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by Mike Richeson
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Experts debate evangelism methods
From left to right: Jack Bevilacqua, Dr. Dennis Belvins, Dr. Gerry Breshears.
Dr. Gerry Breshears is the chair of Biblical and Theological Studies at Western Seminary in Portland, Ore.
Jack Bevilacqua has dedicated his life to being the Gospel for everyone he comes into contact with.
Dr. Dennis Blevins is the executive pastor at Greater Portland Bible Church and former Multnomah professor. He has been involved in the Billy Graham crusades, Promise Keepers and Navigators.
The Voice: What is evangelism?
Dr. Breshears: Evangelism is telling the good news of Jesus with the intent purpose of bringing the person into the family of God.
Mr. Bevilacqua: Evangelism is seeking the people who are missing from God's kingdom.
Dr. Blevins:It's the proclamation of good news, and we have good news.
The Voice: What is the message that Christians should give?
Dr. Breshears: Jesus died for our sins and was raised on the third day. If we repent and believe that his death paid for our sins, then we will receive forgiveness and a new life with Christ.
Mr. Bevilacqua: The message is pretty simple. God made you, God knows you, God loves you and wants you in his family.
Dr. Blevins: We can follow the five "m's" in the Bible. Mark 16 is the mandate. Luke 24:46 is the message. John 20:21 is the model. Acts 8 is the road map, and Matthew 28 is the method. The way we proclaim the Gospel is by making disciples.
The Voice: Are there biblical guidelines for evangelism?
Dr. Breshears: There are examples, from Stephen and the apostles doing incredible miracles, down to Dorcas who was an evangelist because of her servant heart.
Mr. Bevilacqua: We should be ready to give an answer at any time for the hope that is in us. That implies that we have contact with people missing from God's kingdom. The guidelines are to be among the lost. The church says come; Jesus says go.
Dr. Blevins: There are two major pieces: proclamation and affirmation. We see Jesus proclaiming the Gospel in synagogues and sending his disciples out. Colossians 4 says to conduct ourselves with wisdom among the people we are in contact with. That is affirmation and there are appropriate times for both.
The Voice: Should styles of evangelism change with culture?
Dr. Breshears: Style will vary by person and personality. Scientists will approach it from a more scientific perspective, such as God is the creator of the world.
Mr. Bevilacqua: I think they have to, but the message doesn't change. The foundation is the same, but the type of house you build will change. It's not one set of rules.
Dr. Blevins: Yes. If the Gospel is communicated in a way that's not understandable, nothing happens. We need to find links with people to relate to them.
The Voice: What do you do if you are bad at evangelism?
Dr. Breshears: I suppose you could be bad at it, but evangelism is just telling what Jesus means to me or what happened at church on Sunday. Some people have the picture that it's knocking on someone's door and reading a tract, and that is terrifying.
Mr. Bevilacqua: To be good, you have to be you. You can't try to be someone else or another personality. Don't characterize evangelism as a character type.
Dr. Blevins: Do you know how to shake somebody's hand? Can you ask somebody how they are doing? There -- you're great. Get involved in people's lives. Get out there and be a friend to sinners.
The Voice: How do you personally like to evangelize?
Dr. Breshears: I just talk to people. I like to use the word church or God in a positive way and then get spiritual topics on the table. I spend a fair amount of time correcting distortions. The distortions of Christianity are enormous.
Mr. Bevilacqua: Sincerity is my favorite style. You'd better love the people you are talking to. People know if you are just trying to add a notch to your Bible or if you really care about them.
Dr. Blevins: Depends on the situation. Sometimes people are immediately open, and sometimes it takes years. People don't want to be your evangelism project; they want to be people. You have to love them.
The Voice: What is your opinion of street preaching?
Dr. Breshears: If it is done in a positive proclamation, I'm open to that. I'm against it when it becomes negative. There will be anger; that's not a surprise -- look at Paul. But people didn't want to kill Paul because of his style but because he was making converts. I'm offended when people throw out thousands of tracts in parades. That's not evangelism; that's littering.
Mr. Bevilacqua: You'd better do what God tells you to do. I think you need to be willing to evaluate what you are doing. If you watch street preachers, you will often see how many people want to get away from them. But I don't want to say it's wrong for someone to do that.
Dr. Blevins: If that's what they want to do, then that's what they'll do. But they need to evaluate the effectiveness.
The Voice: Is street preaching effective?
Dr. Breshears: We've had students come through who have come to Christ because someone was preaching on a university campus. The first time someone hears the Gospel, any way they can hear it is the best way.
Mr. Bevilacqua: It's not up to me to say that. If one person comes to Christ and has eternal life, who am I to say it's not worth it? Do we want to train people to do that? I'm not sure about that.
Dr. Blevins: How can I know that? It's going to be limited because if people don't like it, they will turn it off. Sometimes people hear and get saved. Terrific, but 78 percent of people come to Christ through friendships, not preaching.
The Voice: Is every believer commanded to evangelize?
Dr. Breshears: If you mean the cold, confrontational style, no. Is every believer to tell the good news of Jesus with the intent to see people come into a happy relationship with Jesus, yes.
Mr. Bevilacqua: Yes, the commission is to make disciples. I think it is every person's purpose to know God and make God known.
Dr. Blevins: Yes, every believer has been strategically placed to come alongside others and love them.
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