Evangelism Quotes
June 29th, 2007 by Victor
Evangelism is such an important part of Christianity, yet it is probably the most neglected and avoided aspect of following Christ. Here are some amazing quotes on the subject:
“Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that.” - Charles Spurgeon
“If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.” - Charles Spurgeon
“God save us from living in comfort while sinners are sinking into hell!” - Charles Spurgeon
“Evangelism is not a professional job for a few trained men, but is instead the unrelenting responsibility of every person who belongs to the company of Jesus.” - Elton Trueblood
“You have nothing to do but to save souls. Therefore spend and be spent in this work. And go not only to those that need you, but to those that need you most…It is not your business to preach so many times, and to take care of this or that society; but to save as many souls as you can; to bring as many sinners as you possibly can to repentance.” - John Wesley
“I’d rather have people hate me with the knowledge that I tried to save them.” - Keith Green
“Preach abroad….It is the cooping yourselves up in rooms that has dampened the work of God, which never was and never will be carried out to any purpose without going into the highways and hedges and compelling men and women to come in.” - Jonathan Edwards
“Make it an object of constant study, and of daily reflection and prayer, to learn how to deal with sinners so as to promote their conversion.” - Charles G. Finney
“If Jesus had preached the same message that ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified.” - Leonard Ravenhill
The attitude of the average Christian today is relax and be raptured. But He is coming… and when God gets angry you’ve no idea what it is. Like a thousand volcanoes exploding. He has appointed a day in which He is going to judge the world and the poor blind world doesn’t know much about it and the poor blind church doesn’t think much about it now.” - Leonard Ravenhill
“It is not our business to make the message acceptable, but to make it available. We are not to see that they like it, but that they get it.” - Dr. Vance Havner
“How shall I feel at the judgment, if multitudes of missed opportunities pass before me in full review, and all my excuses prove to be disguises of my cowardice and pride.” - Dr. W. E. Sangster
“Oh my friends, we are loaded with countless church activities, while the real work of the church, that of evangelizing and winning the lost, is almost entirely neglected.” - Oswald J. Smith
Brothers and sisters, we cannot sit comfortably in our homes and churches and be uninvolved in the mission of our Lord, the very thing he left us to do while he was gone!
- Which quote stands out to you the most? Why?
- What do these quotes cause you to think about?
- What stops us from preaching the gospel?
- What can we do to change this?
It seems plain that if the kingdom really is coming and if those who have not been forgiven on the basis of their belief in the gospel will be condemned then we must speak out of love for our fellow human being. The reasons for not speaking would be (1) unbelief that judgment day is coming or (2) lack of compassion (one does not sufficiently care to overcome any fear or discomfort). I struggle with both of these. But faith comes first, then compassion follows. Of course Paris Reidhead would correct me by saying that it is for the glory of God that we speak the gospel not just for the sake of offering someone a way out.
It almost sounds trite, but I do like the evangelical message attributed to Francis of Assisi, ‘Preach the gospel at all times - using words if necessary’.
I believe that many today underestimate the evangelical power of the Christian life.
How do you preach the gospel without words if the gospel is consistently referred to as a “message,” “information,” “news,” “words,” or something that is “preached?”
In the same way that the word was made flesh. You actually live the message.
The gospel is not an academic exercise or a list of facts to be memorized for no purpose, it’s the description of a life which is a reflection of the Divine character.
It’s a message, information, news, words, which changes our lives. If our lives haven’t been changed, then we either didn’t hear it properly, didn’t understand it, or chose not to submit to it.
One of Christ’s most important commandments was ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’. There’s only one way to obey that commandment, and that’s by living it.
Christ spoke of preaching without words in Matthew 5:16, and conversely James spoke of how useless it is to mouth the principles of the gospel without living them (James 2:14-17). One of my favourite passages on this subject is the following:
1 Peter 3:
1 In the same way, wives, be subject to your own husbands. Then, even if some are disobedient to the word, they will be won over without a word by the way you live,
2 when they see your pure and reverent conduct.
Fortigurn,
It is undenyable that one should obey Jesus, and that this will be noticable, evident and clear. For one to think that they can speak without living or know without doing, they would be deceived. However, I think often the decpetion for many people is that by living a good Christian life and letting that “light so shine before men” is the same thing as preaching the gospel.
We have spoken on this at length in various other posts, but the disciples were not thrown in jail in the book of Acts because they were praying, being charitable, helping widows, or giving to the poor. We know this because they were asked very specificially to “stop speaking!” And then again commanded by the Lord to “Go, stand and speak in the temple.”
I guess it might be important to define terms for some clarity. Here are my thoughts on the following:
The gospel - the initial message that must be heard, understood and believed by an individual. Within this message, the call for repentance in light of this information is included. This is not the Bible in general or even the Sermon on the mount, etc.
The commands of Christ - the terms of the new covenant, that which those who have decided to follow Jesus now rule their lives by. This would include the Sermon on the mount and the other teachings of Jesus, to love, etc. Also what was revealed to Paul and the other apostles for the Christian to follow. This however is not the gospel message but what is done in light of hearing the gospel.
Maybe that will help things be clearer when I use different terminology.
Bless GOD
-Victor
Fortigurn,
Surely you are not suggesting that there is a dichotomy between living the Christian life and preaching the gospel?! Isn’t it obvious that one has believed the gospel if he is preaching it? The gospel of the kingdom includes a call to repentance and making Jesus one’s lord. If we have not repented then we should not be preaching it. It is as unthinkable to preach the gospel without actually speaking as it is to preach it without actually living the Christian life. Both are necessary. I’m sure you believe this considering your own missionary work in Taiwan.
Hi Victor,
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However, I think often the decpetion for many people is that by living a good Christian life and letting that “light so shine before men” is the same thing as preaching the gospel.
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I agree (to an extent). Simply ‘being good’ could mean that I’m a dedicated Buddhist, a Muslim, or a particularly moral atheist. It wouldn’t give anyone an indication that I’m a Christian, let alone inform them of the gospel. Nor am I saying that the gospel *in its entirety* can be taught without words (obviously that’s untrue, Romans 10).
But living a good *Christian* life requires a unique commitment which distinguishes me from being a Buddhist or a Muslim. When my friends see me reading my Bible, they know I’m a Christian. When my friends hear me pray for my food, they know I’m a Christian. When my friends are told that I can’t be with them because I’m going to church, they know I’m a Christian. They know that my ‘good works’ derive from being a Christian.
If this wasn’t true, then Matthew 5:16 wouldn’t make any sense, because it wouldn’t be true either.
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The gospel - the initial message that must be heard, understood and believed by an individual. Within this message, the call for repentance in light of this information is included. This is not the Bible in general or even the Sermon on the mount, etc.
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I agree.
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The commands of Christ - the terms of the new covenant, that which those who have decided to follow Jesus now rule their lives by. This would include the Sermon on the mount and the other teachings of Jesus, to love, etc. Also what was revealed to Paul and the other apostles for the Christian to follow. This however is not the gospel message but what is done in light of hearing the gospel.
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I disagree. To me this constitutes an essential element of the gospel, which is described as repenting (changing one’s life), and living a sanctified life. I don’t separate those from the gospel. They are effective in preaching because they distinguish you from other people, and make people wonder what makes you different. This is what causes people to ask questions, which is when they are at their most receptive for preaching. You cannot preach the gospel effectively to anyone if you are not living the gospel.
Peter said that the heathen ‘are astonished when you do not rush with them into the same flood of wickedness’ (1 Peter 4:4), and he was speaking to people who *used* to participate in ‘in debauchery, evil desires, drunkenness, carousing, drinking bouts, and wanton idolatries’ (1 Peter 4:3).
The very change of life which these Christians underwent preached a message of repentance. The change was so radical, so obvious, that the heathen were ‘astonished’ at it.
The 4th century emperor Julian the Pagan noted that Christian behaviour was of such a markedly higher moral standard than that of the pagans, that it contributed significantly to conversions. He complained that the pagans needed to lift their standards of conduct in order to compete. He understood full well the powerful evangelical effect of the Christian life.
Hi Sean,
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Surely you are not suggesting that there is a dichotomy between living the Christian life and preaching the gospel?!
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On the contrary, I though that’s what Victor was doing. I’m arguing the opposite, that living the Christian life is an essential element of preaching the gospel.
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Isn’t it obvious that one has believed the gospel if he is preaching it?
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No. It is obvious that one has believed the gospel if he is *living* it. There are plenty of tele-vangelists out there who are *preaching* the gospel, but whose lives are so radically in opposition to it that they not only dishearten and sicken Christians, but bring the gospel into disrepute among the heathen. They make a mockery of the gospel, with their ‘Do as I say but not as I do’ method of preaching. See 1 Peter 4:3-4 for the correct Biblical method.
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The gospel of the kingdom includes a call to repentance and making Jesus one’s lord. If we have not repented then we should not be preaching it. It is as unthinkable to preach the gospel without actually speaking as it is to preach it without actually living the Christian life. Both are necessary.
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I certainly agree. I am not for a moment suggesting that we can preach the gospel in its entirety ‘without actually speaking’.
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I’m sure you believe this considering your own missionary work in Taiwan.
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Absolutely. And I can tell you that here in Taiwan the Tzu Chi Buddists outclass everyone when it comes to ‘good works’. They number almost 25% of the population, and have almost as much money as the government. They build whole schools and hospitals, of first class quality, which are often superior even to the government buildings. They provide charity and disaster relief services on an international scale. But they are certainly not preaching the gospel.
Fortigurn,
Thanks for clarifying. We are clearly all on the same page here–we need to be both living out the gospel as well as preaching it. Unfortunately many of us get lulled to sleep by the ebb and flow of this present age and for whatever reason remain silent even when perfectly good opportunities arise. So far as I can tell, Jesus left us with only one mission: to make disciples. The first step of making a disciple is to preach the gospel (using words). There is no question that those who preach the gospel but do not live a holy life are hypocrites and they will face Jesus’ words on judgment day (Mat 7.21-23).
Hi Sean,
I see where you’re coming from now, and I totally agree that there are many Christians who believe that living a vaguely ‘good life’ whilst keeping their mouth shut is all they need to do. And of course, many of them aren’t that keen on living a good life, since their pastors tell them that they were saved by faith alone, and that good works have no function in the salvic process or the Christian life.
As I said before, simply doing ‘good things’ doesn’t preach the gospel, our lives must be full of those deeds which are *uniquely* Christian in order to have any evangelistic force.
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So far as I can tell, Jesus left us with only one mission: to make disciples.
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Dead right. That’s exactly why I moved to Taiwan.
Fortigurn,
I appreciate you taking the time to talk about these things - as the quotes I initially posted on speak loudly to, the preaching of the gospel is so important for all of us to be committed to.
When I separate the gospel message and the commands of Christ I do not mean to suggest that they are not related and corresponding, they are! I just was saying the commands of Christ are what those who respond to the gospel now follow.
I think that it is important for all of us to deal with the fears (or whatever else it might be) that stop us from speaking the gospel. People are dying. The world is judged already and the Kingdom is coming. How long can we sit in our comfortable chairs and live our normal routine lives until the situation facing the world hits us!
I’m thankful to know your heart for the lost and desire to speak is strong. Praise God.
Thanks for clarifying Victor. I see we’re on the same page. I agree that we need to be less fearful about preaching the gospel. It isn’t easy in a largely secular world, but from experience I can tell you it’s not that easy in a pagan world either.