Take a moment to read the perspective of Elliott Clark, a veteran cross-cultural worker. It’s worth considering.
But over the last decades, in our efforts at evangelism and church growth in the West, the characteristic most glaringly absent has been this: the fear of God. We’ve believed the most effective witness for Christ is positive and encouraging. We’ve assumed the way to win the masses is by rebranding our churches and offering people a better life. We’ve believed our greatest apologists are successful CEOs or professional athletes. The gospel has become one-dimensional: it’s all about accessing blessing without the need to avoid judgment.
Yet in the book of Acts, the early church grew and flourished as they lived in the fear of the Lord (Acts 9:31). The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers, calling them to be ambassadors for Christ in view of God’s judgment. “Knowing the fear of the Lord,” he explained, “we persuade others” (2 Cor. 5:11). Jude also encouraged us to save others by clutching them from the fire, showing mercy with fear (Jude 23).
This was also the perspective of Peter writing to exiled Christians in ancient Asia. They were experiencing shame and reproach. Like their Savior, they were rejected by the world and maligned for good deeds. Their suffering and trials, at one level, could even be described by Peter as God’s judgment. Through ongoing difficulties and flaming opposition, the Father was actively working to refine and purify them. But if such judgment comes on God’s people, “what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (4:17). This is why the gospel must be proclaimed, because all will give an account to One who is ready to judge the living and the dead (4:5–6).
Have we really taken into account the end and outcome for our friends, relatives, neighbors, and coworkers? Is our failure to evangelize really an issue of fearing too much, or not fearing nearly enough? Do we cherish our comfort and others’ respect more than we cherish God’s glory and their deliverance? Will we love them enough to fear for them, to show them mercy and kindness by warning them and snatching them out of the fire? The consistent testimony of the New Testament is that if we have the appropriate fear for them and of God, we’ll preach the gospel. We’ll speak out and not be ashamed.
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Elliot Clark, Evangelism as Exiles: Life on Mission as Strangers in our Own Land (pp. 57-58). The Gospel Coalition. Kindle Edition.
