Romans 15:17-19a

Title: By What Method?

There is a lot of talk today about evangelism in the Church.  There is far more talk about evangelism than there actually is evangelism in practice.  One of the things that gets us muddied up is the actual discussion of how do you lead someone to Christ?

There are several methods, (name some): just example, Romans Road, fire and brimstone, emotional alter calls, Bill Fay, etc.

Some better than others, and we can take days, weeks, to discuss the pros and cons of each method.  But what I am going to suggest to us this morning is something a bit different.  I’m going to suggest that we start with three principles and dive into scripture from there.

Three Evangelistic Principles:

1.  We are supposed to evangelize.

2.  Every method has strengths and weaknesses according to the person, the audience, the environment, the time frame, the urgency (hospice). Etc.

3.  Before we can possibly hope to be effective evangelists our hearts and minds need to be right and humble before God.

Today we are going to assume we agree on numbers one and two, and focus our attention, using Paul’s words as an example, of how we fulfill number three.

How do you make others obedient?  (How do you win others to Christ?)

V17,18,19 (read VERY carefully, compare NKJV to NASB and RSV)

For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. 

Romans 15:18-19

(NASB)

For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has wrought through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that from Jerusalem and as far round as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ,

Romans 15:18-19

(RSV)

Paul will not brag in himself.  He will not boast in his own accomplishments.  (And he could have!  Paul was the most successful Church planter in the history of the world!)

Under Paul’s ministry:

1.  Christian Leaders that Paul was trying to kill, came to love, respect, and obey him.

2.  Jews who hated Christ came to love him.

3.  Gentiles who knew nothing but the Pagan Gods were converted by the thousands.

4.  Churches were established in every major city in the Western Roman Empire, and those Churches planted Churches.

5.  Peter, a man who knew Jesus Christ intimately, saw Christ transfigured, was rebuked by Paul, and repented!

6.  Paul preached to the Godless Greek philosophers on Mars Hill and won them to Christ.

7.  Converted souls in prison, during shipwrecks, and under house arrest.

8.  Wrote 2/3rds of the New Testament!

9.  My favorite: was so compelling during his trial that no leader wanted any part of guilt associated with his death, so the local magistrates kept pawning him off until Paul finally appealed to, and was delivered to Rome, where he ministered under house arrest for at least two years (possibly more), before becoming a martyr for Christ.

10.  You are reading his words right now…1951 years after he wrote them.

Not a bad career. But Paul never uses any of these things to “Make the Gentiles obedient.”  Instead, what does he point to as those things “which God has used me”?

Two things:

1.  Mighty Signs and Wonders

2.  The Power of the Sprit of God.

Mighty Signs and Wonders was a very familiar term to the Jewish Believers.

Jim, if I say, “I was so mad I thought I was going to blow a gasket” What is the reference to?  And how do you know it?

Carol, if I say, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” What is the reference to?  And how do you know it?

Well, when 1951 years goes by, and cultures change, there is a change that we may miss what Paul is making a reference to when he says “in mighty signs and wonders.”  Can anyone tell me during what Bible story to we continually hear the phrase, “I will show them by my mighty signs and wonders.”

(Mighty signs and wonders is) a phrase rooted in the authentification of Moses’ ministry at the time of the Exodus.  God periodically gave such miracles at critical junctures of redemptive history, such as the Exodus, the prophetic ministries of Elijah and Elisha, the persevering of His people in the time of Daniel, and the ministry of Christ and the apostles.  These events are unusual rather than normal and point to the successive stages of redemptive history and the new revelation that accompanies them.

-J.I. Packer

My point: Paul does not use this phrase by mistake.  He is telling the Jews (both those who believe, and those who do not) in no uncertain terms that Paul’s work, the work of the apostles is on par with what Moses did, what Elijah did, what Elisha did, and what Daniel did.

And yet, he’s not bragging.  Because he is stating that he did all of these things by the power and spirit of God!

So let’s revisit our opening question: How do you win others to Christ?

If you look back at the list of Paul’s accomplishment, you can argue that several of the methods of evangelism were used depending on the situation, so what I want to ask is this: What thing was the same in every situation 1-10?

Obedience.  The same thing that Paul was drawing the Gentiles to, was the same thing that made Paul available to be used by God, for God’s glory: His obedience.

I doubt that Paul knew what he was supposed to do in every situation he found himself in.  But he knew enough to know to seek God, from that point on, the issue is simply one of us being brave enough to follow HIM, no matter the cost.