Principles of Evangelism: Separation From The World Part 2 - Kyle Yule

Lesson Transcript

So this morning I'm going to be continuing on my sermon that I started last time of separation from the world. This is going to be part two: Principles of Evangelism. I'd like to first start by—and I don't know how many of you do this—but I often look at the early church and the church within the first 200 years, and I think to myself, I wonder what it would be like to live then, in that time.

My mind fills with all these things, and it's always so interesting because you're like, "Oh, that'd be so fun to do," because you could meet all these people that I read about, and you know I could actually talk to them. And then I get to thinking, and I get to all their martyrdom stories, and it's like, "That'd be tough." And I read through their stories and their accounts, and in spite of all of that, I see many, many people joining the church. So what was so appealing?

What makes the Christian life—all of when we sit, when the people sat there and watched all the Christians being marched into everywhere to be persecuted—what makes me think, "I want to do that"? Because the people knew the consequences when they signed up to be a Christian, and it was a very real face that they came with. And today we can—we all sit here, we made the choice to follow Jesus, but we're doing that in an American culture where, yeah, it's still kind of normal to be a Christian.

And so then I ask myself, how was the early church so effective? How did they bring so many people in? How did they make so many faithful converts? And I believe it was because the early church knew the importance of having and upholding a high principle through the Christian life, and that it shaped the way how they evangelized. I believe that when they take—when we take the same approach, we will see some strong growth, not just in numbers, but in maturity.

And so I came across this quote a couple weeks ago, and this is what prompted my whole message. And it says, "As to methods, there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods ignoring principles is sure to have trouble." By Harrington Emerson. And I think it's a great quote because it doesn't just apply to—well, it applies to all aspects of the life. You can apply this to work.

He was somebody who was very big into efficiency, and that's where he came along with this quote. But it applies with the Christian faith as well. Because I think when we get focused on the methods, too focused on the methods, we can lose the principles behind what we are trying to do. And when we focus on the principles, the methods kind of more or less work themselves out. And so what are the principles?

So today, it's not an exhaustive list that I'm going to go through, but I have just a couple that popped into my mind, and I wrote down really quick. So the first one is upholding the heavy responsibility to pass down the faith that has been once for all delivered to the saints. The second is becoming all things to all men. The third is holiness and righteousness. The fourth is giving humanity a greater purpose. And the fifth is community and relationship.

So are these principles just for evangelism, or are they for all of us, the Christian life? And I think that it could be said that they're for both. Because I think the entirety of the Christian life is to continue on and pass down the faith. It is to continue the kingdom of God for all ages to come. I see this modeled by our Savior in the Gospels. Jesus is constantly teaching.

And oftentimes when he gets done teaching, you'll read that a great multitude followed him, or before his teachings, a great multitude followed him. And I see this as a guide in that in us being followers of Jesus, we by our manner and our teaching should be bringing people to follow Christ. And so what about the methods? Well, today I'm not going to talk about methods.

I've lived and experienced and heard a bunch of stories where in my own mind I have this thought of, "Well, that method's never going to work." And then someone comes to faith through that method, and there I am, left stumped. So I'm not going to talk about methods today because I believe God can work through a lot of different ways and through a lot of different means to bring people to him.

So I want to focus on the principles, the things that when followed and left and not left out fulfill the whole picture of evangelism and life. These are the basic and fundamental truths of evangelism. It's not that if these things are not followed, we'll not produce converts. However, these are the things that if left out makes choosing a godly method hard. They are principles that ensure that we are bringing people into this nation as citizens, not as foreigners.

I mean that I feel like when these principles are skipped, people are brought into faith by a vast array of methods, but they only have half the picture. They're not fully separated into God's kingdom, and they more or less have one leg in and one leg out.

And so Origen says, "In the Christ of God, thus shows his superiority to all rulers by entering into their several providences and summoning men out of them to be subject to himself." This is maybe one of my favorite short one-sentence quotes because it shows the epic reality of what we as Christians are doing here on this earth. Like we, the church, is the way that Christ is entering into the nations.

It's by her teachings that Christ is showing his superiority, and it is by baptism that we are pulling people out of the nations so that they may be subject to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And so I believe we have a call unlike any other. I think focusing on the principles is important because we should realize that there are many different ways to evangelize. We shouldn't just be taking ideas from the world and then putting a Christian spin on them.

No, I think that we as God's people have a special advantage to bring people in that no other entity on earth has. We have a God that works with us. Our role as citizens is to free people from Satan, to give them the greatest purpose they will ever have, and to bring people back to the way God intended them to live so in turn they can live with God. And so principle number one, the historic faith.

Jude 1:3 says, "Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you, exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." What I see here is bringing people into the faith that has been once for all delivered. And as I thought about all the principles that I listed, I couldn't really pick a top one or a favorite or the most important, but this one is on the top of the list.

I think it is the one that we first can build off of and then go from there because it gives people a thing to run after. And I think when we look at humanity, people have a desire towards old things, historic things, whether it's antique vehicles, walking through museums, listening to how people of the past lived, or just simply reminiscing about the good old days. Humans are drawn towards the past. So when we are deemed with the task of carrying out something ancient, I believe it lights a desire in every human.

And I think it's interesting that every nation, every people group teaches its generation its history. And so then why should the church, the nation of God, be any different? Principle number two is all things to all men. So it comes from this verse, 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, which says, "Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone. To win as many as possible. To the Jews, I have become like a Jew to win the Jews. To those under the law, I have become like one under the law.

Though I myself am not under the law, so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law, I became like one not having the law. Though I am not free from God's law, but am under Christ's law. So as to win those not having the law. To the weak, I became weak to win the weak. I've become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.

I do this for the sake of the gospel that I might share in its blessings." And I had mentioned these verses in my last talk because this is the biggest reason people gave me against separation from the world. And to be quite honest, Paul had caused me a lot of restlessness and deep thinking and kept me up for quite a while at nights just on this one verse. Because I was faced with what I saw as two options.

I saw on one hand, there was holiness and separation, and on the other hand, I saw evangelism, becoming all things to all men. And I had all of these lists of scriptures of, for the first time, about being called out of the world and being holy to God. And then on the other side, growing up in a church that was heavily focused on evangelism and becoming all things to all men, I had this internal conflict that was going on inside of me and faced with many arguments. Arguments that went like this.

When we look at what Paul says in the 1 Corinthians, we can see that he was doing whatever it takes to win people to God. What do you mean by that? That's what do you mean, whatever it takes? Well, I mean that Paul is not letting anything get in the way of him. He has a heart for saving souls, and he isn't going to—yeah, he's not going to let anything get in the way of bringing people into God's kingdom. I don't know if you've answered my question yet. I don't know anything, Brother Kyle.

I just don't know if you understand what I'm saying. Paul loves people. He has a heart for the lost that'll go above anything. In matter of fact, what I think Paul is saying here is that he's going to get as close as he can to sin so that he can pull people away from the fires of hell and bring them into the kingdom of God. And he's going to get so close that his clothes are going to smell like smoke. And then once they become a Christian, then we can deal with all the issues. And so that was what I was faced with.

Evangelism or deception. You see, when this is the view of evangelism, I believe it comes at a great cost. Because inside, I do think it is deception to show people that you don't need to change to be a Christian. Yeah, maybe some little things, but you can keep all the comforts, you can have all the fleshly desires, and you can still be a Christ follower. Christianity without repentance and holiness is not a Christian life. So then what does Paul mean? Why is this in his letter? To become all things to all men?

Is it really even that important? So I believe the principle behind becoming all things to all men is humility and temperance. Paul was willing to accommodate the conscience of others so that he would not offend them, so that you may build a relation with them to further their faith. He would never break the law of Christ or go against any of Jesus' commands or even lessen his holiness. When I read through the scriptures, I see this example in a lot of places. And so I'm going to read not all of Acts 17:16-34.

So if you'd like to turn there, I don't have a slide, so. I don't know where I'm going to stop, but we'll start in Acts 17:16. "Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. Therefore, he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.

Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him, and some said, 'What does this babbler want to say?' Others said, 'He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.' And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, 'May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak, for you are bringing some strange things to our ears.

Therefore, we want to know what these things mean.' For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear something new. Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, 'Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious. For as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with the inscription to the unknown God.

Therefore, the one whom you worship without knowing, him I proclaim to you. God, who made the world and everything in it, since he is the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is he worshiped with men's hands as though he need anything, since he gives to life to all life, breath, and all things.' I think I'll stop there. And he continues on to go and to make a case to these people. Paul could have said a lot of things that would have been very true.

He could have said, 'You idolatrous and deceived people, you worship graven things built by your own hands.' But instead, he appeals to them in a way that builds them up. He calls them very religious. And then he presents something greater. I think in the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom, we should be gracious and humble. We see that Paul circumcised Timothy, even though he says circumcision of the flesh doesn't matter. He makes a vow by shaving his head and marching into the temple.

And on the other side, Paul is preaching and appealing to the Gentiles. Paul is subjecting himself to the conscience of his listeners without giving up the law of what Jesus lays down. Now, I'm very sure it was very hard to balance and to walk out back then as much as it is today. I also think it's interesting the way that Menno Simons interprets the verse in his song, True Evangelical Faith.

When you read through the song, you get all the way down to the end, and then it says, 'We must become all things to all men.' And in it, he's talking about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, comforting the sorrowful, and the list of all these other things. And so I think Menno Simons' maybe interpretation is right as well, that to become all things to all men is to comfort them, to put their needs in front of ours, to humble yourself and put in the work to bring the image of Jesus to those in need.

However, this has still kept me thinking at some points what it looks like to be all things to all men today. How am I supposed to do this? I'm not going to pretend that I know how to do it perfectly or even a little, but I think we can take some wisdom from the verses in 1 Corinthians and the life of Paul. I also believe that the patience of our Lord is another aspect to this. Kevin, I apologize. I wasn't here for your patience message, and I haven't gotten to listen to it yet.

So if this is redundant, imagine walking around for about three years knowing that the 12 people that you spend the majority of your time, all of your time with, teaching, eating, sleeping, listening to, in the end, are not going to be by your side. They're going to scatter and flee. And even worse, one of them is going to be the one that rejects you. And yet, he's still there teaching them, loving them, providing for them. He calls them his friends.

And so today, I think this principle is shown greatest by being patient in all things and becoming a servant to all. That when we lead people into the faith, or even just in our conversations with unbelievers, we can look past the quirks and see them as someone created in the image of God. It's meeting people where they are and helping them on the way.

I remember when I first started my journey on the historic faith, I had a lot of things that I thought were very important issues and that I was 100% right and I could never be wrong on this thing. Only to find out after a couple of years when I start to talk to some mature brothers and, hmm, they have a lot of different opinions than I do. And, ah, they kind of just let me go for a little bit and maybe smiled and nodded their heads and said a little bit of things to correct me, but I'm really wrong about that.

And what I find so interesting is that, yeah, when I think back on my conversations, the mature Christians in my life saw that I'm on a journey. And they didn't get out their sledgehammers of wisdom and beat me into the right teachings. Oftentimes, they would just smile, nod their heads, and say something to provoke a thought that I had never thought about. And that had really shaped the way that I looked at this verse.

To recognize that when someone is on a journey, as long as they are looking at the whole view of scripture in a simple interpretation and putting that through the lens of the historic faith, then most likely they're still growing and maturing and their thought is going to change. And I don't ever think that stops. I just think that we become better at being humble. And so my third principle is holiness and righteousness.

I believe it would be fair to say that holiness and righteousness are the main ways of separation from the world. To be holy and righteous is going to set you apart from the world around you. It's going to change the way you think, the way you act, who you hang out with. And so Clement of Alexandria says this: "Whenever then one is righteous, not from necessity or out of fear or hope, but from free choice, this is called the royal road, which the royal race travel. But the byways are slippery and precipitous.

Now the lusts and other sins are called briars and thorns. Accordingly, those who have the true knowledge labor in the Lord's vineyard, planting, pruning, watering, being divine husbandmen of what is planted in faith." To enter onto this road out of love is to live as the royal priesthood and holy nation that Peter calls us into. It's to walk the road that is only for royalty, for the race of people that are called out of this world to call others out of this world.

To cultivate, as Clement says, the Lord's vineyard and to care for it. Holiness and righteousness are the pruning shears that lop off the diseased branches and vines of sin. Without them, the plant will be choked out and die. Oftentimes, I think this principle is contradicted with becoming all things to all men. However, when I step back and look at it, I actually think it goes hand in hand. And when done together, it produces a maturity like Christ.

It calls Christians to be responsible for the way they live because we are responsible for representing the character of God. I look at the Old Testament and see this example played out. In Leviticus 19:33-34, God tells his people that if a resident alien dwells among you, you shall treat them as if they were born among you and to love them as yourself because you were once resident aliens in Egypt. I see God is calling his people to a standard of holiness, one that is attracting to the nations around it.

And rather than having a "I'm holier than you" attitude, he tells them to welcome them into their land, to treat them as if they were one of them. Principle number four is a greater purpose. In the first couple of centuries of Christianity, during persecution and martyrdom, people were coming to the faith because I think the Christians were showing mankind that there was something greater to die for. And that's why Tertullian could say that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.

Today, in a modern America, I believe the challenge is to show people that there is something greater to live for. But whichever approach you pick, through it all, I believe the key is to show people that there is a greater purpose to their life. I think that there are patterns that govern most human life. The first is that sacrifice brings joy. We can look around and see this in all sorts of different elements of life. Those who work hard and put the time and effort in get the reward.

An athlete trains and sees the results. The fact that the things that are the easiest are natural tendencies, when suppressed, when put to death, lead to a greater reward. The highest honor one can do is to give their life for a cause. And I think the key to bringing people to God is showing them that life, the life that they are living now, is a life without order. It is a life that does the things it thinks are the best and at the end answers to no one.

Or it is a life that is not denying the lusts that in the end separate us from what is good. The second reason people are drawn to things that are noble. Jesus's words in Matthew 16:24-26 come to mind when he says, "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?'" At the end of the day, we're faced with two options. When our life ends, what did we do for the world? Many people try their whole lives to build a lasting legacy that will follow them forever, but eventually it will fade. Sure, we can do great things as humans, but there is only one thing that gives life a greater purpose, and that is the kingdom of God.

To give up your life for a cause that will never fade, not even dim. I believe the kingdom of God has the same driving force today as it did in the time of the apostles in the early church. We, as Christians, have to show the world that there is not—we are not just freed, but we are fighting against the devil. The final principle that I'd like to talk about is community and relationships.

And it's not just the thing of getting together, but actually a body of brothers and sisters, people who deeply care about each and every person. Everyone is searching for a community, a group of people who have common interests and motives. And if the church is not living over that in a way that shows that ours is governed by God, then the bride of Christ becomes common like the other communities of the world. When I listed this one, I thought to myself, "Is community really a principle?

Or is it more of a vessel that a principle of relationships are lived out in?" Then I thought, "Is relationships a principle? Or is that a tool to build communities?" And so I'll let that up for you to decide what it is. I think that the strongest thing the church has today in a world of individualism is to show that we care about each other more than ourselves. To prefer a brother is a strong and powerful way to live and testify to those around us that we truly do love each other.

My final note is that I think relationships are the greatest way to bring people into the kingdom of God. I think it's important because when we build a relationship with a person, one, it's easier for them to join the community. Two, it builds a level of trust that we can influence their lives. And three, it opens up conversations both ways.

So often I hear so many people and so many mishaps hurt and gossip because there's a lack of communication where the person on one side didn't feel that they had a say in the matter. But when a relationship is built on love and preferring one another, it's much easier to enter into a community when everyone is finding a way to lift each other up.