A Challenge To Modern-Day Evangelism

The rain pounded, thunder roared, and lightning tore jagged scars across the sky. Men, women, and children clawed frantically at Noah's ark, now sealed shut, desperate to get in and escape the rising floodwaters. Etched into the side of the ark was a giant smiley face with the words "God loves you" below it.

This is a grim picture of modern-day evangelism.

It's akin to if Noah, as he faithfully built the ark, sought to evangelize by carving a giant smiley face on its side, with the words “God loves you” beneath it.

Instead of sounding an alarm of their imminent doom, he would have offered a false sense of comfort and security.

Tragically, much of today's evangelism is like this.

It has abandoned the Scriptural pattern and embraced a humanistic, feel-good approach.

Where Scripture exhorts us to confront people with the reality of their sin, their desperate need for a Savior, and the certainty of God’s impending judgment, we have watered down the gospel to endear to the masses.

Instead of calling sinners to repentance, we simply smile and say, "God loves you", and invite them to come as they are without confronting their sinful state and sinful ways.

This diluted form of evangelism rarely cuts the heart or leads to true repentance.

Instead, it often deceives people into thinking all is well with God, when in truth, it’s not.

And just like in Noah’s day, this truth, that God is angry with them and out to utterly destroy them (Psalm 7:11-13), is not realized until it’s too late and the door of mercy is sealed shut.

We would do well to learn from Noah. Scripture calls him a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5).

Noah was not out handing out smiles and feel-good slogans, he proclaimed the righteousness of God and warned the people of His coming wrath.

What's striking is that the Bible says Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, preached the gospel to that generation through Noah in his day (1 Peter 3:18-20).

Tragically, only his family listened. The rest perished in their sins.

Believe it or not, telling sinners God loves them does more harm than good.

It’s a sentimental message that leaves no room for the cross.

However, it is our sins that made the cross necessary.

Telling a sinner God loves them is offering them comfort without confrontation, peace without repentance, love without truth.

When we turn to the book of Acts, which records how the early church evangelized, we find no mention of God's love in their gospel presentations, yet we have made it our bread and butter.

From Peter at Pentecost to Paul before kings, there is a clear call to repentance, to turn from sin, and to believe in the risen Christ.

The early church did not sugarcoat the gospel to make it more "user-friendly".

The true message of the gospel is not "God loves you; come as you are” but "You are a sinner under God's righteous judgment. Repent and believe the gospel, or you will perish in your sins."

This is the message that cuts the heart (Acts 2:37).

This is the message that drives sinners to the throne of grace, pleading for mercy (Luke 18:13).

This is the message that God has endowed with saving power (Romans 1:16).

We need to be careful not to dilute the gospel to appease modern sensitivities.

The gospel is meant to be offensive to the pride of man because it confronts him with the horror of his sin and his utter helplessness apart from Christ.

We must not pacify sinners on their way to hell.

We, who by the grace of God are being saved (1 Corinthians 1:18 through the true Ark — Christ Himself — are called to sound the alarm, warning those who are fast rushing toward eternal destruction.

Let's be bold to proclaim the full gospel raw and uncensored.

Like Noah…like Paul, be faithful as a believer to share the unadulterated truth of the gospel so that when you ultimately stand before God, you will have washed your hands of the blood of those who rejected this truth, not because you failed to speak it and speak it undiluted, but because they refused to hear and/or heed to it (Ezekiel 3:18, Acts 20:26).

Let us fear God more than we fear offending people by telling them the whole truth.

Let us preach the unadulterated gospel as it was meant to be preached; truthfully, boldly, urgently, and with love rooted not in sentimentality but in God's righteousness.

The true love of God does not pat sinners on the back as they march toward destruction; it cries out for them to turn from their sins, run into the arms of a Savior and through Him, escape the coming wrath of God (1 Thessalonians 1:10, Romans 5:9).

God bless you.