Evangelism Series #5
CHCC: February 12, 2006
What’s your Style?
ACTS 17, ACTS 2, JOHN 9
SCRIPTURE READING: Acts 17:16-23
INTRODUCTION:
I was downtown in front of the Alamo one day a few years back when I noticed a Street Preacher. I couldn’t help but notice him. He had a megaphone in one hand and a big black leather King James Bible in the other. His message was so “in your face” that I thought it crossed the line of rudeness. I remember thinking, “What a poor representation of Christianity! No wonder non-believers often ridicule people of faith.”
More recently I heard about the results of a Nationwide Survey reported in a book entitled The Day America told the Truth, by James Patterson and Peter Kim. Respondents were asked to rank 73 different professions for their honesty and integrity. Guess what was profession was third from the bottom: TV Evangelists. TV Evangelists came out below lawyers, politicians, car salesmen … and even prostitutes. Only two occupations came out lower: organized crime bosses and drug dealers. (Becoming a Contagious Christian, Bill Hybels, p.121)
Unfortunately, the word “evangelist” often conjures up images of TV preachers doing jail time for bilking followers out of their life savings. If not that, it makes us picture circus-style tent revivals or street preachers like the one I saw Downtown. One of the greatest barriers to people sharing their faith is a characterization of Evangelism as being hypocritical if not misleading. But since “evangel” simply means “good news,” the word Evangelist should make us picture someone who has something positive to share.
Negative thinking about evangelism is a tragedy for the church. But it’s an even BIGGER tragedy for lost people who need to hear the “good news”!
So what can be done? Perhaps the first thing to realize is that the common stereotypes of evangelists are not accurate. Among Christians, there should be as many kinds of evangelists are there are types of personalities.
Bill Hybels put it this way: “God has custom-designed each of us with unique personalities, temperaments, talents, and backgrounds which God can harness and use in His mission to reach a messed up world.” (Hybels, p.122)
In other words, when you share your faith, you can be yourself! If you are an introvert, you don’t have to become an extrovert. If you are fun-loving, you don’t have to become serious and scholarly. If you are a new Christian, you don’t have to wait until you have been a Christian for 30 years and gone to Bible College. You don’t have to fit into someone else’s mold in order to evangelize. There are people around you who need to hear the good news from someone JUST LIKE YOU.
Some people (I think I’m one of them) would never be converted by a Street Preacher. If the guy in front of the Alamo that day had handed me his Bull-horn and told me to take over, I could have told him, “I don’t have to preach the way you do to share my faith. God made me different than you. My style of Evangelism is completely different from yours.” But I’m not saying his style is wrong. There are some people who need to get hit right between the eyes by someone with a megaphone. God may very well use a Street Preacher to reach them!
This week and next, we’re going to look at 6 Biblical examples of Evangelism Styles. (I’m taking 3. And next week Ronnie Morgan will talk about 3 more.) Today we’ll look at 3 unique individuals who represent 3 Evangelistic styles: Peter, Paul, and … an unnamed man who was born blind. (I know, you thought I was going to say Peter, Paul, and Mary.)
1. Intellectual Style – Paul Acts 17
The Apostle PAUL represents what we’ll call the INTELLECTUAL STYLE of Evangelism. Paul was well-suited for this style of evangelism. For one thing, he was highly educated. In fact, he was personally tutored by Gamaliel, who was one of the top Rabbis of his day.
And Paul was no “country bumpkin.” His “home town” of Tarsus was a bustling trade center and a hub for Greek philosophy. In our day, Paul might be like someone who grew up in Boston and earned a PHD from Harvard.
Paul was not only intelligent, he was analytical by nature. He was a master logician. You would not want to come up against him in a debate. Acts chapter 17 gives a prime example of Paul’s INTELLECTUAL STYLE.
On the screen you see modern-day ruins of the Areopagus in Athens. This was the place where Paul described the new “philosophy” he was teaching to the Intellectual Elites of that day. When you read his presentation, you can’t help but see how adept Paul was at fitting his evangelism to his audience. He started by appealing to their pride in their city and culture: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.” Acts 17:22-23
Then Paul went on to tell them about the One True God in the kind of Philosophical Terms that would appeal to them. He even quoted one of their own Poets. And once Paul had these Philosophers with him, he took them to the heart of the Gospel Message.
"Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." Acts 17:29-31
What better spokesman could God have sent to the Areopagus of Athens? Paul presented an intellectual argument, starting from an Athenian idol to an Unknown God and moving all the way to the only true God and the resurrected Messiah. His approach was so effective that some assembled there actually became Believers.
Some current examples of the INTELLECTUAL style of evangelism might be men like Josh McDowell, D. James Kennedy, or Ravi Zacharias. Coming closer to home, there are men and women in our church who are drawn to this style of evangelism. I think of Stuart Tyler as one example. If you know Stuart, you know that he loves studying and analyzing the why and how of things.
Maybe the INTELLECTUAL approach is one that might fit you. Do you like working with ideas and evidence? Are you logical and fact-oriented? This style of Evangelizing is very much needed in our increasingly Secularized society. Many Seekers need to hear the Gospel … not only declared, but defended and defined in intellectual terms.
Paul was a great example of the INTELLECTUAL style of Evangelism. PETER gives a prime example of the CONFRONTATIONAL STYLE.
2. Confrontational Style – Peter Acts 2
From watching Peter in action we know that he was a straightforward kind of guy. Peter was not one for mincing words or wasting time. He was bold, direct, and right to the point. His verbal style sometimes came across like “Ready, Fire … Aim.” But as Peter matured in Christ, he hit the target more often than not.
Is it any wonder that God chose Peter to preach the very First Gospel sermon? It was the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem. Peter and the other Apostles were surrounded by crowds of worshippers, when Peter stood forward and started Preaching. He was, in fact, the original Street Preacher … and he did it without even a Megaphone.
He told them who Jesus was. Then he pointed the finger straight at them and declared: … you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. Acts 2:23 That is about as “confrontational” as you can get. He was accusing them of murder. And they knew they were guilty. Many of the people listening to Peter had been in that crowd a few weeks before, screaming out” Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” The scripture says, When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?” Acts 2:37
And --- true to form --- Peter told them what do, in no uncertain terms: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38 About 3 thousand of them did exactly what he told them to do. Peter’s CONFRONTATIONAL style was exactly what they needed to hear.
When I think of CONFRONTATIONAL evangelists today I think of people like Chuck Colson or Franklin Graham (Evangelism style may be hereditary since it was also Billy Graham’s style) These are people who present the Gospel without frills and then challenge their hearers to respond right then and there.
When I tried to think of someone in our church who fits the CONFRONTATIONAL style, the one who immediately came to mind was Rocky Hernandez. (Rocky was our Youth Minister for about 5 years, in case you don’t know him.) If you DO know Rocky, you know what I’m talking about. Rocky had a way of cutting though the small talk and getting right to the point. I have a feeling he’s continuing to have a big impact on young people using his Style of Evangelism.
Some people are just waiting for a bold, straightforward Christian who won’t beat around the bush. Could that Christian be you? Is your style telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? Do you get impatient with small talk and niceties? Let God mold and use your personality so that you can be effective even when you need to be CONFRONTATIONAL.
3. Testimonial Style – Man born blind John 9
The last Style we’re going to look at this morning is the TESTIMONIAL STYLE of evangelism. This style simply means that you tell what Jesus has done for you. It seems to me that the TESTIMONIAL style fits EVERYONE. ALL of us have a TESTIMONY to give … because Jesus has made a big difference in all of our lives. Some of us, though, may be better at telling the story of our own salvation. Or we may have an especially effective story to tell because Jesus has done something dramatic in our lives.
In the Gospel of John, gives a good example of someone who used the TESTIMONIAL STYLE of evangelism. I like this particular example because the “man born blind” didn’t need to know MUCH about Jesus in order to be a succcessful evangelist.
We don’t know as much about this blind man as we do about Paul and Peter --- but we DO know that Jesus healed him. Here’s how it happened. Jesus announced to the crowds, I am the light of the world. Then, as if to prove His point, he turned to the man who had been born blind. Jesus spit on the ground to make some mud. He rubbed the mud on the man’s eyes and then said, "Go. Wash in the Pool of Siloam.” So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. John 9:7
You might think everyone would celebrate with the man. But you would be wrong. The Jewish Leaders were enraged by all the attention Jesus was getting from this amazing miracle. They cornered the man and ordered him to stop telling people what Jesus had done for him. "Give glory to God, " they said. "We know this man is a sinner." John 9:24
Now look at the simplicity of the man’s testimony. He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" John 9:25
This man was not prepared for a Theological Argument. An INTELLECTUAL response didn’t fit his style. Neither was he one to CONFRONT like Peter did. But if you read the rest of John chapter 9, you’ll see that his short and simple TESTIMONY was so effective it drove the Jewish Leaders crazy. It is hard to argue with someone who has been transformed by an encounter with Jesus Christ.
Right now, this room is full of people with TESTIMONIES of how Jesus has transformed lives. A few weeks back we had Sunday dinner with the Lovealls. Barbara shared her TESTIMONY of how she came to know the Lord. I could tell by the way she told it that she is gifted in this style of evangelism. Another person who comes to mind is our Ministry System director, Sonja Russell. Almost any day you talk to her, Sonja will be ready to describe some way that God has been at work in her life.
Has Jesus made a difference in your life? Do you have a TESTIMONY to share? It doesn’t have to be a dramatic story. There are people who live and work around you who need to hear about the difference Jesus Christ has made in your life. Do you feel comfortable … like the man born blind … in telling others how God has changed your life? Your Story can be a powerful tool of Evangelism.
CONCLUSION:
I want to end the sermon today with a TESTIMONY from someone who is familiar to most of you. I’ve arranged for Dave Robinson to give his testimony. … (Now, he’s a short little guy, so if you can’t see him behind this pulpit, just look up at the big screen and you can see him there.)…
DVD VIDEO Clip # _________ (5 minutes)
Closing remarks and Prayer
