14 Evangelism Principles

Here is a list I came up with while attending our church's recent evangelism conference for Shavuot (Pentecost - Feast of Weeks),  The list comprises some of the governing principles I consider to be vital and practical in evangelism. 

1. Pray initially and unceasingly (for self preparation and opportunities).

2. Live in such a way that causes others to raise eternal questions.

3. Be ready at all times to give "an account for the hope that is in you."

4. Be opportunistic in short-term opportunities (bus, plane, passing conversations).

5. Be patient in long-term opportunities (work, gym, church).

6. Know your sinner's theology/religion (Jew? flailing "Christian"? Atheist?).

7. Emphasize your ongoing and past sin - don't whitewash your sin and in so doing nullify the Savior's sacrifice.  Your perception of your own inherent sinfulness and ongoing war with the flesh will speak volumes to the self-righteous and skeptics alike.

8. Use diverse methodology - C.S. Lewis' "Liar, Lunatic, or Lord" method is awesome, but it is not the end all method for every situation.  All sinners have one antidote - namely the sacrificed, risen Christ - but not every sinner has the same sinful symptoms.  For a religious Jew who rejects Jesus as messiah a theological, historical argument is most likely the best starting point.  For a nominal "Christian" (= unsaved secular person with religious attachments) who doubts the legitimacy of established religion and promotes his own righteousness an approach grounded in showing their reprobateness might prove beneficial.

9.  Address specific sins as examples of a larger, deeper problem not as a specific problem that can be taken care of individually.  The difference between being a good person who "just" does bad things and a bad person who is incapable of doing righteous (God-pleasing) things.  The remedy is not "stop doing these things" and "do these things instead."  Rather the sinner should be told "you can't stop doing bad things - because you are evil" (that's the point) the only answer to your problem is that God has nailed your sins to Christ's cross proclaiming victory over death and the demons of our realm.

10. Don't sell a reprobate sinner a "rebate-filled" gospel (yes, that's the kind with a little "g").  Emphasize the costliness of Christ's death for both the sacrificed One and His Father.  Highlight the abundantly high cost of obedient abandonment of self and adherence to the demands of the Savior.

11. Champion all aspects of the bloody, stained, murderous cross in all its gory details and theological ramifications, but never, ever forget the proof of its effectiveness.  The resurrection of the One who claimed perfection, oneness with the Father, Messiahship, kingship, and most of all proclaimed victory over death.

12. Never worry about destroying a non-believer's faith in their religion, self-confidence/self-righteousness, or their family standing.  These often are by-products of saving faith as the Lord makes abundantly clear.  By using such as these as excuses for not presenting the Gospel or lessening its severity we in effect marginalize the decrees of the Son of God and the high price associated with the gift of salvation.  This one applies directly to Jewish, Hindu, and Islamic evangelism.

13. Dismiss the temporality of the typical salvation message ("pray this prayer and heaven is yours") by emphasizing both its immediate and ongoing effects (initial change and gradual shift towards holiness - Justification and Sanctification).

14. Give the Savior his proper place of primary object in the sinner's wanderings.  Heaven though wonderful and Hell though awful are insufficient means for salvation.  No one has ever avoided Hell on account of fear of it and no one has ever secured Heaven's citizenship due to their desire for it.  Salvation can only be received by seeing, desiring, and treasuring God's risen first and only Offspring.

Some Thoughts on Revelation 1-3

In church last Saturday (yes that's the only weekend-day in Israel) we discussed the seven churches of the Revelation.  All in all it was a solid sermon that discussed the various churches of Asia Minor - highlighting their strengths and weaknesses while discussing and hoping to prevent our own.  I always enjoy good, text-based sermons on the Revelation, because of its vast richness and imagery. As I was sitting in my chair attentively listening to the sermon I noticed a few things in King Jesus' proclamation that I had never picked up on before.  Here is one of them.

The High Priest in His Real Sanctuary (Rev. 1:12-15)

Many preachers and expositors have noted the similarity between Christ's figure in Rev. 1:12-15 and the figure of an unidentified person in Dan. 10:5-6.  Some even go so far as to say that this striking similarity indicates that the person in Daniel is none other than the pre-incarnated Lord Jesus.  Personally, I think that is a bit of a stretch mainly due to the fact that the identification of the character of Dan. 10:5-6 is later revealed as an angel who was held up by the "Prince of Persia."  Even if one were to say that the person of Dan. 10:5-6 was a different person than the "he" that comforts and speaks to Daniel that would mean that the person of Dan. 10:5-6 failed in delivering the message to Daniel and needed another angel (Gabriel?) to step in, which of course would again argue that the person is not Christ.  Nevertheless, John/the Holy Spirit through the vision of the Christ is for sure picking up on this similarity of appearance to make a distinct connection between the apocalyptic prophecies of Daniel and the coming Revelation.  Note the following similarities:

"a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude." (Daniel 10:5-6 ESV)


“Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.” (Revelation 1:12–15 ESV)


This Daniel connection is clear, but could there be more at work than just a textual connection?  Maybe.  Could it be that Jesus was revealing himself to John in his Melchizedekian, priestly garments (vs. the earlier prescribed Aaronic garments) in the midst of his "real" sanctuary?  Definitely the book of Hebrews was in existence during the time of John's vision (95-96 AD - Hebrews was written pre-70 AD) and would have been known by the apostle "whom Jesus loved."  Unconvinced? Consider these passages.

“You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood. These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests. They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.” (Exodus 28:3–5 ESV)

My own very meager attempt at reproducing the high priestly garments based on Exodus 28.  Yes, I am aware that my high priest's body shape is "formless and void."

“For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.” (Hebrews 7:14–19 ESV)

“Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.” (Hebrews 8:1–7 ESV)

These passages show the existence of a heavenly "real" sanctuary, but what might that sanctuary look like? Moses gave the Israelites a "type" tabernacle through the decrees of Torah, but he was only able to re-construct it based on the vision he saw on Mt. Sinai.  Among other things this tabernacle included a seven-branched lampstand (known as the menorah popularized by the holiday of Chanukah and the arch of Titus in Rome).

Tabernacle model in Timnah Valley, Israel 1:1 model - highly recommend going for a visit.

Seven-branched lampstand (also known as a Menorah or a candelabrum) also inside Timnah's model.  Their depiction of the high priest garments are in the upper right of the photo.

Where is the impressively dressed King Jesus in the Revelation 1 passage? "In the midst of the (seven golden) lampstands." Could these lampstands be what Moses saw and tried to duplicate in the menorah?  It is important to note that the term "lampstand" in the Bible is only used in conjunction with the tabernacle/temple precinct (save one reference in Daniel 5:5 - but there it is talking about a lampstand in Belshazar's palace).  The lampstand is inexorably tied to the tabernacle/temple - why should that connection stop in Revelation?  Conversely, it is true that Rev. 1:20 says that the seven golden lampstands represent the seven churches of Asia Minor, but that does not exclude them from having further meaning or further inter-text relatedness.  It is my opinion that Revelation 1 is presenting a picture of the resurrected Christ that is a witness both to his coming judgment on the world (Daniel connection, which will be further expounded upon in Rev. 4-21) and his covenant, high priestly mediation for his beleaguered and persecuted church (Hebrew/Melchizedekian connection which covers Rev. 1-3).

Hippus: A City on a Hill?

During Jesus' Galilean ministry he delivered perhaps the world's most influential sermon - dubbed the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7; Luke 12).  In this sermon the greatest rabbi and theologian asks His hearers to weigh their actions against Torah - removing the already difficult standard of the righteousness of the elite and replacing it with faithful obedience.  The teaching delves deeply into the conscience of its hearers by teaching wisdom through everyday occurrences.  Jesus the consummate teacher and illustrator as He often did, once again, used the 1st-century Galilean sites and sounds of his surroundings to portray His timeless and boundless truths.  Among the many illustrations, the King of the Universe compares the manner of a believer's obedient life to a "city set on a hill that cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14b ESV) hmmmm....  Interesting - more on that later.

I think it is important to note that Jesus taught almost exclusively outdoors and the majority of the time in Galilee both among and to farmers and fishermen.  He knew the realities each faced in this complex, eclectic region.  Consider the following map:

Notice the three big regions.  Galilee was ruled by Herod Antipas (Herod the Great's son) with his capital in Tiberias it was primarily Jewish with cities like Capernaum and Chorazin on the western half of the Lake.  The Tetrarchy of Philip - most of which was in modern Syria and the Golan Heights.  Philip had a very small sliver of the lake where Philip (also the son of Herod the Great) established the city of Julia - his populace was a mix of Jew and Gentile.  The eastern half was under direct Roman rule with the free city-states of the Decapolis (literally 10 cities - although it was more than that - this would be cities like Gadera, Gerasa, Scytholpolis and Hippus). This region was almost exclusively Gentile. The casting out of demons into swine Matt. 8:30 happened in this region.  All three of these regions would have their own governmental (read taxation) system and radically different diets.  One can easily imagine the Jewish fishermen selling the non-kosher fish to their Gentile neighbors in an attempt to sell all of their catch.  It was within this cultural context that the Son of God was revealed and eloquently interacted.  

I say all of that to make one observation from the Sermon on the Mount.  I will do so in the form of a question.

Is it possible that Jesus was referring to an actual city when he said “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden?"   I think he may have been - examine the following images.

This is a view of the traditional location of the Mt. of Beattitudes (likely its a small hill between Capernaum and Tabgha) looking southeast at Hippus - the only major city sitting on a hill during the time of Jesus in the vicinity.

Hippus/Susita (horse) named such because the city resembled a horse's head as it sits alone connected to the Golan Heights by a small spur line.

View from the east looking west across the Sea of Galilee to the Plain of Gennesaret and Tiberias.  Looking at the back of the head of a very schematic horse (with no mane or ears of course).

Would it have been shining?  Probably not Thomas Edison would not be born until about 20 centuries later, but Hippus would have had large tall Roman buildings like these (remains are a little later but are indicative of the city) made out of white limestone shining in the hot Galilean sunshine.  The Decapolis city could have easily been seen from all locations around the Lake, as the hill can still be readily spotted today. 

More or less the same view as the first one.  Clearly Hippus could have easily been seen by Jesus' audience. (all images Google Earth and Mindy McKinny).

 It could be that Jesus not only pointed to Hippus (or maybe shrugged his head there emphatically) when he referred to a "city on a hill that cannot be hidden," but he also looked to the eastern shore later in his message when he said the following: “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” (Matthew 7:6 ESV)  Pigs would have been found in abundance on the eastern shore (remember Matt. 8:30) and would have been very scarce on the Jewish western shore from where Jesus was speaking.  

In the end this argumentation cannot be proven - it is difficult enough to uncover the meaning of texts -  all the more difficult to discern a speaker's thoughts and unrecorded actions.  Regardless, I believe interacting with the text geographically provides it with a certain realness that it might not have otherwise.  Most believers believe the Bible is inerrant (free from error), but sometimes we forget that its people lived in a real place, in a real time, with real geographicall realities.

Why Curse a Fig Tree?

The Cursing of the Fig Tree (Mark 11:12-14; Matt. 21:18-22) – (Monday Morning)

Chronological problem – Mark clearly indicates that the cursing of the fig tree occurred on Monday morning the day after the triumphal entry before the cleansing of the temple, whereas Matthew seems to indicate that this occurred on Monday morning before the cleansing of the temple. Most critical scholars will call this a mistake on Matthew’s part in his compilation according to Mark’s Gospel. However, it seems better to simply say that Matthew broke chronological order – the cleansing of the temple in his mind was inexorably tied to the coming king of Israel (his main theme) and for Mark it was important for him to highlight that the Messiah came into the temple and surveyed it (Mark 11:11). As with most Gospel problems, one rarely needs look no further than emphasis to find the conclusion to problems.

Fig leaf without fruit.

The fig tree – at first glance this miracle seems exceptionally odd. Nowhere in the Gospels do we have Jesus performing a damaging miracle – all his miracles to this point had been of the healing, restoring, even resurrecting variety. This seems all the more odd when it is considered that Mark tells the reader that the fig tree was not in the season to bear fruit (Mark 11:12). Why kill a predictably unproductive fig tree? The answer is Jeremiah 8:8-15.

“How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us’? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie. The wise men shall be put to shame; they shall be dismayed and taken; behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them? Therefore I will give their wives to others and their fields to conquerors, because from the least to the greatest everyone is greedy for unjust gain; from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they shall be overthrown, says the LORD. When I would gather them, declares the LORD, there are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree; even the leaves are withered, and what I gave them has passed away from them.”

Why do we sit still? Gather together; let us go into the fortified cities and perish there, for the LORD our God has doomed us to perish and has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD. We looked for peace, but no good came; for a time of healing, but behold, terror.”

(Jeremiah 8:8–15 ESV)

Jesus was using the same imagery that Jeremiah the prophet used – Jeremiah the prophet who lived just north on the Mt. of Olives at Anatoth pronounces Jerusalem’s coming doom for their idolatry – Jesus the prophet who was staying just south on the Mt. of Olives pronounces Jerusalem’s coming doom for their rejection of “he who would gather them.” This doom would ultimately come to fruition (pun intended) when Jerusalem would be sacked in 70 A.D. The Jeremiah passage fits the times of Jesus and the Great Revolt (66-70 A.D.) so closely that it becomes extremely hard to argue that Jesus was not using it as the basis for his destructive miracle.