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The Idol of Evangelism

Selling a Fake Jesus

I just finished reading a short yet masterful book called Letter to the American Church by Eric Metaxas and I stole the title of this piece from chapter nine.

The book is described as a “bucket of cold water thrown into the face of a sleeping church” but I didn’t find it unpleasant in the least, only refreshing.

The topic is a slumbering church in a time of horrific evil and Christians who will not utter a peep.

Let me just say one more thing about the book:  Read it.

So what’s my problem with evangelism?  If it saves even one soul from an eternity in hell, shouldn’t it be of utmost importance?

It turns out that’s a big “IF”, huge even.  The American church has been put on notice already, but I have a particular bone to pick.  The Jesus we’ve been selling isn’t the real deal.  I’ll give you one example:  The Chosen.  It’s a tv series created by temple Mormons about Jesus.  We’re looking to people who don’t know Jesus and have no relationship with Him to tell us about our lord.  We’ve lost our minds.

The Jesus being sold today has one main attribute: his engaging kindness.  He loves everyone.  He died to save everyone.  He would never say anything that would drive anyone away from . . . hang on.

Ever hear of the rich young ruler?  He wouldn’t sell all he had to follow Jesus and so walked away in sadness.

How about the Pharisees of whom Jesus said:

You are of your father the devil and your will is to do your father’s desires.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.   When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.  Which one of you convicts me of sin?  If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?  Whoever is of God hears the words of God.  The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God. ~John 8:44-47

I don’t believe this is a truth vs love passage.  I don’t think Jesus was deliberately destroying relationships in order to be truthful.  I think that many, when they hear the truth will run toward it so it would make sense that Jesus would cut loose people who are not of God so that people belonging to God may find Him.  The fact of the matter is that you cannot separate truth from love, or love from truth.  If you do, you end up destroying both.  That truth and love cannot be destroyed is still accurate, but you can destroy truth and love in a person’s life.  You are killing people by being too ‘kind’ to tell the truth.

I have found that you can tell a hard truth and some people will walk away from the faith but others will be saved.  In the Book of Acts, there’s the story of Sergius Paulus, a proconsul described as an intelligent man who called for Barnabus and Saul (Paul) in order to hear the word of God.  There was another man, Elymas the sorcerer who ran interference because he wanted to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

Here’s Acts 13:9-12

Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?  And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.  And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.  Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

Evil must be confronted for the light to get through.  We are called as Christians to be many things, not merely evangelists, but people with a sound mind and firm spine to stand for the truth.  Oddly enough, not everyone likes that.

I see Jesus as a huge rock in a fast-flowing river that causes the watercourse to split in two and continue thenceforth as two different streams.  One to life and one to death.  “We must have unity” my foot!  

Do you know what drives church building these days?  Especially evangelizing mega churches?  Unity.  The price we pay for such massive togetherness is to sacrifice the truth.  Staying accurate on doctrine will necessarily drive people away.  

So for the uber-large gatherings, commonality is stressed and accuracy is out the window.  If Jesus is truth, then we are sacrificing Him all over again.  Will he be happy with us if we misrepresent him to the point that people dash off to a winsome Pied Piper and never know the Truth?

We can say things like “We won’t fight over non-salvation issues” and let error run rampant.  We might play music that entices people with high emotion and a good time but doesn’t extol God.  We might invite popular teachers in to create a huge event, but sound teaching is passed over.  We might intentionally create such a welcoming environment that no one is offended, ever.  If the idol you serve is a huge church, know this, Molech will exact tribute.  It’s God’s church, he will fill it or empty it at His will.  Serve the Lord alone.

We’ve all seen images of a parched wanderer lost in the desert, crawling through the dunes until finally, he spots a huge body of refreshing water glimmering in the distance.  With his last ounce of strength, he pushes on to his salvation, only to find it’s a mirage.  

Now imagine that scene with a crowd of cheering “Christians” with signs saying “Get your cold water here!” or “Keep Going, You’re Almost There” or “Beach Towels – $5”.

Kindness and encouragement are the utmost cruelty if what you’re selling is a lie.