BOOK 25 The highest motive for doing evangelism. You'll be amazed what the Bible teaches!

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

The Highest Motive For Doing Evangelism?

Prepare To Be Surprised!

Copyright Julian Batchelor 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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The Highest Motive For Doing Evangelism?

Prepare To Be Surprised!

“I place no value in what I have or possess, except in relation to the Kingdom of Christ. If anything will advance the interests of the Kingdom, it shall be given away or kept, only as by giving or keeping it, I shall promote the glory of him to whom I owe all my hopes in time and eternity.

David Livingstone, Missionary to Africa (1813-1873)

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hen I run seminars, I often ask people what they think should be our main motivation for doing evangelism. Typically they say one of the following: • “We want to obey God’s command to go into the world and proclaim the gospel. We are under the authority of Jesus.”

• “We want to love people. When we present the gospel to nonChristians, we plant an incorruptible seed in their hearts which God promises to grow. Many later decide for Jesus and then their whole destiny is changed. So there is nothing more loving we can do than co-operate with God to introduce non-Christians to Jesus and eternal life.”

• “We want to show our love for God. Did He not say, ‘If you love Me, you will obey My commands?’”

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• “We want to win souls. Jesus said ‘I came to seek and save the lost.’

If this was Jesus’ motive, it ought to be ours too.”

These are all valid and biblical motives for evangelising, but none of these is the main one. Let me say it plainly: our main motive for evangelising the world is to glorify God.

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cholars agree – do it for the glory of God…

The following are just three of many eminent leaders who have expressed this great truth in their writing. Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, for example, says: “The supreme object of the work of evangelism is to glorify God, not to save souls.”1 “Not to save souls.” Did you notice that? Not to save souls.

Dr John MacArthur writes: “One of the greatest ways we can give glory to God is to declare the gospel. [Its message] radiates the glory of God like nothing else in the universe. When we declare the gospel we are declaring the clearest and most powerful aspect of God’s glory.

Thus, [declaration of the gospel] is one of the highest and purest forms of worship because it most clearly affirms the glory of God.”2 Dr John Piper says the same thing: “The universal lostness of man is not the only focus for missionary motivation. Arching over it is the great goal of bringing glory to Christ.”3 Please grasp firmly the truth of what these leaders are saying. They received their insights after a thorough study of Scripture. For example, in John 7:18 Jesus says “Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory4, but he who seeks the glory of the 1

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones. The Presentation Of The Gospel. London: Inter-Varsity Fellowship, 1949, pp.6-7

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Dr John MacArthur. The Legacy Of Jesus. Moody Press, 1986, p.36

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Cited in: George Verwer. Out Of The Comfort Zone. Grace! Vision! Action! OM Books, 2000, p.50

4 We can evangelise for all kinds of wrong motives or hidden agendas. For example, we can evangelise in order to grow a big church so we can look good and show off. We say “Look what I have done!” or “Look how clever I am!” We might want to grow a big church to prove something to someone. Or we can evangelise to boast about how God is using us. We say “Look how God has used me!” or “Look how many souls I won!”

Or we can evangelise in order to increase the tithe etc. Jesus is saying in this verse that underlying all wrong motives is self glorification, not God glorification. He demands that we have nothing to do with the former, but rather focus completely on the latter.

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one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.” Jesus is saying here “I am looking for the person who will evangelise for my glory, and my glory alone. When you spot such a person, you can be sure they are truly Mine. They are the real deal.

They are genuinely doing my work for my glory, not their own.”

The people you lead in your church must know this and when they evangelise they are to do so with this motivation at the very forefront of their thinking.

If any lesser motivation becomes primary, like tender seedlings exposed to the blazing heat of the sun, your troops will soon wither and die when the battle for the evangelisation of the world heats up. Why? Because if you evangelise, and you don’t see souls won everytime to spread or proclaim the gospel, you might give in to discouragement and a sense of failure, and give up. But if you know that the main reason you are evangelising is to glorify God, and not to win souls, you’ll always know you are succeeding with evangelism, whether souls are coming to Christ or not.

So how exactly does “evangelising” glorify Jesus?

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ow evangelism glorifies Jesus…

According to the dictionary, “to glorify” means “to make glorious by bestowing honour, praise, or admiration; to elevate; to light up brilliantly.”

When we go to non-Christians and explain the gospel we are honouring, praising, elevating and lighting up Jesus brilliantly. We are glorifying Him. Please think about this. The words of the true biblical gospel reveal richly the greatness, deeds, and excellencies of Jesus. For example, Jesus’ sinless life points to His holiness, moral purity and transcendence; His humility is shown by His descent from heaven; His incarnation shows His eminence, grace and benevolence ; His death on the Cross shows His mercy, compassion, love, courage, faithfulness and humanity; His judgment of sin shows 9

His justice, wisdom, divinity, and righteousness; His three year ministry demonstrates His persistence and longsuffering, for He remained resolute in the face of great persecution; His resurrection demonstrates His infinity, majesty, omnipotence, and veracity.

All this, and more, are in one amazing message - the gospel!

As such, when we proclaim the gospel in a dark world, we are causing Jesus to be lit up brilliantly. We are glorifying Him. And since no other single message from the Bible contains more of the attributes, merits and excellencies of Jesus than the gospel message, evangelism is the greatest way to give Him glory.

You might ask “How does this work in reality?” Good question.

It’s like this - when you lovingly and graciously proclaim the gospel to someone, you are answering the following four questions.

1. Why must we be saved?

2. How can Jesus save us?

3. What must we do to be saved?

4. What is the cost of being a disciple?

That is to say, when you proclaim the gospel, you are explaining to the person listening why they must be saved, how Jesus can save them, what they must do to be saved, and the cost of being a disciple. As you do this, all the attributes, merits and excellencies of Jesus shine forth.

These four questions and their answers are crucial because they zero in upon, and draw attention to, the high points of Jesus’ redemptive work. For example, His death on the Cross, His shed Blood, His role as the sacrificial Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, His resurrection from the dead, and the salvation significance of these (and other) monumental events, truths and theologies.

Let’s be brutally honest here - if non-Christians were observing us every minute of every day would they know why they must be 10

saved, how Jesus can save them, what they must do to be saved, and the cost of being a disciple? No matter how polite, kind, happy, generous, morally upright and nice in every way we are to everyone we meet, will our lives cause the people around us to ask and answer these four questions? The truthful, baldly honest answer is that they won’t. Not a chance. Sure, they might become curious about us and our faith if our behaviour shines, but at some point we will have to share the gospel which is where we will ask and answer the four questions.

This is why social action alone, or living good lives alone, or being used by God to work a miracle, or even a combination of these three, will never cut it.5 Paul the Apostle was saying as much when he wrote: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?

And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?

And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the gospel!”

Romans 10:14-15.

You see, the moment we stop in our day and start sharing the gospel with someone (or we give someone a booklet about the gospel and they start reading it), the focus comes off us completely, and goes onto Jesus. In the gospel message these four questions are asked and answered. Suddenly, in the time it takes to share the gospel, or read the gospel, the focus, via these four questions and their answers, is all on Jesus. When this happens, Jesus is being glorified.

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es, you can bring Jesus much glory…

Jesus will never be glorified among non-Christians unless

5 Yet, sadly, many churches have gone down the route of trying to win the world through social action, all the while ignoring evangelism or paying lip service to it. This is a tragedy beyond words. They have lost sight of the mission of the Church, which is the evangelisation of the world.

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someone or something causes this to happen. That “someone” is you and me. Deciding whether to evanglise or not is a choice we make moment by moment each day with every person who comes across our path.

At the final Judgment Jesus will not ask us, “How many souls did you save?” Or “How many people were healed through you” or “How many people did you help in a practical way?” Rather, He will ask us, “Did you glorify Me by proclaiming or spreading the gospel? Did you make plain My merits to non-Christians? Did you use your mouth (i.e. proclaiming the gospel) or your hands and feet (i.e. spreading the gospel by distributing booklets which explain the gospel) to light Me up brilliantly, to elevate Me? Did you use your money, resources, and time to do this?”

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ood works and the glory…

As I have spoken on this subject of glorifying Jesus in various places around the world, some Christians have protested,6 “Proclaiming or spreading the gospel is not the only way of glorifying Jesus! Doesn’t the Bible say that we can also glorify God by our good works? Through miracles and signs and wonders?”

We know the answer is an emphatic “yes” (e.g. Matthew 5:16). We know too that a good work done secretly and privately is pleasing to Jesus (e.g. Matthew 6:6; 6:18). However, sometimes our good works, good moral behaviour, seeing someone healed through us, and a joyful outlook can actually glorify us, and not Jesus. Let me explain.

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rs Smith the Christian– a good person, but not a channel of glory for Jesus…

Mrs Smith, for example, is a generous servant. She bakes

6 I was taking a seminar once and a hand shot up in protest. “We can glorify God if we are alone on a desert island, surely?!” The answer, of course, is “Yes.” How so? Well, God sees the heart. If in the heart of the person on the desert Island there was a desire and a willingness to ask and answer the four crucial questions I have cited in this chapter, then this heart desire is what glorifies Jesus. That is to say, if there were people around to ask, this person would most definitely ask them!

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cakes for people in the neighbourhood, visits them when they are sick, remembers their birthdays and runs errands for people. What she says to people is always encouraging and life-giving. No one has ever heard her gossip, criticise, or stab people in the back.

Everyone loves Mrs Smith and thinks she is amazing.

However, although Mrs Smith is a Christian, she never shares the gospel. So who is getting the glory? Mrs Smith. Even if Mrs Smith lets everyone know she is a Christian, it will still be Mrs Smith who is receiving the glory. People will say of her “Oh my, isn’t she a lovely Christian woman!”

As I have said before, and say it again now, the critical question for you and me is this - would non-Christians watching Mrs Smith know why they must be saved? Know how Jesus can save them?

Know what they must do to be saved? Know the cost of being a disciple? No, they will not. I know from speaking with literally thousands of non-Christians that they perceive us as ‘do-gooders’ and ‘nice religious folk’ and that’s about it.

They will not hear (or read) the four crucial questions unless someone asks them, and they won’t know the answers unless someone gives them.

These four crucial questions and answers are those which Jesus came into this world to announce, and He has commanded us to carry on announcing them. These are the questions and answers which the gospel asks and answers. Announcing these questions and their answers is, essentially, what the Great Commission, evangelism, and glorifying Jesus through evangelism is all about.

It is supremely important that Jesus receive the glory for what we do and say in the world. Scripture clearly teaches this: •“ I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another” (Isaiah 42:8).

• “And I will not give My glory to another” (Isaiah 48:11).

•“ Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to Your name be the glory, 13

because of Your love and faithfulness” (Psalm 115:1).

If we don’t give the gospel as we do our good works, and as will live our morally upright and pure lives, we might easily be misunderstood by those watching, as was the case of Mrs Smith.

Worse still, those watching might see us as good Buddhists, Muslims, or Hindus. When this happens, in the minds of those watching us, the glory for our good works and wonderful morally upright lives will go to the gods of these false religions, not to Jesus.7 Or what about atheists? Atheists can be moral, upright, happy, gracious, kind people too. So how, for those watching our lives, will we be perceived as any different from them? How will anyone watching us and them know we are different? If we don’t share the gospel, they may never know.

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ow to “up” the glory going to Jesus…

To make sure Jesus gets the glory for our good works, miracles etc we need to master the art of what I call “MTG”. MTG stands for Maximsing The Glory. Let me give you an example: I like to pick up hitchhikers. As a young Christian, before I understood anything of what I’ve written in this Mini Book Series , when I dropped off the hitchhiker I would always say, “God bless you!” or something similar because I wanted them to know I was a Christian. Or, if I did a good work for a non-Christian I would say, “Have a good day. God bless you.”

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aximising the glory going to Jesus...

Many of us do similar things because we want to point people to Jesus. There are other things we do to do this. We might, for example, wear fish-shaped badges on our clothing, attach a Christian bumper sticker to our cars, carry a Bible, let our neighbours know we go to church on Sunday, and refrain from 7

Remember, good works are not unique to Christianity. Buddhists, atheists, Hindus and many other groups in society do them, but not a shred of glory for these goes to Jesus.

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smoking or swearing. Although these behaviours might hint that we are Christians, they do not “make plain the merits of Jesus” (Ephesians 3:9, NIV) or light Jesus up brilliantly. None of these behaviours asks and answers the four crucial questions.

In other words, if all we do is the things I have mentioned above, we are guaranteeing Jesus will remain vague and mysterious in the minds of non-Christians. This being so, not much glory (if any at all) is going to Jesus. As Dr Leighton Ford puts it: “We are to let our light shine before men that they may see our good works, but then we must reveal the source so that they may glorify our Father who is in heaven.”8 Rather than dropping the hitchhiker off and saying “God bless you,” I now know it would be better to take him or her through the gospel or at the very least give away a booklet with the gospel message inside. In this way, the glory for picking the man up and giving him a ride is maximised and goes to Jesus.

Here is another example. Let’s say I am the world’s greatest violinist. My talent and time are given to me by God. I could use this talent and time to attract praise for myself, or I could glorify God by publicly acknowledging that my talent came from Him and was given by Him. I could say to the audience after a recital, “I want to thank Jesus for the talent He has given me. Good night and thank you for coming.” This would minimise the glory going to Jesus. If I was really bold and wanted to MTG going to Jesus I would say graciously, “I want to thank Jesus for the talent He has given me. To those of you tonight who have applauded this talent and enjoyed it, I would like an opportunity to explain why I am a Christian. If you’d be so gracious as to afford me this opportunity, I’d be grateful. If you would like to go at this point, please feel 8

Dr Leighton Ford, The Christian Persuader. A New Look At Evangelism Today. Harper and Row, 1976, p.78

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free to do so. Let’s have a two-minute break so that those who need to leave now can do so. To those who are leaving, good night, and thank you so much for coming. To those who are coming back to hear my story, thank you. I really appreciate your interest.” When people returned after the break, I would give my testimony and proclaim the gospel. To act in this way would be to maximise the glory going to Jesus.

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hy giving the gospel maximises the glory going to Jesus...

As I have already said, the gospel is replete with “the greatness, deeds, and excellencies of Jesus” and through it Jesus is revealed as the greatest of all heroes. Through it Jesus is lit up brilliantly.

It also explains not just why Christians do what we do, but also Who is motivating and empowering us. It causes our listeners to focus on Jesus and His story, and not on our own story or good behaviour.

As such, it directs all the glory to Jesus.

As we speak out the gospel, He increases and we decrease. If we don’t connect our good works with the words of the gospel, the danger is we might increase and He decrease.

Look how the writer of Chronicles connects the proclamation of the gospel with the glorification of God: “Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim His salvation day after day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvellous deeds among all peoples…. ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name” (1 Chronicles 16: 23-29).

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hy words are so important…

This Scipture implies that when we speak to people about salvation through the gospel, day after day, we are glorifying the Lord. Notice the words sing, proclaim, declare. What do these all have in common? Words. Jesus could have come to earth, 16

engaged in radical social action, worked a million miracles, and said nothing. But He didn’t do this. He used words.

You see, Words are extremely important to God. He works through Words to do the miraculous. He created the world, defeated the devil, and stilled the storm with them. In the gospels, all Jesus’ miracles were performed using Words - His Words.

It was with “a Word” that the servant of the centurion was healed (Matthew 8:8). Lazarus was raised with Words. In Romans 1:16, Paul calls the Words of the gospel, “the power of God for salvation.” The words of the gospel are God’s Words, and He promises to save people through them. As such, they are extremely powerful. My friends in Christ, let me say this plainly - it is not enough to simply let our light shine, to perform random acts of kindness, to be used by God to work miracles, or to flood the world with good works.

To maximise the glory going to Jesus, we must labour, as Jesus did, to connect our good deeds, miracles, signs and wonders, and other good behaviour with the Words of the gospel message.

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ow to become a star…

Psalm 19 is yet another illustration of how God delights to use words to glorify Himself. Just look at how many times in these first four verses reference is made to words, or speaking. They are literally everywhere!

“The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display His marvellous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world” (Psalm 19:1-4, NLT).

“The heavens and the skies” says the psalmist, “speak” to

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humanity about the merits of God.9 How do they speak? Surely, stars can’t speak? Yes, they can. When we look at the sky on a clear night, certain thoughts about God come to us. These thoughts are words. What we are watching stimulates us to think (for example) of His omnipotence, majesty, greatness, creative genius, beauty or omnipresence.

We might use other words to describe the thoughts which come to us as we gaze into the night sky (e.g. “amazing!” “Oh wow!” “awesome!” etc), but whatever ones we use, we use words. In this way, creation “speaks” to us about the greatness of Jesus and in this way it glorifies Him. When we proclaim the gospel, we join with the rest of creation in using words to declare His greatness to the world. Are you “getting” this?

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essons from the stars…

There are other lessons to learn from the stars and the sky about how we can glorify Jesus through the proclamation of the gospel. One day I was looking at a brilliantly blue clear sky. Only a few hours earlier the same space above me was littered with bright stars. So where had all the stars gone when the sky turned from black to blue? The answer is that they were still there. It’s just that I couldn’t see them because they were outshone by the brilliance of the sun when it arose in the morning.

Why do stars shine most brightly at night? Because the sun has gone down and they are set against the background of the black sky.

There is a lesson for us here as to how we can bring the greatest glory to God in this world. Let me explain:

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here to shine most brightly…

Many places in Scripture associate Christians with light. For example, Jesus calls His disciples “the light of the 9

Not literally of course. We don’t hear God audibly as we look at the night sky. But the grandeur of the night sky elicits thoughts in our mind. We may say these thoughts are “God speaking to us.”

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world” (Matthew 5:14); and He says of Himself, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

By contrast, a spiritually dark place is where the kingdom of darkness reigns and rules. This is anywhere outside of the Kingdom of God, where Jesus does not reign and where behaviour, attitudes and thoughts not pleasing to God are operative. Look at Ephesians 5:8-10: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth), and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness.”

Similarly, when Jesus was arrested He told His captors that “darkness reigns” (Luke 22:53). Paul describes Christians as having been rescued from “…the dominion of darkness” (Colossians 1:13). When we go out into the non-Christian world with the gospel, we are going into spiritual darkness.

Now, where are Christians going to shine most brightly and bring most glory to Jesus? In a Sunday morning church service where all the people of light gather? There we will be like the stars shining in the full light of day against the background of a blue sky lit by the blazing sun.

Or will we shine brightest in a dark place, where all the people of darkness gather, as the stars shine against the night sky?

You know the answer.

This is why Jesus told us to go into all the world and preach the gospel (Mark 16:15).

The “go” in this scripture is His command for the stars (i.e the people in Church) to get out of the place of light (i.e. their church services, meetings, and conferences), and to go into the darkness (i.e. the world) declaring “the light of the gospel”(2 Corinthians 4:4).

Please meditate on this - it is when the people of light declare 19

the gospel of light in the dark places of this world that Jesus will shine brightest. That is to say, when Jesus will be most glorified.

In Philippians 2:14-15, Paul actually shows how Christians who proclaim the gospel shine like stars: “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the Word of life (i.e. the gospel) – in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labour for nothing.” The apostle reminds us here that it is our words which make us shine – a direct reference to the gospel.

Commenting on Philippians 2:14-15, Dr John Stott writes: “If his readers do not shine like stars in the sky, if they do not hold forth the Word of life [the glorious light of the gospel], like waiters serving out some dainty dish, then he would regard all his Christian race and labour as having been in vain.”10 Let me say it again. Christians shine brightest when they move out of the Church and combine good works with the spread or proclamation of the glorious light of the gospel.

So far in this discussion, I trust I have made it clear that: • The highest motive for evangelising the world is to glorify Jesus.

• The greatest way to glorify Him is to proclaim the gospel.

With respect to evangelising the world and motives, these are not the only things we need to know.

We also need to know that when we are evangelising we are worshipping Jesus. Why is it so important to mention this?

Well, I have encountered some Christians who maintain that our priority is not to evangelise the world but to worship Jesus. Thus their focus is worshipping God through singing songs and hymns at 10 Dr John Stott. Our Guilty Silence. The Church, The Gospel, And The World. Hodder and Stoughton. 1965, pp.62-63

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the expense of evangelising the world.

What are we to make of this? What these brothers and sisters don’t realise is that there need not be any competition for the top spot here. Evangelism and worship are best friends. Why? Because to evangelise is to enter into the highest form of worship!

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vangelism is worship…

Who equates evangelising with worship?

Dr Stott says when we go into the world and proclaim the gospel we are worshipping Jesus. Stott says worship is “worthship, an acknowledgement of the worth of Almighty God.”11 I have already talked about how when we give the gospel to non-Christians, we are declaring in the most colourful and complete way possible the excellencies, merits, and greatness of Jesus’ person, works, and attributes. When we declare him in this way, we are worshipping Him. How could it not be so? Think also about this.

While you are evangelising, you and the person listening to the gospel are focussed on Jesus. You might reply “Isn’t this what we do when we worship Him through song on Sunday mornings?

Don’t we focus on Him and sing about his excellencies, greatness, works, and attributes?” The difference between worshipping through a song on Sunday morning and worshipping through evangelism is this - the gospel message is pregnant with more of the excellencies and merits of Jesus than any single hymn or song.

If you analyse most songs and hymns, you’ll find only a few attributes of Jesus are being announced whereas in a true gospel message the excellencies and merits of Jesus will be overflowing in their richness and variety. That is to say, there are more attributes of Jesus in the gospel message than any song or hymn.

And, as I have said, on Sunday morning, we are worshipping 11 Dr John Stott. Our Guilty Silence. The Church, The Gospel, And The World. Inter Varsity Press. 1997. p.27

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Jesus in the place of light (i.e. inside the Church) whereas when we take the gospel outside the church walls, and proclaim it, we are going into darkness with the brightest of all lights. It’s in the darkness that He shines brightest i.e. is most glorified.

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vangelism, scripture, and worship...

Take a look at how the scriptures connect evangelism and worship: “Then I saw another angel flying in mid-air, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth — to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water’’’(Revelation 14:6-7). In this verse, when the excellencies and greatness of God are proclaimed through the gospel, the natural response of those listening is to worship Jesus.

Or what about this verse? “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvellous deeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:1-3).

Here the Psalmist is saying that the salvation Jesus secured for us on the cross through His death and resurrection are glorious, marvellous deeds worth singing about. Interestingly, these events are the epicentre of the gospel message.

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ow to avoid being a hypocrite…

How is it, then, we can freely and exuberantly exalt and glorify Jesus on Sundays in our church services through praise and worship (or in private worship) then go cold on the idea of continuing to worship and glorify Him through evangelism the other six days? Something doesn’t stack up here. The truth is, (dare I say it) it’s hyprocritical.

Herein are two great challenges for us. The first is to continue to worship Jesus on Sunday, expressing and acknowledging from the core of our being His greatness, worth, merits and attributes.

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This shouldn’t be too much of a challenge because we have established the habit.

The second is to continue to worship Jesus with every aspect of our lives for the other six days, focussing on personal evangelism, the highest form of worship. This is truly going to be formidable because the stats show 98% of us in the West have never done this before! It’s so new it’s going to be a monumental challenge!

Dr Stott makes the point that “worship which does not beget mission is hypocrisy. We cannot acclaim the worth of God [on Sunday and in private worship] if we have no desire to proclaim it [the other six days]. Worship expresses itself in witness [evangelism];12 witness fulfils itself in worship. The unifying theme is the glory of God and of His Christ, and there is a great need for this to be the supreme incentive of our modern evangelism.”13 Stott suggests witness and worship are inseparably linked. “Each is maimed without the other. Each, if true to itself, leads to the other, thus producing an unending cycle.”14

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hat the famous missionary Hudson Taylor couldn’t bear…

The sight of Christians vigorously worshipping God on Sunday and then silent in evangelism during the rest of the week was what burdened the missionary Hudson Taylor. “In Brighton in June 1865, Hudson Taylor was so burdened for China that he found the self-satisfied, hymn-singing congregation intolerable. He looked around him. Pew upon pew of prosperous merchants, shopkeepers, visitors, demure wives with bonnets and crinolines, scrubbed children trained to hide their impatience, the atmosphere of smug piety sickened him. He seized his hat and left. Unable to bear the 12 I discuss in Mini Book Four how “witnessing” and “evangelising” are the same thing.

13 Dr John Stott. Our Guilty Silence. The Church, The Gospel, And The World. Hodder and Stoughton. 1965, pp.31-32 14 ibid, pp.30-31

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sight of a congregation of a thousand or more Christian people rejoicing in their own security while millions perished for lack of knowledge, [Taylor] wandered out on the sands alone, in great spiritual agony. And there on the beach he prayed for twenty-four willing, skilful labourers.”15 Taylor’s thoughts are a challenge to my life as well.

If I worship on Sunday with my arms in the air and my heart and mind engaged, and tears running down my cheeks, saying how much I love Jesus, yet do little in the next six days to worship Jesus by helping to evangelise the world, putting legs on the words I am singing, then I think Taylor would react to me in the same way he reacted to the Brighton congregation in 1865.

I often jest with worship leaders and those who sing and play musical instruments on stage. “Worship is the greatest way to glorify God isn’t it?” “Yep, sure is” they reply smugly. “Would you like to move on from worshipping on stage to the highest form of worship?” Looking confused and deflated they say “Huh? What do you mean?”

“The highest form of worship - would you like to know what it is?”

“Yep” they reply. “And what would that be?”

“Evangelising. Going into the world and proclaiming or spreading the gospel.”

After vigorous discussion, they get it.

At one church I was taking a small group study on evangelism and made the point that the evangelisation of the world was the priority of the Church.

At this point a young lady robustly challenged me. “No! Worship is the prioirty” she insisted.

I wanted to communicate to her all the points I have made in 15 Cited in: Dr John Stott. Our Guilty Silence. The Church, The Gospel, And The World. Hodder and Stoughton. 1965, p.28

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this Mini Book and Mini Book Seven, but she didn’t give me a chance. She just up and left the group.

What’s the point? She didn’t know what she didn’t know and she didn’t want to know what she didn’t know!

This is how the enemy tries to pit one Christian against another over points of theology in order to shut down the evangelisation of the world.

When you start communicating the truths of this Mini Book to others, expect to insite some vigorous healthy discussion.

But hold fast.

I trust I have backed the arguments put forward in this Mini Book Series with sufficient scripture and scholarly review to give you confidence that what you have read here is Truth and therefore worth fighting for.

Please listen to the words of world-renowned missiologist, Dr George W. Peters: “Not the welfare and glory of man, not the growth and expansion of the Church, but the glory of God forms the highest goal of missions because the being and character of God are the deepest ground for missions ‘for of him, and through him, are all things: to whom be glory forever.”’16 This is a powerful quote, and one which summarises the gist of this entire chapter. Please take a moment or two to read it again and meditate upon it.

I close this Mini Book with this thought. It’s a great thought.

It’s a God thought. If you were to lovingly and graciously reach someone with the gospel every day for the rest of your life, either through proclaiming or spreading it, and not one soul was saved as a result of all your efforts, in the sight of Jesus, you will have done the greatest thing with your life. Why? Because you will have used your time, talent and resources to ensure that maximum 16 George W. Peters. A Biblical Theology of Missions. Moody Press, 1984, p.57

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glory went to Him - that the sum total of your life glorified Him, and not you. You will have lived your life in the MTG (Maximize The Glory) zone! Ultimately, this is what the Christian life is all about.17

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ummary

• To evangelise is to enter into the highest form of worship because evangelism involved announcing to the world, in the most potent way, the excellencies and merits of Jesus.

• All of us should carry a few gospel booklets with us all the time so we can give them away as we go about our day.

• Ideally, all of us ought to be looking for opportunities to explain the gospel to a lost person as we go about our day.

• The highest motive for evangelism is the glory God. • This motive, properly understood, ought to liberate us and release us from the pressure to win souls.

• It is of the highest importance that Jesus receives the glory for anything “good” that we do in our lives, especially if we are being observed by others.

• This will only happen if we proclaim or spread the gospel as we go about doing good deeds.

• God won’t share His glory with anyone.

• The best way to glorify Jesus is to proclaim or spread the gospel message.

• Worship which does not beget evangelism is hypocrisy.

• Any contest between “the evangelisation of the world” and “worship” for top spot can be well and truly laid to rest. When we are about the former, we are engaging in the highest form of the latter.

• Christians shine brightest, and give God most glory, when 17 The Westminster Confession of Faith 1647 declared “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

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they go into a spirtually dark world and proclaim the gospel.

• 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.

• 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.

Every time a non-Christian hears the true gospel, delivered with love, tenderness, humility and grace, Jesus is glorified. That, ultimately, is what matters in evangelism. Quite simply, when we go out and evangelise and this motive is primary, Jesus sees us as His stars. The writer of Daniel expressed this truth well when he penned these beautiful words: “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). He’s talking about us! That is to say, when we leave our churches on Sundays, and share the gospel with a lost person during the week, either spreading it or proclaiming it, (irrespective of whether the person listening is saved or not), we are showing them where they can find the Righteousness of God, and be saved.

When we do this, God sees us as wise people, and our activity is recorded in heaven for all eternity. Who knows, maybe each time we share the gospel with a lost person, God records it by creating a new star in the night sky which becomes a permanent and everlasting record of what we did. In this way, the new star joins the existing

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chorus of stars which are already giving glory to Jesus, adding to it!

Next time you look up into a cloudless night sky, think about that!

Let this thought catapult you into the daily habit of doing evangelism to glorify Jesus. Commit to doing it between now and the end of your life. You’ll never regret it, especially when you meet Him face to face the other side of death.

What a great Jesus glorifying thought.

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Real Life Story

Atheist Converts After God Speaks To Him In a Dream Anonymous, New Zealand.

Yesterday I had an interesting encounter.

I gave the gospel to a young lady (23) in Burger King in West Auckland, New Zealand.

She seemed very attentive to the gospel video (www. biblein11.com) which I was showing her on my ipad.

At the end, I asked her the usual questions.

She was quick to confess that if she died tonight, she would go straight to hell.

Then she said the best thing ever.

“I know that surrendering means giving up my life for Jesus and His purposes. This is going to be really hard.”

This could only have some from the Spirit. She was earnest and sincere.

How amazing!

This is why giving people the little follow up booklet “How to be sure of going to heaven when we die” after they have heard the gospel is so important. This booklet explains what a Christian is, how to tell if we are genuine, and the cost of becoming a disciple.

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Conversion must be more than just a heart feeling.

It’s got to be a head decision as well.

Christianity is worth thinking about.

We ought to do everything we can to help people process their “decision” before they make it.

Anyway, that aside, she then went on to tell me how she came from a family of atheists.

Her cousin was taken to church and the preacher said “God will speak to you and tell you what to do.”

Two nights later the cousin had a dramatic dream where Jesus told him to give up his studies at University and to study to become a pastor.

In the morning he committed his life to Christ in his bedroom, and is now studying to become a pastor.

The 23 year old lady I had just given the gospel to was very interested in what I had to say because of how God had met her cousin.

She said he was a totally different person!

She could see by observing the change in him that Christianity was much better than atheism, and deep down, she wanted to know how to escape the grip atheism had on her family.

So when I came along, so she said, 30

I was the answer to her private prayer!

What’s really interesting is that her cousin hadn’t been around his family explaining how they could come to Christ i.e. he hadn’t given his family members the gospel.

I must admit, one’s own family are the hardest group to reach.

My own theory is that we are most effective with the family of others I’ll reach yours, and you reach mine.

Even Jesus struggled to reach people in His own home town (Luke 4:24).

What a comfort this is for those who struggle with their family members, as I do.

Now here’s the thing - this theory about how we are to reach each other’s family all depends on whether I go and you go. The whole theory breaks down if we don’t go, but succeeds if we do go. (Romans 10:14).

So let’s go!

Julian’s comments.

1. God is at work in the world all the time, softening the soil in the hearts of non-Christians, getting them ready to receive the seed of the gospel. If only we would do our ‘bit’ and plant the seed!

2. What’s most interesting is that the cousin had not given the gospel to his family. I wonder why. Is our ‘non-evangelistic’ lifestyle and Christianity so entrenched that even new converts don’t give the gospel? It’s a possibility.

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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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