Law, Grace and God's Goodness, Part 2---Sort of

I was listening to a speaker today who quoted from a book whose author's name I didn't catch. I'm not completely sure what the entire book was about, but the quote was used to speak to how evangelism should be done, and I believe it is a very valid quote. If memory serves, it went pretty close to this; "What you win them with, will be what you win them to." (Emphasis mine.) That stood out to me. Entertainment, frivolity, a very charismatic type of speaker, or laser light shows for example, to draw sinners may sound perfectly reasonable, but a lot of sinners are already having a great time without those things and enjoying other things without substance. What will happen when a church runs out of "entertaining things," to keep them there, or if the ones drawn in by such things tire of it all? They stop coming. They leave.

Right now someone reading this might be thinking that I'm being judgmental and harsh, and that I should not judge someone else's motives in trying to bring the lost to Christ. I'm not. I'm examining their methods. The "You can draw more flies with honey than you can with vinegar," approach to evangelism is not something I would advise.

"17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God." 1st Corinthians 1:17,18

I think we've all heard speakers who have been long on eloquence and weak on content. When I became a Christian, I was attending a church whose pastor really "packed the pews." Week after week he waxed eloquently, and most of the time.....I had little or no idea about what it was that he was speaking about. He was a talented "speaker" but he did not really have the gift of teaching. He deeply disappointed a friend of mine and me because he went through an entire Easter Sunday service without once mentioning Jesus. I left that church. The minister later divorced his wife and became a salesman. He left that church with a hefty portion of attendees that did not know Jesus. I was glad that what drew me to God had nothing to do with that man's messages. You don't have to be a great public speaker to communicate the gospel effectively. The power to draw people's hearts is contained in the gospel story itself, not in the one who relates it.

People often think that the Bible is just a collection of some good stories from antiquity, or they think it's just total nonsense, until they are brought face to face with its relevance to their lives. One does that by helping those we share with come to know that they need a Savior just like we do. Using the Law of God as a mirror to people's souls can really bring them to that point. I mentioned in a previous post that I had listened to some seminarians being interviewed who could not articulate (for the interviewer) a simple answer to the question, "How do I get to heaven?" Within this denomination, the answers were way off the mark and very wide-ranging. I will not name the denomination here, as this is denomination-wide. You will find the kinds of answers I heard among probably every denomination.

I heard a woman ask a man if he had "God in his life." He answered, "In my own way." For me, that smacked of, "Yeah, I've created a God I'm comfortable with." I could not let it go at that, so I went outside in front of the store where the man had parked his SUV and started up a conversation with him. I said that I had heard what he had said to the woman inside and I was curious about what his answer to her had meant. He just reiterated the same thing to me. We chatted for a while and I talked about our sin and when I felt he had a clear understanding of the fact that he had broken God's Law and that like me, he needs Jesus, I shared the gospel story with him. He was more than happy to talk with me, and we parted on friendly terms. He didn't get saved, but at least now, he knows he needs to be.

I think that's how it needs to be done. We need to build relationships with people, even if they are brief, and invite them into church to hear the message. Every week when we go our to church, some element of the gospel is given. Sometimes it is more overtly given than at others, depending on the passage we are studying, but visitors do get the gospel. If we were to have programs to draw people in and then not speak the gospel to them, what they would want is more of the program.

The world has undergone an inoculation against the sin disease. Outside of just outright denial of His existence, what I hear most from people is, "God is love." How can a statement so true serve as deterrent to folks getting saved? It's because people often choose to focus only on one or two attributes of God. By saying God is love, what they often mean is that He is "all loving." Many people believe that He is so loving, and so forgiving that He will look at what the intent of their heart was in life and just discount the fact that they have broken His laws and never repented of it. He loves and forgives, but there is so much to God. He can't be put in a box and be "sifted down."

Sin is often pictured in the Bible as a "mire." God hates sin and He is filled with wrath against it. Because He is pure, and because He is completely just, He must punish sinners. No?

"God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day." Psalms 7:11 When that verse is read in context, it is plain to see that the wickedness of the unrepentant sinner is precisely what His indignation is fixed upon. "But that's just not right!" someone might be saying, "God loves everybody!" Really? Take a look at the description of the Lord Jesus in Chapter one of the Book of Revelation. It matches up well with Daniel's description of Him in Daniel 7. It may be me, but it sounds like somebody who is coming back, and who is ticked off, and He's ticked off at sin.

"15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19:15,16

While it's true, He loved us all enough to condescend to come to earth and go willingly to His death for us, we have to choose Him over a life of sin. It's that simple. His love and His wrath are righteous, and He speaks straight to people's hearts with His Word, and He is very convicting when He does it. He shows them their sin and then He shows them His goodness and grace. Some people are repentant in their attitude and some people leave the church and vow never to return, but even at that some do. It is our job to lovingly and respectfully give this Word to people. The consequences of that are their of their own making.

Be that as it may, we must give the Word to those whom we can, because not to do so wouldn't just be spiritually lazy, it would be selfish and sinful too.