Thursday, April 20, 2006

Interesting words from James S. Stewart

"The first axiom of effective evangelism is that the evangelist must be sure of his message."

Stewart later comments on the evangelistic message of New Testament evangelism:

"The crucial point is that it was dealing with events, not abstractions or theories or pantheistic generalities, but concrete, actual events localized in time and space. Not ‘the idea of God’ did the apostles preach, but God himself in omnipotent action; not a ‘doctrine of salvation’ but salvation, the living deed; not a Weltanschauung (Ger. worldview) but Christ."

How many evangelists, preachers, ministers do you know who are sure of their message? How many do you know who can articulate that message? How many do you know who live according to it, and not according to ideas of salvation?

(Quotes taken from A Faith to Proclaim by James S. Stewart)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

As evangelists or preachers we can only testify with conviction to what we know as true in our experience and we live out our message within the constraints of our human nature and limitations. I respect those preachers and ministers who know their own human limitations and weaknesses but who are convinced of the grace of God at work in their lives and can testify with honesty and conviction to their experience of that grace. This takes salvation beyond mere ideology into personal reality and experience.