Archives For Evangelism

The Evangelistic Importance of Testimony about Jesus’ Exorcisms

June 14, 2014

In many ways, the NT highlights the evangelistic importance of testimony about Jesus’ exorcisms. This evidence calls for adjusting our evangelistic strategies so that they properly account for this importance.

The Synoptic Gospels Provide Much Testimony about Jesus’ Exorcisms

The Synoptic Gospels underscore the evangelistic importance of Jesus’ exorcisms by providing multiple accounts of his casting demons out of people. The following list provides in chronological order[1] the passages that record Jesus’ performing exorcisms (parallel passages among the Gospels are indicated by the use of “/” between references):

1. Mk. 1:21-28/ Luke 4:31b-37;

2. Matt. 8:16/ Mk 1:34;

3. Matt. 4:24/ Mk 1:39/ Luke 4:41;

4. Matt. 12:22-37/ Mk. 3:20-30;

5. Matt. 8:28-34/ Mk. 5:1-20/ Luke 8:26-39;

6. Matt. 9:27-34

7. Matt. 15:21-28/ Mk. 7:24-30;

8. Matt. 17:14-21/ Mk. 9:14-29/ Luke 9:37-43a.

9. Luke 11:14-36

The Synoptic Gospels also underscore the evangelistic importance of Jesus’ exorcisms by providing information about other exorcisms that Jesus performed for which the writers of the Synoptic Gospels chose not to give an actual account of His doing so (seven demons cast out from Mary Magdalene [Mk. 16:9]).

This data makes clear that the Holy Spirit viewed including testimony about Jesus’ exorcisms as vital in the writing of these Gospels. Because the Gospels were written to evangelize people, the inclusion of these accounts shows us the importance of evangelistic testimony to Jesus’ exorcisms.

The Synoptic Gospels Record Jesus’ Commands to Testify about His Exorcisms

The Synoptic Gospels further emphasize the evangelistic importance of testimony to Jesus’ exorcisms by recording on at least two occasions that Jesus commanded people to give testimony about His exorcisms:

 Luk 8:38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

Luk 13:32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. 

Because the Synoptic Gospels not only provide testimony about Jesus’ exorcisms but also make known that He commanded some people to testify about them, we learn that such testimony has great evangelistic importance.

Acts Records Apostolic Gospel Testimony about Jesus’ Exorcisms

Like the Synoptic Gospels, Acts also shows the evangelistic importance of testimony about Jesus’ exorcisms, but it does so in different ways than the Gospels do. Acts emphasizes such testimony by recording a seminal statement in Peter’s gospel message in Caesarea:

Act 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Luke highlighted testimony to Jesus’ exorcisms in a profound way with this statement because that testimony is the only explicitly recorded information that we have about how Peter testified on this occasion to the miraculous works of Jesus.

Through directing Luke to record this gospel testimony for us, the Holy Spirit also has provided us with a superb model of how we should evangelize people concerning their understanding of the term Christ (for more information about this point, see the brief discussion of Acts 10:38 here).

Acts Highlights the Evangelistic Importance of Testimony to Jesus’ Exorcisms through a Striking Account of Jewish Failure in Exorcism

Acts further emphasizes the evangelistic importance of testimony to Jesus’ exorcisms through a striking account that contrasts apostolic success in exorcising people possessed by demons versus Jewish failure to do so (Acts 19:11-17). While Paul was in Ephesus, God worked special miracles through him, including even the casting out of demons from people through their coming into contact with handkerchiefs or aprons from his body (Acts 19:11-12).

Some Jewish exorcists then attempted to perform an exorcism by invoking the name of Jesus whom Paul preached (Acts 19:13-14). Not only did these men fail to drive out the demon, but also the man who had the demon overpowered them and drove them out “naked and wounded” from the house where they were (Acts 19:15-16).

Through the spreading of news about their striking failure, the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly magnified among all who were in Ephesus (Acts 19:17). Hence, through testimony that dramatically contrasted the successful apostolic exorcisms with the unsuccessful attempt of these Jewish exorcists, many lost people received a powerful evangelistic witness of the power of Jesus’ name.

As the readers of Acts, we thus see that Acts accords with the Synoptic Gospels in emphasizing the evangelistic importance of testimony about Jesus’ exorcisms.

Discussion

Both the Synoptic Gospels and Acts instruct us in various ways about the evangelistic importance of testifying to Jesus’ exorcisms. This evidence is more than sufficient to teach us that we should include such testimony in our evangelism whenever possible.

Some may object to this conclusion by pointing out that explicit testimony to Jesus’ exorcisms is strikingly lacking in the Gospel of John, which has an explicit statement about its evangelistic purpose (John 20:31). Does this seemingly major difference between the Synoptics and the Gospel of John mean that testimony to Jesus’ exorcisms is not an important aspect of proper evangelism?

For several reasons, attaching such determinative significance to this lack of testimony in the Gospel of John is invalid. First, as noted above, the Synoptic Gospels and Acts provide abundant evidence that such testimony is important.

Second, because the Gospel of John was almost certainly written after all the other Gospels and Acts were written, any reader of the Fourth Gospel would need to interpret it in conjunction with all that God had revealed prior to giving this final Gospel.

Third, at the point that John was written, the apostles and other believers had already been evangelizing people for several decades and thus already knew well what was important to include in evangelistic testimony. For that reason, the lack of explicit testimony to Jesus’ exorcisms in John would not have played any important role in changing the thinking of believers about what they should say when they evangelize people.

Finally, although John lacks any explicit accounts of Jesus’ exorcisms, John has implicit teaching that fully accords with that vital aspect of Jesus’ ministry. John writes that Jesus interpreted a voice that thundered from heaven (John 12:28-29) by giving vital testimony concerning what His upcoming death would mean for the devil:

 Joh 12:30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

 31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out (Gk. ekballw).

 32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

 33 This he said, signifying what death he should die. 

Jesus’ statement that the devil would be cast out (John 12:31) ties at least implicitly to many passages in the Synoptic Gospels about His casting out demons from people because the same verb ekballw is used both in John and in those passages in the Synoptic Gospels.[2] This strong link between John and the Synoptic Gospels further supports the conclusion that lack of explicit testimony in John to Jesus’ exorcisms does not negate the vast evidence in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts about the importance of such testimony.

Conclusion

Profuse testimony in the Synoptic Gospels about Jesus’ exorcisms makes clear that such testimony is of great importance in proper evangelism. Additional evidence in Acts further supports this conclusion.

We should include testimony about Jesus’ exorcisms in our witnessing whenever it is possible to do so. We can provide such testimony by sharing Acts 10:38 with everyone we witness to and explaining that statement to them thoroughly.

 

[1] This chronological listing is based in part on information provided in “An Outline For a Harmony of the Gospels” (Thomas and Gundry, A Harmony of the Gospels, 7-14).

[2] Matt. 8:16, 31; 9:33, 34; 12:24, 26, 27, 28; 17:19; Mk. 1:34, 39; 3:22, 23; 7:26; 16:9; Lk. 11:14, 15, 18, 19, 20; 13:32

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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Do You Appreciate Peter Properly as the Blessed Disciple That He Was?

April 21, 2014

Overall, my perspective over the years has been that many believers consistently emphasize negative aspects of Peter’s life at the expense of a number of key good things that Scripture reveals about him. To help change this unwarranted emphasis, this post presents four points about Peter that show that he was a uniquely blessed disciple of Jesus Christ.

God the Father Uniquely Favored Peter

In Caesarea, Peter made his famous confession of Jesus as the Christ (Matt 16:13-20). Jesus responded by declaring that the Father had uniquely favored him to enable him to do so:

Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

In spite of all Peter’s failings, the Father chose to bless Peter in a special way with glorious revelation about His Son!

Jesus Uniquely Favored Peter

Not only did the Father specially favor Peter on that occasion, but Jesus did so as well. Jesus promised that He would build His church upon the rock of Peter’s confession of Him as the Christ (Matt. 16:18). In addition, He gave to Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 16:19)!

Certainly, Jesus knew Peter through and through, including how he would shortly thereafter be an offense to Jesus Himself (Matt. 16:22-23). In fact, even Jesus’ full knowledge of how Peter would yet fail Him grievously in the future (Matt. 26:34, 75; Luke 22:31) did not lead Him to withdraw the special calling that He had given to Peter.

The Holy Spirit Uniquely Highlights His Selection of Peter

While Peter was thinking about a miraculous vision that he had seen (Acts 10:17-19a), the Holy Spirit spoke directly to him:

Act 10:19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.

 20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I [Gk. egw, emphatic personal pronoun] have sent them.

Remarkably, the Spirit emphatically asserted (using an emphatic personal pronoun) that He had sent the men who came to summon Peter to come speak words to Cornelius and his household by which they all would be saved (Acts 11:14).

This is the only evangelistic account in Scripture that the Spirit directly declares that He purposed that a specific disciple would be the one who would preach the gospel on a specific occasion.

The Book of Acts Uniquely Emphasizes the Gospel Ministry of Peter

The book of Acts recounts how the Church was born (Acts 1-2) and how the disciples proceeded to evangelize the world thereafter (Acts 3-28). Of the lengthy accounts of apostolic gospel ministry that the Spirit provides us with in Acts, the records of Peter’s ministry in Jerusalem (Acts 2) and in Caesarea (Acts 10:1-48; 11:1-18; 15:7-9) are the two that are highlighted both by their being the two longest accounts and by their being the two most important accounts.

Furthermore, the inspired record of the Jerusalem Council proceedings uniquely emphasizes the gospel ministry of Peter in a way that sets his ministry in Caesarea apart from all other evangelistic accounts. To understand this unique emphasis, we must closely consider the following facets of what transpired in Jerusalem at that time.

First, Paul and Barnabas went up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders to resolve an all-important question—did the Gentiles have to be circumcised in order to be saved (Acts 15:1-2)? Although Paul and Barnabas did contribute heavily to the proceedings of the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:4, 12), Scripture provides only a one-verse summary of their ministry to Gentiles (Acts 15:12) in reporting what they contributed to the actual proceedings of the Council.

By striking contrast, the Jerusalem Council report highlights Peter’s ministry in Caesarea by providing five verses concerning his ministry and its implications (Acts 15:7-11). Remarkably, Peter’s ministry on that occasion is the only specific evangelistic encounter mentioned in the entire record of the Jerusalem Council proceedings.

This comparison shows that the inspired record of the Jerusalem Council features an explicit emphasis on Petrine gospel ministry while only providing a summary statement about Pauline ministry to Gentiles!

Second, James authoritatively settled the issues at hand by again referring to God’s use of Peter in Caesarea and how what took place on that occasion was in fulfillment of the words of the prophets (Acts 15:13-21). In this way, we see that the Jerusalem Council account clearly presents a unique emphasis on Petrine gospel ministry.

Conclusion

The four points discussed above show that Peter was a disciple who was uniquely favored by the Father, Son, and the Spirit! Moreover, the inspired records in the book of Acts (of apostolic evangelism and of apostolic determinations concerning how Gentiles are saved) show that Peter was a uniquely important God-chosen minister of the gospel.

Based on the biblical data, we should take care not to emphasize negative aspects of the Scriptural record about the apostle Peter at the expense of much glorious revelation concerning how he was a uniquely blessed disciple of Christ. Let us appreciate Peter properly as the blessed disciple that he was!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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The Evangelistic Importance of a Striking Correlation between John 4:4-42 and 1 Corinthians 14:23-25

April 4, 2014

John 4:4-42 and 1 Corinthians 14:23-25 record evangelistic encounters in two widely differing settings: Jesus’ evangelizing a sinful woman in Samaria versus an unbelieving person who enters a local church and receives prophesying from a congregation of worshiping believers. Despite their differing settings, these passages reveal a striking correlation that illumines a key element of genuine salvation.

John 4:4-42

Jesus conversed about living water with a Samaritan woman who came to draw water from the well where He was sitting (John 4:5-14). The woman responded by saying to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw” (John 4:15).

Instead of immediately giving her that gift of God (John 4:10) when she seemed eager to receive it, Jesus supernaturally confronted her with her sinfulness by telling her how she was currently living in sin (John 4:16-18). Recognizing that He had exposed sinful details of her life that she would have thought that He would have had no way of knowing about her, the woman related that she perceived that He was a prophet (John 4:19).

Through His exposing her secret sinfulness and His further dealings with her (John 4:20-27), the woman became convinced that He was the Christ whom she knew would come and tell them “all things” (John 4:25). Leaving Him and going into the city, she testified to men repeatedly that she had encountered the Christ who told her all things that she had ever done (John 4:29, 39).

By correlating these three statements (John 4:25, 29, 39), we see clearly that her persistent testimony to that specific truth shows that His supernaturally convincing her of the sinfulness of secret aspects of her life was a crucial facet of her coming to genuine faith in Him. In particular, the final statement about her testifying to that truth shows that many others also came to believe because of her testimony to that truth (John 4:39).

1 Corinthians 14:23-25

In the only New Testament passage that explicitly recounts worship taking place in a local church (1 Cor. 14:23-25), Paul provides strikingly similar revelation to what was crucial in Jesus’ evangelism of the Samaritan woman:

1Co 14:23 If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?

 24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:

 25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

This passage shows that true worship of God by an unbelieving sinner who comes into a local church results from God’s making manifest “the secrets of his heart” (1 Cor. 14:25) and convincing him of his sinfulness (1 Cor. 14:24) through the collective ministry of all who minister to him in that service (see The Consummation of Public Worship for a fuller explanation of this passage).

Discussion

Both John 4:4-42 and 1 Corinthians 14:23-25 teach us about the importance of a sinner having his secret sins exposed supernaturally. To understand further the evangelistic importance of this striking correlation between these two passages, we need to correlate them with key Pauline teaching about his gospel ministry:

In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel (Rom. 2:16).

A careful handling of Romans 2:16 shows that Paul is teaching that a key truth that he testified as part of his gospel was that God “in the day” would judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ (see this post for a detailed explanation concerning this vital point).

We learn from this statement that Paul evangelized sinners by telling that them that God will one day judge their secret sins and that He will do so through Jesus Christ. Paul thus evangelized sinners with testimony that closely correlates with the Samaritan woman’s testimony to others that Jesus as the Christ had exposed her secret sinfulness and convinced her of that sinfulness by telling her all things that she had ever done.

Furthermore, because Paul tells us that part of his gospel testimony was to tell people about how God will one day judge their secrets through Jesus Christ, we are justified in inferring that this truth was one of the truths that was prophesied to the unbeliever who came into the local church service recorded in 1 Corinthians 14:23-25.

Conclusion 

John 4:4-42 and 1 Corinthians 14:23-25 correlate strongly with each other and with Romans 2:16 to reveal the vital evangelistic importance of testifying to sinners that God will one day judge their secrets through Jesus Christ. We who evangelize sinners in our day should testify to this key gospel truth and allow God to use it to expose to them their secrets and to convince them of their sinfulness.

Doing so, we will provide them with vital testimony that God will use to bring those who repent and believe to fall on their faces and worship Him!

 

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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Should We Preach Repentance, Faith, or Both?

March 10, 2014

Many Christians today think that those believers in Scripture who preached evangelistically or who evangelized sinners in other ways did so with messages or testimonies that varied substantially from occasion to occasion. In fact, it is not uncommon to hear believers today say that sometimes the disciples preached that people should repent and other times they preached that people should believe.

This view of biblical evangelism stems from an approach to the evangelistic accounts in Scripture that I believe does not account for all the biblical data. To see why this is the case, consider the following analysis of the gospel ministries of John the Baptist, Jesus, and Paul.

The Gospel Ministry of John the Baptist

The Gospels consistently present John the Baptist as preaching repentance to sinners (Matt. 3:2, 8; Luke 3:3, 8). Noting this data, many have concluded that John only preached that people should repent and that he did not tell people to believe.

In the book of Acts, however, Luke makes clear (through a widely overlooked statement by the apostle Paul) that this is an incorrect assessment of the evangelistic ministry of John:

Act 19:4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

This Pauline summary statement about the gospel ministry of John the Baptist shows us that it was a ministry of preaching to sinners that they should both repent and believe. It also teaches us that we should not take brief statements about evangelistic ministry (such as Matt. 3:2 and Luke 3:3) and draw definitive conclusions about what content that ministry did not include.1

The Gospel Ministry of Jesus

A key statement in the Gospel of Mark shows that the gospel ministry of Jesus included the same dual emphasis that was in the evangelism of John the Baptist:

Mar 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Notice that this statement is not just about Jesus’ preaching in one location on one specific evangelistic occasion—it is an inspired summary statement of certain key elements of His gospel preaching throughout His gospel ministry in Galilee. Both John the Baptist and Jesus, therefore, preached to sinners that they should both repent and believe.

The Gospel Ministry of Paul

A summary statement of Pauline evangelistic ministry over an extended period (“from the first day that I came into Asia” [Acts 20:18]; cf. “by the space of three years” [Acts 20:31]) reveals that his gospel ministry included similar testimony to both repentance and faith:

Act 20:20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,

 21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

For three years, Paul told both Jews and Greeks everywhere he went in Asia that they had to repent toward God and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Like John the Baptist and Jesus, Paul’s gospel ministry thus had the same dual emphasis of preaching to sinners that they should both repent and believe.

Discussion

From the Gospels and Acts, we have seen that John the Baptist, Jesus, and Paul all evangelized sinners by telling them both to repent and to believe. Because we have seen that summary statements about the gospel ministries of all three of these leading evangelists in Scripture explicitly mention this dual emphasis, we should adjust our views of biblical evangelism to reflect properly this key biblical data.

Moreover, the lack of explicit testimony to both elements in many evangelistic accounts in Scripture does not show that the disciples often preached only one of these elements but not the other. Rather, we should allow the above-discussed comparison of Acts 19:4 with the other evangelistic accounts of John’s ministry to teach us that the lack of an explicit record of testimony to a key evangelistic element in a particular evangelistic account does not provide valid evidence that such testimony was lacking on that occasion.

Conclusion

Whenever our circumstances allow us to do so, we should preach both repentance and faith to the people that we evangelize. Doing so, our gospel ministries will best reflect all the biblical data about the evangelistic ministries of John the Baptist, Jesus, and Paul!

1 A close comparison of two statements in Acts 9:20-22 with Acts 26:20 fully confirms this interpretation. Luke writes that Paul’s evangelistic ministry began in Damascus and provides two brief summary statements about that ministry:

Act 9:20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

Act 9:22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.

Neither of these reports about Pauline evangelism in Damascus mentions that he told people there to repent. In Acts 26, however, Luke records that Paul testified to King Agrippa about his entire evangelistic ministry by giving him this key summary statement:

Act 26:20 But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

Based on Paul’s own testimony, we can be certain that he preached repentance in Damascus—even though Acts 9 does not record that he did.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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Learning from “The Cross-Billy Graham’s Message to America”

November 15, 2013

Watching Dr. Billy Graham’s recent message[1] has motivated me to write again about sound gospel ministry that is based fully on all that the Bible says. To that end, I share this assessment of his message.

Biblical Aspects of His Message

Dr. Graham’s message has many biblical aspects to it. The following are things that stood out to me:

1. A moving, proper emphasis on God’s love for sinful mankind

“The Cross expresses the great love of God for man.”

2. A necessary testimony to both Jesus and God the Father that distinguishes them from each other

3. A valuable underscoring of the exclusivity of Christ as the only way of salvation and the only hope for ending the misery of living a sinful life

He quotes John 14:6, and the message makes this truth plain in other ways as well, including through two moving testimonies from people whose lives have been delivered from hopeless entrenchment in sin.

4. An appropriate confrontation of every viewer with the reality that the leading causes of the world’s greatest problems are spiritual in nature

5. A clear declaration that all humans are sinners and worthy of hell and judgment

“The Cross was the most terrible form of execution by the Romans for criminals, and Jesus endured all that in our place because of our sins. We deserve the Cross. We deserve hell. We deserved judgment and all that that means.”

6. An inescapable testimony to the Cross and to the Resurrection

 “In that terrible moment, He and God the Father were separated.”

 “The Cross and the Resurrection of Christ offers forgiveness of sin.”

7. A strong exhortation and challenge  to receive forgiveness of sins through repentance and faith

“The Cross and the Resurrection of Christ offers forgiveness of sin, offers a whole new life, and offers you eternal life, if you come to the Cross by repentance and faith.”

Given that the message has these many biblical aspects to it, some may wonder what could possibly be wrong with such ministry.

Unbiblical Aspects of His Message

Although there are many important aspects of this message that are biblical, it also has many key aspects that are unbiblical.[2] The following are some of the main criticisms that I have of his message:

1. A declaration that God has directed him to friendship with some who belong to a system of belief that has led to the martyring of millions of Christians

“As I look back over my life, it’s full of surprises. I never thought that I would become friends with people in different countries all over the world. . . . I see how God’s hand has gathered me. . . . God has done this.”

These statements are made as various pictures are shown at that point in the video, including one of Dr. Graham meeting a high-level religious official of Roman Catholicism.

A sound understanding of biblical teaching about separation (2 Chron. 19:2; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; 2 John 9-11) informs us that such a declaration has no place in sound gospel ministry.

2. A besmirching of the holiness of God (cf. Rom. 12:1-2) by using someone (Lecrae Moore) to testify how he was saved who now employs a depraved worldly means of communication (hip hop) to present the truth to others. The presentation of how and where Moore “ministers” undercuts the call to repentance presented elsewhere in the message.

3. A complete lack of testimony to the infernal role of Satan in bringing about the problems of the world and of all the people in it (cf. Gen. 3:15; Acts 10:38; I John 3:8)

4. A disproportionate emphasis on the Cross

Unlike the gospel preaching of the apostles that highly emphasized the Resurrection, Dr. Graham and the others who testify in the video spend far more time talking about the Cross than they do about the Resurrection. In fact, Dr. Graham’s testimony to the latter is limited to the word “Resurrection” early in the message and to two brief sentences toward the end of the message.[3]

5. A highly objectionable and erroneous explanation of what happened when Jesus died

“And when Christ died on that Cross, He became guilty of lying, He became guilty of slander, He became guilty of jealousy, He became guilty of the most filthy, dirty sins. Christ took the hell that you and I deserve.”

Yes, Jesus Christ took the penalty for our sins, but Scripture presents no evidence that He became guilty of committing any sin!

6. A lack of biblical testimony to the bodily resurrection of Christ and its significance for all men

It is tragic that Dr. Graham did not take advantage of such an excellent opportunity to communicate clearly and emphatically to potentially multiplied millions of viewers that Jesus Christ rose bodily from the dead. He does not mention anything about those who saw Him after He arose (1 Cor. 15:5-8), and he does not testify that those witnesses heard Him, touched Him, and ate and drank with Him (cf. Acts 10:41).[4]

Instead of spending so much time focused on testimony to the Cross, Dr. Graham should have used some of that time to provide vital testimony that would have made it impossible for any attentive and honest viewer to come away with a deficient understanding of the nature of the Resurrection of Christ (e.g., Christ only rose spiritually). He also should have borne clear testimony to what God has proven to all men everywhere through His raising Jesus from the dead (Acts 17:30-31).

7. A problematic model prayer

At the end of his message, Dr. Graham asks people to follow him in praying to God. He begins that prayer in this way:

“Dear Heavenly Father, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe that you’ve died for my sins and rose from the dead.”

God the Father did not die on the Cross! The apostles never taught people to pray this way. This is not a biblical way to pray.

Discussion

Dr. Graham’s video message presents many biblical truths that God could use in the lives of unbelievers. It is highly questionable, however, that a lost person with little or no biblical background would understand the truths communicated properly so that he would be genuinely saved.

Lacking sufficient and proper testimony to key truths and presenting an emotionally moving message, the video has significant potential for resulting in false professions. Lost people, however, who have had other exposure to the gospel that has given them a proper understanding of the key aspects that this message does not communicate could be genuinely saved through God’s use of their viewing this video.

Believers who view the video and invest the terminology communicated with proper biblical meaning will likely find the video to be stirring in spite of its serious flaws. For believers who have not had thorough training in biblical evangelism, the video has the potential of misleading them concerning how key biblical truths about salvation should be presented.

Conclusion

In spite of the many flaws in this video message, may God graciously see fit to use the truths that are properly communicated to work in the hearts of many needy people who are lost and need salvation from their sins. From both the biblical and unbiblical aspects of this message, let us who already know Him learn better (and put into practice) how we should properly communicate God’s saving truth to lost people.


[1] The Cross-Billy Graham’s Message to America (a Youtube video)

[2] The points in this section follow the order of what is presented in the video. They are not arranged in any particular order of increasing or decreasing seriousness.

[3] Lacey Sturm, another key person in the video, actually bears more testimony to the Resurrection in the excerpt from one of her songs shown in the video than Dr. Graham does in his entire message.

[4] Moore and Sturm also do not bear testimony explicitly to the bodily resurrection of Jesus.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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Beware Dangerously Flawed Reasoning Used to Justify Using Contemporary Worship to Evangelize People

November 2, 2013

Many justify using certain contemporary worship practices by arguing that they enhance the Church’s effectiveness in evangelizing people. Ezekiel 33 reveals why such reasoning is dangerously flawed.

The Lord’s Exposé of Dangerously Flawed Worship

Addressing Ezekiel as “son of man,” the Lord revealed to him the true state of many who were flocking to hear his ministry of the Word:

Eze 33:30 Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD. 

31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. 

Even as these people were exhorting one another to come and hear the word of God through Ezekiel, their hearts were horrifically iniquitous. They were not coming to worship the Lord with a true heart for hearing from Him and doing what He says; instead, they loved enjoying what was to them a sensuous experience of hearing the faithful ministry of a true man of God:

Eze 33:32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovelya song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.

aHol6047 Ez 3332: sensual desire (condemned) Ez 2311 3332. † (pg 264) 

This divine revelation shows that their worship was seriously flawed, and the Lord warned Ezekiel that it was dangerously so:

Eze 33:33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.

When God’s judgment would come upon them for their hearing but not doing what He says, they would know the truthfulness of the message and the messenger that they had disregarded because their hearts were wrongly oriented toward enjoying the titillating experience of hearing him preach the word of God to them.

How Much Contemporary Worship Is Similarly Dangerously Flawed

The Lord’s exposé of their dangerously flawed worship explicitly likened what Ezekiel was to them to their hearing a skilled instrumentalist with a beautiful voice who sings a very lovely but sensual song to them (Ezek. 33:32). In both cases, they fail to profit from the verbal message delivered to them because of the sensual orientation of their hearts.

This divine comparison shows that God is very well aware of the immense power that sensual music can have to influence people in ways that do not enhance the persuasiveness of the message that is communicated verbally to them as part of that music. Several commentators concur with this interpretation:

The news of Jerusalem’s fall appears to have given Ezekiel’s message a certain popularity and topicality. He is now the subject of conversation in the cities and the doorways (33:30). To use a contemporary analogy, he is the toast of the talk shows. But the interest is superficial: The people listen to his words but do not put them into practice, regarding them as an interesting phenomenon rather than a life-changing reality. His fame is like that of a pop star, whose declarations on spiritual matters may arouse curiosity but are scarcely accorded authoritative status. People may also have been humming along to his tune, but they are paying no attention to the true meaning of the lyrics.

Time, however, will prove the power of the word of the Lord through Ezekiel: “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them” (33:33). In that day, just as all will know experientially the power of the Lord, so they will also be forced to recognize the authenticity of the Lord’s prophet.” —Iain M. Duguid, NIVAC: Ezekiel, 385-86.

“Your fellow nationals, human one, who are talking about you in the alleys and doorways, invite each other to come and hear what message Yahweh has sent. They come to you in crowds and sit down in front of you. They listen to your messages without acting on them. To them you are just like a fine vocalist, some professional musician who sings erotic songs. They listen to your messages without acting on them. When it finally happens—and happen it will—then they will realize that they have had a prophet among them.”—Leslie C. Allen, Translation of Ezekiel 33:30-33 in WBC: Ezekiel 20-48, Vol. 29, 149.

Ezekiel, long regarded with suspicion and distaste for his defeatism and scolding (cf. 2:6; 3:9), has been vindicated as a true prophet. In spirit he now seems to stand shoulder to shoulder with his compatriots in exile. Ezekiel’s popularity knows no bounds, as the exiles crowd into his home (cf. 8:1; 14:1; 20:1) to hear what this sensational prophet will say next. Unfortunately, it was the popularity of an entertainer, a pop star, that Ezekiel enjoyed, and he was being taken no more seriously than before. His hearers functioned as a concert audience rather than a congregation.

The extended simile of the singer refers . . . to the fact that his words were so welcome that they were music in the ears of those who thronged to hear them. —Allen, 153-154.

At best Ezekiel is like a singer of ‘a sensual song’ (literally, ‘song of loves’), gifted with a pleasant voice and with the ability to handle an instrument ‘well‘. Nowadays, pop singers tend to celebrate one theme only, and normally in a debased manner. It seems that his hearers estimated Ezekiel in this fashion, switching off when he has hard things to say and treating him as no more than entertainment. When the performance was over, and when their ears had been tickled pleasurably, they would disperse and return to normal business. The picture is vivid, and we can readily understand it: although music and lyrics are core entertainment for the masses, they are never taken seriously, the top tune and its singer being soon forgotten because they are only a temporary diversion. Ezekiel was a passing voice that men of sense would not allow to affect their lives (33:32).

How embarrassing for the prophet! Yet he is assured by Yahweh that his warnings cannot be in vain, for which reason Ezekiel must persist in his ministry. One day ‘it’ will come, and then men will appreciate fully that he was a prophet (33:33; cf. 2:5).” —Peter Naylor, EP Study Commentary, Ezekiel, 515.

The Israelites in exile and the remnant in Palestine had looked on Ezekiel’s ministry in mockery. They would gossip that they should go and hear God’s word (v.30). Yet when they came to Ezekiel, or heard his message, they would listen; but they would not act in accord with his warnings (v.31). They orally expressed devotion, but their hearts were greedy for material gain. They were “playing games” with God. To them Ezekiel was no more than a good entertainer. He was amusing to listen to and to watch, with all his symbolic acts and prophecies. But just as an entertainer demands no response, so they did not sense a need to respond to Ezekiel’s messages (v.32; cf. 2 Tim. 4:3). However, as Ezekiel’s prophecies became reality—and such had already begun in the Fall of Jerusalem—then Israel would realize that a true prophet had been among them (v.33). Oh the importance of listening to men of God and acting on God’s word that they proclaim! —Ralph H. Alexander, EBC, Ezekiel, 6:910-11

Choosing to evangelize people in our day with the use of music that has a widespread popular sensuous and sensual appeal puts those people at great risk of experiencing the same tragic dynamic that Ezekiel’s hearers experienced. When people are focused on their love of a popular musical style used to communicate God’s truth, their hearts will be distracted from attending properly to that truth.

Popular Musical Styles Are Not Proper Vehicles for God’s Truth

Contrary to what many believe today, using sensual musical styles that are very popular (such as the styles used in “rock-influenced” CCM) as vehicles for God’s truth hinders lost people from receiving His truth properly. Although God can and at times does graciously choose to work in some hearts in spite of the negative effects experienced by the hearers of such music, God’s people should learn from Ezekiel 33:30-33 that it is wrong for us to put such obstacles in their way.

Let us beware dangerously flawed reasoning used to justify using contemporary worship to evangelize people!

For more help with issues concerning CCM, please see the many resources that I have compiled: Resources That Provide Answers to Key Issues Concerning CCM

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In CCM, Evangelism, Exposition, Music
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Schnabel on Forgiveness of Sins through Jesus as the Judge

November 1, 2013

What is the content of the message that brings forgiveness of sins to any sinner? Are you sure that your sins are forgiven?

At the climax of his gospel message to many lost people in Caesarea, the apostle Peter proclaimed how they could have their sins forgiven:

Act 10:42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

Why did Peter end his gospel message with these words, which to many people seem an odd way to climax a message about the good news through Jesus Christ?

In his commentary on Acts, Schnabel helpfully explains these verses:

The content of the proclamation is “the good news of peace through Jesus Christ” (v. 36) and Jesus’ role as “judge” (κριτής) of “the living and the dead” (v. 42c-d), i.e., of all people. This is the role of the heavenly Son of Man of Daniel’s vision, to whom God gave the authority to execute judgment (Dan. 7:13-14; Luke 12:8). Presiding at the last judgment is a divine function. The reference to Jesus’ role as judge may at first sight seem surprising, but note the connection with the beginning of Peter’s speech (which began with a reference to God’s impartiality, v. 34) and with its center (in which Jesus was described as “Lord of all,” v. 36). The universal scope of Jesus’ role as judge is tied to the universal scope of his status as Lord, which in turn is connected with the fact that forgiveness of sins—the decisive factor for the divine verdict on the day of judgment—is found only through Jesus Christ. This is the emphasis of the next verse. . . . 

At the end of his explanation of the message of Jesus and its significance, Peter emphasizes that forgiveness can be obtained by everyone who believes in Jesus. God grants forgiveness of sins “through” (διά) Jesus (cf. 2:38), God’s appointed judge of all people (v. 42). If the Judge himself is involved in forgiving sins, the accused will certainly go free since the sins that have been committed will not affect the outcome of the trial. 

However, people must receive (λαβεῖν) forgiveness of sins; it is not simply “declared” as a reality that affects all people. It can and will be received by “all people,” whether they are Jews, Greeks, or Romans (note the context of the speech), who believe in Jesus (πιστεύοντα εἰς αὐτόν), i.e., who acknowledge Jesus as Lord of all and as Judge of all and as the one through whom God makes forgiveness of sins possible.

—Eckhard J. Schnabel, Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 503-504; bold added

Based on what Peter preached at the climax of his gospel message, have you believed in Jesus properly to receive the forgiveness of your sins?

For more help with this all-important matter, please see The Gospel of God and His Christ and The Good News for All.

For other scholarly comments about this vital passage, see Scholarly Comments on the One Who Forgives

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Evangelism, Gospel, Interpretation, Quotes
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Was the Philippian Jailor Saved by Hearing a One-Sentence Gospel Message?

October 5, 2013

Was the Philippian jailor saved by hearing a one-sentence gospel message (Acts 16:31)? A sound handling of the passage answers this question definitively.

The Evangelistic Record (Up to Acts 16:31) of the Jailor’s Salvation

Following the miraculous events that took place (Acts 16:26), the Philippian jailor asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (16:30). They responded, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (16:31).

Some believe that the jailor was saved by hearing only this one sentence. Many more seem to reflect this same view by using this one verse as if it was a one-sentence gospel message.

For example, a person argued with me years ago that the jailor was saved without testimony to the resurrection to the Jesus. He based his view on the fact that the passage does not say anything about Paul and Silas’ bearing testimony to the resurrection.

Biblical considerations from the rest of the passage as well as from other passages show that these views are unsound. These considerations become clear from various indications in Acts 16 and 26.

Indications from the Rest of Acts 16 of Additional Testimony beyond Acts 16:31

Following Acts 16:31, Luke writes, “And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house” (16:32). We know therefore that Paul and Silas testified more from the word of the Lord than just what verse 31 records.

Because Luke does not tell us what that additional testimony was, some may still argue that whatever else they said was additional testimony that was not necessary for him to hear to be saved. We can be certain, however, that this is a wrong handling of the passage because Acts 16:31 itself does not testify to either the crucifixion or the Resurrection of Jesus—truths that are essential parts of the gospel message (Cf. 1 Cor. 15:3-5).

The following verses implicitly confirm the interpretation that verse 32 signifies the communication of vital truths. Luke tells us that the jailor was baptized (16:33), but he does not tell us how it came about that he knew that he was to be baptized and consented to doing so. Plainly, we are to understand that Paul and Silas bore testimony to him to do so.

Furthermore, Luke concludes his record of this evangelistic encounter by saying, “And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house” (16:34). Although it is possible that Luke intends for us from this statement to believe that these people believed in Jesus as God, it is far more likely that this statement reflects their salvation through belief in testimony about God the Father’s raising Jesus from the dead and through their subsequent confession of Jesus as Lord (cf. Rom. 10:9-10).

Indications from Acts 26 of Additional Testimony to the Jailor beyond Acts 16:31

In addition to the additional considerations present in Acts 16, Paul’s testimony in Acts 26 about his evangelistic practice throughout his Christian life points conclusively to additional testimony given to the jailor beyond what Acts 16:31 records. Paul told King Agrippa that his obedience to his heavenly vision of the glorified Jesus (Acts 26:12-18) comprised his testifying to key truths to everyone everywhere from the beginning of his evangelistic ministry up to that very day:

Act 26:19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: 

 20 But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. 

 21 For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. 

 22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: 

 23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. 

These verses make clear that Paul certainly challenged the jailor to “repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance” (26:20). We also can be certain that Paul testified to the jailor about both the suffering and the resurrection of Christ (26:23). 

Because Acts 16:31 does not specify that Paul told the jailor to repent, we know that Acts 16:31 is not an exhaustive record of the gospel testimony that he received. Similarly, because Acts 16:31 does not specify that Paul testified to the jailor about the crucifixion and resurrection, we can be certain that it does not tell us all that he heard to be saved. 

Conclusion

Because we know conclusively from several considerations that Acts 16:31 is not an exhaustive record of the gospel testimony that the jailor received, it is illegitimate to say that he was saved by hearing only the statement recorded in Acts 16:31. Moreover, based on essential biblical teaching about the gospel message, we can be certain that Acts 16:31 is not a one-sentence gospel message that by itself communicates all the truth that a sinner needs to hear to be saved.

A sound handling of Acts 16:31 shows conclusively that the Philippian jailor was not saved by hearing a one-sentence gospel message.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Evangelism, Gospel, Interpretation
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Does God Tell Ordinary Believers What to Do Today?

September 27, 2013

For most of the past year, I wanted to participate in door-to-door evangelism through my church but was not able to because I could not figure out a good way to resolve the scheduling difficulties that I faced with doing so. As a result, last year was the first year that I did not engage in that ministry on as regular a basis as I have in all my previous years of being a believer.

This past Saturday, I really wanted to go out and evangelize Spanish people in the neighborhoods of my church. I ended up not going out because it rained most of the day and because I was not able to find someone to go with me.

On Sunday morning, I woke up and read my Bible, as I usually do. After doing so, a thought came to my mind while I was getting ready to go to church—a thought that was not at all connected with anything that I had read in Scripture that morning.

I was amazed that this thought came to my mind because I had not prayed about this matter and had not talked with anyone else about it. In fact, I had not even given any thought that morning to the subject matter that the thought concerned!

As soon as it came into my mind, I realized that I now had a good solution to the scheduling difficulties that for some time now had made it unworkable for me to participate regularly in visitation ministry through my church. I thanked God for graciously giving me direction about this matter that was really important to me!

Thanks to this insight, I was able to go on visitation this past Sunday afternoon for the first time in many months. I even shared with my evangelism partner how this solution had come to my mind and provided me with a feasible way to participate in this ministry when I am not able to go out at other times during the week.

I marvel at the simplicity of the solution that God gave to my situation—a solution that had never occurred to me in all my thinking about how to resolve the problem. I have no doubt in my mind that God told me what to do to solve my problem.

Furthermore, He did so without my praying about it or getting counsel from anyone else. He also did so without my getting any direction from Scripture about solving such a problem.

Does God tell ordinary believers what to do today about specific matters that Scripture does not address? I believe that He who lives within us can and does do so, as He sees fit!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Evangelism, Testimony, Theology
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“The Heart of the Good News” in Peter’s Gospel Message at Caesarea

September 20, 2013

The resurrected Jesus is announced to be the Judge-designate. . . . Without this point, we might be tempted to think of the resurrection as something tremendous that happened to him but which has no relation to us at all. Without this statement that the resurrected Lord is the Judge-designate, we might believe the story of Easter and comment, ‘Terrific! But after all, that was Jesus. What has that got to do with us?’ Verse 42 [of Acts 10] answers this question by linking our destiny to that of Jesus, for it tells us that Jesus is every man’s Judge. This statement says that the man whom God designated to judge us is the man executed on Golgotha and raised on Easter. If, then, our destiny depends on the verdict of this Judge, we must recognize that the story of Jesus is the story of the one who will be the arbiter of our status before God. Suddenly for each individual, the story of Jesus is transformed from a piece of interesting ancient history to the disclosure of ‘where my destiny hangs.’ This change makes the story of Jesus real news. But it still does not show why this is good news; it could just as well be bad news. . . . These words [v. 43] transform the information about Jesus into the good news for all mankind. According to this early sketch of the gospel, the good news consists of the headline that the Judge forgives those who believe on his name. That is, he forgives those who believe he is really the Judge. Here is the heart of the good news in this sermon: The Judge forgives.

—Leander E. Keck, Mandate to Witness: Studies in the Book of Acts, 68-69; bold added.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Gospel, Preaching, Quotes
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