Whatever Happened to Evangelism?

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO EVANGELISM?

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO EVANGELISM?

A CALL FOR A RETURN TO BIBLICAL EVANGELISM

BY DANNY PELFREY

Foreword by

Dr. John Caldwell

CrossLink Publishing

Copyright © 2020 Danny Pelfrey

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

CrossLink Publishing

1601 Mt. Rushmore Rd, STE 3288

Rapid City, SD 57702

Ordering Information:

Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the Special Sales Department at the address above.

Whatever Happened to Evangelism?/Pelfrey —1st ed.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019955151

First edition: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

To Brian Smith, Gil Whitten, and Earl Lambert

Men with passion for souls

Contents

A PASSIONATE PLEA

EVANGELISM AND THE HUMAN HEART

EVANGELISM AND CHURCH LEADERSHIP

EVANGELISM AND BASIC THEOLOGY

SOME MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT EVANGELISM

SEVEN SIGNIFICANT THOUGHTS FOR EFFECTIVE EVANGELISM

SEVEN MORE SIGNIFICANT THOUGHTS FOR EFFECTIVE EVANGELISM

A PRACTICAL MANUAL FOR RETURNING TO NEW TESTAMENT EVANGELISM

HOW TO TELL YOUR STORY IN THREE MINUTES

A PRESENTATION FOR LEADING ONE TO JESUS

WHEN THE ANSWSER IS NO

WHERE TO FIND THEM

OLD IDEAS WITH POTENTIAL

SCRIPTURE, QUOTATIONS, AND A FINAL WORD

FOREWORD

Dr. John Caldwell

Retired Pastor

Thirty-six years with Kingsway Christian Church

Avon, Indiana

Danny Pelfrey has not only been faithful to his Lord but has done the Church a real service in addressing the question, Whatever Happened to Evangelism? In a day and age where there is more positive thinking preaching in many pulpits than gospel preaching; where spectators often come to be entertained rather than convicted and challenged; it is time for the Church to get back to the basics. And nothing is more basic than reaching the lost. After all, that’s why Christ came: " For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost" (Luke 19:10). God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world but to save the world through him (John 3:17).

Ironically, just days before Danny sent me his manuscript, I had asked the very same question in my journal: Whatever happened to evangelism? I’ve been troubled by a lack of emphasis in the church on heaven, hell, sin, and salvation. We’ve become so politically correct that terms like being saved, soul-winning, and born again have all but disappeared from the Church’s vocabulary. A majority of churches no longer have a public invitation in their services for people to come to Christ. Are you aware of any congregations that have regularly scheduled nights for evangelistic calling? In the church I served for 36 years, we did so every week for 36 years and with great results. By the way, no one could be an elder or staff member who did not himself regularly participate and share his or her faith.

The thing I appreciate about Danny’s book is that he begins with the scriptural and philosophical basis for evangelism, but then gives practicum on how best to evangelize. Furthermore, he writes not theoretically but out of personal experience; and it is obvious that he knows whereof he writes.

I must admit that this book brought conviction to my heart as I realized that in retirement, I haven’t really worked to expand my circle of unsaved friends and neighbors. I’m working on changing that. What about you? Is there someone with whom you know you should have shared your faith, but have failed to do so, perhaps out of fear of rejection? And what about your church? Is there a clearly defined strategy for reaching your community for Christ? My hope is that this book will be a turning point in the lives of many of us personally and the churches from which we come, as we recapture a zeal for reaching the lost.

CHAPTER 1

A PASSIONATE PLEA

It’s been almost thirty years, but the events of the evening are still etched firmly in my mind. It was Tuesday night. Three out of every four Tuesday nights, twenty-five well-trained outreach workers from Town and Country Christian Church in Shelbyville, Indiana were turned loose on a five-county area. I was their minister. Brian, my visitation partner, and I had traveled across the Johnson County line for our second visit of the evening. The distance we traveled made us a little late getting back to home base. The trip home was enjoyable for me. I had opportunity to chat with Brian. He liked my southern twang, and I loved his British accent. The beautiful fall evening highlighted the stars shining brightly overhead. It was harvest time in Indiana. The farmers, not wanting to miss the opportunity the weather provided were out in full force. We could see the lights of their combines moving across the soybean and corn fields. A little earlier, it had occurred to me how symbolic it all seemed. The farmers were in the fields harvesting their crops while we were out, attempting to harvest souls.

As we approached the church building, my heart perhaps skipped a beat or two as my excitement level rose. Look, I called out to Brian, the lights are on in the auditorium. We both knew what that meant. The baptistry was in the auditorium. We were a church that often followed the book of Acts’ example of baptizing the same hour. (See the accounts of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-40 and the Philippian jailer in Acts 16-29-33.) Lights on in the auditorium on a Tuesday evening almost always meant that someone had decided to accept the Lord, desiring to be baptized immediately. Brian and I hurried into the building where we joined several members of the visitation team sitting in pews near the front of the large assembly room. After a few moments, Steve, one of our visitation people, ushered a tall, dark-headed gentleman into the baptistry. I knew him to be a likable, successful businessman who recently had started attending our services. Steve put one hand on the small of the tall man’s back while taking one of the man’s wrist with his other hand. Looking into his eyes, he asked, Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God? To which the candidate answered, I do. With that answer Steve stated, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Steve lowered him into the water, then quickly helped him to his feet. It wasn’t perfect form like I had been taught, but who cared? There was applause and a couple of amens from the observers who remained until their new brother came from the dressing room. Prayer followed and then handshakes and hugs. By the time I got home I was too excited to sleep. I had a new brother, and nothing is more thrilling than that. It is a scene that was played out time and time again in that Indiana church which obviously had learned what it meant to be The Church.

It was while I served that same congregation that I showed up at Bobby and Darlene’s front door one evening. This couple along with their two young children had started attending our services regularly. Even though I had made no appointment, they readily welcomed me and seemed genuinely glad I was there. I had not intended to talk with them about their relationship with the Lord that evening, but they were so receptive that I decided I would throw caution to the wind. I proceeded by asking if I could share a few verses from the Bible with them. They immediately agreed. We were hoping you would come by, but there’s one thing. Could I go across the yard and get David and Shannon? Darlene asked. David and Shannon were a neighbor couple who had attended worship with them a couple of times. Darlene did bring them over. I shared with all four who agreed they were ready to accept the Lord. The two couples met me at the church building less than an hour later, and we had another of those unforgettable Philippian jailer moments.

A couple of years ago, my wife and I traveled from Georgia back to Shelbyville, Indiana to sign one of our inspirational mysteries at the Three Sisters Bookstore. It was great to be there after being away for a good number of years. We were thrilled that people had not forgotten us. There was a steady stream of friends for the entire three hours we were scheduled. They often sat down, and we talked of old times. Frequently, it was stories of people coming to know the Lord that they recalled. Later, when I had time to look back on that gathering, I realized that well over half those who dropped by to share were people who had come to know the Lord as a result of the Tuesday evening program.

It was a magical time, one gentleman, now near his eighty-fifth birthday remarked, regarding those earlier years when evangelism was the focus at Town and Country. I don’t know that I would use the word magical, but I would agree with him