Jesus used the analogy of fishing to describe evangelism when He said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Instead of fishing for men, many churches are merely keepers of the aquarium. How do we change that? How do we as Christians engage in evangelism, and when we do, what is our message?
The book of Acts describes the early history of the church and it was far from “smooth sailing.” The Christians experienced great difficulties while at the same time there was a notable expansion of the gospel. When, early on, persecution of Christians commenced, God’s people were dispersed from their locations. That brought terrible disruption, as we might imagine. Yet, rather than this persecution meaning the end of the church’s witness, it resulted in Christians sharing their faith way beyond the normal parameters of their locality. As we know, God uses means to achieve His ends! Amazingly, our Sovereign God actually used the persecution of Christians to expand the rule of the Lord Jesus.
Luke (the author of Acts) describes the situation in these words: Acts 8:1 And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Then we read in v. 4:
Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.
Question: Who were preaching the word?
Answer: The Christians (but not the apostles)
Let that truth sink in: Though God used the apostles greatly to see conversions, the massive expansion of the early church occurred when the people of God (the normal, everyday, non spectacular, non superstar Christians) shared the word of God with others.
In a similar way, here in the 21st century, statistics tells us that while God uses well known preachers in our day to some degree, the vast majority (more than 80%) of those coming to faith in Christ, do so through Christians sharing the gospel with those they know and meet. That should be a great encouragement to us.
Some teachers overstate things when they say that evangelism is our ONLY purpose here on earth. When we go back to Creation, Adam and Eve in the garden had purpose to glorify God and obey Him well before there were any other people around to reach with His truth.
In the same way, each of us also have great purpose in living for God and obeying Him, even apart from evangelism. And yet, our pilgrimage here on earth is our only available time to reach others with the gospel. In heaven, with all the glorified saints of all ages there, we will have no need to share our faith, for all will know Him. It is here, at this time, we are called to be witnesses of Christ.
For the Wednesday Bible study, I made a recording of just less than an hour, walking through key principles for sharing the gospel with others. It may well be the first part of a longer series on the subject… we will see… but it is something vital to our task here on earth. I hope you find it to be a blessing.
An article by Ernest Reisinger entitled “What Should We Think of Evangelism and Calvinism” – original source here: https://founders.org/1995/03/24/what-should-we-think-of-evangelism-and-calvinism/
One of the greatest evangelists ever to set foot on American soil was George Whitefield. Read carefully the following quote and note his pleading with sinners.
I offer you salvation this day; the door of mercy is not yet shut, there does yet remain a sacrifice for sin, for all that will accept of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will embrace you in the arms of his love. O turn to him, turn in a sense of your own unworthiness; tell him how polluted you are, how vile, and be not faithless, but believing. Why fear ye that the Lord Jesus Christ will not accept of you? Your sins will be no hindrance, your unworthiness no hindrance; if your own corrupt hearts do not keep you back nothing will hinder Christ from receiving of you. He loves to see poor sinners coming to him, he is pleased to see them lie at his feet pleading his promises; and if you thus come to Christ, he will not send you away without his Spirit; no, but will receive and bless you. O do not put a slight on infinite love–he only wants you to believe on him, that you might be saved. This, this is all the dear Saviour desires, to make you happy, that you may leave your sins, to sit down eternally with him at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Let me beseech you to come to Jesus Christ; I invite you all to come to him, and receive him as your Lord and Saviour; he is ready to receive you. I invite you to come to him, that you may find rest for your souls. He will rejoice and be glad. He calls you by his ministers; O come unto him–he is labouring to bring you back from sin and from Satan, unto himself: open the door of your hearts, and the King of glory shall enter in. My heart is full, it is quite full, and I must speak, or I shall burst. What, do you think your souls of no value? Do you esteem them as not worth saving? Are your pleasures worth more than your souls? Had you rather regard the diversions of this life, than the salvation of your souls? If so, you will never be partakers with him in glory; but if you come unto him, he will supply you with his grace here, and bring you to glory hereafter; and there you may sing praises and hallelujahs to the Lamb for ever. And may this be the happy end of all who hear me!
George Whitefield was a staunch Calvinist. There is one thing certain–Whitefield’s Calvinism did not in any way dampen his holy zeal for the souls of men.
The great Princeton theologian, Dr. B. B. Warfield, describes Calvinism as follows:
Calvinism is evangelism in its pure and only stable expression, and when we say evangelism we say sin and salvation. It means utter dependence on God for salvation. It implies therefore, need of salvation and a profound sense of this need, along with an equally profound sense of helplessness in the presence of this need, and utter dependence on God for its satisfaction. Its type is found in the publican who smote his breast and cried, “God be merciful to me a sinner!” No question there of saving himself, or helping God to save him, or of opening the way to God to save him. No question of anything but “I am a sinner, and all my hope is in God, my Saviour!” This is Calvinism, not just something like Calvinism, or an approach to Calvinism, but Calvinism in its vital manifestation. Wherever this attitude of heart is found and is given expression in direct and unambiguous terms, there is Calvinism. Where this attitude of mind and heart is fallen away from it however small a measure, there Calvinism has become impossible.
The Calvinist, in a word, is the man who sees God. He has caught sight of the ineffable Vision, and he will not let it fade for a moment from his eyes–God in nature, God in history, God in grace. Everywhere he sees God in His mighty stepping, everywhere he feels the working of His mighty arm, the throbbing of His mighty heart…Calvinism is just Christianity. The super-naturalism for which Calvinism stands is the very breath of the nostrils of Christianity; without it Christianity cannot exist…Calvinism thus emerges to our sight as nothing more or less than the hope of the world.
John A. Broadus, one of the great and respected Southern Baptist fathers, described the Calvinism of his fellow-founder of Southern Seminary, Dr. James P. Boyce, as nothing less than the technical name for “that exalted system of Pauline truth.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, that great soul-winner, once said,
We only use the term “Calvinism” for shortness. That doctrine which is called “Calvinism” did not spring from Calvin; we believe that it sprang from the great founder of all truth. Perhaps Calvin himself derived it mainly from the writings of Augustine. Augustine obtained his views, without doubt, through the Holy Spirit of God, from diligent study of the writings of Paul, and Paul received them from the Holy Ghost and from Jesus Christ, the great founder of the Christian Church. We use the term then, not because we impute an extraordinary importance to Calvin’s having taught these doctrines. We would be just as willing to call them by any other name, if we could find one which would be better understood, and which on the whole would be as consistent with the fact.
Spurgeon went on to say,
The old truths that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, is the truth that I preach today, or else I would be false to my conscience and my God. I cannot shape truth; I know of no such thing as paring off the rough edges of a doctrine. John Knox’s gospel is my gospel. And that gospel which thundered through Scotland must thunder through England again.
The subject of this article is one which arouses diverse feelings in the minds of men. History has witnessed no small amount of controversy over “Calvinism.” The subject remains vitally important at the present time. This is particularly true in light of modern deviations from historical and biblical orthodoxy.
Unfortunately many harmful yet fashionable opinions have invaded almost every area of religious life. On nearly every side we hear the voice of inquiry with Pilate’s old question, “What is truth?” There are a thousand different religious opinions regarding the answer to this query. Sometimes this question is asked by the skeptic, who doubts even the existence of an objective answer. Often, however, it is asked by serious, troubled souls desirous of finding their way through the rocky religious shoals of life’s storm-tossed sea of religious confusion. It is the latter I hope will find help in this study.
As diversified as the modern professing religious world may be with regard to its numerous sects and communions, split up as it is with its irreconcilable creeds and contentions, it will nevertheless be found, upon close and critical examination, that among those who can (reasonably) be called Christian, there are basically only two sections or parties. Practices may vary, diverse views on many subjects may be held, different attitudes may be taken up in relationship to many questions, and the outlooks may be fixed at widely differing angles, but the fundamental positions occupied will be found to center on one or the other of two distinct forms of belief. Perhaps it is more correct to say that all such perspectives derive from one of two systems of theology. The root principles of all are to be found embedded either in Calvinism or in Arminianism. Such, at least, are the modern terms used to distinguish and describe these widely differing systems of theological thought and teaching. These terms, however, have a tendency to confuse and mislead.
Christianity should bring us to the feet of the apostles, and, indeed to the feet of our Lord Himself. Any understanding of revealed truth which fails to do so is not worthy of the name “Christian.” The views which are stated and defended in the following pages, when properly embraced, have precisely this effect.
We call it Calvinism. It might with equal justice be called Augustinianism. We might, with the same cogency of reasoning, go even further back into the pages of ecclesiastical history and designate it Paulinism. Whichever name we use, however, it should be regarded only as a mere convenience now rendered necessary because of its general adoption. Personally, we regard the name as an entire mistake seeing that it has been the means of fostering many of the ignorant cavilings which have been heard not only in these days but also in days which are past.
There is a genuine resurgence today of this grand and glorious Pauline system of biblical truth–particularly among Southern Baptists. For those of us who are numbered among this group, it is nothing less than coming home to our doctrinal roots. The founding fathers of the SBC were immersed in that stream of biblical truth where no man can touch bottom, and which caused the great Apostle to cry “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor? Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him? For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.”
The following warning should guide anyone who embarks on a study of Calvinism:
The importance of the subject discussed should lead us to proceed only with profoundest reverence and caution. While it is true that mysteries are to be handled with care, and while unwarranted and presumptuous speculations concerning divine things are to be avoided, yet if we would declare the Gospel in its purity and fullness we must be careful not to withhold from believers what is declared in the Scriptures concerning the truth of Calvinism. That some of these truths will be perverted and abused by the ungodly is to be expected. No matter how plainly it is taught in Scripture, the unenlightened mind considers it as absurd, for instance, that one God should exist in three persons, or that God should foreknow the entire course of world events, as that his plan should include the destiny of every person. And while we can know only as much about Calvinism as God has seen fit to reveal, it is important that we shall know that much; otherwise, it would not have been revealed. Where Scripture leads we may safely follow (L. Boettner, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, pp. 54-55).
There are many misrepresentations by those who do not know what biblical Calvinism really is. Most of this group call real Calvinism “hyper-Calvinism.” Some think that if you believe in the antinomian view of “eternal security” you are a Calvinist and everyone else is either an Arminian or a hyper-Calvinist.
There is no question that many Calvinists are not as evangelistic as they should be, but this is not because of Calvinism but because of a cold and indifferent heart. Many Arminians are not evangelistic but it is not because of their Arminianism. Again, it is because of a cold and indifferent heart.
It is also true that Calvinism will kill some kinds of evangelism but it will never kill real biblical evangelism. Some people do not like rock-and-roll music but that does not mean that they do not like music. So it is with shallow, unbiblical evangelism. It is repulsive to Calvinists, but this does not mean that they do not love and embrace true, God-centered, biblical evangelism.
Calvinism may kill man-centered evangelism, but true, biblical Calvinism gives evangelism its only proper doctrinal foundation. Furthermore, it guarantees evangelism’s success. God saves sinners–that is Calvinism. He does not merely make salvation possible, but actually saves by plan and power.
The doctrine of unconditional election is one of the foundational doctrines of Calvinism. Before considering some of the biblical evidence for election, let us distinguish the difference between means and cause.
God elected the means of salvation as well as the recipients of salvation. His Word reveals that He chose to save His own people through preaching and witnessing: “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
But we must always remember that preaching and prayer are the means and not the cause of anyone’s salvation. The cause is God’s unconditional, electing love. For God so loved the world that the “whosoevers” will believe and will not perish.
Who are the “whosoevers”?
Answer: “All that the Father giveth . . . shall come . . .” (John 6:37).
“My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me” (John 10:27).
Why is it that some do not believe?
Answer: “But you believe not because you are not My sheep . . .” (John 10:26).
The Father gave His Son some sheep and He has sent us out to preach and witness because that is the means He employs to call them. “As thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him” (John 17:2).
They will come because Christ died for them and Christ has prayed for them. “I pray for them; I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given me: for they are thine” (John 17:9). Jesus prayed for the future sheep who would come. “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word” (John 17:20). “Father, I will that they also, Whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for thou lovest Me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24).
Why is God’s electing love so important to the preacher and missionary? It is the doctrine that assures the success of our missionary efforts. The greatest preacher-evangelists in the history of the church believed in the biblical doctrine of election. It is an important part of the doctrinal foundation of Calvinism .
It would be wise for our present day Southern Baptists to heed the exhortation found in Isaiah 51:1–“Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.”
The Israelites were commanded to call to remembrance their past. Remembrance of God’s mercy in the past will be profitable in many ways. A recollection of the past will be sure to excite our thankfulness. God’s people are always happy when they are grateful. But at this particular time in our history it will be profitable to examine our doctrinal foundation, “the rock from whence we were hewn.” An honest looking back will teach us the importance of sound doctrine, especially, as the foundation for gospel preaching. Southern Baptists, (all Baptists for that matter) have always been marked by their zeal for evangelism and missions. That is why we have over 3,000 foreign missionaries in 91 different countries and about 3,200 home missionaries and nearly 40,000 churches with over 15,000,000 members.
Looking back to the great warriors in the work of evangelism and missions we should ask, “What did these men believe about God, man, sin and salvation?” By looking back it is easy to find that they were mostly Calvinists and their evangelistic efforts were grounded in the doctrinal foundation of Calvinism. A biblical, doctrinal foundation is more important than most Baptists believe. Sound doctrine undergirds all true worship and witness, and that is what Christianity is all about. Doctrine not only expresses the true conversion experience but it determines the message and methods of evangelism.
The doctrinal foundation of biblical evangelism is as important to the work of evangelism as the back bone is to the human body. Doctrine gives unity and stability.
It is the doctrinal foundation that produces the spiritual strength that enables evangelism to endure the storms of opposition, hardship and persecution which so often accompany it. Therefore, the church that neglects the true doctrinal foundation of biblical evangelism will soon weaken its efforts.
The lack of a doctrinal foundation will work against unity and will invite error and instability in all evangelistic efforts. It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of a sound biblical foundation for true God-centered evangelism.
Doctrine shapes our destiny, and we are presently reaping the fruits of unbiblical evangelism. The great apostle, instructing a young minister to do the work of an evangelist, tells him that doctrine is the first purpose of Scripture. “All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for DOCTRINE . . . .” (2 Tim. 3:16).
When I speak of doctrine I am not speaking of any doctrine but that which the founders of our first seminary believed and taught. The doctrines that Boyce believed and taught were the foundation of his devotion and the devotion that he inspired in others. Now, many recognize the importance of doctrine and keep using the term. Jehovah’s Witnesses have doctrine, as do Mormons and Christian Scientists. All Baptists have some doctrine. But what doctrine?
What doctrines am I talking about? I mean those doctrines that were defined, defended, expressed and set forth by the Synod of Dort in 1618; the doctrines that were set forth in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Heidelberg Catechism; those doctrines expressed in the Old Baptist Confession of 1689, later adopted by the Philadelphia Association, out of which Southern Baptists came.
These precious doctrines that set forth a God who actually saves, and does not just makes salvation possible for sinners to somehow save themselves by a decision, or by cooperation in their salvation. Rather, these doctrines delcare a God who actually saves by plan, by purpose and by power.
I mean those doctrines that reveal the three great acts of the triune God in recovering poor lost sinners, that is:
Each Person of the Trinity works for the salvation of the same people, thus securing the salvation of those people infallibly.
These doctrines make salvation depend on the work of God, not on the ability or will of man. These doctrines give all the glory to God for the saving of sinners–not dividing that glory between God and sinners. These doctrines reveal that history is nothing less than the working out of God’s preordained plan. These doctrines set forth a God who is sovereign in creation and sovereign in redemption; the Trinity working together for the salvation of the sheep. God the Father planned it. God the Son achieved it. God the Spirit communicates and efficaciously applies it. There is no war in the Trinity. They all work together for the same people: “My sheep hear My voice….”
We do not support the erroneous idea that God has done all He can, and is now standing idly by waiting to see what sovereign sinners are going to do with an impotent, pathetic Jesus. No! God saves sinners–salvation is of the Lord. We must not weaken this great truth by disrupting the unity of the Trinity or by dividing the achievement of salvation between God and man.
Calvinists believe and teach that the cross was not a place just to make salvation possible but rather, to actually secure the salvation of His people (Isa. 53:11). These doctrines show the cross as revealing God’s power to save, not His impotence. God was not frustrated at the cross. He was the Master of Ceremonies. As Peter declared, “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain” (Acts 2:23).
A Calvinist does not believe that God’s decision to save man by a decree leaves man passive or inert. No! No! The very opposite takes place! The covenant of grace does not kill man, it does not regard him as a tin can or a piece of wood or a robot; it takes possession of the man, it lays hold of his whole being with all his faculties, his power of soul and body–for time and eternity.
God’s sovereign grace does not annihilate man’s powers, rather it overcomes his powerlessness. It does not destroy his will but frees it from sin. It does not stifle, or obliterate his conscience but sets it free from darkness. It regenerates and recreates man in his entirety and in renewing him by grace, causes him to love and consecrate himself to God most freely.
I am aware that as I write these words a deep-seated prejudice exists in many parts of the church against the systematic exposition of the doctrines of the Bible. It probably falls within the experience of every pastor to see the gathering frown, the averted shoulder, and the drooping head, as soon as certain doctrines are announced as the theme for discussion. It does not excite or surprise us that the world of the ungodly should manifest this displeasure; for the same “carnal mind” which is enmity against God, is enmity likewise against the truth of God. However, that professing Christians should engage in this unholy crusade against doctrinal religion, and that even ministers of the gospel should sigh over the earnest proclamation of its truths, and accuse the faithful witness of “daubing with untempered mortar,” is certainly a most afflictive and atrocious scandal.
I have a long-cherished conviction that, next to the Bible, from which all that relates to God and the soul must be drawn, there are no books I would rather recommend for an experimental and devotional use than those written by our Calvinistic fathers, such as, John Bunyan, Andrew Fuller, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Basil Manly, James P. Boyce and John L. Dagg.
In looking back to the rock from which we are hewn we cannot overlook some of our great Southern Baptist Convention fathers and leaders who were committed, articulate Calvinists:
Basil Manly, Sr.–One historian said Manly played the part of concertmaster in orchestrating the events that resulted in the call for a conservative convention of Baptists. Manly produced a strongly worded six-point resolution which led to the separation of Northern Baptists and Southern Baptists. This resolution was “passed standing and unanimously.” Basil Manly was a Calvinist of the first order.
James P. Boyce–He was the principal founder of our first seminary (Southern Seminary). Long after Boyce’s death, one of his former students, Dr. David Ramsey, gave a Founders Day address on January 11, 1924. His message was entitled, “James Petigru Boyce: God’s Gentleman.” A few quotes from Dr. Ramsey’s address will tell the story that Boyce was a committed Calvinist who loved the souls of men.
Dr. Ramsey said:
My contention is that no other theology than that of an overwhelming and soul consuming love for men will account for James P. Boyce and his career. This passionate love was the motif that directed his thinking in those early conferences and in the preparation of those papers which led to the establishment of the seminary.
This purpose to help his fellowmen ran through all his plans, through his conversation, his writings and his preaching and teaching as the scarlet thread that runs through every foot of cable of the English Navy.
This zeal for souls called out the finest of his being as the morning sun causes the dew laden flowers and plants to bend toward the god of day.”
Dr. Boyce not only loved men, he loved God. Dr. Ramsey said, concerning this point, “Let the thought embrace both the subjective and objective love; man’s love for God and God’s love for man.”
Boyce’s close friend and fellow founder of the seminary, John A. Broadus, expressed his own feelings about the theology of Boyce: “It was a great privilege to be directed and upborne by such a teacher in studying that exalted system of Pauline truth which is technically called Calvinism, which compels an earnest student to profound thinking, and when pursued with a combination of systematic thought and fervent experience, makes him at home among the most inspiring and ennobling views of God and the universe He has made.”
Dr. Boyce’s legacy to us and to our posterity is the biblical theology expressed in the Abstract of Systematic Theology, which is nothing other than his classroom teaching. It is pure Calvinism.
William A. Mueller, author of A History of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said, “As a theologian Dr. Boyce is not afraid to be found `in the old paths’. He is conservative, and eminently Scriptural. He treats with great fairness those whose views upon various points discussed he declines to accept, yet in his own teaching is decidedly Calvinistic, after the model of `the old divines’. Difficulties as connected with such doctrines as the federal headship of Adam, election and the atonement he aims to meet, not so as to silence the controversialist, but so as to help the honest inquirer.”
Rev. E. E. Folk, in the Baptist Reflector commented on Boyce’s abilities and fruits as a teacher of theology: “You had to know your systematic theology, or you could not recite it to Dr. Boyce. And though the young men were generally rank Arminians when they came to the seminary, few went through this course under him without being converted to his strong Calvinistic views.” Boyce was a strong Calvinist.
W. B. Johnson–First President of the SBC was a Calvinist.
R. B. C. Howell–Second President of the SBC was a Calvinist.
Richard Fuller–Third President of the SBC was a Calvinist.
Patrick Hues Mell, who was known as “The Prince of Parliamentarians” was Professor of Greek and Latin at Mercer University, Georgia. One of the outstanding things about P. H. Mell is that he was president of the SBC 17 times–twice as many times as any other man. Mell was a polemic defender of Calvinism. Mrs. D. B. Fitzgerald, a member of the Antioch Church and a resident in Mell’s home for a number of years, recalls Mell’s initial efforts at the church:
“When first called to take charge of the church Dr. Mell found it in a sad state of confusion. He said a number of members were drifting off into Arminianism. He loved the truth too well to blow hot and cold with the same breath. It was a Baptist church and it must have doctrines peculiar to that denomination preached to it. And with that boldness, clearness, and vigor of speech that marked him, he preached to them the doctrines of predestination, election, free-grace, etc. He said it was always his business to preach the truth as he found it in God’s Word, and leave the matter there, feeling that God would take care of the results” (A Southern Baptist Looks at the Doctrine of Predestination, pp. 58,59).
Names of other Southern Baptist leaders who were committed Calvinists and strong on evangelism could be multiplied. One more, however, will have to suffice.
John A. Broadus, a great preacher and one of the founders of our mother seminary said, “The people who sneer at what is called Calvinism, might as well sneer at Mont Blanc. We are not bound in the least to defend all of Calvin’s opinions or actions, but I do not see how any one who really understands the Greek of the Apostle Paul or the Latin of Calvin or Turretin can fail to see that these latter did but interpret and formulate substantially what the former teaches.”
No preacher or evangelist since the day of the Apostle Paul ever laid so much stress on the absolute sovereignty of God as did that great soul-winner, Jonathan Edwards. And it may come as a surprise to the promoters of man-centered evangelism of our day to discover that the preaching of God’s sovereignty was very fruitful. Under the ministry of Edwards, revival swept through his church. He said, “I think that I have found that no discourses have been more remarkably blessed than those in which the doctrines of God’s absolute sovereignty with regard to the salvation of sinners were stressed.”
The man who did more for biblical evangelism internationally than anyone in our generation was the late Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Dr. Lloyd-Jones saw himself primarily as an evangelist. Those who knew him best also saw him in the same way. Mrs. Lloyd-Jones was once present with a group of men who, in her husband’s absence were paying compliments to his abilities. As she listened to them she evidently thought that they were missing the main thing and surprised them by quietly remarking, “No one will ever understand my husband until they realize that he is first of all a man of prayer and then, an evangelist.”
As a convinced Calvinist, Dr. Lloyd-Jones opposed some of the most popular features of modern evangelism. This led those who were uncomfortable under his strictures to allege that he was “a teacher, not an evangelist.” A critic once challenged his commitment to evangelism with the question, “When did you last have a campaign at Westminster Chapel?” The answer he received was not intended to be humorous, “I have one every Sunday.” When Martyn Lloyd-Jones was instructing students for the ministry he said, “I contest very strongly and urge that there should always be one evangelistic service in connection with each church every week.” In his case it was the Sunday night service which had this purpose, and he continued that practice from the beginning of his ministry in 1927 until he concluded his pastoral oversight in 1968.
Calvinism is the certainty of success in the work of evangelism. It is the foundation and hope of missionary endeavor.
If the hope of preachers and missionaries was in their own power and ability to convert sinners, or, if our hope was in the power or ability of dead sinners to give themselves life, all would despair. But when the worker’s hope for results is in the work of the Holy Spirit, who alone can quicken, we labor with the expectation that God will do what no preacher can do. We can be sure that He will effectually call His sheep by His own will and power through prayer and preaching.
Much of the modern confusion about Calvinism stems from distortions and caricatures of its actual teachings. For this reason it is vital to understand what Calvinism does not teach.
Calvinism is not anti-missionary: Rather, it gives the biblical foundation for missions (John 6:37; 17:20,21; 2 Tim. 2:10; Isa. 55:11; 2 Pet. 3:9,15).
Calvinism does not destroy the responsibility of man. Men are responsible for whatever light they have, be it conscience (Rom. 2:15), nature (Rom. 1:19,20), written law (Rom. 2:17-27), or the gospel (Mark 16:15,16). Man’s inability to do righteousness no more frees him from responsibility than does Satan’s inability to do righteousness.
Calvinism does not make God unjust. His blessing of a great number of unworthy sinners with salvation is no injustice to the rest of the unworthy sinners. If a governor pardons one convict, is it injustice to the rest (1 Thess. 5:9)?
Calvinism does not discourage convicted sinners, but welcomes them to Christ. “Let him that is athirst come” (Rev. 17:17). The God who convicts is the God who saves. The God who saves is the God who has elected men unto salvation. He is the same God who invites.
Calvinism does not discourage prayer. To the contrary, it drives us to God, for He it is who alone can save. True prayer is the Spirit’s prompting, and thus will be in harmony with God’s will (Rom. 8:26).
Calvin’s warning against undue speculation in respect to the lofty doctrine of Predestination can well be applied to all the doctrines of Calvinism:
“Human curiosity renders the discussion of predestination, already somewhat difficult of itself, very confusing and even dangerous. No restraints can hold it back from wandering in forbidden bypaths and thrusting upward to the heights. If allowed, it will leave no secret to God that it will not search out and unravel. If this thought prevails with us, that the Word of the Lord is the sole way that can lead us in our search for all that it is lawful to hold concerning him, and is the sole light to illumine our vision of all that we should see of him, it will readily keep and restrain us from all rashness. For we shall know that the moment we exceed the bounds of the Word, our course is outside the pathway and in darkness, and that there we must repeatedly wander, slip and stumble. Let this, therefore, first of all be before our eyes; to seek any other knowledge of predestination than what the Word of God discloses is not less insane than if one should purpose to walk in a pathless waste (cf. Job 12:24), or to see in darkness. And let us not be ashamed to be ignorant of something in this matter, wherein there is a certain learned ignorance” (Institutes, III. 21. 1-2).
The harmonious relationship between Calvinism and evangelism has often been expressed in our evangelical hymnody. Two such hymns provide a fitting conclusion to this study.
I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew
He moved my soul to seek him, seeking me;
It was not I that found, O Saviour true,
No, I was found of thee.
Thou didst reach forth thy hand and mine enfold;
I walked and sank not on the storm-vexed sea,
`Twas not so much that I on thee took hold,
As thou, dear Lord on me.
I find, I walk, I love, but, O the whole
Of love is but my answer, Lord to thee;
For thou wert long before-hand with my soul,
Always thou lovedst me.
–Anonymous
`Tis not that I did choose thee, For, Lord that could not be;
This heart would still refuse thee, Hadst thou not chosen me.
Thou from the sin that stained me hast cleansed and set me free;
Of old thou hast ordained me, that I should live to thee.
`Twas sov’reign mercy called me and taught my op’ning mind;
The world had else enthralled me, to heav’nly glories blind.
My heart owns none before thee, for thy rich grace I thirst;
This knowing, if I love thee, Thou must have loved me first.”
–Josiah Conder
Doctrinal differences between the Reformed and Arminians account for differences in their goals and their methods. Rev. Daniel Kleyn is a missionary of the Protestant Reformed Churches in America, stationed in Manila, Philippines. Here is an excerpt from an article he wrote in the publication “The Standard Bearer”:
The main goal of Arminian missions (and witnessing) is to bring an individual into a personal relationship with Christ. That is basically all. Very little or no thought is given to having that individual join a church and remain an active member in it. The latter is not that important. What matters most (if not exclusively) is that one is brought to exercise his supposed free will and to accept Christ as his Savior.
That this is the case is evident from the following “mission statements” of various Arminian churches: “Helping lost, broken people become passionate, devoted followers of Jesus Christ”; “Rescuing one another to follow Jesus every day”; “To present the gospel of Jesus Christ in such a way that it turns non-Christians into converts, converts into disciples, and disciplines into mature, fruitful leaders, who will in turn go into the world and reach others for Christ.”1
That the goal of Arminianism is conversion is also evident from what traveling evangelists usually do at their crusades. Their desire is to have people come forward to accept Christ and to commit their lives to Him.
Toward the end of their services they issue an altar call. Everything that precedes the altar call is done with a view to that altar call. In fact, if no one comes forward, or too few do, the service often continues until the audience responds. And what usually happens is that if an individual does come forward to “give his life to Christ,” that is the end of it. Little is done with regard to having that person join a church. The new convert is left without a means to be spiritually nourished and to grow in faith. Having “converted” these people, the evangelist and his team consider their work done. They pack up their tent, their stage, bands, choirs, and all their other “tools of trade,” and move on, boasting of how many souls they have saved. Meanwhile, the one who has supposedly been saved is left (for the most part) to fend for himself. And as a result, often these new “converts” end up falling back into an ungodly life.
The goal of Reformed missions, however, is to bring the elect of God, with their families, into covenant fellowship with God and Christ, and with the people of God within an instituted church. That is, the goal of Reformed mission work is not simply the salvation of God’s people, but also their church membership. For the believer needs to be a member of a church institute. All who are saved are “bound to join and unite themselves” to a true church of Christ on this earth (Belgic Confession, Art. 28).
That this is a Reformed goal is seen, for example, from the language used in the Constitutions of some of our denomination’s Evangelism Committees. One such Constitution states the following: “In obedience to the command of Christ to preach the gospel to every creature, the church must bring the whole counsel of God to all men, in order to lead them into fellowship with Christ and His church.”
Church membership is and must be our goal, first of all, because it is in the church where the truth of the gospel is preached that one finds Christ. Christ is there in the preaching. The saved sinner, therefore, needs that preaching. He needs it because He needs Christ. There is no other way of salvation (Acts 4:12). He needs to hear Christ so that he comes to a saving knowledge of God and of his Savior (John 17:3). He needs to hear Christ in order to receive continued assurance of forgiveness and life eternal. He needs to hear the gospel because only then will he be preserved in his faith and grow in his spiritual life (Rom. 1:16; II Pet. 3:18). Without the preaching, one’s faith weakens and one’s spiritual life suffers and declines.
Another reason why church membership needs to be a goal of Reformed missions is that participation in worship is the means by which one enjoys covenant fellowship with Christ and with God. We enjoy this in the church service through God speaking to us and we speaking to Him. At the heart of God’s speech to us is the forgiveness of our sins. Without that forgiveness, fellowship with God would be impossible (Is. 59:2). We need to be forgiven, and to know that we are. And Christ alone can provide that forgiveness. By means of preaching He says to the sinner, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). The rest that He gives (and which is worked in our hearts by the Spirit) is that of knowing we are forgiven, we are at peace with God, and therefore we can enjoy covenant fellowship with Him. For this reason, too, it is crucial that church membership be a goal of mission work.
Another significant reason why Reformed mission work involves bringing new believers into the church is the blessing of the communion of saints. God’s people need each other. They are members together of the body of Christ, and their experience of belonging to that body and to each other does not wait until heaven but is meant to be enjoyed already in the church on earth. Through that fellowship with each other, the members of Christ edify one other. They comfort those who are sorrowing. They lift up those who are weak. They bear one another’s burdens. They encourage each other in life’s difficulties. They restore each other when they fall into sin. They help and encourage each other to walk together on the straight and narrow way that leads to life eternal. The newly converted sinner needs all this too, and thus needs to become a member of a true church.
But there is still more. The covenantal goal of missions has in view that the covenant pervades the life of those who are saved. They are not only brought into the covenant fellowship of God and of His people in the church, but flowing out of that, the covenant life is established within their homes and daily lives. They know God’s friendship. They experience the reality that they are walking through life with their sovereign Friend at their side. He walks with them through the valleys. He is with them at work, in school, and in every area of life. And He establishes His covenant in their homes and families, sovereignly fulfilling His promise to save believers and their seed. There are exceptions, of course, but we know that that is the ordinary way God works. In order to experience and enjoy the covenant in his home life, a new believer needs to become a member of a faithful church that preaches and teaches all these truths concerning the covenant.
All of this means that the goal of missions is to establish churches. This is exactly what the apostles did, as recorded in the book of Acts. Where the preaching resulted in a gathering of believers, churches were established. The apostles understood that the people of God needed to become members in instituted churches so that they could feast spiritually each Lord’s Day. The apostles, therefore, worked diligently to establish congregations that had their own office bearers and that could be called “churches.”
By the grace of God, that has been and continues to be our goal in mission work, too. Prof. D. Engelsma puts it this way: “Evangelism does not end with ‘getting someone saved,’ but continues in their being taught to confess the truth in the true church. …For this reason it is also essential in the work of evangelism that those brought to the saving knowledge of the truth be directed to join a true church, a soundly Reformed church. No Reformed missionary could say to a convert, ‘Now join the church of your choice.’”2
The person who has expressed an interest in and love for the truth of God needs to come to and eventually join the church where the truth is faithfully maintained, for there alone will he hear the voice of Christ. By means of that faithful preaching, Christ works in the hearts of His elect to give them the blessed experience of the riches of His grace and of His covenant.
All of this means that an essential element of Reformed mission work is the establishment of indigenous Reformed churches. This is pointed out by the missiologist, John M. L. Young, in his definition of missions: “Missions is the work of the Triune God, through His Church, of sending Christ’s ambassadors to all nations to proclaim His whole Word for the salvation of lost men, the establishment of indigenous churches, and the coming of God’s kingdom, all for the glory of God.”3
The establishment of such churches must be our goal so that those who are brought to faith in Christ can join themselves to those churches and receive the means of grace there.
Acts 2:47 confirms what we have been saying. There we read, “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” God’s people were added “to the church.” The reference is to the church as an institute. This passage does not refer to the church as the universal body of Christ, for the elect believers were already members of that church and had been from eternity.
Those who were brought to faith in Christ were added to the church as an institute, there to hear the gospel, to enjoy fellowship with God by means of His Word and Spirit, and to live in fellowship with the people of God. That is the biblical and Reformed goal of missions. We must keep it always in view. And whenever this goal is attained, we thank the Lord for His goodness and for His sovereign hand in establishing new Reformed churches and bringing new believers to be members of such instituted churches on this earth.
1 These mission statements were gathered from the Internet and belong to various Baptist and non-denominational (“community”) churches in the USA.
2 David J. Engelsma, “Evangelism and the Reformed Faith” (South Holland, IL: Evangelism Committee of the Protestant Reformed Church, 1994), 12.
3 John M. L. Young, Missions: The Biblical Motive and Aim (Pittsburgh: Crown and Covenant Publications, 2007), 3.
Source: The Partiarchy Podcast facebook page
One of the passengers on the Titanic was a godly Pastor from Scotland, by the name of John Harper. Harper had recently spent three months ministering at the Moody Church in Chicago, during which time the church had experienced one of the most wonderful revivals in its history. He had not been back in Britain long when he was asked to return and continue his ministry. He quickly made arrangements for himself and his six-year old daughter, Nana, to travel back to American on board the Lusitania. However, he decided to delay their departure for one week, so that they could sail on a new ship, the Titanic, which was about to make its maiden voyage.
On Sunday April 14th, 1912, the day when the iceberg was struck, the weather was fine, the sea calm. Harper attended the church service for the passengers. His niece reported that later that afternoon she saw her Uncle speaking individually to people about their souls. It seems he was in the habit of seeking out the lost sheep wherever he went.
The Titanic struck the iceberg at 11:40PM on April 14, 1912. As the call was issued for passengers to vacate their cabins, Harper wrapped his daughter in a blanket, told her that she would see him again one day, and passed her to one of the crewmen. After watching her safely board one of the lifeboats, he removed his life jacket and gave it to one of the other passengers. One survivor distinctly remembered hearing him shout, “Women, children and the unsaved into the lifeboats!” Harper knew that believers were ready to die, but the unsaved were not ready.
Harper then ran along the decks pleading with people to turn to Christ, and with the ship sinking, he called upon the Titanic’s orchestra to play, “Nearer, my God, to Thee.” Gathering people around him on deck, he then knelt down, and “with holy joy in his face” raised his arms in prayer. As the ship began to lurch, he jumped into the icy waters and swam frantically to all he could reach, beseeching them to turn to the Lord Jesus and be saved. Finally, as hypothermia set in, John Harper sank beneath the waters and passed into the Lord’s presence; he was 39.
Four years later, a young Scotsman by the name of Aguilla Webb stood up in a meeting in Hamilton, Canada, and gave the following testimony:
“I am a survivor of the Titanic. When I was drifting alone on a spar that awful night, the tide brought Mr. John Harper of Glasgow, also on a piece of wreck, near me. ‘Man,’ he said, ‘Are you saved?’ ‘No,’ I said, ‘I am not.’ He replied, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.’ The waves bore him away; but, strange to say brought him back a little later, and he said, ‘Are you saved now?’ ‘No,’ I said, ‘I cannot honestly say that I am.’ He said again, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,’ and shortly after he went down; and there, alone in the night, and with two miles of water under me, I believed. I am John Harper’s last convert.”
Only seven people were plucked from the icy water that night to join the survivors in the lifeboats. Webb was one of them.
In the Hollywood movie of the Titanic, nothing was said about John Harper, but he was truly one of the great heroes of the Titanic. In the face of death and drowning, he was concerned about the souls of men. As are all true men of God.
May all we men remember John Harper.
Michael Riccardi is a faculty associate in the theology department at The Master’s Seminary. He is also the pastor of local outreach ministries and pastors the GraceLife fellowship group at Grace Community Church.
Article source: https://www.tms.edu/blog/should-i-use-the-sinners-prayer-in-evangelism/
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
I think many of us, at some point in our lives, have prayed a prayer similar to this. Maybe some of us have led others in a prayer like this. But can we actually have the confidence to base our eternity on repeating these words after our mom, dad, or youth leader? As leaders or parents, should we be assuring others of their eternal salvation merely because they recite these words?
Put simply, what are we to think of the sinner’s prayer?
We must understand several things:
Proponents of the sinner’s prayer often state that by simply praying this prayer, you can have full assurance of immediate and eternal salvation. Indeed, to doubt your salvation after praying this prayer is portrayed to be wicked unbelief in the promises of God. However, Scripture never identifies prayer as the means of either our justification or our assurance.
In the New Testament, we see people who are saved without praying (e.g., Luke 23:39–43; Acts 10:34–48), and we also see those who pray and yet are not saved (Matt 7:21–23; Luke 18:11–12). Throughout the Bible, it is made clear that prayer is not the switch that activates salvation. Faith alone is the means of our justification. Salvation occurs the moment someone turns from his or her sin and places their hope for salvation in Christ. This is accomplished solely by the empowering of the Holy Spirit, and it is based upon the finished work of Christ. A repentant person must understand that the basis for salvation is repentant faith in Christ alone.
This is not to say sinners should not pray. True repentant faith will express itself to God in prayer. The tax collector of Luke 18:13prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” and Jesus says he went to his house justified (Luke 18:14). Significantly, though, it was in the total abandonment of any works—including prayers—that brought salvation to this man.
Salvation is not the result of external actions (1 Sam 16:7). So, if we assure someone of their salvation merely on the basis of a verbal commitment, we may bring great confusion into the life of that person when fruit does not appear and sustained victory over sin never comes.
Jesus tells a parable with this very point in mind. In the parable of the soils, Jesus illustrates that we cannot know the condition of a person’s heart solely by their initial response to the gospel, but only by the fruit that marks their life (Mark 4:1–20).
What we can—and must—assure people of is that if they genuinely repent of their sins and trust in Christ, He will in no way cast them out (John 6:37). But how can someone know if he has truly repented?
A new believer must look to Scripture to evaluate his salvation. If he fails to do this, then he will continue to look back to an external action—like coming forward at a meeting or praying the sinner’s prayer—as the verification of his salvation.
Assurance comes from comparing the life of the one who has repented to the Scripture in the following areas:
Patterns of Obedience
The life of the true believer will be marked by patterns of obedience. As he grows in love for God, he will grow in obedience to the commandments of God (cf. John 14:15, 23; 1 John 2:3–6; 5:3). A true believer will also have continued and sustained faith in the promises of God (1 John 3:23; 1 Thess 2:13).
The Fruit of the Spirit
As a believer applies the Scriptures and grows in Christ-likeness, the Holy Spirit produces within him “fruits in keeping with repentance” (cf. Luke 3:8; Gal 5:22–23). These steps may be small at first, and may be slowed by sin, but sanctification will never completely stall (Phil 2:13; 1 Thess 5:23–24). The attitudes and actions of believers will even change and mature as they grow in Christlikeness.
This is illustrated by Jesus’ remarks that a good tree will bear good fruit (Matt 7:17). Any experience—no matter how well-worded or emotion-filled—that does not result in the grace-empowered production of fruit is not genuine salvation.
The Ministry of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit takes up residence in every believer and is actively involved in sanctification. By His very presence, He comforts, convicts, and gives resolute confidence that we are indeed children of God (cf. Rom 8:16; 1 John 3:24).
So what do we do then?
As you end an interaction with someone who has responded positively to the gospel, you should seek to do so in a way that does not give false assurance but, at the same time, does not cast unnecessary suspicion on their profession.
If not the sinner’s prayer, what should you do? Here are several alternatives.
Pray for them yourself.
Often, the best thing to do at the end of an evangelistic encounter is just to pray for the person yourself. It’s not merely a formality; you’re genuinely asking God to send His Spirit to use the power of His Word to quicken a dead heart.
Even if someone is truly converted, they likely don’t know how to pray. Your praying with them begins to teach them how.
Ask them to pray in their own words.
If the person you’re evangelizing does express a desire to pray along with you, better than a “repeat-after-me” prayer is just to let them pray to God on their own. You’ve likely covered a lot of ground in your gospel presentation, and this can serve as a helpful gauge of their understanding of the gospel and its implications.
Exhort them to make their calling and election sure.
Rather than making them feel like you are suspicious of their desire to repent and believe, be sure to explain what it means to “count the cost” of following Christ (Luke 14:25–33). Then, as Peter says, exhort them to make their calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10). Call them to confirm what God has done today by bearing fruits in keeping with repentance (Luke 3:8). By putting it this way, you frame the issue positively while still emphasizing their responsibility to walk in faithfulness.
Follow up with the beginnings of discipleship.
If they live reasonably close to your local church, invite them as your guest. You might also invite them to your house for dinner, coffee, and dessert. Perhaps there is another way to follow up with them that makes more sense in your context. The important thing is to be available to follow up with them and to introduce them to a sound local church.
Dr. James White covers this broad theme in 10 sessions at the Master’s Seminary (recorded June 11–15, 2018) at this link.
This is in-depth training and equipping for outreach and evangelism.