Comments on Today's Evangelism...

Across the nation we have people thinking they possess
salvation, when they clearly have no scriptural spiritual
evidence. Yet they are told by friends, church leaders, and
even Pastors that they are saved because they cried at an
alter, or said a prayer asking Christ to save them, or were
baptized, or had an experience of some kind.

How did Christendom ever arrive at such a tragic state of presenting
a misunderstood gospel? The blessings about us abound as far as
resources are concerned, in both paper and computer format.
Today we have the ability to study, quite literally, at the
simple press of a computer key, word and phrase searches,
Greek and Hebrew definitions, and cross-references. One
would believe that the message would be clearer today than
ever! But such is the thinking of man. Professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools (Rom 1:22). It
appears that the new television tradition of solving intense
problems in a half hour window of time has had a greater
impact on how we are to evangelize than the Word has had.

Sadly, much of today's pastors and theological leaders know
only a fraction of what earlier leaders did. It is said that
the old Puritans would spend most of their time studying the
Word, oftentimes over ten hours a day. Today we have
theologians whose knowledge, to quote one preacher, "could
not fill a thimble." Below are some quotations from a few
defenders of the past, showing us that what we face in
today's evangelistic circles is sadly nothing new. So as not
to paint too dismal a picture, there still are of course many
leaders who do not back away from the truth of God's Word.
The first quote is from such a one.
 

Learning, education, fervor, even knowledge of the
Scriptures, and fervor in presenting it are not enough in
themselves ... there must be a knowledge of Jesus Christ. I
say that because there are always many people who sit in
churches who learn a great deal. They know in our day, not
only the old testament, but they know the new testament as
well. And if you ask them to tell the Bible stories, they
certainly are able to tell them. But they don't know the way
of Jesus. They don't really know personally that He died for
them, and that He rose again for their justification. They
know His name but they don't know him as their Savior and
Lord, and they are not His disciples.

And so I say, in order to apply this, using the case of
Apollos as an example, that although you may have gone to
church for many, many years and you may know a great deal
about the Scriptures, the mere learning and even the fervent
teaching of these things is not enough. You must know Jesus
Christ and you must trust Him. To know all of the other is
good, but you can know that and still be lost. What you have
to know is that Jesus died for you and trust him if you are
to be His and go to heaven.

- James Montgomery Boice, Sermon on Acts 18, circa 1998.
 

 Why is it so that profane and ungodly men think it so easy to
believe in Christ? And they say they do it with all their
heart, when it's plain by the Scripture they are not such to
whom those glorious things of the Gospel do belong...

They look upon faith in Christ as easy, because they divide
the object; they take some things of Christ not the whole
Christ. They think it's only believing on him as a Savior
for pardon of sin; they do not choose him as a Lord to whom
in all obedience they resign themselves. This is indeed the
rock that splits many, tell them of believing in Christ, and
they think that is only to rest on him for salvation, they
attend not that it is receiving of Christ for all ends and
purposes God sent him into the world. Now one main end
besides our justification and salvation is our
sanctification: "To redeem to himself a people zealous of
good works," Titus 2:14. To communicate his Spirit so as to
make holy as well as his merit to make happy. There are many
who desire to be the Lord's by redemption but not by
sanctification; they would have Christ's blood theirs but not
his Spirit...

- Anthony Burgess, Expository Sermons on John 17, 1656.
 

 Charles Spurgeon warned his students: "If the professed
convert distinctly and deliberately declares that he knows the
Lord's will but does not mean to attend to it, you are not to
pamper his presumption, but it is your duty to assure him that
he is not saved. Do not suppose that the Gospel is magnified
or God glorified by going to the worldlings and telling them
that they may be saved at this moment by simply accepting
Christ as their Saviour, while they are wedded to their idols,
and their hearts are still in love with sin. If I do so I tell them
a lie, pervert the Gospel, insult Christ, and turn the grace of
God into lasciviousness."

- Ernest C. Reisinger, What Should we Think of the 'Carnal
Christian'?
 

Sometimes we are inclined to think that a very great portion
of modern revivalism has been more a curse than a blessing,
because it has led thousands to a kind of peace before they
have known their misery; restoring the prodigal to the
Father's house, and never making him say, "Father, I have
sinned." How can he be healed who is not sick? or he be
satisfied with the bread of life who is not hungry? The old-
fashioned sense of sin is despised, and consequently a
religion is run up before the foundations are dug out.
Everything in this age is shallow. Deep-sea fishing is
almost an extinct business so far as men's souls are
concerned. The consequence is that men leap into religion,
and then leap out again. Unhumbled they came to the church,
unhumbled they remained in it, and unhumbled they go from it.

- C. H. Spurgeon, The Sword and the Trowel, 1882.

 
American Protestantism is characterized by a peculiar evil
which I may describe by the term "spurious revivalism." It
has been often called the "New Measure System." The common
mischief resulting from all its forms is the over-hasty
reception into the communion of the churches, of multitudes
of persons whom time proves to have experienced no spiritual
change... Many churches are loaded down with dead members.
Church discipline becomes impracticable. This nominal
membership includes tens of thousands of silent infidels who
have inferred from the manifest deceitfulness of their own
hot religious experience the deceptiveness of the gospel
itself.

- R. L. Dabney, Discussions, Vol 3, 1892, pp. 563-564.
 

But should there be one of you so entirely deceived by the
evil spirit as to think yourself a partaker in the promises,
while you are living in the lusts of the flesh, let me
solemnly warn you of your error. He who sincerely repents
of sin will hate it, and find no pleasure in it.

- C. H. Spurgeon, Healing for the Wounded, Spurgeons's
Sermons, Vol. II, p. 25.
 

The persons who were received at Pentecost were added to the
church by the Lord. Does anybody else add to the church?
Oh, yes, the devil too often thrusts in his servents. Who
was it that added Judas, and Ananias and Sapphira, and Simon
Magus, and Demas to the church? Who was it that stole forth
by night and sowed tares among the wheat? That evil spirit
is not dead, he is still busy enough in this department, and
continually adds to the church such as are not saved.

- C. H. Spurgeon, Additions to the Church, Spurgeons's
Sermons, Vol. X, p. 54.
 

A man may hate sin just as a murderer hates the gallows, but
this does not prove repentance. If I hate sin because of the
punishment, I have not repented of sin. I merely regret that
God is just. But if I can see sin as an offense against
Jesus Christ, and loathe myself because I have wounded him,
then I have a true brokeness of heart.

I learn from Scriptures that repentance is just as necessary
to salvation as faith is, and the faith that has not
repentance going with it will have to be repented of.
If you can look on sin without sorrow, then you have never
looked on Christ. A faith look at Jesus breaks the heart,
both for sin and from sin. Try yourself by this test.

- C. H. Spurgeon, Spurgeon at His Best, pp. 174-175.