This is a Hebrew scroll fragment from the 10 commandments. The Royal Ontario Museum will be showing for 1 week only (Oct. 10-15)

(By: Christopher Powell) Please note: Wordpress seems to delete all my Scripture references (how evil is that?!) every time I save. When we work it out, I’ll reinsert them in proper format.

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“Wotcha gonna do, wotcha gonna do when they come for you…” -Inner Circle “Bad Boys” theme from the show “Cops”


The theme song from one of the oldest reality shows on television is culturally evocative of what many people think of when they hear someone talk about  “the Law”.   To many, the Law is entirely about addressing the “bad” guys – it really has nothing to do with the “good” guys.   This was the view of the Rich Young Ruler:  Mark ten verse 20 – “all these [commandments] I have kept from my youth.”   In other words, I’m good, I’m ‘covered’ on this – what’s next?  This in itself is naked self-righteousness.  And Jesus calls him on it.  He starts by seizing on the concept of what it means to be “good” Mark nine verse 19 – only God is good.   He then proceeds to painfully, but, graciously, expose the man’s self-righteousness to him.   He does so with an application of God’s law that would make most modern evangelists blush.  Much of the time we’re too afraid to offend a person, but, Jesus is more concerned with this man’s eternal destiny (and perhaps also of those watching and listening to the exchange).  Jesus tells the man that he is confident that this man knows the commandments intellectually – verse 19.  Jesus is concerned to communicate to this man the purpose of these commandments to humble men to the realization that no human being can of himself fulfill the moral law of God.   This is the first of the three classic “uses” of the law that the Scriptures teach and that our Confession refers to in chapter 19.  These three uses can be generally summarized as:

1. The pedagogical use of the law. This is the work of God whereby he uses the  law to  “teach” us our sinfulness (Romans three verse 20) by revealing the extent of corruption in our hearts and exposing our desperate state and need of a Saviour.
2. The civil use of the law (judicial in confessional terms). It’s use is to restrain wickedness and promote justice and righteousness in human affairs, a ‘public’ righteousness that is a result of God’s common grace.  This is what Paul is referring to in
3. The third use of the law is in the lives of believers as a living guide.  Jesus said in John fourteen v.15  “If you love me, keep my commandments.”  Similarly, instructions and imperatives are given to Christians throughout the New Testament that uphold and expand God’s moral law.  The law is liberty for the Christian to run in the paths of God’s commands (James one v.25 and cf. Psalms one hundred and nineteen v.32)

Jesus skillfully applied the law according to this first use.  He helped the Rich Young Ruler begin to grasp that no amount of effort on his part could rid him of his sins.  That even if he had managed to keep the law in one part he could not keep the whole law of God by himself.  That is our task as evangelists.  We seek to expose the law of God for the unbeliever and point them to Jesus Christ as the only one who can save Romans three v.21 and following.    We must then prayerfully trust the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of the unbeliever to the only solution to his sin.  The cross of Jesus where the law is fully satisfied in the great exchange of our sinfulness for the righteousness of Christ.  Christ’s death acts as a propitiation for our sins.

But it is important that in understanding this fact we not neglect the third use of the law in the process of evangelism.  Wait a second – the third use?  We’re talking about unbelievers.  What do you mean?  Well, the sad reality is that, perhaps unconsciously, many Christians also follow the same line of thinking as the Rich Young Ruler.   The way of thinking that says that the law is really only for bad people, not Christians.  You have nothing to fear from the law if you’re a Christian citizen.  After all, we’re not under law,  we’re under grace – it’s in the Bible!   Practically speaking many folks miss the biblical understanding of the law and see it as something that justifies them and condemns others.  These folks are just as guilty of the sin of self-righteousness.   Thus, when they apply the law in evangelism it is not with the humility of a saved sinner seeking lost sinners.  It is with a self-righteous attitude.  In case you think that’s too far from your own thinking, think about the last time you looked on a homosexual couple flaunting their sin.  What went through your mind?   Was it disgust and dismissal?  Or was it a heart of compassion which at the very least marvels at the mercy of God “but for the grace of God go I?”.  We must never forget that we are ALL recipients of grace – we are all sinners under the law – we are all far better than we deserve.    When Jesus was in the key evangelistic moment of applying the message of repentance to this covetous, self-righteous Rich Young Ruler, the Scriptures record a most amazing internal view of Jesus’ heart: “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him.”  He loved him!  Jesus had compassion for this arrogant, self-righteous but hopelessly lost man.  Does Jesus’ attitude characterize your heart as you engage in ministry or evangelism to others?  Or is it just another work for you – a way to earn a line on your Christian résumé?  The apostle Paul understood the wickedness of his heart.  He did not come from a state of superior self-righteousness in his witness.  He knew his real condition as he expressed it so clearly:  “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” First Timothy one v.15.   That is the attitude of the Christian who understands that the preaching the Gospel is something that ALL men desperately need to point them to (or back to) the only Saviour, Jesus Christ.   Law and Grace meet at the cross of Jesus Christ.  That’s where we must always return ourselves.  That way we’ll have something beautiful to sing when it comes to meditating on the law:

(By: Christopher Powell)
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In our previous posts in this series we have looked at how evangelism in the Bible – the process of proclaiming the biblical truth about man’s need to repent from his sins and believe in the Saviour – appears to differ from many current techniques.   We have been looking specifically at how Jesus evangelized in one incident with the Rich Young Ruler (RYR).  The first thing about the encounter that I believe is essential to notice is that:

Jesus Actually Cared about the Person

I know this sounds like a really obvious one, but, a lot of books, tracts and materials that I have read out there treat unbelievers as little more than notches just waiting to be put on some great big evangelistic belt.  The goal is to get it all out in one 5 minute encounter.  The reality is, of course, much different.  People are messy and complicated.  It is rare that there aren’t some serious rabbit trails in the conversations you will have and sometimes you don’t get to finish what you would like to say.   I remember a conversation I had in a coffee shop from a man (a yoga instructor, actually) where he took my literature and was railing about the exclusivity of the Gospel as he had heard it at another evangelical church.  I listened, patiently, but, before I could get a word in edgewise, he had to go on.  I strongly suspect that he would not have taken the literature had he known that I agreed with what he had heard elsewhere, but, I didn’t get a chance to tell him.  It was a bit frustrating because our conversation was cut short and there were lots of points I wanted to interact over, but, on the bright side, he did walk away with Gospel literature to read.

An active listener can more helpfully discern how best to proclaim the Gospel.  Notice how Jesus dealt with the young man – v.18 -  He listened.  Simple, but effective.  Before Jesus challenged the RYR he listened to what he said.   Jesus’ first word to the RYR is based on what the RYR said to him.  Picking up on the phrase “good teacher” Jesus challenges the RYR with: “Why do you call me good?  No one is good except God alone”

I think sometimes we get so focused on getting the message out that we forget that the person we’re interacting with is a fellow human being made in the image of God with all the wondrous design and complexity that entails.  We need to treat them with respect as per 1 Peter 3:15 by listening to what they say.   We need to pray that God would aid our ears to help us discern how to apply Gospel first aid.    Jesus did that and with remarkable effectiveness cut to the heart of the problem -  Jesus was talking to a man who had no idea that he was anything else but a human rabbi.  In listening to him, Jesus discerned that the man’s (somewhat fawning) pious talk needed to be dealt with immediately.  Jesus was after the self-righteousness that thinks you can make yourself “good” and acceptable to God.  He is seeking to challenge this man’s whole concept of moral goodness.[Tim Keller's Study Guide on Mark]

Next week, we’ll examine exactly how  Jesus challenged him on moral goodness.   But, one final thing to think about is the powerful phrase that appears later in the conversation: “Jesus, looking at him, loved him..”   If you’re a Christian, thinking back to your last conversation with an unbeliever – ask yourself how love figured in.  The love of Christ is what distinguishes us.  It enables us to patiently listen, boldly apply and caringly interact.  May I encourage you to pray that you and I will demonstrate the reality of this love in our interactions this week.

***Prayer Request:  tonight our church begins a new outreach Bible study in the book of Mark.  We’re encouraging folks new to the church and others to come and to invite their non-Christian friends.  Please pray that God would increase the effectiveness of our witness and that we would see folks come to know the love and power of Jesus Christ.  And, if you’re in Toronto, feel free to contact us and let us know you’d like to come!

(By Christopher Powell)
Part One

Part Two

Be Prepared! So goes the famous motto of the Boy Scouts. But I also think it is an apt summary of the mentality of a regular Christian desiring to honour and serve God through evangelism. A more pointed motto might be: “Be Biblically Prepared!” As we examined last week, the argument I began to make was that we must seek to avoid a “one-size-fits-all” scripted approach to evangelism and to seek to adapt to the situation as guided by biblical wisdom and prayer in reliance on the Holy Spirit. This is based on examples we find in the Scriptures themselves.

As we consider this mentality further today I’d like to start to examine one of Jesus’ key encounters with an unbeliever, the Rich Young Ruler (hereafter RYR) in . One of the first things that you will notice as you read the whole chapter is that Jesus uses different approaches to different subjects. His approach to the Rich Young Ruler is not the same that he takes with the children () or even that which he took with the disciples later in the chapter (). Jesus personally adapts to the hearer. But the substance and the goal of his message is the same – repent and believe. Jesus’ overall pattern when you examine the incidents in this chapter and others like the woman at the well in or Nicodemus in is similar: He probes and exposes the falsehoods that rule a person’s heart and then presents Himself as the one to turn to for salvation from falsehood.

What actually varies in His different encounters is based on his understanding where these individuals are at. For example, the children are at the very earliest stage. They were being prevented from hearing the Gospel. Jesus is gentlest with them knowing their tender age and their ignorance of the Gospel. As says: “how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard.” Understanding this, Jesus responds generously and graciously: “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” Contrast that with the direct way he deals with the RYR, immediately challenging him and putting him on the defensive. Verse 18: “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone”"

The RYR has had a privileged upbringing and is well acquainted with the commands as Jesus presents them to him. So Jesus directly confronts him with his sin. We’ll examine this in more detail in a subsequent post, but, the point is that Jesus approaches the RYR quite differently than the children.

What I think is most interesting about the way that Jesus approaches the RYR is that it goes against the way you or I might be tempted to respond if a rich young man walked into our church. A young clean cut “religious” man of money and influence. Isn’t this the kind of fellow that would make our church look good? Aren’t you a bit disappointed that Jesus uses such a harsh approach with him? Doesn’t He know how hard it is to get people like this to come to Church? Remember, these are tough times – we’re barely making our budget as it is…

But Jesus’ primary concern is not about making the man feel welcome or comfortable but in confronting him with the truth of the Gospel. As summarizes, Jesus came to do His Father’s will. This meant that he was not there to stroke people’s egos or to make them feel at ease. He sought to confront them with their sin and its dire consequences and to point them to the only hope they have in Him. In other words, He sought to wisely determine their need and to press on them the urgency of the Gospel message of repent and believe. It is the first aid that they need. You don’t treat a man with a gaping chest wound by giving him a drink of water. You start by directly addressing the source of the bleeding. That is true first aid.

So as we consider our own evangelistic encounters this week with our family, friends, co-workers etc., we need to remember that our application of the Truth must “be prepared” to make the spiritual “first aid” of the Gospel our first priority. We apply this Gospel according to the wisdom of the Spirit as we discern where the person is at – not neglecting the principles of gentleness and respect outlined in . May the Lord strengthen us and enable us to have faith to carry His message faithfully to the lost for their salvation, our joy and the glory of His Name.

Note: I’ll be taking a brief break from posting on evangelism in the next couple of weeks, but we will return to our series in late August.

Further Reading: Today’s Gospel: Authentic or Synthetic by Walt Chantry is one of the best short books I have ever read on evangelism. I read it in Seminary and I refer to it frequently as I consider my own evangelistic ministry. Much of what you will read on the Rich Young Ruler in this series of posts has been informed by this book.

(By: Christopher Powell)

Click here for Reformed Baptist Evangelism Pt. 1

So, in the high tech age of the 21st century, how do we do evangelism? What is a biblical methodology? In the first post I talked about the value of family and (by extension) relational evangelism, but what about interacting with strangers? How do I speak to that guy walking down the street?

Of course you probably know that there are plenty of evangelistic methods out there that will tell you what you should do. Sadly, however, most of whom rely on the faulty premise of man’s ability to make a “decision” for Christ. This doesn’t reconcile with the Scripture. The effects of man’s fall into sin on man’s intellect (the so-called noetic effects of sin) make it impossible for him to make a “righteous” decision in his own strength. teaches that God makes us alive while we are dead in transgressions and sins. The imagery of being dead is to indicate our total inability to save ourselves. Despite my enjoyment of the movie The Princess Bride, there is no such bodily state as mostly dead – it is just fantasy. We are born sinful and dead in our sinful nature, and, as Jesus explained, in our natural sinful state we HATE the light (). So any method that relies on a dead man to make a decision to love something he naturally hates is fundamentally flawed.

But, in addition to the theological flaws with many of these systems of evangelism another problem with them is that they are just that – systems. The Gospel is comprehensive. It deals with all of life and eternity. So it cannot be adequately addressed in a 2 minute encounter or a 140 character tweet. But, certain truths can be presented to open the Gospel conversation. We must choose what we apply and how we apply it. The aspect to be applied depends on Spirit-guided wisdom. Consider how Paul presents the Gospel to the Athenians in . Paul opens with the statement: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious…” and goes on to challenge their idolatry. Paul had determined after surveying the city situation, that idolatry was the key problem to address, so that is what he pressed home. But notice that in his presentation of the Gospel, he made no direct mention of the cross, being born again, the atonement or several other key soteriological doctrines. This does not exactly match, for example, the kind of approach that Jesus used with Nicodemus in . Nevertheless, both encounters presented the Gospel need for repentance and faith in Christ Jesus.

The practical truth is that folks can easily detect when they are being led down a scripted path. The Gospel is not a script, it is a way of life. We must speak the truth of the Gospel out of the Scriptures and out of our lives. Before we engage someone we might have an idea about how to open the conversation and what Scriptures we might use, but our goal must be engagement in reliance on the Holy Spirit’s guidance. In evangelism, you must have a genuine interest and interaction with whom you are addressing. teaches that we witness with “respect” and this means that we interact both by speaking and actively listening and engaging with the unbeliever. I think Pastor Steve Marquedant summarized it well in his article on evangelism on the RBF blog a few months ago with these three principles:

1) The message given must be true to the Scriptures concerning God and man
2) The messenger should sincerely care about the individual
3) The messenger must rely upon the Holy Spirit for results.

This doesn’t mean that we don’t have things to learn from methodologies. I think they have something to offer in boiling down certain concepts and questions. But there is no one-size-fits all approach. I think the real danger in systematizing is in trusting in the methodology instead of standing on the authority of God’s Word and trusting God’s Spirit. Salvation is not something you can bottle, market and sell. The Scriptures declare that “Salvation is from God” (). Our privilege is being His instruments, presenting it to and living it out before the world. May you and I have this goal to proclaim the Gospel of salvation out of the truth of the Scriptures, a sincere care for the lost and in total reliance on the Holy Spirit.

Postcript: As an addendum to last week’s post, please pray that the funeral today of my Uncle at Alexandra Road Congregationalist Church in Hemel Hempstead, UK ( AM local time) might be God’s means to extend the Gospel witness for my family members in attendance.

(By Christopher M. Powell)

To some, the title of this post is an oxymoron.  Reformed Baptist Evangelism?  Don’t we  just evangelize Arminians?   However, those who are students of Church history know that it was Reformed Baptists like William Carey working through the iconic London Baptist Missionary Society that spearheaded the modern mission movement. Carey is known as the “Father of the Modern Mission Movement.”   But what has happened since?  As we all know there are still missionaries going out to foreign fields and church planters at home but perhaps not as many as we would like to see.

What about in your home, today?  We must never forget that every one of us who is a believer is someone that was evangelized at some point by a family member, pastor or even a stranger.   Last night, my “grandfather in the faith” my uncle Chris went home to be with His Saviour.  Uncle Chris was the first in my father’s family to be converted under the ministry of Dr. Martyn-Lloyd Jones.   The transformation was undeniable.  My father used to tell of how he would come home and selflessly serve his family, bringing food and washing up afterwards.  He lived the Gospel.  He also spoke the Gospel of salvation by grace alone  time after time to my father.  And my father rejected it time and again but nevertheless struggled with the evidence of change in my Uncle’s life.  My Uncle persisted in his witness and used to quote to my father.  My father used to get angry with his brother for this and for praying in the morning because he would pray so fervently it would shake the bed.  But he could see a real difference in his life and attitude.   One day, my uncle offered to give my father a trip home from London.  My father accepted but realized too late that it involved a stop at Westminster Chapel in London.  It was there that he heard the Gospel of salvation in Christ Jesus preached by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and within a few short weeks he was saved.   My uncle’s prayer and persistent witness was rewarded with Gospel fruit.

My Uncle Chris went home to be with His Saviour last night and I will miss him dearly.  I met him on a number of occasions and he was a sinner like you and me but he was also a man of humour and warmth with a deep concern for the truth. He may be gone but his service to the Lord lives on.  Through his witness my father, his mother and several of his siblings came to know Christ.  And then in the second generation, the Lord used my father as an instrument of Gospel grace in mine and my sister’s lives and countless others through the ministry of my father in our church here in Canada.   In gratefulness for his loving persistence, my parents named me after my Uncle Chris.  In turn my firstborn son bears his name as well.  We are all deeply thankful and eternally grateful for this modern witness in our family.  What a blessing my Uncle Chris was.  What about you?  How might the Lord use your life to glorify Him?  Whether you are a future William Carey or an ordinary Christopher, remember that you too have the privilege and responsibility to give “a reason for the hope that is in you…”