Evangelism Essay
EVAN 101-B23 LUO
Methods of Evangelism Paper
Part ONE - Evangelistic Method #1
The Four Spiritual Laws is an intellectual method of evangelism, which, as it’s title suggests, identifies four spiritual laws that direct an individual’s relationship with God. It was created by Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, in 1952. The four laws, as sited on CampusCrusade.com, are: (1) God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life. (2) Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God’s love and plan for his life. (3) Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through Him you can know and experience God’s love and plan for your life. (4) We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives.
An advantage of this method is that it begins with positive note, “God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life,” which may cause non-Christians to be more receptive to the message. Due to the fall and sin, mankind is at variance with God (Ephesians 2:13-16) and there may be a tendency to reject a message concerning God without ever hearing the message. However, starting with such a positive introduction may cause an individual to “lower his guards” so he can hear the Gospel. Another advantage of this approach is that it can be easily communicated in print form and makes for a useful tract, especially considering the positive opening law.
One disadvantage of this method is an increased likelihood that individuals who come to Christ as a result of the Four Spiritual Laws may be disillusioned should they find life’s struggles to exceed their perception of “God’s love and wonderful plan.” Tragedies, job loss, being persecuted for Christianity are challenging life experiences to which Christians can fall victim (John 16:33; 2 Timothy 3:12). For this reason, tactics using some of the benefits of Christianity to draw the
Methods of Evangelism Paper
Part ONE - Evangelistic Method #1
The Four Spiritual Laws is an intellectual method of evangelism, which, as it’s title suggests, identifies four spiritual laws that direct an individual’s relationship with God. It was created by Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, in 1952. The four laws, as sited on CampusCrusade.com, are: (1) God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life. (2) Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God’s love and plan for his life. (3) Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through Him you can know and experience God’s love and plan for your life. (4) We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives.
An advantage of this method is that it begins with positive note, “God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life,” which may cause non-Christians to be more receptive to the message. Due to the fall and sin, mankind is at variance with God (Ephesians 2:13-16) and there may be a tendency to reject a message concerning God without ever hearing the message. However, starting with such a positive introduction may cause an individual to “lower his guards” so he can hear the Gospel. Another advantage of this approach is that it can be easily communicated in print form and makes for a useful tract, especially considering the positive opening law.
One disadvantage of this method is an increased likelihood that individuals who come to Christ as a result of the Four Spiritual Laws may be disillusioned should they find life’s struggles to exceed their perception of “God’s love and wonderful plan.” Tragedies, job loss, being persecuted for Christianity are challenging life experiences to which Christians can fall victim (John 16:33; 2 Timothy 3:12). For this reason, tactics using some of the benefits of Christianity to draw the
References: Authorized King James Version, Thomas Nelson Inc., The Holy Bible Early, D., & Wheeler, D. (2010). Evangelism Is: How to Share Jesus With Passion and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic Publishing Group Bill and Vonette Bright, founders of Campus Crusade for Christ, International, Campus Crusade for Christ international, http://www.ccci.org/about-us/our-leadership/our-founders/index.htm Four Spiritual Laws Approach, Campus Crusade for Christ, http://www.campuscrusade.com/fourlawseng.htm Servant Evangelism Approach, Servant Evangelism, http://www.servantevangelism.com Way of the Master Approach, Living Waters, http://www.livingwaters.com Way of the Master Approach, Way of the Master, http://www.wayofthemaster.com