Rob Ventura's Equipped to Evangelize

Editor's Note: Christian Focus has graciously supplied us with a chapter from Rob Ventura's forthcoming book Equipped to Evangelize: A Biblical Foundation. Ref21 will publish portions of chapter one along with endorsements over the next several months in anticipation of its September release date. Enjoy!

“Evangelism can be very difficult. When we share the gospel, we find ourselves at war with the world, our own flesh, and the spiritual forces of darkness. To equip us for the fight and to fire our hearts for this sacred duty, Rob Ventura shows why we should be motivated to share the gospel (because it brings glory to God and does good to man) and why we can be confident in doing so (because of the accompanying power of the Holy Spirit). Rob also shows that the sovereignty of God in salvation should stir up rather than quench our zeal to share the gospel with the lost. In this robust treatment of evangelism, Rob combines biblical clarity and doctrinal fidelity in a work that is sure to revive your passion for knowing Christ in the gospel and making Him known to the world.” 

—Joel R. Beeke, chancellor of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary and pastor of the Heritage Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan

“This is an excellent primer on evangelism, written by a pastor with a shepherd’s heart. I appreciate the strong emphasis on being biblical in our approach to evangelism, especially given the damage caused by man-centered methods. This is exactly the kind of book I am eager to place in the hands of all our members. Personally, I often need a book like this to reignite my own passion for reaching the lost. Rob Ventura has masterfully distilled the full scope of evangelism into a succinct and impactful guide. I am delighted to recommend it.”

—Conrad Mbewe, Pastor, Kabwata Baptist Church and founding Chancellor, African Christian University, Lusaka, Zambia

1: The Need for Biblical Evangelism

Could a mariner sit idly by if he heard the drowning cry? Could a doctor sit in comfort and just let his patients die? Could a fireman sit idle, that men burn and give no hand? Can you sit at ease in Zion with the world around you damned?

 —Leonard Ravenhill

            You don’t need to look very far to realize something is horribly wrong in our world. Depression, suicides, school shootings, drug overdoses, murder, and divorce rates are at an all-time high. Then there is abortion, transgenderism, the homosexual movement, same-sex marriage, the adverse marginalization of the Christian faith in culture, especially in the West, and the various false beliefs that fill people’s minds, such as humanism, secularism, atheism, relativism, and postmodernism. Underlying all of these problems is the more profound matter, theologically speaking, that men and women who are not true Christians are spiritually lost, blind, dead in trespasses and sins, having “no hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12). There is a sad condition that hangs over the streets and homes of many like a deadly fog. It is persistent. It is lethal. It is grim.

          There are many theories proposed regarding the cause of our current situation in the world and just as many theories detailing how to fix it. Thankfully, the Bible diagnoses the problem and gives us its own solution, one which we can know is accurate and certain. It’s not a complicated solution. In fact, it’s something every Christian can engage in and is called to. It doesn’t cost much money. Indeed, it is free. In most cases, it doesn’t require a whole lot of training or schooling. People such as the tombstone demoniac in the Bible engaged in it from the moment of his conversion (Luke 8:26-39). But what solution am I talking about? I am talking, of course, about biblical evangelism.

What is Biblical Evangelism?

          To illustrate why this solution is “simple” yet imperative, let’s consider both what biblical evangelism is, and is not. If someone were to ask you to define evangelism, what would you say? What would you include in the definition? What would you leave out? As we will see, how we define evangelism will have profound practical implications on how we practice it. Poor definitions of evangelism can keep people from doing it at all, or even worse, they could inspire the unbiblical, and compromised types of evangelism that are so in vogue today.

          For example, how many readers think evangelism means seeing converts? Or growing our churches? Or winning souls? Or getting people to say a prayer? The ideas of decisions, results, altar calls, and “sinner’s prayers” are deeply engrained in the minds of most of Christians living in America, but this has created a severe problem. Today, particularly in the West, we are not necessarily living where new converts are being made left and right. The ground into which we are sowing gospel seed is often rock-hard. At worst, people refuse to engage with the gospel at all, and at best, they are indifferent or skeptical. We aren’t happy about this, but facts are facts. Thus, for those who understand and define evangelism as seeing converts, decisions, or tangible results, what is generally bound to happen? They will begin to manufacture them. They will water down the message in order to get the results they so desperately seek. They often introduce gimmicks and pragmatism into evangelism. They leave out the difficult parts of the gospel message or the call to follow Christ in a life of biblical discipleship. They wind up with sophomoric and even squeamish presentations of Jesus, such as those on popular TV shows or bad commercials during the Super Bowl. This kind of evangelism doesn’t help the current state of things. In fact, it only worsens the situation by creating large numbers of false converts in churches and neighborhoods, making the task that much harder. It also leads to idolatry since the Jesus that is presented is no longer like the one we see in the Bible. He is packaged and marketed more as a life coach, therapist, or someone to get us through tough stretches of life rather than the Almighty God who is mighty to save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21).

But poor definitions of evangelism don’t just affect those who are receiving the gospel. They also affect those Christians who genuinely want to share the gospel but feel discouraged because they don’t see the results they hoped for when they evangelize. If we define evangelism in terms of its success, the Christian comes to think it’s not worth it to even try, believing that his or her efforts have been wasted if no one was converted. This is why, for example, I would reject definitions such as those put forth by “Church Growth” advocate Peter Wagner, who says “Evangelism has only been accomplished when disciples are made.”[1] Darius Salter is another who defines evangelism in terms of success, stating that our definition must leave room “for the evaluation of effectiveness.”[2]

Such definitions are odd to me, considering that conversion is one of the most challenging areas of all Christianity to evaluate. Even Christ implies this in parables such as the “Parable of the Sower,” where what looks like genuine evidence of conversion proves to be counterfeit (Mark 4:1-20). While we certainly can evaluate people’s fruits to see if they are in a state of grace, ultimately, only God knows whether a person has been truly converted, so how can we limit evangelism to what is known to produce converts? Such thinking led Charles Spurgeon to deep lamentation: “What mean these dispatches from the battlefield? ‘Last night 14 souls were under conviction, 15 were justified, and 8 received full sanctification.’ I am weary of these public braggings, this counting of unhatched chickens, this exhibition of doubtful spoils. Lay aside such numberings of the people, such idle pretense of certifying in half a minute that which will need the testing of a lifetime.”[3]

But thankfully, such definitions of evangelism are not our only option. There is another way, and one that is biblical. The word “evangelism” comes from a Greek verb that means “to declare, bring, or preach good news.” Thus, at its core, to evangelize simply means “to proclaim good news.”[4]

To be continued…