Charles Spurgeon: “Of course the preacher is above all distinguished as a man of prayer. He prays as an ordinary Christian, else he were a hypocrite. He prays more than ordinary Christians, else he were disqualified for the office he has undertaken.”
Martin Luther: “I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.” “He that has prayed well has studied well.” (quotes from the Evangelism Handbook)
As a young pastor I could be described as ignorance on fire. I meant well, had a lot of passion, but I had about as much experience as a lumberjack at a ballroom dance. Okay, I apologize to lumberjacks who love ballroom dancing. My point is that if I were going to see any success in ministry as a pastor, God would have to do it.
I had just taken a couple of courses in seminary that taught me about the work of the Spirit and the role of prayer. So we prayed at our little church. We had an all night prayer meeting. The next week we had an evangelistic meeting and saw more people come to Christ in four days than the church had seen in ten years. No matter how you slice it, the commission to evangelize is at its core spiritual work. Thus Jesus promised the Spirit even as He spoke His final words to be witnesses (Acts 1:8).
Too often when we think of evangelism we tend to think of the theology–the biblical, historical, theological understanding of sharing Christ—and the methods we employ. Okay, we spend most of the time talking methodology. But not enough attention centers on the spiritual resources involved. But if you have been active in sharing your faith or preaching the gospel, you know well how much we need a holy God’s aid in the task!
I have told my students over and over that no matter how educated you become, or how connected, or wise, or experienced, you will never come to the place where you have arrived in ministry that you can do it in your own power. We need the hand of God to do the work of God.
That is why one of the major sections of my Evangelism Handbook is given to spiritual resources. The discussion includes the work of the Holy Spirit-in the believer, in the witness, in the unbeliever. I talk about prayer both in terms of one’s walk with Christ in general and praying for our unsaved friends in particular. My friend Chuck Lawless of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary adds a helpful article on spiritual warfare.
The personal testimony demonstrates how the Spirit has transformed a life from dead to alive in Christ. If you have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, your testimony is a huge witness to the work of the Spirit! The place of character follows. I would argue that the greatest enemy or the greatest aid to the Spirit’s work in our witness has to do with whether or not we demonstrate godliness in all of life. In fact, I would submit that whether or not you and I utilize spiritual resources is seen in our character. I use Acts 20 and Paul’s own character as he spoke to the Ephesian leaders to guide the discussion.
Finally, spiritual disciplines bring together the spiritual resources into a practical way to live them out daily. I believe evangelism is a discipline, and Paul had it right when he told us to “discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness.”
Here is a little excerpt from the section dealing with character:
In a post-Christian world, people need a demonstration of the gospel that accompanies an explanation of its truth. Some people don’t attend our churches because they are afraid they may become like us! They are still without excuse, but we are also accountable for our behavior. I agree with those who say the chief mark of character is self-control. Great saints in history have been marked by Christian character.
The Life Of The Witness
• Robert Murray McCheyne: “Lord, make me as holy as a saved sinner can be.”
• Spurgeon: “Whatever ‘call’ a man may pretend to have, if he has not been called to holiness, he certainly has not been called to the ministry.”
What are the building blocks of Christian character? Paul’s counsel in Acts 20 guides us. He told the Ephesian Christians: “You know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time” (Acts 20:18). He was not bragging; he was stating reality. They had watched him three years. Paul went on to say, “I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing” (Acts 20:33). One of my best friends in the ministry made this statement to one of my classes: “You will spend half your life in ministry just staying out of trouble.”
We should be aware of those areas that specifically pull at our integrity. My wife cannot watch violent movies. Violence in film does not affect me the same way (no, I do not watch slasher movies). Satan knows your areas of weakness, so you and I should be on guard. D. L. Moody, the great evangelist, knew this. He once said “character is what you are in the dark.” If our motives are impure, they will eventually be discovered. Paul’s evangelism was consistent with his life.
G. Campbell Morgan told of that great English actor Macready. An eminent preacher once said to the actor: “What is the reason for the difference between you and me? You are appearing before crowds night after night with fiction, and the crowds come wherever you go. I am preaching the essential and unchangeable truth, and I am not getting any crowd at all.”
Macready replied: “This is quite simple. I present my fiction as though it were truth; you present your truth as though it were fiction.”
Humility
Paul said to the Ephesians he served the Lord with great humility (Acts 20:19). In ministry, the greatest temptation is the desire for status. That is one of the major hindrances to evangelism in the church. Many churches today are hindered in their evangelism because key laypersons as well as ministry staff are more concerned with their personal standing than the evangelistic growth of the Lord’s church. Pride hinders evangelism.
When we are young and opportunities come our way, we typically say, “Why me, Lord?” surprised that God would save and use people like us. But as we become experienced, educated, and inflated, we are more tempted to say, “Why not me, Lord?” wondering why we were overlooked for this or that position.
My heroes are men like Roy Fish, my major professor at Southwestern Seminary, a man of God; Robert Coleman, who wrote The Master Plan of Evangelism; the late Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ; and Billy Graham. Why have these men served Christ so well for an entire lifetime? Because they have humility. Humility helps us finish well.
On the other hand, I have too often seen young ministers with a great deal of ability crash and burn because they lacked humility. Once a young student came to me, announcing boldly how the little church he had served as interim thought he was such a great preacher they declared he would be the next Billy Graham. He lasted one semester in seminary, and soon was out of the ministry. If you find yourself constantly talking about your achievements more than your need for Jesus, you live in great danger. Humility recognizes we cannot live without Christ. Character matters.
While teaching at Houston Baptist University, I was privileged to have a young lady from Africa attend my required classes in Old Testament, New Testament, and Christian doctrine. She was a devout Muslim when we met. I shared Christ with her. While she seemed uninterested, I sought to live the Christian life before her.
On the bottom of her final exam in Christian doctrine, she left me a note that thrills me to this day. “Dr. Reid, thank you for how you have spoken to me by your life. I now know that Jesus Christ is God’s Son, and have given my life to Him. I have never been so happy!”
