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CURRENT REGIONAL THEOLOGICAL ISSUES
Part IV: False And True Evangelism
  1. Introduction
    1. There has long existed a debate on the Biblical validity of church or area wide evangelistic crusades.
    2. Lewis Sperry Chafer, founder of the Dallas Theological Seminary wrote a book in 1919 entitled, True Evangelism with a chapter on "False Forces in Evangelism," p. 3-23. His comments, along with a close study of Scripture details both false and true evangelism efforts regarding this matter (as follows):
  2. False and True Evangelism
    1. There are Biblical reasons to be opposed to involvement in typical contemporary evangelistic crusades:
      1. Such crusades are unbiblical in authority by using evangelists to lead in relation to churches:
        1. The local church should minister under the constant teaching and pastoral leadership of its regular leaders without that leadership being turned over to an evangelist's lead: an evangelist is not gifted or assigned local church oversight in Scripture, 1 Pet. 5:2a,b; Ibid., Chafer, p. 6-7. Even the Apostle Paul's ministry was made subject to local church leaders at Antioch by the Holy Spirit, Acts 13:1-3!
        2. Periodic meetings with churches under an evangelist's lead often yields erratic results, detracting from the usual witness of each believer as Scripture teaches, Ibid., Chafer; Acts 1:8; 2:41-47; 8:1-4.
        3. Though "awakenings" have come in Church History by God's grace, these have historically been shown to be divine emergency provisions rather than the norm in God's plan for the local church: when a church is faithfully taught the Word by its leadership, and the people of God apply it, the flock is equipped for every good work, including outreach, 2 Tim. 3:15-4:2; John 15:7-8; Ibid.
      2. Such crusades are unbiblical in methodology opposite what Scripture reveals on evangelism:
        1. Contemporary evangelistic crusades urge visible acts from the unsaved which can confuse the lost on the Gospel itself: they can think what saves them is the courage to perform an act publicly rather than faith alone (versus Eph. 2:8-9), Ibid., p. 10. Though Jesus called people publicly to follow Him in His ministry, He urged BELIEVING Jews to follow their promised Messiah into their expected Kingdom, a far cry from today's Christian duty to make disciples of the nations!
        2. Evangelistic appeals for acts from the lost can give them false assurances of salvation based on the performance of those extra biblical acts rather than faith in Christ (versus 1 John 5:13); Ibid., p. 15.
        3. Mass evangelistic crusades often mix Biblical churches with unbiblical or even apostate groups in cooperative evangelistic efforts contrary to the Bible's call for ecclesiastical holiness in methods in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18, Ephesians 5:11, Galatians 1:8-9, Romans 16:17-18 with 2 Timothy 2:5.
    2. True evangelism as taught in Scripture offers the following guidelines which God blesses:
      1. True evangelism is generally the faithful function of every believer who is edified through the local church under the work of faithful, Bible-teaching ministry by its leadership, Acts 2:41-47. True evangelism is done by individuals filled with the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16-23) who are in prayer to God to open doors of opportunity for witnessing and to supply direction in witnessing itself, Col. 4:2-4. Incidentally, Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship has statistics showing the vast majority of all who trust in Christ are led to faith by personal work, not by crusades or pastors, etc.
      2. In special cases, those equipped by God with the gift of evangelism (Eph. 4:11) are to work outside their local churches as God directs (Acts 13:1-3) to lead the lost to Christ before introducing them into the local church, Acts 8:5-6, 14-17, 26-40. This equips the local body to remain doctrinally pure so it can edify God's people in the truth by having only saved people enter its fellowship. This avoids an errant, undermining introduction of tares among the wheat as Matthew 13:24-32, 36-43 warns.
      3. All true evangelism informs the lost that Christ died for his sins so that by faith alone in Christ alone, he will be saved from hell unto eternal life by God's grace, 1 Cor. 15:1-11; Eph. 2:8-9; Gal. 1:8-9.
Lesson: (1) Involving local churches under the headship of an evangelist to evangelize is unbiblical. (2) Rather, God's plan for evangelism is (a) to use evangelistically gifted and spiritually empowered people to lead the lost to Christ OUTSIDE the church, and THEN to introduce them INTO the local body. (b) The normal, usual method God uses in evangelism is for individual believers in the local body under the faithful Bible teaching ministry of its leadership PERSONALLY to lead the lost to Christ.