Here's a question for everyone--- In your effort to share the Gospel, what is more important? Results or your obedience to the Great Commission?In a world that gauges success by business principles, most would answer that results are more important than one's obedience to God's call for every Christian to share the Gospel. And so, evangelism success is measured by numbers. How often do we hear in our churches, after a whole afternoon of street evangelism, reports like "Christian X was able to lead 5 people to Christ making our conversion total to 30 for this afternoon." In evangelism crusades, the number of commitment forms gathered from people that went forward to the altar when the invitation was given is the basis for the success of the event. I once heard of a Bible seminary that requires its students to lead a certain number of people to Christ every semester. Someone I know who went to that seminary told me that students, out of desperation to reach that number, would cheat their records so that they will not have to be punished for not reaching the target.
"Professions of faith" have become the more important thing instead of changed lives caused by the Gospel. And so, churches have focused on bringing people in their services even if the means are unbiblical. If numerical results are gained by making the Gospel message less offensive (but in truth, less effective), then that's what is done. There are even churches that have succumbed to the temptation of conforming to the ways of this wicked world out of a deep desire to show numerical results to others. To make matters worst, they would carelessly declare the people whom they've coaxed to attend their services as Christians just because they have attended the church several times already. And what have Bible seminaries done to add to the injury? They've replaced subjects dealing with doctrine with subjects that deal with marketing the church.
Was Jesus concerned about numbers when He was doing His ministry on Earth? I don't think so. If He was then he should have quickly led the rich young ruler to what we call today as "the sinner's prayer" when the later asked, "How can I have eternal life?" instead of showing him how he has failed the first of the Ten Commandments (Matt. 19:16-22). The encounter ended with the rich young ruler leaving Jesus because he could not bear the thought of him selling his possessions to give to the poor. If Jesus was all about getting the attention of people so that He had numbers to show His critics to prove that He had followers, then he should not have told one person he had healed not to tell others of what He did to him (Mark 1:40-45). If Jesus was all about selling Himself as a charismatic leader worthy of people's affection, then He should not have called His audience "vipers" one time when He preached (Matt. 12:34). Clearly, Jesus was more concern about the inner change that could take place in a man's life if he repents.
Results are good if they really are the results we're hoping to have. A big congregation will be something to be happy about only if everyone in the church have been truly converted to Christianity, proof of which are changed lives. Honestly, will we be happy about numbers if most of the people in our churches whom we've cleverly brought to our services someday still end up in Hell? I don't think so.
This is the reason why I believe, obedience is more important than results. How should obedience be reflected? First, in heeding Christ's call for all of us to be engaged in sharing the Gospel. I completely agree with Ray Comfort when he once said that "the success of our evangelism program should not be measured by the professions of faith we generate but instead, by the number of Christians in our churches that join the pastor in sharing the Gospel." Come to think of it. If I want to report to my pastor that I was able to lead someone to Christ, I can pressure anyone to follow me in prayer even if he/she is not sincere about it. Or in a crusade, I can tell everyone to follow me in a simple prayer of "acceptance". I then ask everyone who followed the prayer to raise their hands, I count every hand raised, and there you go, I have numbers. C'mon! The Bible says that it is "by their fruits that we shall know them" and not by their raised hands.
We must also realize that obeying God's command for us to share the Gospel to the unsaved with us putting no pressure on ourselves to deliver results gives God the glory if ever a soul experiences conversion. Preoccupation with us delivering numerical results is another way of saying that it is us that saves and not God.
Second, we must be obedient (and faithful) to Christ's way of sharing the Gospel. Biblical evangelism has always been "Law to the proud, Grace to the humble." If I will just give grace to everyone I witness to even if that person is self-righteous, I will just set that person to the path of destruction unknowing to him. People should be shown how they have offended God with their sins if we really want them to repent of their sins. It is only after they have seen how wicked they are that they can appreciate the grace of God.
It will be great to have both results and obedience seen in our Christian walk. But we should realize that (true) results do not come all the time. Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost and three thousand got saved. Not the case with Noah though. He preached for so many years before the flood and yet, he had only his family to show as results of his preaching. But we can be obedient to God at all times. Obedience always brings delight to God. But the numbers we call "results" do not impress God all the time, simply because, most of the time, they're just that, numbers. So in the debate of results vs. obedience, it's a no contest. Obedience to God must always be the focus.
Was Jesus concerned about numbers when He was doing His ministry on Earth? I don't think so. If He was then he should have quickly led the rich young ruler to what we call today as "the sinner's prayer" when the later asked, "How can I have eternal life?" instead of showing him how he has failed the first of the Ten Commandments (Matt. 19:16-22). The encounter ended with the rich young ruler leaving Jesus because he could not bear the thought of him selling his possessions to give to the poor. If Jesus was all about getting the attention of people so that He had numbers to show His critics to prove that He had followers, then he should not have told one person he had healed not to tell others of what He did to him (Mark 1:40-45). If Jesus was all about selling Himself as a charismatic leader worthy of people's affection, then He should not have called His audience "vipers" one time when He preached (Matt. 12:34). Clearly, Jesus was more concern about the inner change that could take place in a man's life if he repents.
Results are good if they really are the results we're hoping to have. A big congregation will be something to be happy about only if everyone in the church have been truly converted to Christianity, proof of which are changed lives. Honestly, will we be happy about numbers if most of the people in our churches whom we've cleverly brought to our services someday still end up in Hell? I don't think so.
This is the reason why I believe, obedience is more important than results. How should obedience be reflected? First, in heeding Christ's call for all of us to be engaged in sharing the Gospel. I completely agree with Ray Comfort when he once said that "the success of our evangelism program should not be measured by the professions of faith we generate but instead, by the number of Christians in our churches that join the pastor in sharing the Gospel." Come to think of it. If I want to report to my pastor that I was able to lead someone to Christ, I can pressure anyone to follow me in prayer even if he/she is not sincere about it. Or in a crusade, I can tell everyone to follow me in a simple prayer of "acceptance". I then ask everyone who followed the prayer to raise their hands, I count every hand raised, and there you go, I have numbers. C'mon! The Bible says that it is "by their fruits that we shall know them" and not by their raised hands.
We must also realize that obeying God's command for us to share the Gospel to the unsaved with us putting no pressure on ourselves to deliver results gives God the glory if ever a soul experiences conversion. Preoccupation with us delivering numerical results is another way of saying that it is us that saves and not God.
Second, we must be obedient (and faithful) to Christ's way of sharing the Gospel. Biblical evangelism has always been "Law to the proud, Grace to the humble." If I will just give grace to everyone I witness to even if that person is self-righteous, I will just set that person to the path of destruction unknowing to him. People should be shown how they have offended God with their sins if we really want them to repent of their sins. It is only after they have seen how wicked they are that they can appreciate the grace of God.
It will be great to have both results and obedience seen in our Christian walk. But we should realize that (true) results do not come all the time. Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost and three thousand got saved. Not the case with Noah though. He preached for so many years before the flood and yet, he had only his family to show as results of his preaching. But we can be obedient to God at all times. Obedience always brings delight to God. But the numbers we call "results" do not impress God all the time, simply because, most of the time, they're just that, numbers. So in the debate of results vs. obedience, it's a no contest. Obedience to God must always be the focus.
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