Daily Devotions
Negative Evangelism
Reading for August 5th: Isaiah 36-41
Weekly reading for August 2-8: Matthew 20-24
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
Matthew 23:15
Jesus said the Pharisees were practicing what I call "negative evangelism." They were making children of the devil, not children of God. Is it possible that you and I are guilty of practicing negative evangelism? Consider a few questions:
1. Am I honest about my own faults? If all we do is point the finger, we're failing to show the power of the gospel. We should be walking billboards of God's grace (1 Tim 1:12-15), which means we must be vulnerable and transparent about our failures. People want grace. They need to see grace in our lives.
2. Is the gospel really good news to you? We've been set free from slavery! We've been cured of the worst disease mankind has ever known! We've inherited eternal riches! Negative evangelism gets the bad news about sin and repentance, but fails to communicate the exuberant joy and soul-satisfying peace that only God's grace can offer. Our message should be filled with breathless excitement over what God has given us.
3. Am I doing this for myself or for God? In the Parable of the Talents, the master declares to the two and five talent men, "Well done, good and faithful servant... Enter into the joy of your master." (Matt 25:21, 23) Why are you evangelizing? God help us if our motive is "building up our resumes," or if it's the attendance numbers at church. Don't you think the folks we're baptizing will figure this out? Hypocrisy is hard to conceal, and it's the number one reason people turn away from the gospel. It isn't about us. It's about God. It's about a celebration in heaven when one sinner repents. It's about hearing our Lord say, "Well done, good and faithful slave... Enter into the joy of your Master."
Father, help us to be vulnerable and honest. Let our evangelism be a natural overflow of gratitude for what you've done for us. May our highest joy be in putting a smile on your face when a child is born into your family.
