Sequential
Evangelism
By Stephen
Terry
Commentary
for the May 5, 2012 Sabbath School Lesson
“For
God is not a God of disorder but of peace —as in all the congregations of the
Lord’s people.” 1 Corinthians 14:33, NIV
A rite of passage common to many boys is building models
from kits. Some boys prefer to build models of ships, some cars, and some airplanes.
There are model kits to suit many different interests. Kits can even be found
for movie monsters or comic book super heroes. Boys may save their allowance to
be able to purchase a desired model. The models may be given to them as birthday
or holiday gifts. How the models are assembled may reveal a lot about the boy
and his readiness for more adult responsibilities.
Every model kit has certain things in common. Among
those commonalities are several parts that must be assembled and a set of
instructions that explains the assembly sequence. Following the instructions
usually assures trouble free assembly. Failure to follow the assembly sequence
can result in problems: for instance, an engine that cannot fit into the engine
compartment of a model car because parts that should have been added later are
already glued into place, blocking the insertion route for the engine. A child
who has not been able to follow the instructions is betrayed by the end result.
Many parents believe that the ability to follow detailed instructions, bringing
order to an apparent jumble of components, can be a valuable skill for a child
to learn. Some learn this lesson better than others, and some learn it too
well.
Just as problematic as someone who refuses to follow
instructions to successfully complete a task is the person who sees following
the instructions as the primary goal rather than the assembly of the model. On occasion,
model kit instructions may contain misprints. If followed literally, the model
cannot be assembled properly. Yet, some would be unable to complete the model
at all, continually attempting to follow the errant instructions that will
never work. In this event, the child must be able to see the instructions as a
guideline only. He must be able to adapt the instructions to the need of the
model. The child who is ready for adulthood will realize that the process is
less important than the result when it impairs achieving that result.
These experiences can carry directly into one’s
spiritual experience as well. Most Christians would readily agree that there
are guidelines for spiritual success that they ascribe to. While they may not
agree on the details of those guidelines, they will nonetheless confirm that
they are necessary. Depending on the denominational understanding, those
guidelines may be fairly simple consisting of something like the Apostle’s
Creed. Others may be very detailed with several layers of complexity. These
tend to be reflections on the spiritual maturity of those denominations. (As a
side note, I would like to add that those who claim to be non-denominational
are not, for their non-denominationalism is itself a denomination.) Those who
favor simpler, more general guidelines tend to value the end result more than
the process. But those who have very detailed guidelines see perfection of
instruction as the golden goal. They often feel that if the rules are followed,
everything else will take care of itself. However, by definition the instructions
can never be perfect. There is always the exception.
When confronted by exception, those who are ready for spiritual
adulthood will, like the boy working on the model, consider the end result and
adjust or discard the rule that prevents achieving the correct result. Those
who have not reached their level of spiritual development will instead try to
apply the non-working rule to the situation anyway. After all, for them,
following the instruction is the goal and should not be deviated from. These
individuals have a very difficult time with adaptable processes. They decry what
they consider the unfairness of allowing any tampering with the instructions.
After all, if they can follow the instructions literally, then everyone else
should also. For them the instructions have ceased to be general guidelines and
instead have become a contract with God.
Jesus spoke a parable about such individuals in Matthew
20, verses 1 through 16. He told about groups of workers who agreed to work in
the field. The workers had come at different times of day to the work, with the
earliest workers agreeing to work for a day’s wage. When those who came later
received the same amount, the earliest workers became indignant at what they
considered unfair. Many of us would react the same way. Yet what the owner of
the field pointed out to them in the parable was that they got exactly what
they had contracted for. Since they wished to be bound by the contract, they
should not complain when they were paid according to that contract. Those who
came later and agreed to accept whatever the field owner chose to pay them found
their willingness to be flexible rewarded by the owner’s generosity.
In the same way, those who want a contractual
relationship with God based on their perfection of obedience will find that God
does not reject such relationships. Instead, He will accept the contract and
pay accordingly. For perfect obedience, he will grant eternal life according to
contract. But for those who simply trust His generosity, He will also grant the
same wage, not according to performance but according to grace, according to
His generosity. No doubt, those who struggle their whole life to obey will,
just like the laborers who worked the entire day, feel that this is unfair.
However, they have no basis for complaint as they have contracted with God rather
than trusted Him in faith.
What has all this to do with sequential evangelism? Only
this: we might want to consider avoiding making the sequence of evangelism the
goal rather than the result. There are enough exceptions in the Bible to
challenge the idea that there is an exact evangelistic process that must be
followed to expect acceptable results. Often that sequence begins by what is
often referred to as “needs based ministry.” While there is nothing wrong with
meeting the needs we are able to address as caring Christians, we can do more
harm than good if we are perceived as doing those deeds only to get people to
lower their guards so we can sweep them into the church. If those needs are powerful
enough, we might even be tempted to use those needs to manipulate them into
agreeing with whatever we propose. In pre-communist Asia, many denominations
were accused of creating “rice” Christians by providing rice to peasants who
were starving and would agree to anything, even baptism, to be able to eat and
feed their families. However, these Christians would quickly convert back to
their previous beliefs when the crisis passed.
If we are caring for people’s needs simply as part of a
sequential process to get them into the church, we are undermining the working
of the Holy Spirit with our own efforts to win converts. Perhaps, we would be
better employed to genuinely care for others without regard to whether or not
it fits into some detailed sequential scheme to get them baptized. Some might
see potential converts as wild mustangs needing to be herded into a corral
where they can be broken and domesticated. There is a certain process that must
be followed to achieve this. It the process is correctly done, you will indeed
corral the horses, break them and domesticate them, but you will also get no
more than that: broken horses.
Everyone who is baptized is ordained to ministry after
the order of Melchizedek. (See my article “A
Concise Theology of Ordination” at
www.visitstillwaters.com.) This is an ordination to serve directly under Christ
as High Priest of the order. Priests of that order become priests freely by the
grace of God. How can we then find value in leading people into the baptismal
tank through process oriented evangelism which has more in common with pressure
sales techniques than with the subtle moving of the Holy Spirit on someone’s
heart? No doubt, those who are committed to the process will defend their
actions by exclaiming about their good intentions. However, which is more open
and honest, using someone’s need to manipulate them into the baptismal tank, or
simply loving them because you really love them.
If we are using their need as an opportunity to put a
carrot in the snare, or if we are seen as only helping them to earn points with
God for ourselves, they will quickly see through the charade. We may catch some
in the snare, but those who do not get caught will become more wary, and the
snare will work less and less. Isn’t this result what we have seen so much of
in the United States? We like to blame post-modernism, the secularization of
society, and even the competition from the digital revolution for a declining
response to process evangelism. Maybe instead, in the words of Walt Kelly “We
have met the enemy, and he is us.”
This Commentary is a Service of Still
Waters Ministry
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