Guerrilla Evangelism
At the end of last week’s article found here, I finished with the well-known Scripture verse in Matthew 28:18-20.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
I often look at the instruction Jesus gives us in this passage in the same way I look at the instructions we give our children when we leave them with a sitter. You know the instructions that go something like, “Listen and obey, be respectful, help clean things up, and go to bed on time.” These sort of instructions are given for our children to follow until the time we return. This is a good comparison because really, when you think about it, the instruction given by Jesus is for us to follow until the time He returns.
I also think this passage is overused as an excuse for guerrilla warfare in evangelism. I may be stepping on some big time toes with this statement, appear to be judgmental, and some may call for me to be taken out behind the woodshed for a severe flogging, but roll with me a little and let me explain.
I made the next point at the end of my last article:
To fully appreciate the instruction given here, we need to recognize the word disciple for what it means: student. This instruction is not saying go and make Christians of all the nations, go and conquer all the nations, or go and subdue all the nations with your Scriptural wisdom. This instruction is saying go and make students, inclusive to all the nations everywhere (so no one is excluded). This is an important distinction to recognize because you cannot teach an unwilling student and you cannot make a student out of someone unwilling to be one – just ask any school teacher.
Some may argue this statement is wrong, and the passage does in fact instruct us to go and make Christians of all the nations. Let’s not get caught up in semantics on the meaning or interpretation. My point here is I do not believe anyone can “make” a Christian. Faith is not something to be forced upon someone else. You can force a person to look like a Christian, walk in a Christian way, speak in a Christian way, and for all purposes, appear to be a Christian, but if their heart is not given over to Christ, are they truly a believer?
Guerrilla warfare in evangelism may produce a few true believers, however at what price? How many other people were simply “inoculated” against believing because of the tactics of a forced religion or belief system? How many were turned away by hypocrisy, do as I say and not as I do? Now, I am not bagging on zealous or aggressive evangelists sharing the gospel. If they believe God has called them to guerilla tactics in delivering the message, then I am not going to stand in their way or criticize them personally, however I am questioning their methods. Where in Scripture does Jesus teach us a guerrilla warfare approach in evangelism?
When I consider the passage above, I have to apply what I know in corporate training for training adults, what I have learned in homeschooling my children, and what I know from working with the children, youth, and young adult ministries. This experience tells me we must first get the person to want to be a student or we might as well just quit. We cannot force knowledge on anyone and we cannot pressure someone into learning (in reality, you can pressure someone into learning through coercion and manipulation, however the knowledge learned is quickly flushed when the pressure is released, so the retention is lost).
When we watch Jesus through the gospels in Scripture, his teaching method was never forced or overbearing. When he taught or spoke publicly, there were thousands of people gathering around Him. Would this happen in guerilla styled evangelism or teachings? Would this happen if He was a doom and gloom teacher? Of course the answer is simple here: No. Thousands gathered around Him because when He spoke, He spoke the truth with compassion, understanding, and through interaction with those around Him. This is illustrated throughout the gospels.
With His close disciples, or students, He related His teachings to stories to help them remember and apply the teaching. His focus was on training retention and equipping the disciples. By following their questions, we find the disciple’s attitude was one of eager learning, hungry for the knowledge, and a driving passion to understand the teachings. There was a learning revival going on in each of the disciples – these were eager students to the core. Why? Because they wanted to ask questions and learn more.
When I consider the “making” of a Christian making disciples and how it should be done, it does not begin with forcing a teaching down someone’s throat. Instead, it begins with getting to know them. How can I relate something Scriptural if I know nothing of the person to whom I am sharing the information? Some of my best training sessions in business are with people I have known for years because I can better relate the training material to what I know about the person.
When do I approach them about God? This is the real clincher for me, because I don’t have to approach them – they approach me. God is not a switch I turn on or off when I want to share something with others, but instead I have a relationship with Him, I talk about Him, I write about Him, and as you are reading, I blog articles about Him. When I talk about Him, I am having a conversation with others about what God is doing in my life and around me; I am emailing about a new revelation, or blogging about a new understanding. This is the open door for people to email me, call me, stop me in the course of my day and ask me questions, or in some way bring up the subject.
People around me want to ask questions and learn more. Hmmmm… what is the definition of an eager student? Have I made a Christian or have I made a disciple?
Glenn Sasscer
www.glennsasscer.com
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