Book 20 Church leaders! This is your time to step up (part 5)

A SAMPLE OF ENDORESMENTS The following are some of the endorsements for Julian’s 900+ page book called Evangelism: Strategies from Heaven In the War for Souls. Some people are daunted by such a big book so Julian made a small book out of each chapter of the 900+ page book. What you are about to read is just one of the chapters of the larger work.

David Cole, YWAM Campaigns Asia/Pacific Board of Regents Chairman University of the Nations.

“This book is one of the most in depth looks at what Evangelism really is (and what it isn’t) that I believe has been written in the last century. I have been so inspired in my own calling through its content and often use it as a text book for teaching and imparting to young leaders in YWAM training courses as well as throughout other parts of the Body of Christ. Thank you Julian not only for such a valuable resource as well as for modeling the outworking of its content in your own life over the past few decades.”

Pastor Mike Smith, Melbourne, Australia

“An incredible book that all pastors should read. I have been a Christian for 28 years and a pastor for many years, and when I picked up this book, I thought, I doubt this will teach me anything new about evangelism. I was so wrong. It has revolutionised my thinking.

This is an incredible book that all pastors should read.”

Grant Buchanan LLB, B.Com, Auckland

“The best book I have ever read.

I am a solicitor (54) and a partner in a law practice.

I unhesitatingly give my endorsement for Julian s book.

Indeed, I would rate it as the best book that I have ever read!”

Grant Buchanan LLB, B.Com, Auckland

Michael Angulo, Pastor and Church Leader

“Truly a work of Ministerial art. I really like this book and every true evangelist will love it also. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO PUT IT DOWN, BUT WILL BE THINKING WHEN YOU ARE GOING TO READ IT AGAIN! A truly very well written book with good retrospective learning ideas. No true evangelist should be without this book. It is worth what it is worth and it will catapult you into great, deliberate PROVEN, ministry approach. Great book and I highly recommend it. Get this one, you won’t be disappointed!”

Julian Batchelor, M.ed (Hons), B.Th, Dip.T’Ching

Church leaders!

This Is Your Time

To Step Up And Lead Your Church In Evangelism!

(Part 5)

Copyright Julian Batchelor, 2016 Evangelism Strategies International Press Auckland New Zealand

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Acknowledgements I owe a lot of thanks to a lot of people for the production of this Mini Series: Sheryl Kampenhout, who transferred a mountain of material from Power Point shows into Word documents and who served and encouraged me in such a loving and kind way; to Matthew Old, a faithful friend and fellow evangelist, who has been a Barnabas. He reached out his hands when the hills seemed steepest, loved me in spite of my failures, stimulated me with his sharp mind, and made me laugh when I wanted to cry; to Janice Teo, and her intercessory prayer team who are as vital to the ministry I direct as the heart is to the body; to the team of editors, including Ken Francis and Julie Belding; to all the financial supporters who have given so generously to me over the years. I especially want to thank Paul and Tina Richards, of Club Physical, owners of a gymnasium chain in Auckland, New Zealand, and Derek van Beynen, who have faithfully sponsored my ministry for over a decade. Few people have the privilege of being able to leave secular work to write and produce resources to further the cause of the evangelisation of the world, and to motivate and equip the Church to do the same. You, and all my other financial supporters, have made this possible; to those I live with who have not seen me for years because I have been locked away in my office writing, I give my sincere thanks. Special thanks to Neil Pollock. To Jenny Windeyer, the graphic artist, who designed the cover of the original 800 page book (which we’ve turned into this Mini Series), and to Jenny’s husband Drew for going beyond the call of duty so that Jenny could focus on this project; to faithful Bernie Anderson who has sacrificed and given way beyond what a leader would expect of a dedicated co-worker; to Eleanor Goodall and Sue and George Jeffrey who epitomise love and true friendship; to the team at ESI for keeping all the various aspects of the evangelism ministry moving forwards whilst I directed most of my time to write this Mini Book Series; for Dr Martyn Bowis who did all the programming for the electronic version of the gospel called “Proclaim it!”; for Henoch Kloosterboeror for producing all the brilliant

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drawings; Dr David Stewart, retired Principal of the Bible College of New Zealand for nearly two decades of encouragement and mentoring; Denise James and Anne Bartley, staff at the Bible College of New Zealand for helping with research; all those who have helped proof read the manuscript and given comment, particularly Dr Marie Sewell, Gill Donald, Gill Lukey, Donna Hansen, Ainslie Vines, Ann Hunter, and Miriam and Ted Martin; to the academic staff of the Bible College of New Zealand for giving me a grounding in theology; for all those who have given financially and sacrificially to pay for specific aspects of the publishing of this Mini Book Series; for my friend Ray Comfort, for his inspiration and encouragement.

There are few evangelists today who have journeyed on the road of trial and tribulation to achieve breakthrough as Ray Comfort. For John Stott, the academic evangelist for his coaching and input via his many books.

For all the people who we have trained in evangelism around the world who are out there doing it – you are the heroes in the battle for souls; for the many hundreds of pastors, leaders, and lay Christians around the globe who have contributed to my life as a Christian, and to this Mini Book Series; and finally, I thank Jesus Christ, whose amazing grace and love has inspired and kept me. All the revelations in this Mini Book Library about evangelism and the gospel were given by Him – to Him be all the glory.

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How To Read The Mini Books In This Library This Mini Book is one of a Library of 27 Mini Books. The Library is a detailed critique of the battle between light and darkness which is relentlessly raging all over the earth for the souls of men and women.

The insights and revelations in each Mini Book are hierarchical i.e.

Mini Book Two builds upon Mini Book One, Mini Book Three upon Mini Books One and Two, and so on. Hence, the ideal is to try and read all the Mini Books in the library in sequence. If you skip Mini Books, or even parts of Mini Books, you might miss something vital, and open yourself to misunderstanding or even defeat.

Having said this, after you have read Mini Books One to Seven, which are the foundational books in the Library, each Mini Book is designed to stand alone. So, read Books One to Seven first. This is essential.

With respect to evangelism, if you follow the advice I am giving here in the pages of each Mini Book, you’ll position yourself perfectly to be used by the Holy Spirit to glorify Jesus in ways you’d not imagined possible. How so? Read the 27 Mini Books in the library and find out.

Along with Mini Books 1-7, I suggest you also purchase Mini Book 27, which is the “Evangelism Fitness Test.” This is a diagnostic survey which will tell you the extent to which you have been unwittingly influenced by the devil with respect to evangelism. Sit this test before you read anything. Then do the same test again after you have read all the Mini Books to check to see if all his devices have been thoroughly purged from your mind!

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Church leaders!

This Is Your Time

To Step Up And Lead Your Church In Evangelism!

(Part 5)

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evice 76. To persuade a leader that he/she must feel that they must “love God more than anything or anyone else” before obeying Him in evangelism so that when they do start, their motivation is right.

A church leader wrote the following: “If I were asked to prioritise three main things I felt God wanted of me it would probably be: 1. Love God above all else Mat 22:37 2. Love others as I love myself Mat 22:38 3. Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel Mk 16:15 Most of the common commentaries of Revelation 21:7 seem to support the position that our first love for God/Jesus is a requirement before any works.

New Ungers, Mathew Henry, etc all put the emphasis on our first love with references to 1 Timothy 5:12, Ephesians 1:15 as well as 1 Corinthians 13:2.

Everything else seems to stem or flow out of this - our first love.

We want our motivation for serving God to come out of our love for 7

Him. If we don’t love him first, our love will be somewhat indifferent.

Therefore, before we launch out in evangelism in our church, I first want to focus on having my people love God. Then they will want to evangelise.”

How should we respond to this?

This pastor wants himself and his church to spend time building up a love for God before engaging in evangelism. This sounds nice, Biblical, and noble but it’s actually just another device.

Let me explain. Christian love, as defined in 1 Corinthians 13, is not feelings based. It’s action based. The words used in this chapter to describe ‘love’ are all verbs. In other words, if an action we are about to take will express the love of God in some way (e.g. taking a meal to a hungry person), but we don’t feel like doing it, we are called to carry out the action anyway. In the Bible, God interprets “loving Him” as obeying Him. He says so: “If you love me, you’ll keep my commands” (John 14:21).

This pastor is waiting for a feeling. God, however, is looking for people who will take action, irrespective of how they feel.

Not only are we to obey Him whether we feel like it or not, but we are to do so when we feel great pain at the thought of obeying Him. Listen to what Jesus said in Luke 9:23: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

Picking up a cross was a hard, horrible, painful experience. It was a heavy and burdensome object. In Luke 9:23 Jesus is saying, “You are not going to feel like doing my will each day. Your feelings and my will are going to constantly clash. When they clash you are going to feel like you are picking up a cross and walking to your own crucifixion.”

This is not to say that we will never feel like obeying God. There have been many times when I have wanted to obey God, and felt like obeying God. It’s wonderful when this happens. But what happens when He commands us to do something and we don’t feel like it doing it? What then? This is what Jesus in Luke 9:23 is talking about.

Let me tease this out a little.

In the 1990’s, John Chapman wrote a book about ‘love languages.’ In this book he proposes that men and woman interpret ‘love’ in different 8

ways. The key to loving a spouse, asserts Chapman, is to discover their love language and then focus on loving them accordingly. There are five love languages: 1. Words of affirmation 2. Quality Time 3. Receiving gifts 4. Acts of service 5. Physical touch So for example, if my wife’s love language is (1) above, then as her husband I need to focus on speaking affirming words to her. When I do this, she will interpret my behaviour as “he loves me.” For my wife, the evidence that I love her are the affirming words I speak to her.

How does this relate to what the church leader (above) wrote?

Jesus has a love language. He says so in John 14:21 and John 15:14 “If you love me, you will obey me.”

The evidence of our love for Him is our obedience to His commands.

Period.

The more time, money, and resources we pour into doing the priority of His will, the more Jesus interprets our behaviour as “they really love me.”

You see, if the husband focuses on loving his wife with the other four languages which are not her primary love language, she will not feel so loved by him. He’ll be missing the mark with his love for his wife.

In the same way, if we are busy with other aspects of His will, but not about the priority of His will, we too will be missing the mark with Jesus. In fact, we can actually invoke God’s wrath. Look at Matthew 7:21-23 for example.

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly,‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Prophesying, driving out demons, performing miracles are three 9

behaviours that would be classed as “the will of God.” Yet the group of people He is addressing in Matthew 7 incur His wrath. Why? I suggest it was because they were merely picking and choosing what to obey and what not to obey. They were not under authority. Jesus was not “their Lord”. They were their own Lords. As such they never “knew” Him. To truly “know” the Lord is obey His commands.

There is one more issue with what this leader wrote that I want to address here.

When this leader says “Therefore, before we launch out in evangelism in our church, I first want to focus on having my people love God. Then they will want to evangelise” he is saying “obedience is a natural outcome of feelings.”

The truth, as I have already pointed out, is actually the opposite.

Obedience, in my experience, results in feelings of love for God. When I obey God in some area with an act of the will (i.e. when I don’t feel like obeying), the warm fuzzy feelings usually follow. After I have obeyed God in something, he anoints me with a feeling of feeling close to Him. I feel happy, joyful, blessed, even like dancing. Sometimes the joy is indescribable.

These feelings which follow obedience will lead to a desire for greater obedience, which in turn will lead to greater feelings of being in love with God, which in turn will lead to greater obedience, and so on.

Our faith is not ethereal, New Age, or airy-fairy. If the pastor wants to make a priority of loving God, he simply needs to make a priority of doing the priority of God’s will. It’s not complicated.

Obedience whether we feel like it or not is central to genuine faith.

If Jesus had waited until He felt like walking to His crucifixion, He would never had died on the Cross. The truth is, he sweated drops of blood. Such was the clash between His will and the will of His Father.

In the end, He chose His Father’s will over His own: “Not my will Father, but your’s be done” (Luke 22:42).

As world renown missiologist Dr George W. Peters quite rightly says: “Obedience is held up as a cardinal Christian virtue and a proof of belonging to God, keeping and doing the commandments of God (1 John 10

2:3-4, 2:29, 3:7, 5:2-4). To the Apostles, obedience is not optional; it’s occupational. It occupies all of their life and commits them in obedience and loyalty to their Lord and Master.”

The church leader I quoted would say obedience in the absence of warm fuzzy feelings is legalism. I would say “Not so.”

Rather, obedience in the absence of feelings is showing God we love Him, just as the husband who affirms his wife when he doesn’t feel like it demonstrates true Christian love.

Some have argued against what I have written here by pointing out that the Early Church waited for power from on high before they launched out in evangelism (Acts 2). True, this happened, but today we already now have the Holy Spirit. He was poured out in our hearts at conversion (Romans 5:5). My experience is that the Holy Spirit empowers us the moment we actually engage a non-Christian to give them the gospel, and not a moment sooner. Those who are waiting for some special outpouring of the Spirit before they get going in evangelism are chasing a rainbow. In short, they are deceived.

In summary, the line of reasoning put forward by the church leader I quoted at the beginning of this device is another one of those classic “1% off the truth” arguments. This is how the devil works. He is an angel of light. He uses very Christian sounding arguments and logic, including Scripture, to infiltrate the minds of Christians, including many leaders.

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evice 77. To cause leaders to become out of balance in the expression of their faith.

Who are the truly Spiritual people in the Church? How can we tell? The truly spiritual people in the Church are those who are balanced in their obedience to the whole council of God, as revealed in the Bible.

No thinking person would argue with this line of reasoning.

Yet, believe it or not, there is an increasing number of Christians who would contest this measure of genuine spirituality. As a consequence of their thinking, world evangelism has taken a nose dive. Let me explain.

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There are groups of Christians who conclude, for example, that seeking after signs, wonders, words of knowledge, visions, dreams, insights, and other miraculous “knowledge” is the priority of the Church. All the while they ignore the priority of Jesus to evangelise the world.

Recently I heard a message about how God speaks to us. The person delivering the message went into great detail about how to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit i.e. how to know the unrevealed will of God. For example: • who we should marry or what car we should buy • whether we should enter into a certain contract or not • the Holy Spirit might give us a word of knowledge about someone’s need for healing, for encouragement, or for “a word” from the Lord • the Holy Spirit might give us an insight into some aspect of someone’s life • Etc What a great subject for a message! We all need to learn how to hear the Holy Spirit as He speaks to us about things which pertain to us personally.

However, what the speaker did not do was explain that many of God’s commands are plain and simple, and are found in the Bible, and that we have no excuse not to be walking in obedience to these commands i.e.We don’t need to hear the voice of the Spirit before we do these things because the Spirit wrote the Bible.

The speaker gave the strong impression that the most spiritual people in the Church were those who were seeking signs, wonders, and miracles.

Please don’t misunderstand me. This is not to say that signs and wonders and the like are not of God. They are. Jesus commanded the discples to heal the sick e.g. Luke 9:1.

The Holy Spirit can and does direct us to do and say things 12

which can be enourmously powerful. Moving in the gifts of the Spirit is an essential part of “the mix.”

For example, one day I was praying for people at an altar call, and the Holy Spirit gave me a word of knowledge about the person I was praying for. The Holy Spirit gave me a strong impression that the lady I was praying for would be going to Russia.

I said “I feel the Holy Spirit is speaking to me about Russia.

Does this mean anything to you?” With that, the lady broke down in tears, and fell to the floor. It turned out she felt she was being called to Russia as a missionary and had come to this meeting seeking confirmation of this call.

Seeking after signs, wonders, and the supernatural is to be desired, and biblical, but not at the expense of world evangelisation. The same could be said for worship, good works, counselling, or any other Christian activity into which we pour our lives.

Balance is the key. It’s not “give my life to whatever I am passionate about” or “evangelism”. It’s both.

The devil wants us to become extreme in one area of our Christian walk. He wants us out of balance. For example, there are some Christians who want to take us into the realm of Christian mysticism, where the will of God is mystical and secret, only accessible to those with “keys” or “special revelations.”

These Christians believe that if they could hear the private revelations of the Holy Spirit all the time, they would be catapulted into a new and higher realm way above the realm of “ordinary” Christians.

The devil knows that while we are off searching and listening, we’ll be distracted from the priority of evangelising the world.

As was the experience of Eve, he is constantly throwing us apples to distract us away from the Great Commission.

Don’t eat the apples!

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In summary, one reason why the Great Commission has collapsed in the West is that the enemy has moved some of us into some extreme, or some area of Christian service, where we neglect the crucial command to evangelise.

What’s the right balance? Make a priority of evangelising the earth, but as we go, be open and ready to be used by the Holy Spirit for anything, including any the works of the supernatural described in the Bible. Second, if you are called to a particular area of Christian service (e.g. a worship leader, a person running a house of orphans, a group building houses for the poor, a pastor whose love in life is helping people etc), and you are passionate about it, this is wonderful. Just don’t forget to engage regularly in evangelism as you go about your day - strive to keep Jesus’ priority and your calling in perfect balance. The people who keep the balance are the truly Spiritual people in the Church.

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evice 78. To persuade leaders that “bringing the Kingdom to earth” is the new priority of the Church.

I touched on this in Device 75, Mini Book Nineteen, and I want to expand on it here. There is a lot of talk at the moment in Church circles about “bringing the Kingdom to earth” or “thy Kingdom come.”

The idea being conveyed is that this is the new priority of the Church. Eternal life is down-played, even dismissed completely.

Evangelism, according to the “bring the Kingdom to earth” group, is not really necessary because evangelism is a lot about trying to secure heaven for lost souls (which, they say, just breeds a ‘ticket to heaven mentality’) and securing heaven for the lost is ‘old school.’ For those who are promoting ‘thy Kingdom come’, all that matters is life here and now.

What are we to make of this?

Well, when I talk to people who espouse the idea of bringing 14

the Kingdom to earth, no one seems to know exactly what this would entail in reality.

I often asked those who are pushing this new priority to explain what would be different from what we have now in the Church?

Would there be more miracles? Good works? If so, what kind of miracles and good works? Who would ‘do’ them? When would we do them? Why haven’t we been doing them up until now? What’s suddenly changed?

There is also a lot of talk about ‘transforming our community through bringing the Kingdom’.

But how? What would that look like? Where’s the detail?

The answers which come back are generally fuzzy and etherial, even New Age sounding.

Make no mistake. This idea of “bringing the Kingdom to earth” as the new priority of the Church is another device of the enemy. How so?

First, the evangelisation of the earth has always been, and will always be, the priority of the Church. By evangelisation I mean that everyone on the earth is given the opportunity to hear and understand the gospel message at least once.

Second, I contend that evangelism is a crucial component of any concept of “the Kingdom.”

How is this so?

William Barclay defined “the Kingdom” in this way: “Wherever God’s will is done, and whenever or wherever Jesus is glorified, there the Kingdom has come.”

I like that. Why? It’s nice and simple and easy to understand.

The Kingdom, then, is about two things in combination: (1) doing the will of Jesus and (2) glorifying Jesus.

When we engage in evangelism, we are, according to Barclay, bringing the Kingdom because the will of Jesus is being done.

After all, in the Lord’s prayer Jesus said “Thy will be done, thy 15

Kingdom come.” In this prayer Jesus equates ‘doing His will’ with the coming of the Kingdom.

How does evangelism bring glory to Jesus?

Well, the gospel message is pregnant with the attributes, excellencies, works, and merits of Jesus. When these are spoken out in the lost world, Jesus is being exalted and honoured.

Yes, He is being glorified. And wherever He is being glorified, the Kingdom has come.

Conclusion?

If we want to see “Thy Kingdom come”, let’s be busy with the evangelisation of the world.

If a church says “We are about bringing the Kingdom to Earth” yet it is not attempting to mobilise all it’s people to evangelise the world, then it’s missing the greatest way possible to bring the Kingdom to earth.

In fact, it’s being outright unfaithful to Jesus’ understanding of “the Kingdom.”

How can we honestly say and mean “thy Kingdom come” if we are not prepared to do the priority of the will of the King of the Kingdom? How can we honestly say and mean “thy Kingdom come” when we are not prepared to explain to those outside the Kingdom how they might enter it? i.e. how to become subjects of the King. How will God’s Kingdom expand and grow unless we go to the lost with the the message of the King about how to enter His Kingdom? (Romans 10:14) You know the answer.

But there are other issues here.

LACK OF SCHOLARLY SUPPORT: For example, those who tout “The priority is to bring the Kingdom to earth” cannot produce the names of reputable widely accepted scholars who would endorse their view. That is to say, I have struggled to find one reputable widely accepted scholar 16

anywhere who believes bringing the Kingdom to earth is the priority of the Church.

DOWNPLAYING THE TRUTH OF ETERNAL LIFE IS UNBIBLICAL. Those who espouse that “The priority is to bring the Kingdom to earth” often downplay the importance of selling the concept of eternal life to the lost. They say that the Christian life is more about the here and now, and not about the next life. What are we to make of this? Does eternal life really matter to Jesus? Is it just as important to Him as seeing miraculous healings, deliverance and signs and wonders here on earth? As important as the creation of a better world here and now? Jesus’ answer is an emphatic “Yes! absolutely. In fact, it’s more important.“ How do we know this?

I’ve already pointed out Jesus’ teaching in Luke 10:17-24, particularly verse 20 in my discussion of Device 75, but here it is again. The disciples had just been out on a mission and had witnessed the full range of miracles, signs and wonders. Yes, through God’s power they had been vessels to create a better world for many people. Through them, the Kingdom had been manifest.

For the recipients of the signs and wonders, the Kingdom had come. The discples came back to Jesus pumped and excited, but Jesus brings them back down to earth in verse 20 by telling them what really matters is eternal life.

If, after reading this passage from Luke 10, you are still not convinced that “eternal life” is supremely important to Jesus, and ought to take a place of prominence in our gospel message, meditate on John 3:16. Why did Jesus love the world? Why did He give His only Son? Answer? So that they might have eternal life!

The Early Church Christians and the spiritual giants in the past gave their lives away in service to Jesus in this life because 17

they saw the next life as the one in which to invest. Even though “eternal life” begins when a person is born again, the early Christians saw themselves as sojourners passing through this world en-route to the next one. Heaven was their real home.

This view of this world gave them the power and motivation to do radical things for God while they lived here including living dangerously and sacrificially (like giving away all their possessions or being willing to be eaten by lions or burnt at the stake so as to not deny Christ). They’d seen Jesus raised from the dead, and believed emphatically that He would do the same for them if they “gave their lives away for Him” in this life (e.g. John 12:25).

WE BECOME LIKE THE WORLD AROUND US Once we start saying “this life is all that matters” we lower ourselves to thinking just as the government or any other secular agency thinks. They are only interested in improving the lot of people while they are here on earth. Isn’t ‘improving my lot’ all the non-Christians are interested in? Better car, better job, better house, better holiday, better clothes, better family relationships, better schooling, better quality of life etc? The Bible on the other hand gives exactly the opposite counsel in 2 Corinthians 4:18 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” And what about Matthew 6:19-20? “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven , where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Whenever we ‘do’ the will of God, seeking to glorify Him, we store up riches in heaven.

In summary, let’s be clear about this. When Jesus said in the Lord’s prayer “..thy Kingdom come, thy will be done” He was equating bringing the Kingdom to earth with doing the will of 18

God. Which brings us right back to William Barclay’s definition of The Kingdom. We’ve already concluded in Mini Book Seven that the priority of the will of God is to evangelise this world.

Let’s not be duped into thinking otherwise.

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evice 79. To cause leaders to think that promoting the need to do evangelism is to be equated with doing good works in order to get closer to God.

What are we to make of this device?

Let’s be clear that access to the throne, the Holy of Holies, and the Father, is through the blood of Jesus, and His finished work on the cross, and not through our good works, or anything we do.

Access to the Father, and the Holy of Holies is a work of grace and nothing but grace. Positionally, we can’t earn this access and we don’t have to do works to earn His favour. We already have His favour. Positionally, we are already as close to Jesus as we can get because of His work on the cross. These truths are some of the greatest and most wonderful of all Truths.

However, as always with the devil, he doesn’t tell us the whole truth. The whole truth is that Jesus calls for a response from His followers to the great truths I have detailed so far in this section.

Let me explain.

When we become Christians, we become His disciples. We enter into a servant / Master relationship based on mutual love.

As such, a disciple aims to deepen the intimacy of His relationship with His Master.

And His Master happens to have outlined the secret to the deepening of intimacy. We find this secret in John 14:21. “He who has these commands of mine, and obeys them, He is the one who loves Me, And He who loves Me will be loved by my Father, and I also will love him, and show Myself to Him.” The secret to deepening the intimacy between Master and servant is obedience to His commands.

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To the extent that we obey His commands, that is to say, to the extent that we identify with His mission and purposes and join in, will determine the extent to which we will experience intimacy with Him and His Father, and the extent to which we will tangibly experience His favour, blessing and presence.

It’s one thing to know in our heads that positionally we are saved by grace and have free and unmerited access to the Holy of Holies.

It is quite another to experience the sense of the presence of Jesus and His Father tangibly in our emotions.

John 14:21 teaches we will experience this when we obey His commands.

The ultimate test, therefore, of our love for Jesus, is our obedience to His commands. To obey Him is not legalism.

Rather, it’s how a servant expresses, or outworks, his love for His master.

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evice 80. Our culture is different from what it was 50 years ago and this affects our approaches to evangelism. People are now sceptical to the truth, rejecting moral absolutes and have a resulting indifference towards religion.

No matter which century into which a person is born, or what era, they are all still sinners in need of salvation. That is to say: • They have a sin nature.

• They are sinner in their actions • The are headed for hell • The are separated from their maker • They are lost and without hope.

• Etc God knew all this about people when He said in Romans 1:16 that “..the gospel is the power of God for salvation.” Is this verse He is saying that the simple gospel, when it’s announced with 20

love and grace, and presented clearly and logically, so that the person listening understands it conceptually (Matthew 13:23), is sufficient to convert the soul. No matter whether someone is postmodern, pre-modern, under-modern, over-modern, doesn’t believe in moral absolutes, is sceptical, or indifferent to religion - these things are no obstacle to the gospel. The gospel, when anointed by the Spirit, can instantly, dramatically, and completely break down these strongholds in the mind of an any unbeliever. It’s powerful!

When we do our simple bit, He sends the Holy Spirit to breakthrough and bring belief (John 16:8).

Our role: present the gospel with love and grace and clarity to ensure conceptual understanding God’s role: bring conviction and belief.

Ultimately, salvation belongs to the Lord and it’s all His work.

If we place an emphasis on post-modern, pre-modern, undermodern, over-modern, doesn’t believe in moral absolutes, is sceptical, indifferent to religious matters etc we fall into a man centred approach to evangelism, instead of a God centred approach. Put another way, we get bogged down in analysing this and that and the other thing to such an extent that evangelism becomes all too complex and overwhelming for even the most clever and articulate amoung us. As such, evangelism becomes all about us and not God. We become the big players when in reality God is the big player in evangelism. Paul states this clearly in 2 Cor. 2: 3-5 “And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom,but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.” Do we really want evangelism to be perceived as enormously complex and difficult? Is this really how evangelism actually is?

Is the Holy Spirit really with us when we evangelise, or not? Is He 21

powerful enough to break into any person’s mind? You know the answers to these questions!

In the first century, the society in which Christians lived was pregnant with many gods and philosophies, yet Jesus just simply told them to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel. Many of those early Christians were simple and uneducated. How would they have been able to obey God in evangelism if they first had to know all the intricacies and subtle nuances of the different philosophies and gods in their culture? The answer is they didn’t have to know. The gospel message, empowered by the Spirit of God, was more than enough. As a hot knife cuts through butter, so the gospel cuts through all the wrong thinking of the people we are talking to. The Early Church Christians proved this to be so.

The church grew like wild fire, as was recorded in Acts.

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evice 81. To convince us that Christianity is about being, not doing.

I recently entered into a conversation with a seasoned Christian man called Bob. He said the following: “Julian, Christianity isn’t all about doing. It’s about being. It’s about knowing who Christ is, and His character, and Work, and resting in Him, day by day, and listening to His voice. All your talk about ‘doing’ evangelism is taking us back into legalism and the law.” This is a particularly dirty device because, like all his devices, truth and error are mixed.

Let’s deal with the truth of this device first. It is true that positionally before Christ, we are complete in Him, and nothing we can do on this earth will earn for us our salvation, or make God love us any more than He already does. As such, we can enter into God’s rest “For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:10-11).

When we enter into this rest we relax and find tremendous peace.

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It is true also that His sheep hear His voice and follow, moment by moment each day. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). This is what it means to “be” a Christian.

If these are just two of the truths in this device, what’s the error?

It’s glaring. Just as being an apple tree naturally leads to bearing apples, so Christian “being” will lead to Christian doing. Christ gave specific commands, which He commanded His disciples to obey. For example, love you neighbour, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison, turn the other cheek, evangelise the world etc. These are just some of the many commands Jesus issued. These are things He has commanded us to do. i.e Christian doings. The greatest command was to love God. By now you should know all about John 14:21! Jesus Himself unpacks for us what “loving God” actually means. “Whoever has my commands and obeys them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

If we want to love God, we do it by obeying His commands, chief of which, as we discovered in Mini Book Seven, is to evangelise this world. To obey God is not legalism. Rather, to obey God is to love Him! “Obeying God” becomes legalism only when the person obeying believes that by their obedience they are earning their salvation. Furthermore, if Bob is listening to God’s voice, moment by moment each day, and doing what He says to do, but never doing evangelism, how can this be? God has revealed in His Word that the evangelisation of the world is His priority.

So whose voice is Bob really listening to? It can only be the voice of His own imagination, or the devil. Conclusion? Bob has been deceived by the enemy. He has made up a false God in his own mind. His false God invites rest, but not to obey Jesus’ commands.

As such, Bob has broken one of the ten commandments “You shall 23

have no other God’s before me” (Exodus 20:3).

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evice 82. Teaching that if we have to obey the commands of Jesus (e.g. the command to evangelise the world) this is taking us back into legalism and the law!

Let’s be clear here. We are not saved by keeping the commandments, but saved people will keep them.1 Today some people will tell you that keeping the commandments was fulfilled by Christ, and that because we are living in the period of grace, obeying God’s commands is therefore no longer required. The truth of the matter is quite the opposite: “Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19).

In these verses Jesus is saying that those who obey God’s commandments are great in the Kingdom of heaven! Matthew 5:19 is enough to defeat device 82 single handedly, but there are other equally powerful and relevant verses.

The Apostle John said: “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:3-6). It doesn’t get any clearer, does it?

Even the apostle Paul, who is most often cited by those attempting to do away with God’s commands, himself refuted device 82 by saying, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Jesus was THE great evangelist. He spent a lot of time telling the lost who He was and why He came. So Paul 1 Not all of them, all of the time. We all still sin, and no Christian on earth, aside from Jesus, has ever led a sinless life. But the heart’s desire of a saved person is to keep the commands, and walk in obedience to them.

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and the Apostles imitated Jesus the evangelist, also telling the lost who Jesus was and why He came. These men didn’t abolish the commands to evangelise! Rather, they walked in obedience to it, and so should we.

So, how should we respond to those who say that having to obey the commmand to evangelise the world is just legalism?

We respond by doing what Jesus did when he was tempted by the devil in the desert. We respond with scripture. Jesus said in John 14:21 “He who has these commands of mine and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.” It’s pretty clear isn’t it?. Jesus equated obeying His commands, not with legalism, but with loving Him.

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ummary

• • If we want to make a priority of loving God, we simply need to make a priority of doing the priority of God’s will. It’s not complicated.

• Proclamation of the gospel is to be kept in perfect balance with abounding in good works. This is the ideal.

• Wherever God’s will is done, and He is glorified, there the Kingdom has come.

• Calling out the Church to obey God in evangelism is not a call to legalism. It represents the practical outworking of our love for Jesus.

CTION POINT: You might ask “What can I do to help get the truth in this Mini Book to others?” Help other Christians become aware of the issues raised in this Mini Book, particularly leaders. Email it to everyone on your address book and encourage them to do the same. Send them a PDF file. You can obtain this by writing to julian@esisite.com. Post it on social media. elp other Christians become aware of the issues raised in this Mini Book , particularly leaders. Email this to everyone on your address book and encourage them to do the same. Send

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them a PDF file. If you are reading a hard copy of this Mini Book , you can obtain a PDF copy by sending an email to julian@ esisite.com.

CTION POINT: Go to the leaders of your church. Ask them to make changes to their mission statement so that evangelism becomes central. Ask them to bring evangelism back to centre stage in the life of your church. Pray for them.

Encourage them. Work with them. Dialogue.

In the next Mini Book , I discuss how God works through the evangelisation of the world to bless society, make a better world, and glorify Himself. This is a part of the battlefield we have not critiqued yet.

If we care about the world we live in, and the people who make up that world (and I know you do or you wouldn’t be a leader and you certainly would not be reading this book), the next Mini Book will stoke to new heights your passion and zeal to activate for His mission. Come with me and I’ll show you what I mean...

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Real Life Story A Piece Of Human Driftwood New Zealand.

Anonymous Evangelists have sometimes been accused of caring so much for the gospel that they forget the needs of the whole person.

We included this story for three reasons. First, to dispel this misunderstanding about evangelists.

Secondly, to show that sometimes it is impossible to give the gospel to some people, despite our best intentions. Thirdly, to show that sometimes our best attempts to help people don’t have nice, tidy endings. This is okay, because in God’s eyes every attempt at giving the gospel and trying to meet the needs of the whole person is a success.

I live near the beach in Auckland. Each day I walk 200 metres or so down to the waterfront to look for someone with whom I can share the gospel. This evening was special. It was November 5, Guy Fawkes 27

night – the night New Zealand skies explode with fireworks.

The waterfront was bustling with people and there was laughter everywhere.

The sound of explosions far and near filled the air. The night sky lit up with colour. Cars were tooting, glasses clinking.

As I walked along the footpath, the sea on my right, the road on my left, I passed a bus shelter. There was a person lying stretched out on the seat inside.

One leg and one arm were dangling over the edge of the seat and I could see the man had soiled his track suit pants. A pool of urine was below him on the footpath and the smell was pungent. His woollen hat was pulled low, covering one eye, and so I could only partially see his face. There was no movement. Beer cans were strewn around, close to the dangling hand. I stood taking it all in as people walked past me, seeming not to notice. It was as though the man in the shelter was invisible.

I talked to myself.

Me: “It’s too hard for me right now. I don’t have time to get involved in this one. It’s getting late, and I need to get the gospel to someone.”

I walked on, had a great evangelism encounter with someone, and completely forgot what I had seen in the bus shelter.

The next morning, after waking up, I decided to take a stroll along the beach. It was a glorious, crisp spring day with no wind. When I came to the footpath which led to the bus shelter, I thought about what I 28

had seen the previous night.

Suddenly I was alert and tense, wondering if he was still there. There were lots of other people out and about, some arm-in-arm, some jogging, many walking their dogs on the beach. But my eyes were fixed on the bus shelter. I neared it. He was gone. Phew! Out of sight, out of mind. There was still a smell in there, and the beer cans remained littered all over the ground.

Suddenly, I saw him. There he was, lying on the beach. Slowly, I sat down on a council seat and just watched. He was lying on his side, stretched out again, almost in the recovery position. I noticed his hand twitching, and for a moment I wondered if he was seriously ill. I also spotted a plastic bag near him, and realised it probably contained all he owned in the world.

Quite suddenly I felt angry – angry at myself for not getting involved the night before and angry that people were just walking by, some within one or two metres, as if he were merely a log or a piece of driftwood. A dog chasing a stick stopped momentarily to sniff him before running off, responding to his owner’s frenzied calls. “Here boy!”

In an instant, filled with compassion, I jumped up off the seat and ran down the steps on to the beach. I knelt down beside the desolate figure, only to find it was a woman in her early thirties. I touched her arm gently, then grasped it and shook it. She sat bolt upright, ripped off her woolly hat and shouted at me, smiling at the same time.

Sally: “#*&%! How are ya?”

Me: (startled) “Err... great… hey, can I help you? Would you like some breakfast?”

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Sally: (excited and reaching for her plastic bag) “#*&% yeah!”

As she staggered awkwardly to her feet, she reached for a beer can with her spare hand, scooped it up, and took a swig.

Me: “I’m Ian. What’s your name?”

Sally: “Sally… nice to meet you (thrusting out her hand).”

We shook; and I scolded myself for worrying about the state of her hand.

Me: “Sally, I am going to take you over to that café over the road. They do a really good breakfast. You won’t need that beer anymore… want to throw it in the bin over there?”

She agreed instantly.

We walked towards the bin, dropped the beer can in, and started up the steps off the beach toward the café, just across from the pedestrian crossing. We waited for a few cars to pass. It seemed to take a while for anyone to stop. I looked at the café seriously for the first time, and noticed it was quite full. I suddenly felt embarrassed to have Sally beside me. The people who lived around there were all well-to-do. They dressed well.

Taking Sally in there was going to create quite a stir.

We crossed the road and walked along the footpath towards the entrance to the café. Sally was clutching her plastic bag, looking enthusiastic. Her woolly hat was off and her hair was sticking up in the air, knotted and chaotic. Her pants were still soiled. Her fingernails were noticeably long, her right hand heavily yellowed from nicotine. She was wearing a thick woollen jersey which was filthy and holed. I felt anxious. People were already taking notice and it seemed there was a distinct drop in conversation levels. Maybe it was just my imagination.

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When we came to the entrance I noticed, with relief, an empty table near the door, almost on the balcony. Phew for the second time! We didn’t have to go inside. I was pretty sure I wanted to sit somewhere where there was plenty of fresh air circulating. The waitress saw us and smiled.

Me: (smiling weakly) “Sally, how about you sit here?”

A number of people were now watching us, some of them from behind dark glasses. I felt like making an announcement: “OK, everyone, this is someone I found on the beach this morning and she needs some breakfast.

Just carry on with yours and stop staring at us. Thank you!” I resisted, and pulled out a seat for Sally. Thankfully, the nearest table, complete with a happy couple, was two metres away. By then, people were quite openly watching us and no one was looking very happy. Sally, though, was oblivious. She adjusted her chair, and smiling from ear to ear, plonked her bag in the middle of the table and began inspecting the cutlery.

Me: (walking over to the waitress)“Hi, Akari.1 Hey, I just found Sally here on the beach. She’s not in a good way, poor thing. She needs some good food. Um, bacon, eggs, spinach... stuff like that... can you fix something?”

We walked over to Sally. Akari had pen and paper in hand, ready to write.

Me: “Sally, this is Akari. She works here. She’s going to get us some breakfast. What would you like?

1 This is her real name. Used with permission.

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...bacon? eggs?...coffee?”

Sally: (gleefully) “Yes, please!”

Me: (to Akari and under my breath). “Ok, can you get her the works, please. I’ll just have a coffee.”

Akari took the order and headed towards the kitchen. I sat with Sally and asked her lots of questions. She had no family, she said, apart from a sister who lived five hours’ drive away and whom she had not seen in more than five years.

Me: “Do you get on with her okay?”

Sally: “I guess so….it’s been a long time.”

An idea started forming in my head.

Me: “Would you like to see her if I could get you there?”

Sally: (lighting up) “Oh, yes…”

Me: “Okay. How about I get you some bus tickets today. You could be with your sister this evening.”

Sally agreed, somewhat dazed. Then the breakfast arrived. Her eyes widened and she almost glared at the food. Quick as a flash, she picked up a long rasher of bacon, threw her head back and opened her mouth wide.

I watched this in amazement, not daring to look around to see who was watching. She did with bacon what sword swallowers do with knives. Very impressive – and quite amusing. Unfortunately the others in the cafe did not see the funny side.

Oh well.

Me: (feeling like her father telling her off, but doing so under my breath) “Hey, Sally, here’s a knife and fork.”

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She thanked me, and as I sat there the crazy idea in the back of my mind began to expand.

Me: “Sally, how about I go home and see what time the buses are running today to New Plymouth.2 I’ll come back and get you in about 15 minutes.”

I told Akari what I was doing and asked her to look after Sally. She agreed, and I ran back to my house. One of my friends at the time was Rosalind, a woman in her fifties. I told her quickly what had happened and asked her if she could give some of her clothes to Sally, adding that Sally would be arriving soon!

Rosalind agreed without hesitation and started sorting out some clothes while I telephoned the bus company. There was a bus leaving at noon for New Plymouth.

I rushed back down to the café to find Sally had eaten only a third of what was on her plate. She was full, dear thing, as her stomach had shrunk. We then hopped in my car (after I’d put a towel on the seat) and headed for my house. Rosalind came out and greeted Sally with a big hug and ushered her towards the bathroom. The new set of clothes were all laid out and ready. They were a similar size – praise God! Sally hopped in the shower—and promptly threw up her breakfast, which must have been too rich for her stomach. After what seemed like forever, the door handle rattled and out she came, looking a million dollars (well, compared to 15 minutes ago anyway). Her hair, still dripping, remained terribly knotted and sticking up, but she was smiling and happy.

Roz hugged her and I took a photo.

We headed outside on to the deck for a coffee, where Sally lit a smoke and 2 New Plymouth is a city in New Zealand where her sister lives.

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thanked us.

I wanted to share the gospel with her, but sensed she was too hyped up and would have had difficulty concentrating. It was late morning by this stage, and so we packed up and headed for the bus station, a 20-minute drive away.

On the way, we asked Sally if we could put all her old clothes in the rubbish bin. She agreed. We also asked lots of questions about what might happen at the other end of her journey, making sure she knew how to contact her sister and how to get to her house. Sally was certain she knew where her sister lived and that she could find her way. She couldn’t remember her sister’s address though, nor her married name, and so I phoned a friend of mine in New Plymouth, Mark.

While Sally listened eagerly, I told Mark about her and asked him to pick her up. Mark runs a halfway house in New Plymouth and so I knew he would be comfortable with Sally and she with him. By the time we arrived at the bus station and got in line to buy tickets, Sally was buoyant. Just as we got to the front of the queue, she shouted in a loud voice to the man doing the ticketing.

Sally: (oblivious to everyone else and with a big smile on her face) “#*&%! Hey, mate, you look just like Elvis!”

Everyone laughed. Sally laughed, too, and then turned to me and asked if she could buy some cigarettes. I gave her some money and she ran next door to a nearby shop. While she was gone, I explained the whole story to the bus driver, who was leaning up against a wall nearby, watching and listening.

I gave him some money so he could buy her some food on the way.

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He said he was happy to keep an eye on her. I was amazed at how much people seemed to want to help her. It was as if we were all working as a team, Christian and non-Christian, as if everyone knew what was happening. God at work?

Anyway, tickets and cigarettes in hand, we walked over to where the bus was waiting. I prayed with Sally on the footpath and then she hopped on and the bus pulled out of the station. She waved meekly from the window, and I felt a mixture of sadness and relief.

That evening I phoned Mark. The good news was that he had picked her up. The bad news was that she had caused havoc on the bus, moving around a lot, pulling on the cord to stop the bus, and trying to steal from other passengers. It had been a very long five hours for everyone on that bus, and the driver was frazzled. Mark was now on edge. He was going to sleep with one eye open.

The next morning, when he awoke, Sally was gone. Nothing was missing. But he never heard from her again.

Nor did I. And that was Sally. “Dear Lord Jesus, help Sally and look out for her. She is your child, made in your image. Please restore her and heal her. Don’t let her die without having a family and being loved deeply.�

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The Full List Of Books In ‘The Truth About Evangelism’ Mini Series Book One

Evangelism Lost! Exposing The True State Of Evangelism In Today’s Church

Book Two Seven Deadly Motives Exposing How The Enemy Is Shutting Down Evangelism.

Book Three

The Sorrowful Collapse Of The Great Commission- A Dangerous Redefining Of Evangelism

Book Four Evangelism Redefined? Six Subtle Yet Devastating Redefinitions Of Evangelism

Book Five Confusion Busters 7 Things You Should Know About The Gospel Message

Book Six

Six Ways To Move From Gospel Confusion To Gospel Clarity

Book Seven

The Evangelisation Of The World Is The Ulimate Purpose Of The Church. 7 Irrefutable Reasons It Is Time To Prioritise

Book Eight

A Gift, A Call, Or A Commission. Are All Christians Commanded To Evangelise

Book Nine

12 Keys To Fearless Evangelism In The 21St Century

Book Ten Take Them Down. 12 Road Blocks And How To Get Through Them

Book Eleven

The Key To Victory. Start Viewing Evangelism As An Event, Not A Process

Book Twelve

Confidence In The Gospel, Come Back! Four Essential Steps To Reclaiming Lost Ground!

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Book Thirteen Prepare To Be Amazed! What Jesus Really Taught About Evangelism!

Book Fourteen

What Leaders Must Do To Cause A Resurgence In World Evangelism

Book Fifteen

A Plan Of Action To Cause A Resurgence In World Evangelism

Book Sixteen

Church Leaders! This Is Your Time To Step Up! (Part 1)

Book Seventeen

Church Leaders! This Is Your Time To Step Up! (Part 2)

Book Eighteen

Church Leaders! This Is Your Time To Step Up! (Part 3)

Book Nineteen

Church Leaders! This Is Your Time To Step Up! (Part 4)

Book Twenty Church Leaders! This Is Your Time To Step Up! (Part 5)

Book Twenty One

Climb On Board! 4 Reasons Why Doing Evangelism Will Help Create A Better World!

Book Twenty Two

Devastation! How Pseudo-Conversions Hinder Evangelism And What You Can Do To Stop The Rot!

Book Twenty Three

“Friendship evangelism.” What’s good about it, and what’s heretical?

Book Twenty Four

Unholy Grief! Five Ways Evangelists With The Gift Can Grieve The Holy Spirit

Book Twenty Five

The Highest Motive For Doing Evangelism? You’ll Be Amazed What The Bible Teaches!

Conclusion

Book Twenty Six Appendix One : If We Fail To Evangelise, We Fail. Period. By Dr K.P. Yohannan

Appendix Two : The Pastor Evangelist. By Dr. Roger S. Greenway

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Appendix Three : True Gospel Must Be Heard, By Kevyn Harris

Appendix Four : This We Believe Signatories

Appendix Five : Device 84. “I don’t like being told to do evangelism!”

Book Twenty Seven The Evangelism Fitness Test

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