Evangelise or fossilise

HOW DID PAUL EVANGELIZE? WARN. WEEP. WORK. Paul did not approach evangelism casually. He carried a message that had to be delivered, a burden that could not be suppressed, and a mission that demanded everything he had. (Acts 20:20-21, 31; 1 Thessalonians 2:9) PAUL WARNED — THE URGENCY OF HIS MESSAGE “I ceased not to warn every one night and day…” (Acts 20:31) Paul understood that lost men are not merely confused. Apart from Christ they are condemned already. He warned because sin is serious. Judgment is certain. Hell is real. Eternity is forever. And Christ is the only Savior. Paul did not soften the truth to make sinners comfortable. He preached “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Notice the intensity — “I ceased not.” Notice the individuality — “every one.” Notice the persistence — “night and day.” He preached publicly, but he also dealt with people personally — “publickly, and from house to house” (Acts 20:20). Evangelism that never warns sinners of their danger is bogus evangelism. We cannot warn people about everything except the one thing that matters eternally. The Gospel is good news. But good news only makes sense when men understand the bad news. PAUL WEPT — THE COMPASSION OF HIS HEART “…night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:31) Paul had more than doctrine in his head. He had souls on his heart. Romans 9 reveals his “great heaviness and continual sorrow” for those who were lost. Paul could preach strongly because he loved deeply. His tears reveal a burden for the lost. He saw people as eternal souls, not statistics. His tears reveal a brokenness over unbelief. Their rejection of Christ affected him personally. His tears reveal a compassion that accompanied confrontation. His warnings were not angry denunciations. They were truth delivered through tears. Something is wrong when we can talk about hell without emotion, preach about judgment without compassion, and live among lost people without concern. Paul’s eyes were wet because his heart was broken. We need more than better evangelistic methods. We need broken hearts. You cannot manufacture tears, but you can ask God to break your heart over what breaks His. PAUL WORKED — THE INTENSITY OF HIS LABOR “Labouring night and day…” (1 Thessalonians 2:9) Paul did not confuse burden with obedience. He worked. He traveled when travel was difficult. He preached when preaching was dangerous. He witnessed when witnessing was costly. He entered cities where he was hated. He returned after being persecuted. He preached publicly and went house to house. He reasoned in synagogues, witnessed in marketplaces, preached in prisons, and testified before rulers. His theology compelled him rather than paralyze him! Paul’s burden had boots on it. The Great Commission will never be fulfilled by good intentions. We can pray for sinners and never speak to them. We can talk about evangelism and never evangelize. We can lament the condition of America while never witnessing to our neighbor. A burden that never produces labor is merely emotion. Paul said, “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). Whatever it took. Wherever God sent him. Whatever it cost him. Paul worked. PAUL’S THREEFOLD PATTERN He WARNED because souls were in danger. He WEPT because souls were precious. He WORKED because souls were worth reaching. Warning without weeping becomes harshness. Weeping without warning becomes sentimentality. Warning and weeping without working become hypocrisy. Paul had all three. THE PERSONAL TEST Who have I WARNED? When did I last speak plainly to someone about their soul? Who have I WEPT over? Whose salvation weighs heavily upon my heart? Who am I WORKING to reach? What am I actually doing to bring someone to Christ? We will never reach a lost world with casual Christianity. Warn them. Weep over them. Work to reach them. The hour is late. The harvest is great. The laborers are few. And eternity is too long for us to remain silent. Harold Vaughan