Jesus Evangelism
Festival2001
We live and operate in a society that we can recognize to be religious. Some are Christian, in their religiousness. Others are of many different faiths. Some practice mystical eastern religions. Some follow the practices of New Ageism. In Canada, millions of people practice hundreds of religious paths.
This is the environment in which we are involved in God’s Work, which is the ongoing work of helping people from their exile from God and into a relationship with God. Many think they’ve found that relationship, already, and don’t know that it can be better. Others are happy just living their daily lives as they choose. Some are actually seeking. Many don’t care to hear anything about religion. However, the environment is religious.
In fact, the environment in which Jesus has us doing evangelism is quite similar to the environment in which He carried out His 3 ½ year ministry, ending in the greatest reconciliation event that could occur. Jesus’ functioned in a religiously Jewish and Samaritan environment. Many came to Him believing that they already knew the way and were living it quite well. Others weren’t so sure. Some were seeking something more, with a lot of this seeking focusing on the expectation of Messiah. Others didn’t care one way or another and were quite happy seeking to be happy through accumulating money and possessions. I think it’s rather uncanny how similar the environments are- for Jesus then, and for Jesus now, in Canada.
Understanding this, though, can lead us to a profitable study of part of the scriptural record of Jesus’ ministry, and can lead us to understanding of one important principle for evangelism in our world. This is a timeless principle in religious environments, yet one that we can quite easily overlook in our enthusiasm and desire to ‘make a difference for the Kingdom’!
Let’s look at the beginning of the gospel of Matthew and see what we can discern there. I believe that there is a ministry principle that Jesus understood and practiced, that Matthew, the author, understood and used in arranging this gospel account, and a principle that God, the real author of the book, wants us to capture.
So, you’re not left guessing, the principle is simply: Earn a right to be heard. It’s a hard principle. It’s one that Christians have been incredibly guilty of overlooking or bypassing in their zeal to ‘bring Christ to the nation’. Yet, this is a principle that we must practice in order to accurately represent Jesus and in order to expect any measure of success at all!
Look first at Matthew 1 with me. What do you see here? Well, this can be one of those ‘boring’ chapters to many of us. We see genealogies and our eyes can simply glaze over… just like yours are doing right now!!! But there’s something here that you might not have recognized before, and neither did I. When you look at scripture through a different lens, you see some different things. If we look to see how to do evangelism, we see different things.
Consider the gospel of Matthew- it’s a gospel written for a Jewish audience by a Jewish author, with the purpose of putting forth Jesus as the Messiah foretold by the OT prophets. So, why the genealogies? They give some history- they set Jesus’ life within a national history. What does that tell us? When you understand the Jewish population, then and now, you understand that historical connection is very important. They are proud of their history and see theirs as the history around which all other history of the world revolves. It was vital for them to understand the line- the right line- that Jesus came from.
For us, historical connection is not the big deal. We are a diverse nation, with multiple ethnic strains living in our town, block, even in our own bodies, when we get down to it. However, what we must understand is the need for Christians to make an appropriate social connection with the people surrounding them. In our religious environment, it’s important to be one with something in common with those we hope to evangelize. We cannot simply be the ‘great righteous one’, but need to have a connection.
I’m reminded of Mr. Tkach’s story he told us in Montreal in May. He lives in a suburban area, now, east of Pasadena. He is getting to know those on his block. He gets to watch football games with some of them, for instance. That’s a beginning to whatever might develop over time.
Also, if we consider Matthew 1, from the perspective of Matthew, the author, who had a purpose in mind- to set forth Jesus as the prophesied Messiah, we can consider this idea even further. He didn’t want people who read to simply reject Jesus out-of-hand, but to be drawn to the story and to consider Him as Messiah. So, notice what else he includes in this first part of his story.
He lays out Mary’s dilemma. Again, this would make a connection with many people. How many of them had been in such a tough situation- on the surface, at least? This would draw some people into the story. Not only does Mary face a dilemma, but so does Joseph; this would draw people to the story and make a further connection. Here was a man facing a tough decision. Some who heard or read would have faced the same and might not have been as noble. Others might have done this same noble-type deed. Joseph is presented as a hero type. In other words, some would be drawn to the story of Jesus because of this connection with an incredibly noble man who was to be Jesus’ father. Some would read on, or listen on, because of such a noble man’s part in the story.
In Matthew 2, this continues as people- normal Jewish people, in most cases- learned of this baby’s being declared to be the promised one. This would raise some hopes and draw them further into the story. Again, family troubled times, that would so much parallel family troubled times that many faced, would draw people to the story, and would raise their likelihood of listening further and hearing the message. It’s important that Christians not hide everything in their lives. It’s important that we not appear so ‘perfect’ that people feel repelled rather than drawn to us. That happens so often, and doesn’t help the cause. IF we’re supposedly so ‘together’ that doesn’t earn any right to be heard. All it does is set us so far apart from the people we want to evangelize that they simply cannot listen! Joseph and his family are presented as ‘normal’ in having difficulties; without question, their difficulties were different from those of others, but that they weren’t presented as a family with halos and everything always going well would make a tremendous impact on those who read or heard.
In Matthew 3, several significant ideas advance the message of our need to earn a right to be heard. First of all, someone who was considered to be a credible authority to those who came out to see John affirms Jesus. That John declared Jesus was significant. Mr. Tkach spoke of a time when he was conversing with one of the neighbours, and there was a reluctance to get too close, because he was a minister. But one of his other neighbours stepped in and calmed the other with, “Joe’s OK.” That kind of affirmation began a closer relationship with another neighbour. Sometimes we need that and it will never come if we’re too ‘perfect’.
Also, Jesus earned a right to be heard by being involved in points of contact with what was going on in society. John was the biggest thing going on then and Jesus came there and was part of it. Logical and necessary steps occurred from that, as we know, but Jesus didn’t simply breeze onto the scent and blow everybody away with His righteousness. He made as many points of contact with those around Him as He could, as He prepared to speak.
Jesus participated in some of the ‘norms’ of society. In His case, He participated in public baptism, which had come to be understood as a necessary rite for those declaring themselves for God! And, then, Jesus allowed time for impressions to sink in to people. He was taken away for 40 days for temptation, but this was important time, too, for what was happening in the minds and lives of those who would listen to Him and respond to His message.
Later in the 4th chapter of Matthew, we see Jesus coming to fishermen and calling them into service with Him. He came to people that He knew, but who were people ‘in need’ and invited them into the Lord’s work. He brought ‘known’ people into His circle. You can be sure that lots of people knew Peter and Andrew, James and John, and others as they were called. That they went along with Jesus would give Jesus some credibility in some areas. He, also, didn’t simply go it alone, but called others to assist him in what was going on. This is positive.
I remember something I heard early in my understanding of Small Group Ministry. I believe it was back in 1994 when I attended a seminar in Toronto where Carl George presented about groups. He talked about Paul Cho, the pastor of the world’s largest Protestant church, which is in Seoul, South Korea. Dr. Cho teaches all, in small groups, to find someone that needs to be served, and to come alongside that person and do good, not once but in an ongoing way. Eventually, the person will ask why this person is continuing to help and that gives an opportunity to describe oneself as a servant of a Lord who wants him to offer this help. In that society, on average, it takes less than 6 months for this relationship to develop to that point and the opportunity to present the gospel and invite to a small group. In our society, it might take longer, but it’s still a right principle of Jesus evangelism to come alongside someone in that way and earn a right to be heard.
Matt. 4.24 shows us, too, that Jesus did good deeds. His was not only a ministry of words, but also a ministry of good works. Good works earn a right to be heard (true in schools, for instance).
Finally, we come to Matthew 5 and Jesus began to speak and teach! But we have fully 15% of the gospel of Matthew without Jesus speaking very much, and not teaching. We have 4 entire chapters underscoring one important lesson about ‘doing evangelism’. This is the message of our need to ‘earn a right to be heard’. This is a very important part of doing Jesus Evangelism.
