In this episode, we talk to Pastor Eric Uggerud. Eric has been in ministry for over 20 years between his time with the Cru ministry and serving as the pastor of Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. We talk to Eric about some of the cultural pressures and challenges that Christians face in the area of personal evangelism as well as practical tips for turning small talk into opportunities to talk about the gospel.
Tag: Evangelism
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Lessons in evangelism. Studying Acts 13:13-26
Acts chronicles events in the early church. But something else very interesting that we see from Acts is that there are places where we see Paul’s introduction to certain regions to which he would later write the letters which comprise so much of the New Testament. We see it with Galatia in chapters 13 and 14. We see it with Philippi in Acts 16, to name a couple.
Galatia was a province in Rome. It’s in the central part of modern day Turkey.
And Paul was traveling to cities in this Galatian region during his first missionary journey
This post is part of a series looking at Paul’s missionary journeys in Galatia.
Paul arrives in Galatia
In Acts 13:13 and 14, where we see them first arrive in the Galatian province:
13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia.
The text says Paul and his companions.
Earlier in chapter 13, it had mentioned that Paul had been traveling with Barnabas and men named Simeon, Lycius, and Manaen. Later on, they were joined by the Apostle Mark (known in this passage as John).
John Mark has left the group to go to Jerusalem.
Next, the verses talk about the route. They leave from Paphos.That’s on the island of Cyprus. They sail by boat to Perga which is in Pamphylia, which is also in the Galatian province. We’re not sure how long they stayed there or what type of ministry they might have engaged in. It gets mentioned in passing.
Next, they would have taken the Roman roads to get from Perga to Antioch.
And it is there where this book talks about Paul’s missionary activities in the Galatian region. Now we’re getting more into the meat of the story.
Second part of verse 14:
And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.
So Paul had been Jewish and converted to Christianity. In the Book of Acts, we see a tactic he often employed was beginning in a new city at the synagogue. Because Paul was ethnically and culturally Jewish, he understood Jewish society and customs.
Verse 15:
15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.”
So he’s at the synagogue service. They’re doing their scripture readings and the Rabbi allows Paul to have the floor. This was often practiced in Jewish synagogues where if a traveling Rabbi or teacher was in attendance, that he would give a message.
We see Jesus do this multiple times during his ministry.Paul does the same thing here.
Paul preaches in Galatia
Paul will utilize the opportunity to talk about the Old Testament and how it points to a Son of David who would be the savior of Israel.
But first, he talks about the Exodus in verse 17-20.
In four verses, Paul covers 450 years of Israelite history. Giving a broad thumbnail sketch of their forefathers.
The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years.
Paul stresses that the Israelites had been chosen by God and that it was the Lord himself who had miraculously brought them out of Egypt and led them through their time in the wilderness in pursuit of the Promised Land.
The audience knows exactly what Paul is talking about.
It would be like if I were telling you about the founding fathers and how they debated and agreed upon they Declaration of Independence in 1776. You know what I’m talking about. It’s at the core of our history.
Next, Paul talks about how Israel had a monarchy established. The first king of Israel was Saul and that ends up going poorly as Saul was not a Godly king but his reign paved the way for one who would be.
Starting in verse 22, Paul talks about David and this matters because this is where Paul will change his tone and transition into talking about the gospel.
For the audience, they’re right there with him so far. He’s preaching to the choir.
Verse 22:
22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’
Paul arrives at David. The man after God’s heart. And in our passage, Paul says to this synagogue in Galatia:
23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.
There was a prophecy in 2 Samuel 7:12-14 about a future offspring from the line of David who would establish an eternal kingdom.
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.
Paul is telling this audience that Jesus is the promised Son of David. Continuing in our passage. Paul speaks personally to the audience.
Verses 26:
26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.
He calls them his brothers.
He calls them sons of the family of Abraham.
He is pointing to the shared heritage that Jews and Christians both have through Abraham.
For both Jews and Christians, Abraham is the patriarch of the faith.
He is the one through whom the Lord had made his covenant promises of land, offspring, and blessing.
But through Christ, we see the greatest fulfillment of the promises to Abraham. He is the one who brings true and eternal blessings. He is the the true offspring of Abraham through whom the nations of the world would be blessed. And he is the one who brings his people to the true promised land: the new heaven, and the new earth, and the new Jerusalem.
Abraham was the Father of Israel. The father of Isaac, who was the father of Jacob, whose line led to David and ultimately to Jesus.
Abraham matters for all of those reasons but he also matters because of his faith. In Genesis, when God made his promises, Abraham believed and that belief, that faith, that trust in God was what was counted to Abraham as righteousness.
In the New Testament, in Galatians and in other writings, the faith of Abraham will be pointed to as an example for Christians as the basis for our justification before God. It is a matter of trusting in Jesus, believing in his gospel, knowing that he is Lord and savior and that by that faith, God justifies us.
In our passage, we have Abraham, revered among the Jewish people, and Paul is saying that as the people of Abraham: to us has been sent the message of this salvation.
A lesson in evangelism
We see something important in this passage. I can’t stress this enough but Paul is speaking to these Galatians on terms they’ll understand.
They might not know who Jesus is or why he matters. So Paul starts by talking about what he knows they’ll know and showing how that points to Jesus.
I can’t help but wonder if this disconnect has caused part of the challenge with evangelism in our society today. That we assume people know more than they do about Jesus.
Even for a person who goes to church, they might not know the gospel. Not all churches preach the gospel.
I’ve mentioned before that surveys have been done and more Americans can list off more ingredients on a McDonald’s Big Mac than commandments in the Ten Commandments.
I read a survey this year where people answered in response to their readership of the Bible. Just 11% of respondents said they read the Bible everyday.
Half read from their Bibles once or twice a year…or less.
We can’t assume people know the Bible and we can’t assume people know the gospel. That’s part of why personal evangelism is so important. Sharing the gospel with people. Sharing Jesus with people.
And it’s gotten worse for younger generations. And that becomes a viscous cycle. Because the previous generations did not teach their kids the Bible and now they don’t know the Word of God. And you cannot teach what you do not know and so the problem gets worse.
Paul at the Areopagus
In Acts 17, Paul is speaking in Athens to a totally different group of people and he has a totally different approach to sharing the gospel.
There instead of talking to Jewish people, he’s talking to Greeks who believed in a pantheon of gods.
Paul doesn’t lay into them, he doesn’t yell at them, he doesn’t just say “you’re wrong, I’m right.” He explains to them.
Acts 17:22-23:
22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
He actually commands the people for being very religious.
He makes light of the fact that the people were so religious and believed in so many gods that they even had an altar to an unknown god in case they missed one.
I don’t have time to unpack the entire section but Paul will talk to this audience of the transcendence of God, how God is the creator of all things and Paul will point to the Lord as a God who judges and the savior he has sent who has risen from the dead.
In 17:32-34, we see the response to Paul’s message:
32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 So Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed
So once again, we see Paul beginning with where his audience is and then skillfully leading the conversation to the resurrection of Jesus and to the gospel.
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The decline of Christianity in America, and why I’m hopeful
Christianity is declining in America.
New research from the Pew Research Center looks at the data and paints a picture of an even less Christianized future for America.
In looking at religious trends and various demographics, Pew shows a downward of trajectory which could have Christians representing less than half of the US population in the year 2070.
In 1972, Pew’s research says that 90% of Americans identified as Christians. That number was down to 64% in 2020. Pew’s research factors in people who have identified as Christians who have switched away from Christianity. Pew gives different estimates, and predicting future demographics is admittedly an inexact science.
But the overall point remains the same that there has been a downward trend in Americans who identify as Chritians and there are not many signs that this trend is going to reverse course.
Yes, that’s unfortunate and lamentable. I think there are negative societal ramifications which stem from that fact. But there are some reasons why I’m still hopeful and optimistic.
From grassroots to grand cathedrals
I’ve been reading David Gustafson’s latest book “Gospel witness through the ages: a history of evangelism.” And I’m struck by how the early church in Rome had the opposite problem. In the early generations of Christianity (for instance, the third century), there was harsh persecution upon the church. Christians often had to meet in secret. By the end of the third century, it’s estimated that just 10 percent of Rome’s population was Christian.
In 313, the western and eastern emperors (Constantine and Licinius) issued the Edict of Milan which gave Christianity legal status within Rome.
Constantine’s personal religious convictions are a subject of debate. But what’s not debatable is that he was very friendly to Christianity. He made Sunday a day of rest throughout the empire. He exempted pastors and bishops from property taxes and worked to free Christian slaves.
In 391, Emperor Theodisius made Christianity the religion of Rome, outlawed paganism, and closed temples to pagan gods.
In less than a century, Christianity Rome went from being a small and persecuted minority to the state religion of Rome.
I won’t get into another history lesson, but the same thing would happen in Europe for over a thousand years. Everyone was “Christian.”
But that’s the problem. You cannot force the gospel. You can force behavior. But you can’t force faith and belief.
In America, we’ve had generations of cultural Christianity. Most people are not atheists. Most people believe in God. America has Judeo-Christian roots, and so it’s easy to attach to that and say you’re a Christian even though you might not believe that Jesus died and rose, that it is Jesus who is the Lord, and that it is Jesus who alone forgives sins (things which are essential aspects of the gospel).
When Christianity dominates a culture, it becomes easy to be a Christian in Name Only. it becomes easy for people to be moral people without being born again believers. It’s easy to go to church (or at least be listed as a member of a church), without actually serving and ministering within the church. It’s easy to check the box.
And so again, while I think it’s unfortunate that there’s been a decline in the church in America, I’m hopeful for a more authentic future of the church. I’m hopeful that American churches can have greater spiritual depth with more committed members.
As it becomes easier for a person to acknowledge that they’re not a Christian, I’m hopeful it’ll become easier to know where people really are, Spiritually. There won’t be the same pressures to go through the motions or put up a front. If someone doesn’t believe in the gospel, as a pastor, I’d rather know that and go from there than have them feel like they need to pretend to be more religious than they actually are.
It’s a season which will also have its challenges. The American church has gotten too lax on personal evangelism. Perhaps it was easier to write that off as not being important when it was thought that most people were Christians. But Christians are becoming the cultural minority and there’s work to be done.
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Evangelism Training Podcast interview: Thad Bergmeier
The newest episode of the Evangelism Training Podcast is now available. In this month’s episode, Josh talks to Thad Bergmeier. Thad visited us in February and helped with the MyCircle evangelism training. In this episode, we revisit the subject of evangelism training and talk about some of the challenges with evangelism as well as the successes we can celebrate.
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Evangelism as a way of life
Jesus calls all of his followers to make disciples, to follow the Great Commission, to share the good news of the gospel. To those with whom we share the gospel, there will be some who will want nothing to do with it but there will also be those who are drawn to the message.
We can’t assume that people know the gospel. And that’s always been true. There has always been the need for personal evangelism.
But our society used to have more of a church culture where it was easier to assume that a person was at least familiar with the gospel. That there was some common ground. That people were churched.
The struggle of evangelism
I think that’s at least part of the reason why personal evangelism has become such a struggle. Because for a long time, people didn’t think it was necessary. It’s not that churches would overtly say that evangelism was unnecessary.
But when one perceives the society as largely already being Christian, then the need for personal evangelism seems less pressing.
Sure, it might be needed in other countries where they don’t have the gospel. Missions were important. But did we truly look at our own household, our own workplace, our own community as our own mission field?
Undoubtedly, some did. I’m not saying no one shared the gospel. But what I’m saying is that America had become so saturated in Christendom that we lost a culture of evangelization. Perhaps we never had it.
Our society is becoming less religious. And Bible believing churches are now dealing with the fallout of a society where evangelism was not emphasized in the past and where evangelism skills were not taught.
Again, I’m speaking in broad generalities. It’s not like no one has practiced evangelism. And some churches did a better job than others with outreach. But overall, evangelistic efforts lagged.
The industry of evangelical Christianity
Over the last 30 years as we’ve seen declines in the church in America, we were also seeing a greater industry of Christianity.
Entire TV networks dedicated to televangelists, an explosion in book publishing, popular Christian music, Christian movies, Christian conference, Chrisitan celebrities. There was a rising megachurch movement.
The emphasis with these things was often in being “practical.” Tips on raising good kids, tips on dating and finding a good spouse, tips on marriage and having a good marriage, tips on finances.
Many churches became a place to hear a self-help message rather than the message of Jesus who calls his followers to die to self.
Again, it’s not that all churches became this way but those churches became the popular churches and it influenced other churches.
Sermons that lost their theological weight. Music that was emotive, self-centered and shallow. Youth groups that were more concerned with entertaining kids than teaching them about Jesus.
In the Bible, Jesus calls us to count the cost before following him. Jesus also tells us to take up our cross and follow him, but this was replaced by a prosperity Jesus who asked little of us.
It took more of an inward focus rather than living in the world as a disciple and a herald of the gospel message.
The practical Christianity industry did not necessarily focus on preaching the gospel, let alone sharing it with others.
And so we have a command of Jesus and many well-meaning Christians aren’t equipped and don’t know how to follow it.
Why do people share the gospel?
Motivations to evangelize
Two reasons comes to mind. And they’re not mutually exclusive. One is a sense of obligation. That’s a fine reason to share the gospel. It is, after all, a command of Christ.
But there’s a second reason that’s also important and that is because you have such a love for God and a knowledge of the grace of Christ and see such beauty in the gospel of his grace that you want to share that with others.
Obligation, you can force yourself to do. And that can work. I have no doubt many people have been led to Jesus by those who were faithful to share the message but who, in that moment, didn’t really want to. And we should praise the Lord for those who are faithful.
You can force yourself to do something from obligation.
You cannot force yourself to have a genuine love for the gospel and a passion for making Jesus known. That can only come as the result of a love for Jesus and a life that is centered around Jesus.
Walking with Jesus
Towards the end of the Book of Galatians, Paul will talk of walking in step with the Spirit so that we will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
Paul talks about the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
We don’t create that ourselves. It is a supernatural work of the Spirit.
In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul talks about the transformative effect of looking to God.
we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Looking to God, knowing the truth of God, serving God, praying to God, having a constant God-centered mind is transformational.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks of the person who is blessed by living as kingdom people in the world. I won’t read them all but among them, Jesus says;
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
And on and on. The Psalmist says taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8).
As Christians, we need to live a life where you can be the kind of people who love Jesus so much that you want to share him with others.
If you look at evangelism as merely an obligation, then maybe you’ll talk to people about Jesus sometimes. But to evangelize out of love must come from living for Jesus as a way of life.
Is your faith something that you just sort of attach onto your life and ultimately doing what you want to do? Or is it what drives you?
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