go to sleep tonight without being sure that you know the true Jesus Christ, and not a false god you have created in your own imagination. Thank you for talking to me.”
Some of you reading this may have winced each time the principle was demonstrated. Maybe you are thinking, “Wow! That’s kind of abrupt. That doesn’t seem like a loving and caring way to end a conversation. You didn’t end the conversation on a very positive note.”
Yes, it’s an abrupt end to the conversation. Yes, the person on the receiving end of the conversation will likely not walk away with a “warm fuzzy.” They may walk away upset—even angry.
It’s okay.
If during a one-to-one, spiritual conversation the person with whom I’m speaking scoffs at the Law of God and rejects the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I don’t want them walking away feeling good about themselves and their unbelief. I don’t want to hurt their feelings (This principle should always be employed with a tone of voice and demeanor that reflects genuine care and concern for the unsaved person.); but I am more concerned about where they will spend eternity than how they feel in this present life. If during the conversation they are not drawn, by the power of the Holy Spirit (and not by me), to genuine repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, then my prayer for them is that they will not rest until they are brought into a right relationship with God.
While it may be easier to say than the principle I have tried to share in this article, I see ending a conversation with an unsaved person by telling them that “we will just have to agree to disagree” as being unloving. Are we really showing love and concern for people if we allow them to walk away from the conversation arrogantly feeling as though they have won a spiritual victory? Better that they walk away to wrestle (even war) in their heart and mind with their unbelief, with a terrifying expectation of judgment (Hebrews 10:26-31), and with the thought of spending eternity in hell.
There is only one Jesus Christ—the One revealed to us in the Scriptures. We must do whatever we can—with love, compassion, and honesty (even when it stings)—to warn people about the wrath of God and His future judgment and to point them to the only One who can save them.
Now go share your faith in Christ, with a lost and dying world.
(C) 2006
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Adoption Day
I worked patrol on Friday. It was my last opportunity to work the streets before flying to North Syracuse, New York to preach during an officer appreciation service. It was a beautiful, relatively quiet, Southern California afternoon. My partner and I worked a traffic car. We had no traffic collision to investigate and few calls for service. This allowed us to spend the better part of the day hunting for someone to put in our back seat.
My partner spotted a vehicle with an expired registration. Although it was a minor infraction, many-a-good arrests and war stories begin with a traffic stop for a minor vehicle code violation. I remember one late night, many years ago, stopping a car for an expired vehicle registration. Before I was through, I had two people in custody. The passenger was a wanted parolee who was armed with a knife. The woman driving the car was under the influence of methamphetamine. During a search of the trunk, I found a stolen computer and printer that the couple was using to counterfeit one, five, and twenty-dollar bills. The arrests and field investigation helped the Secret Service to clear several counterfeit cases in our area.
After my partner pointed out the expired registration, I ran the plate on our MDT (mobile computer). The return indicated that not only was the vehicle’s registration expired; it had been expired since March of 2005. Why was that significant? The registration tab on the license plate was a 2006 sticker—not 2005. What this meant to us was that the tab was likely stolen from another vehicle and placed on the car that was now in front of us so that the owner could defraud the DMV of annual registration fees.
This is a fairly common crime committed by people who either can’t afford the registration fees, or people who can’t get insurance or a smog certificate for their car (both are required in California), or people who just don’t want to pay the fees. Regardless of the reason for the presence of the fraudulently obtained registration tab, we determined to stop the car to see if we could take someone to jail.
The driver of the car was a 21-year-old girl named Christina. She told my partner that someone in of her classes at the local junior college gave her the registration tab. (The things kids learn in school these days). We also learned that her driver’s license was suspended for unpaid traffic tickets. My partner asked her to step out of the car, handcuffed her, and put her in our back seat.
I sat down in the front seat and started the paperwork while my partner prepared to impound Christina’s car for thirty days. Christina’s day was going from bad to worse.
Christina sat quietly in the back seat. Through the meshed, black metal screen that separated us, I could see tears running down her cheeks. I asked a question, the answer for which I was confident I already knew. “Have you ever been arrested?”
“No.” She answered. The next thing she said caught me by surprise. “I’m suppose to be adopted today, at 1:30.”
I found the statement to be unusual, since Christina was a young adult. I planned to inquire further, but, for now, I had to get through my paperwork. Once the tow truck arrived and secured the vehicle, we mad the six-mile drive to the station.
As we started for the station, Christina asked me if I thought she would make it to court on time, for the adoption hearing. I gently explained to her that she was arrested for a felony. Even if the bail commissioner granted her an O.R. release (own recognizance), which was likely, it would be several hours before she was released. She wept.
Curious, I asked Christina to explain how it was that she was being adopted. She shared the story of a young girl abandoned by her mother. At the age of fourteen, she suffered a brain aneurysm. Her mother never so much as called to see how she was doing.
Christina’s father remarried. Her step-mom loved Christina as if she were her own daughter. While basic biology can make a mother, it takes more that that to be a mom. In Christina’s case, the “step” in step-mom may appropriately identify a blended family, but it does not describe the amount of love between this mother and her child.
Recently, Christina discovered that it is legal in California to adopt adults. Christina’s step-mom did not hesitate when Christina shared the news with her. This was supposed to be a day of rejoicing, with the finalization of Christina’s adoption. The adoption would take place, but not today. Instead of standing before a judge to be blessed, she was beginning a journey that would end with her standing before a judge to be sentenced for the crimes she had committed.
As I listened to Christina’s story, I felt compassion for her. Seeing the look on my partner’s face, I could tell he was feeling the same way. The fun we had hoped to have in making this arrest was gone.
Listening to Christina’s story reminded of the following passage of Scripture.
"For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him" (Romans 8:14-17).
We were only a few minutes away from the station. My time to talk to Christina in the quiet confines of the patrol car was short. I tried to justify in my mind that there wasn’t enough time to share the gospel with her. Then the Lord quickly reminded me of something I said to my home church during a Sunday morning sermon.
"Jesus had a very deep, gut-level, intense, emotional attachment to the lost. It’s the kind of emotional attachment that compels a person to do something for the other person. So, in a very practical sense, if you see a lost person’s need for salvation—whether they are family, friend, or stranger—and you commit the sin of silence and do nothing to share the gospel with that person, then the reality is that you feel no compassion for that person. Your feelings for that person may be genuine, but your feelings do not run so deep that you will care enough for them to bring them the only Good News that can change their life—the gospel of Jesus Christ."
I looked at Christina’s driver’s license and noticed that she was wearing a crucifix, in the photo. I mentioned this observation to Christina. She said, “I’m Catholic. I received that necklace as a gift when I went through confirmation. I noticed the back of your shirt says ‘chaplain.’ Are you a chaplain?”
“Yes I am.” I answered.
“That’s wonderful.” She said softly.
“Christina, would it be all right if I posed a hypothetical situation to you?” I asked.
“Yes.” She answered.
I proceeded to share the courtroom analogy with her. I learned the courtroom analogy from my evangelism mentor, Ray Comfort; and the analogy is featured in the last chapter of “Take Up The Shield.” Most of you know the analogy by now, and I hope you are using it when you share the Law and the gospel with the lost. But for those of you who are new to the Ten-Four family, let me share it again, as I shared it with Christina.
“Christina, you know you are going to have to go to court because of what you’ve done today.” I began.
“I know.” She said. Her face was still wet with tears.
“Let’s say that when the time comes for you to stand before the judge, having been found guilty for your crimes, and the judge looks at you and says, ‘Christina, you have been found guilty of the crimes you committed, and it is time for me to sentence you. I sentence you to a $100,000 fine or life in prison.’
“You can’t believe what you just heard. You don’t have $100,000 and you don’t want to spend the rest of your life in prison, so you plead with the judge. ‘Your honor, I’m sorry for what I did. I promise I will never do it again. The punishment doesn’t seem fair. Give me a break. Please let me go.’
“The judge says, ‘I’m a good judge. And because I am a good judge I have to hold you accountable for your crimes. Justice demands that you be punished for what you have done. You have broken the law.’
“Just as the judge is about to send you to prison for the rest of your life, a man walks into the courtroom—a man whom you have never met. He walks forward to the judge’s bench a lays $100,000 in cash, before the judge. The man looks at the judge, points to you, and says, ‘I’m paying Christina’s fine. Set her free.’
“The judge looks at the cash payment, sees that your debt has been paid in full, looks at you, and says, ‘Your fine has been paid. Justice has been satisfied. You’re free to go.’”
I looked at Christina and asked, “Wouldn’t that be good news, Christina?”
“Yes.” She said.
I continued. “Well, Christina, that’s exactly what Jesus Christ has done for you. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, the sinless Lamb of God, died on the cross to pay the full penalty for your sins—a debt you will never be able to pay.
“Christina, you’re only hope to avoid the just penalty for your sins against God—eternity in hell—is to repent of your sins (turn away from them) and trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation.”
She was weeping bitterly now.
Knowing a little about Christina’s religious background, I said, “Christina, religion won’t save you. Traditions and rituals won’t save you. Your good works won’t save you. Only the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ will save you. Only real faith in Jesus Christ will save you. And it’s not enough to believe in your head. You must believe in your heart and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Repent of your sin. Stop living to please yourself and live for Christ.
“Christina, here is something that I know will mean a lot to you—especially today. If you repent and trust in Jesus Christ to save you, not only will He forgive your sins and give you the free gift of eternal life, but He will also adopt you as one of His own children. Isn’t that beautiful?”
“Yes it is.” She answered.
We pulled into the station parking lot as Christina answered the question. Before we walked Christina into the station jail for booking, I asked Christina if she understood what I had shared with her. She nodded her head. Understanding that I may never see her again, I urged her to carefully consider what I shared with her. She said she would.
My partner and I took Christina through the booking process and we booked our evidence. We went 10-8 (in service), hoping to go 10-15 (make an arrest) again. As we drove around town, I asked my partner (who is also a Christian) what he thought about what I said to Christina. He said the encounter challenged and encouraged him to be bolder and more consistent when it comes to sharing his faith.
The encounter with Christina also served as a timely reminder for my partner—a reminder that there is more to the job than taking people to jail, handling calls, and trudging our way through the daily frustrations and disappointments the job can bring. We are on the streets to help people. And there is no greater help we can give than the compassionate presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pray with me that her new mom will adopt Christina. Pray that Christina will also be adopted as a child of the one, true, God—through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
My partner spotted a vehicle with an expired registration. Although it was a minor infraction, many-a-good arrests and war stories begin with a traffic stop for a minor vehicle code violation. I remember one late night, many years ago, stopping a car for an expired vehicle registration. Before I was through, I had two people in custody. The passenger was a wanted parolee who was armed with a knife. The woman driving the car was under the influence of methamphetamine. During a search of the trunk, I found a stolen computer and printer that the couple was using to counterfeit one, five, and twenty-dollar bills. The arrests and field investigation helped the Secret Service to clear several counterfeit cases in our area.
After my partner pointed out the expired registration, I ran the plate on our MDT (mobile computer). The return indicated that not only was the vehicle’s registration expired; it had been expired since March of 2005. Why was that significant? The registration tab on the license plate was a 2006 sticker—not 2005. What this meant to us was that the tab was likely stolen from another vehicle and placed on the car that was now in front of us so that the owner could defraud the DMV of annual registration fees.
This is a fairly common crime committed by people who either can’t afford the registration fees, or people who can’t get insurance or a smog certificate for their car (both are required in California), or people who just don’t want to pay the fees. Regardless of the reason for the presence of the fraudulently obtained registration tab, we determined to stop the car to see if we could take someone to jail.
The driver of the car was a 21-year-old girl named Christina. She told my partner that someone in of her classes at the local junior college gave her the registration tab. (The things kids learn in school these days). We also learned that her driver’s license was suspended for unpaid traffic tickets. My partner asked her to step out of the car, handcuffed her, and put her in our back seat.
I sat down in the front seat and started the paperwork while my partner prepared to impound Christina’s car for thirty days. Christina’s day was going from bad to worse.
Christina sat quietly in the back seat. Through the meshed, black metal screen that separated us, I could see tears running down her cheeks. I asked a question, the answer for which I was confident I already knew. “Have you ever been arrested?”
“No.” She answered. The next thing she said caught me by surprise. “I’m suppose to be adopted today, at 1:30.”
I found the statement to be unusual, since Christina was a young adult. I planned to inquire further, but, for now, I had to get through my paperwork. Once the tow truck arrived and secured the vehicle, we mad the six-mile drive to the station.
As we started for the station, Christina asked me if I thought she would make it to court on time, for the adoption hearing. I gently explained to her that she was arrested for a felony. Even if the bail commissioner granted her an O.R. release (own recognizance), which was likely, it would be several hours before she was released. She wept.
Curious, I asked Christina to explain how it was that she was being adopted. She shared the story of a young girl abandoned by her mother. At the age of fourteen, she suffered a brain aneurysm. Her mother never so much as called to see how she was doing.
Christina’s father remarried. Her step-mom loved Christina as if she were her own daughter. While basic biology can make a mother, it takes more that that to be a mom. In Christina’s case, the “step” in step-mom may appropriately identify a blended family, but it does not describe the amount of love between this mother and her child.
Recently, Christina discovered that it is legal in California to adopt adults. Christina’s step-mom did not hesitate when Christina shared the news with her. This was supposed to be a day of rejoicing, with the finalization of Christina’s adoption. The adoption would take place, but not today. Instead of standing before a judge to be blessed, she was beginning a journey that would end with her standing before a judge to be sentenced for the crimes she had committed.
As I listened to Christina’s story, I felt compassion for her. Seeing the look on my partner’s face, I could tell he was feeling the same way. The fun we had hoped to have in making this arrest was gone.
Listening to Christina’s story reminded of the following passage of Scripture.
"For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him" (Romans 8:14-17).
We were only a few minutes away from the station. My time to talk to Christina in the quiet confines of the patrol car was short. I tried to justify in my mind that there wasn’t enough time to share the gospel with her. Then the Lord quickly reminded me of something I said to my home church during a Sunday morning sermon.
"Jesus had a very deep, gut-level, intense, emotional attachment to the lost. It’s the kind of emotional attachment that compels a person to do something for the other person. So, in a very practical sense, if you see a lost person’s need for salvation—whether they are family, friend, or stranger—and you commit the sin of silence and do nothing to share the gospel with that person, then the reality is that you feel no compassion for that person. Your feelings for that person may be genuine, but your feelings do not run so deep that you will care enough for them to bring them the only Good News that can change their life—the gospel of Jesus Christ."
I looked at Christina’s driver’s license and noticed that she was wearing a crucifix, in the photo. I mentioned this observation to Christina. She said, “I’m Catholic. I received that necklace as a gift when I went through confirmation. I noticed the back of your shirt says ‘chaplain.’ Are you a chaplain?”
“Yes I am.” I answered.
“That’s wonderful.” She said softly.
“Christina, would it be all right if I posed a hypothetical situation to you?” I asked.
“Yes.” She answered.
I proceeded to share the courtroom analogy with her. I learned the courtroom analogy from my evangelism mentor, Ray Comfort; and the analogy is featured in the last chapter of “Take Up The Shield.” Most of you know the analogy by now, and I hope you are using it when you share the Law and the gospel with the lost. But for those of you who are new to the Ten-Four family, let me share it again, as I shared it with Christina.
“Christina, you know you are going to have to go to court because of what you’ve done today.” I began.
“I know.” She said. Her face was still wet with tears.
“Let’s say that when the time comes for you to stand before the judge, having been found guilty for your crimes, and the judge looks at you and says, ‘Christina, you have been found guilty of the crimes you committed, and it is time for me to sentence you. I sentence you to a $100,000 fine or life in prison.’
“You can’t believe what you just heard. You don’t have $100,000 and you don’t want to spend the rest of your life in prison, so you plead with the judge. ‘Your honor, I’m sorry for what I did. I promise I will never do it again. The punishment doesn’t seem fair. Give me a break. Please let me go.’
“The judge says, ‘I’m a good judge. And because I am a good judge I have to hold you accountable for your crimes. Justice demands that you be punished for what you have done. You have broken the law.’
“Just as the judge is about to send you to prison for the rest of your life, a man walks into the courtroom—a man whom you have never met. He walks forward to the judge’s bench a lays $100,000 in cash, before the judge. The man looks at the judge, points to you, and says, ‘I’m paying Christina’s fine. Set her free.’
“The judge looks at the cash payment, sees that your debt has been paid in full, looks at you, and says, ‘Your fine has been paid. Justice has been satisfied. You’re free to go.’”
I looked at Christina and asked, “Wouldn’t that be good news, Christina?”
“Yes.” She said.
I continued. “Well, Christina, that’s exactly what Jesus Christ has done for you. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, the sinless Lamb of God, died on the cross to pay the full penalty for your sins—a debt you will never be able to pay.
“Christina, you’re only hope to avoid the just penalty for your sins against God—eternity in hell—is to repent of your sins (turn away from them) and trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation.”
She was weeping bitterly now.
Knowing a little about Christina’s religious background, I said, “Christina, religion won’t save you. Traditions and rituals won’t save you. Your good works won’t save you. Only the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ will save you. Only real faith in Jesus Christ will save you. And it’s not enough to believe in your head. You must believe in your heart and trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Repent of your sin. Stop living to please yourself and live for Christ.
“Christina, here is something that I know will mean a lot to you—especially today. If you repent and trust in Jesus Christ to save you, not only will He forgive your sins and give you the free gift of eternal life, but He will also adopt you as one of His own children. Isn’t that beautiful?”
“Yes it is.” She answered.
We pulled into the station parking lot as Christina answered the question. Before we walked Christina into the station jail for booking, I asked Christina if she understood what I had shared with her. She nodded her head. Understanding that I may never see her again, I urged her to carefully consider what I shared with her. She said she would.
My partner and I took Christina through the booking process and we booked our evidence. We went 10-8 (in service), hoping to go 10-15 (make an arrest) again. As we drove around town, I asked my partner (who is also a Christian) what he thought about what I said to Christina. He said the encounter challenged and encouraged him to be bolder and more consistent when it comes to sharing his faith.
The encounter with Christina also served as a timely reminder for my partner—a reminder that there is more to the job than taking people to jail, handling calls, and trudging our way through the daily frustrations and disappointments the job can bring. We are on the streets to help people. And there is no greater help we can give than the compassionate presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pray with me that her new mom will adopt Christina. Pray that Christina will also be adopted as a child of the one, true, God—through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
You Don't Have to Buy a Monitor Lizard to Share the Gospel
My eldest daughter, Michelle, and I were at a local park trying to choose a location for a church picnic and outreach event. As we walked through the park, off in the distance I could see a young woman walking her pet. It wasn’t a dog—the kind of pet you would expect in a park. It was a 3’-long Australian Monitor Lizard. The crawling creature fascinated us, seeing that such animals are not indigenous to Southern California. We had to get a closer look.
We approached the woman, whose name was Coda, and told her how impressed we were with her exotic pet. She was eager to answer our questions about her pet, and we had plenty of questions. Her pet’s name was “Gushu.” In just a few moments, by simply showing a friendly interest in Coda and her pet, we established a nice rapport with her.
I try to be ever watchful for evangelism opportunities. Recently, I started carrying a small, digital voice recorder with me so I can document my evangelism encounters—always doing so with the other person’s knowledge and consent. The recordings can be useful in training others to share their faith, and they can be a great way to bring evangelism encounters to life so that other Christians can be motivated, and challenged to share their faith. I picked up this idea from the Adventures in Christianity website.
I told Coda that I had hoped to find someone in the park willing to be interviewed. I explained to her that the topics of discussion would be creation, evolution, and spiritual beliefs. She said she had to run an errand, but she was planning on coming back to the park so Gushu could play in the park. To our surprise, Coda and Gushu returned to the park forty-five minutes later.
She laid a blanket on the grass and the three of us sat down. For the next forty minutes, we talked about creation vs. evolution, Coda’s spiritual beliefs, heaven and hell, Coda’s violation of God’s Law, sin and judgment, and the free gift of eternal life received by those who repent of their sin and put their trust in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation.
There were no arguments. No subject seemed to be off limits. The conversation was personal, in that Coda shared much about herself. I spoke plainly to Coda. I spoke frankly. I expressed concern about her spending eternity in hell, apart from saving faith in Jesus Christ.
I thanked Coda for talking to me and I gave her a copy of Ray Comfort’s book, How to Live Forever Without Being Religious. She looked at the title and said, “I love the title. I’m going to read this.” I told her that much of what we talked about would be further explained in the book. She thanked me and we went our separate ways, in all likelihood, never to see each other again.
Coda didn’t make a decision to receive Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. Frankly, I wasn’t looking for a decision. Too many people in our increasingly godless society have made “decisions to accept Jesus” as their Savior, but they are not saved. At some point in their lives they may have claimed some kind of intellectual belief in the truths about Jesus Christ. They may have cried out in desperation to God in a last-ditch effort to fix their troubled lives. However, they never repented of their sin and put their trust and faith in Christ alone. Like the atheist, agnostic, and cultist they are diving headlong into the lake of fire. The sad part is that they don’t know it because no one has ever told them that praying a prayer and going to church will not save them. They don’t know it because they’ve bought the lie of the “try Jesus on for size” false gospel.
No, the purpose of my conversation with Coda was not to talk her into making a decision for Christ. My purpose, my mission, was to plant good spiritual seed and warn her about her eternal destiny apart from Christ. In doing so, I put my trust in Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Harvest, to save her from the wrath to come and cause authentic spiritual growth in her life.
My conversation with Coda went against the grain of the prevalent evangelism philosophy in today’s body of Christ—particularly in the United States. My approach with Coda would not likely fit into the box commonly known as “friendship evangelism.” The philosophy can be described this way.
“Friendship evangelism” is taking the time and making the effort to establish authentic relationships with non-Christians. The hope is that by establishing such relationships, the Christian will “earn the right” to talk to the non-Christian about spiritual things. Another hope is that living the Christian life in front of the non-Christian will cause the non-Christian to ask the Christian what it is that makes them different and what the non-Christian must do to be saved.
So the Christian committed to the “friendship evangelism” philosophy of ministry takes his or her time, working carefully, diligently, and cautiously to make an investment in the life of unsaved friends, neighbors, or co-workers. They find out what interests the unsaved person and then tries to share in those interests. For example, if the person with whom they are trying to establish a relationship likes to ride mountain bikes, the Christian will buy a mountain bike and join them in the activity. If their unsaved neighbor is a member of the local chess club, the Christian may learn to play chess and then join the club in order to spend time with their unsaved friend. The Christian may also look to other areas of life he or she might have in common with their unsaved friend—like profession, school, and family.
There is certainly value in establishing relationships with non-Christians, but “friendship evangelism” (as it is applied by many Christians) has a flaw. While this philosophy of ministry helps in the establishment of relationships, more often than not true evangelism doesn’t occur. Why? For one thing, most Christians do not share their faith with others to begin with. Another reason evangelism doesn’t happen is that Christians work so hard to establish relationships, they won’t share their faith because they don’t want to do anything to jeopardize the relationship they have worked so hard to build. In the end, maintaining a relationship with the non-Christian becomes more important than where the non-Christian will spend eternity.
“Friendship evangelism,” as it is typically practiced, is neither friendly, in the truest sense of the word (John 15:13), nor is it evangelistic. It often becomes a “cop-out” for not sharing the gospel, as opposed to being a catalyst for sharing the Law and the gospel with the lost.
I didn’t have to establish a relationship with Coda by buying a monitor lizard and joining the “reptile of the month club” so I could earn the right to share the gospel with her. I simply had to care enough about her to establish a rapport with her, so I could fulfill my responsibility to share the gospel with her (Matthew 28:18-20). The approval, acceptance, or comfort level of non-Christians is not how Christians should determine when, where, and how to share the gospel with them. The command of Scripture, the Christian’s love for God, and their love for the lost should be all the motivation and mandate the Christian needs to share his or her faith with them.
Many Christians are under the impression that Jesus spent a lot of time establishing relationships with the lost. But even a cursory review of the Scriptures reveals that what Jesus (and the apostles) did was establish a rapport with the lost when bringing the Law and the gospel to those who He encountered, one-to-one.
Take for instance the woman at the well (John 4:7-30). Jesus’ earthly ministry lasted just a little more than three years. He didn’t spend all of that time developing a relationship with the woman at the well. He took but a few minutes to establish a rapport with her before confronting her about her adulterous relationship and explaining to her the way of eternal life.
Jesus didn’t have to be wealthy and spend years developing a relationship with the rich young ruler to have the right to confront the man with the Law of God (Mark 10:17-27). Jesus had an immediate rapport with the young man when he came to Jesus with an important question.
Philip didn’t have to spend years learning Ethiopian culture to earn the right to engage the Ethiopian eunuch in spiritual conversation (Acts 8:25-40). Philip established a rapport with the man by simply asking him, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
Paul didn’t have to spend years assimilating into the Athenian culture before engaging the people in spiritual conversations and confronting them on their sin of idolatry, or before engaging the people through open-air preaching (Acts 17:16-34). He established a rapport with them by engaging them in thought-provoking conversation. He reasoned with the religious people, the philosophers, and with whomever he came in contact. He stood before the people and called them to repentance and warned them about the judgment to come.
It doesn’t take months of training or a particular spiritual “gift set” to establish rapport with people. It simply takes the willingness to talk to people, fueled by the hope that the conversation will open the door for presenting the Law and the gospel. You’re not being obnoxious if you engage a stranger in conversation. You’re being obedient. You’re not being caustic or deceptive if you turn the conversation from the natural to the spiritual. You’re being caring and determined. You’re not being insensitive or judgmental if you honestly and sincerely confront people about sin and warn them about an eternity in hell apart from Christ. You’re being loving—very loving.
Should Christians try to establish relationships with non-Christians? Yes—by all means. But Christians should not do so at the expense of evangelism. Our ability to establish relationships with people will not save anyone. It is only the gospel that has the power to save (Romans 1:16-17). And the gospel must be shared. It must be spoken, using the Law of God to bring non-Christians to recognize that their sin against God is exceedingly sinful (Romans 3:19-20).
You don’t have to wait years to share the gospel with someone. You don’t have to wait years only to see you talk yourself out of sharing the gospel with whomever you are trying to establish a relationship. Leave your house today determined to establish a rapport with someone, anyone, and share with them the only good news that will save their lives—the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We approached the woman, whose name was Coda, and told her how impressed we were with her exotic pet. She was eager to answer our questions about her pet, and we had plenty of questions. Her pet’s name was “Gushu.” In just a few moments, by simply showing a friendly interest in Coda and her pet, we established a nice rapport with her.
I try to be ever watchful for evangelism opportunities. Recently, I started carrying a small, digital voice recorder with me so I can document my evangelism encounters—always doing so with the other person’s knowledge and consent. The recordings can be useful in training others to share their faith, and they can be a great way to bring evangelism encounters to life so that other Christians can be motivated, and challenged to share their faith. I picked up this idea from the Adventures in Christianity website.
I told Coda that I had hoped to find someone in the park willing to be interviewed. I explained to her that the topics of discussion would be creation, evolution, and spiritual beliefs. She said she had to run an errand, but she was planning on coming back to the park so Gushu could play in the park. To our surprise, Coda and Gushu returned to the park forty-five minutes later.
She laid a blanket on the grass and the three of us sat down. For the next forty minutes, we talked about creation vs. evolution, Coda’s spiritual beliefs, heaven and hell, Coda’s violation of God’s Law, sin and judgment, and the free gift of eternal life received by those who repent of their sin and put their trust in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation.
There were no arguments. No subject seemed to be off limits. The conversation was personal, in that Coda shared much about herself. I spoke plainly to Coda. I spoke frankly. I expressed concern about her spending eternity in hell, apart from saving faith in Jesus Christ.
I thanked Coda for talking to me and I gave her a copy of Ray Comfort’s book, How to Live Forever Without Being Religious. She looked at the title and said, “I love the title. I’m going to read this.” I told her that much of what we talked about would be further explained in the book. She thanked me and we went our separate ways, in all likelihood, never to see each other again.
Coda didn’t make a decision to receive Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. Frankly, I wasn’t looking for a decision. Too many people in our increasingly godless society have made “decisions to accept Jesus” as their Savior, but they are not saved. At some point in their lives they may have claimed some kind of intellectual belief in the truths about Jesus Christ. They may have cried out in desperation to God in a last-ditch effort to fix their troubled lives. However, they never repented of their sin and put their trust and faith in Christ alone. Like the atheist, agnostic, and cultist they are diving headlong into the lake of fire. The sad part is that they don’t know it because no one has ever told them that praying a prayer and going to church will not save them. They don’t know it because they’ve bought the lie of the “try Jesus on for size” false gospel.
No, the purpose of my conversation with Coda was not to talk her into making a decision for Christ. My purpose, my mission, was to plant good spiritual seed and warn her about her eternal destiny apart from Christ. In doing so, I put my trust in Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Harvest, to save her from the wrath to come and cause authentic spiritual growth in her life.
My conversation with Coda went against the grain of the prevalent evangelism philosophy in today’s body of Christ—particularly in the United States. My approach with Coda would not likely fit into the box commonly known as “friendship evangelism.” The philosophy can be described this way.
“Friendship evangelism” is taking the time and making the effort to establish authentic relationships with non-Christians. The hope is that by establishing such relationships, the Christian will “earn the right” to talk to the non-Christian about spiritual things. Another hope is that living the Christian life in front of the non-Christian will cause the non-Christian to ask the Christian what it is that makes them different and what the non-Christian must do to be saved.
So the Christian committed to the “friendship evangelism” philosophy of ministry takes his or her time, working carefully, diligently, and cautiously to make an investment in the life of unsaved friends, neighbors, or co-workers. They find out what interests the unsaved person and then tries to share in those interests. For example, if the person with whom they are trying to establish a relationship likes to ride mountain bikes, the Christian will buy a mountain bike and join them in the activity. If their unsaved neighbor is a member of the local chess club, the Christian may learn to play chess and then join the club in order to spend time with their unsaved friend. The Christian may also look to other areas of life he or she might have in common with their unsaved friend—like profession, school, and family.
There is certainly value in establishing relationships with non-Christians, but “friendship evangelism” (as it is applied by many Christians) has a flaw. While this philosophy of ministry helps in the establishment of relationships, more often than not true evangelism doesn’t occur. Why? For one thing, most Christians do not share their faith with others to begin with. Another reason evangelism doesn’t happen is that Christians work so hard to establish relationships, they won’t share their faith because they don’t want to do anything to jeopardize the relationship they have worked so hard to build. In the end, maintaining a relationship with the non-Christian becomes more important than where the non-Christian will spend eternity.
“Friendship evangelism,” as it is typically practiced, is neither friendly, in the truest sense of the word (John 15:13), nor is it evangelistic. It often becomes a “cop-out” for not sharing the gospel, as opposed to being a catalyst for sharing the Law and the gospel with the lost.
I didn’t have to establish a relationship with Coda by buying a monitor lizard and joining the “reptile of the month club” so I could earn the right to share the gospel with her. I simply had to care enough about her to establish a rapport with her, so I could fulfill my responsibility to share the gospel with her (Matthew 28:18-20). The approval, acceptance, or comfort level of non-Christians is not how Christians should determine when, where, and how to share the gospel with them. The command of Scripture, the Christian’s love for God, and their love for the lost should be all the motivation and mandate the Christian needs to share his or her faith with them.
Many Christians are under the impression that Jesus spent a lot of time establishing relationships with the lost. But even a cursory review of the Scriptures reveals that what Jesus (and the apostles) did was establish a rapport with the lost when bringing the Law and the gospel to those who He encountered, one-to-one.
Take for instance the woman at the well (John 4:7-30). Jesus’ earthly ministry lasted just a little more than three years. He didn’t spend all of that time developing a relationship with the woman at the well. He took but a few minutes to establish a rapport with her before confronting her about her adulterous relationship and explaining to her the way of eternal life.
Jesus didn’t have to be wealthy and spend years developing a relationship with the rich young ruler to have the right to confront the man with the Law of God (Mark 10:17-27). Jesus had an immediate rapport with the young man when he came to Jesus with an important question.
Philip didn’t have to spend years learning Ethiopian culture to earn the right to engage the Ethiopian eunuch in spiritual conversation (Acts 8:25-40). Philip established a rapport with the man by simply asking him, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
Paul didn’t have to spend years assimilating into the Athenian culture before engaging the people in spiritual conversations and confronting them on their sin of idolatry, or before engaging the people through open-air preaching (Acts 17:16-34). He established a rapport with them by engaging them in thought-provoking conversation. He reasoned with the religious people, the philosophers, and with whomever he came in contact. He stood before the people and called them to repentance and warned them about the judgment to come.
It doesn’t take months of training or a particular spiritual “gift set” to establish rapport with people. It simply takes the willingness to talk to people, fueled by the hope that the conversation will open the door for presenting the Law and the gospel. You’re not being obnoxious if you engage a stranger in conversation. You’re being obedient. You’re not being caustic or deceptive if you turn the conversation from the natural to the spiritual. You’re being caring and determined. You’re not being insensitive or judgmental if you honestly and sincerely confront people about sin and warn them about an eternity in hell apart from Christ. You’re being loving—very loving.
Should Christians try to establish relationships with non-Christians? Yes—by all means. But Christians should not do so at the expense of evangelism. Our ability to establish relationships with people will not save anyone. It is only the gospel that has the power to save (Romans 1:16-17). And the gospel must be shared. It must be spoken, using the Law of God to bring non-Christians to recognize that their sin against God is exceedingly sinful (Romans 3:19-20).
You don’t have to wait years to share the gospel with someone. You don’t have to wait years only to see you talk yourself out of sharing the gospel with whomever you are trying to establish a relationship. Leave your house today determined to establish a rapport with someone, anyone, and share with them the only good news that will save their lives—the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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