In this two-part essay, we are considering the articulation between the pastoral ministry and the free offer of the gospel. In part 1, we took a look at the free offer of the gospel and how it impacts preaching. In this second part, we will consider the relation of the free offer of the gospel and personal evangelism.

Before we begin, it should be noted that the objection may be raised: “There are so many things on the pastor’s plate. He is preaching week in and week out, perhaps even twice on Sunday; he is engaged in the work of shepherding the flock and overseeing the church; he also has many administrative responsibilities. Should we really view personal evangelism as part of his role? Should that not simply be left to the members as the pastor equips them?” As tempting as it is to view things this way, I would argue that the pastor (and indeed the church’s elders) ought to be the chief evangelists in the church. Certainly, the primary means of evangelism through the institutional church will come through its ordinary ministry, especially as preaching takes on an evangelistic edge and offers the gospel freely. But at the same time, how can the flock be expected to undertake the work of personal evangelism in their communities if its leaders never do? It could also be argued that the work of evangelism is impressed upon the leaders of the church in a unique way. As the Christian congregant lives the ordinary Christian life, we trust that the Lord will open doors for them “to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet 3:15). But at the same time, the great commission binds the officers of the church in a unique way.

If we look at Matthew 28:18–20, we read this charge: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” This charge to “make disciples of all nations” was given to the disciples of Jesus who would be his appointed apostles. On this side of the apostolic age, there are no more apostles, but it is fitting to see this as especially binding on those who would serve the institutional church in an official capacity. There are no apostles today, but Christ has given “shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ” (Eph 4:11). Now, I am not arguing that the members of the church should not be involved in the work of evangelism (as we read here, the “shepherds and teachers” do “equip the saints for the work of ministry”). But I am arguing that all this means that pastors and elders should lead the way in personal evangelism, which serves to further equip the flock.

This may look different for different pastors. Church planters like myself are generally given more flexibility to be out and about to engage with those outside the church on a regular basis. Pastors with organized congregations, set office hours, and more staff and administration may not have this flexibility. I am not seeking to bind anyone’s conscience as to how they go about this; I am simply seeking to call attention to the importance of personal evangelism.

All this said about personal evangelism, how is this connected to the free offer of the gospel? We quoted John Murray in the previous essay saying,

The gospel is the proclamation of good tidings, good tidings from God, good tidings of what God has done, good tidings of what he has promised to do. The passion of missions is quenched when we lose sight of the grandeur of the evangel. It is to a lost world that the gospel is sent. To a world lost in sin and misery is proclaimed the marvel of God’s love and grace, the tidings of salvation, salvation full and free, salvation that could not be greater, because it is salvation in him who is himself the wisdom, power, and righteousness of God.¹

If the gospel is for the lost and is to be held out to all kinds of sinners, and if the church’s role is to proclaim the gospel to all men without exception, then evangelism is simply an extension of that commitment. It shows forth that we actually believe that this is true.

Sometimes evangelism seems to come easily and we can see what the Lord is doing in someone’s heart very quickly. Other times, it may seem as if there is no hope at all in what we are saying and doing. And humanly speaking, of course, this is true. After all, we read in Scripture that men are “dead in . . . trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1). But persisting in personal evangelism even when it seems impossible is a sign that we believe that God is “rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses” (Eph 2:4). The fact is, all of our evangelism, much like our preaching, will fall on deaf ears unless the Spirit of God works in a sinner’s heart to draw them unto Christ. But we are still called to proclaim the good news, and we do so with the hope that “it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Rom 9:16). We go forth with the free offer, whether in our evangelism or in our preaching, with the confidence that God “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” (Eph 3:20).

Before concluding, I want to address one further potential concern. The fact is, the prospect of personal evangelism can be intimidating, even to pastors. While we know that we should fear God rather than men, at the same time, fear of rejection or disdain is a real concern that even pastors face. I am sympathetic with this, and I understand that it could be frightening, especially if this is a neglected avenue of ministry in our lives. Especially in a day of cancel culture, new ideologies, and growing secularism, this concern, while not biblically founded, is at least understandable. I certainly do not have a silver bullet answer to this concern, but I do have at least two things to put forward for your consideration.

First, it can be very helpful to remember that while we hold to the free offer of the gospel, we are also really and truly Calvinists. This means that whatever the objections of the day, whatever the sins of our culture, at some level they should not be surprising because total depravity is real (see Eph 2:1 and Rom 1:18–25). Along with this, being Calvinists means that we believe that salvation is bound up in God’s eternal decree and in his sovereign power. He has elected a people for himself from before the foundation of the world (consider Eph 1:3–14 and Rom 8:28–30). It all rests in the will of God and in his sovereign power to draw sinners unto himself (John 6:44). What greater confidence could we have than knowing and trusting that God is at work and that he is powerful and merciful to save sinners?

Secondly, it is likewise helpful to remember who we were before conversion. No matter one’s background, we come into this world with hearts set against God. Again, Ephesians 2:1–3 says,

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

When we remember this, not only does it guard against viewing the lost world through a self-righteous lens, but it also reminds us that we ourselves were in the same position. But as we read in the same passage,

But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph 2:4–9)

The glory of God’s great mercy to us ought to give us confidence in God’s ability to save lost sinners. We should recall the fact that though we were once hardened to the Word of the gospel, God has given us a new heart.

I hope this has been something of an encouragement both to officers in the church and to the laity in the pew to go forward with personal evangelism in the confidence of God’s power to work in the hearts of the lost. Our call is to proclaim the truth faithfully and to trust the Lord to open the heart. After all, evangelism exists for his glory.² Our cry in all our labors ought to be, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Rom 11:36).

Notes

1. John Murray, “The Atonement and the Free Offer of the Gospel,” in The Collected Writings of John Murray Vol. 1: The Claims of Truth (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1976), 59.
2. For an excellent book treating this theme, see R.B. Kuiper, God-Centered Evangelism (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1966).

©James Ritchey. All Rights Reserved.

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Post authored by:

• James Ritchey

  

  James Ritchey is originally from Birmingham, Alabama and studied at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS (2018). James serves as mission developer and pastor at River City Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP) in Little Rock, AR.

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