Theologian Thursday

Some people still don’t agree that we should use the law in evangelism and that it is a theologically unreasonable argument to suggest that it is. Well, here is a short list of a few selected theologians who beg the differ… Also, click on their names and it will send you to their wiki pages so you can see if they are credible or not. These guys werent bums, check it out. We start with the earliest theologians and go through to current theologians... Enjoy!

John Wycliffe “The highest service to which a man may obtain on earth is to preach the law of God.”

Martin Luther
“The proper effect of the Law is to lead us out of our tents and tabernacles, that is to say, from the quietness and security wherein we dwell, and from trusting in ourselves, and to bring us before the presence of God, to reveal His wrath to us, and to set us before our sins.”

“The first duty of the gospel preacher is to declare God's moral law and to show the nature of sin.”

“I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived' (Romans 7:9). So it is with the work-righteous and the proud unbelievers. Because they do not know the Law of God, which is directed against them, it is impossible for them to know their sin. Therefore also they are not amenable to instruction. If they would know the Law, they would also know their sin; and sin to which they are now dead would become alive in them.”

Matthew Henry
“Of this excellent use is the law: it converts the soul, opens the eyes, prepares the way of the Lord in the desert, rends the rocks, levels the mountains, makes a people prepared for the Lord.”

John MacArthur
“Grace means nothing to a person who does not know he is sinful and that such sinfulness means he is separated from God and damned. It is therefore pointless to preach grace until the impossible demands of the Law and the reality of guilt before God are preached.”

John R. W. Stott
“We cannot come to Christ to be justified until we have first been to Moses to be condemned. But once we have gone to Moses and acknowledged our sin, guilt and condemnation, we must not stay there.”

Tomorrow, more law preaching evangelists! Heres a clue who they might be... They are a father son evangelistic team. Stay tuned for more...

Spurgeon Evangelism

Yesterday I promised another law preaching evangelist, so today I decided to choose Spurgeon. I know, I know, Hes a bit Calvinist but isnt it interesting we've had a strict wesleyan (Wesley) and now a Calvinist saying use the law. I wonder if there is a link somewhere that despite some seemingly massive theological differences we can agree on this topic...

Ok, so Spurgeon was around 1834-1892 and is known as the "Prince of Preachers!" It is estimated that he preached to 10,000,000 people! Not bad considering time and his ministry dities... Heres a tiny bit of what he had to say...

“I do not believe that any man can preach the gospel who does not preach the Law.”

“Lower the law and you dim the light by which man perceives his guilt. This is a very serious loss to the sinner rather than a gain, for it lessens the likelihood of his conviction and conversion...I say you have deprived the gospel of its ablest auxiliary (most powerful weapon) when you have taken away the schoolmaster that is to bring men to Christ. They will never accept grace until they tremble before a just and holy law. Therefore the law serves most necessary and blessed purpose and must not be moved from its place."

“Preach earnestly the love of God in Christ Jesus, and magnify the abounding mercy of the Lord; but always preach it in connection with His justice.”

We are going to change track a little bit tomorrow before we head back to law preaching evangelists, so Stay tuned tomorrow for Theologian Thursday the topic: the law and evangelism...

Charles Finney Evangelism

Ok, so some people dont agree with me or John Wesley that law has a place in evangelism... Im not sure what we're suppose to call people to repent of then if we cant even tell them what sin is... Anyways, heres what Charles Finney had to say about the law...

“I remark the law is the rule and the only just rule by which the guilt of sin can be measured.”

“The essence of the Law should be unsparingly applied to the conscience until the sinners self righteousness is annihilated and he stands speechless and self condemned before a hold God.”

"Evermore the law must prepare the way for the gospel. To overlook this in instructing souls is almost certain to result in false hope; the instruction of a false standard of Christian experience and to fill the church with false converts."

Stay tuned tomorrow for our next famous law preaching evangelist!

Wesley Evangelism

John Wesley, preached holiness and was a great evangelist. Stacks of people got saved through his ministry. The Salvos come under his tradition... Wesley is a model for us to follow, he loved the poor, lived a holy life and rpeached the gospel! Just what we salvos are to do... I want to focus on his evangelism today, take a look at these quotes and see if you stack up to his style of evangelism...

“If the gospel is preached well sinners should be angry or convicted of sin righteousness and judgement to come. If they are not then I don't think they are to be an evangelist." Wow, do your converts even hear you speak about sin?

“It is the ordinary method of the Spirit of God to convict sinners by the Law. It is this which, being set home in the conscience, generally breaketh the rocks in pieces. It is more especially this part of the word of God which is quick and powerful, full of life and energy and sharper than any two-edged sword." What? You mean he preached law?

“Before I can preach love, mercy and grace, I must preach sin, Law and judgment." Wow! He really did!

“Preach 90 percent Law and 10 percent grace.” Ok, this has got to be a joke right? Wesley, known for his holiness doctrine, full of love, preached law more than grace?!? Why would he do that?

Romans 7:7b says, "I would not have known what sin was except through the law." We need to know how we have sinned before we can repent of it and be saved!

Check out www.wayofthemaster.com to learn how to use the law in a fun, non judgmental way and lead people to repentance!

Going, Going, Gone

"Jesus said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." Mark 16:15

"And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:14a-15

Are you going anywhere with the gospel?