Is there a basis for lifestyle evangelism?

David, if you'll look back in the thread, you'll find that christianyouth questioned my usage of this very verse, and declared that no, a person glorifying God through his Christian life could not affect another's salvation.

 

That verse, as has been pointed out, is not referring to evangelism. The fact is, to say that our lifestyle influenecs someones conversion is to say that our own free will can frustrate God's sovreign plans. It means if we don't smile big enough, if we don't appear happy enough on a certain day, God will fail to draw his elect. It's really a ridiculous notion when it's brought to it's logical conclusion.

The reason why I have a hard time articulating my thoughts on this issue, is because I do believe that establishing relationships with people help the Gospel to be spread. Only I believe it is possible to establish a relationship in 2-3 minutes! When I approach someone, I almost always start the conversation being friendly and amiable. I don't look at them grim and say, "Sinner, stand and listen, Thus Saith the Lord!" So I'm not advocating that we should go around being ornery. I just have suffered in my early years by the Arminian teaching of lifestyle evangelism. It resulted in some serious errors on my part.

Lifestyle evangelism was what I had heard from the day of my conversion. I knew God made a difference in my life. It was evident, people would tell me. I was a new creature. So, I went and tried to 'let my light so shine' before my old friends. I would go and hang out with them, box, skateboard, stay overnight at their homes, in a futile attempt to somehow win them to Christ. I would bring small things up about the Gospel, and they would show NO interest. I would comfort myself by saying 'It must not be the right time.' And pray for God to open up an opportunity.

This went on for about 5 months. They never opened up to the Gospel. They thought I was a great friend, obviously they seen the fruit of the Spirit, but something strange began to happen. As I grew in the Lord, they did not want to be around me. My righteoussness reflected on their corruption! I didn't see this at the time, so I was freaking out. I thought I must not be exemplifying Christ enough, when in truth, I was exemplifying Him, and they were unregenerate and hated all that was good.

Lifestyle evangelism is the most frustrating thing. Now I approach people on the street, and by being friendly and praying to God, I have many more opportunities to share the Gospel. IF they are open and want to hear more about the Gospel, I find a way of keeping in touch. Right now I have shared the Gospel with a drug-dealer around here and gave him a KJV Bible, and he has read the 4 Gospels and parts of Romans. I see him frequently and I follow up on him to continue to give him the Gospel in hopes God will regenerate him. But this guy, from a completely different culture than mine, condescended to talk to a nerdy white kid who went up to him and gave him the Gospel. It was a divine appointment. NO lifestyle evangelism needed. In fact, if I went up to him to build a relationship, the Gospel could even LOOSE it's effectiveness because I would be relying on the arm of the flesh to share the Gospel, a pragmatic philosophy of evangelism that God would NOT honor with true conversions.

We are to let our light shine, not to bring men to Christ, but to honor the God who bought us. I hope that cleared up some of where I am coming from and what I am saying. Calvinism and lifestyle evangelism cannot go together, they are diametrically opposed to one another.


Just thought I would add, when I seperated from my old friends and took a seperatist stance, I gained SO MUCH credibility in sharing the Gospel. Seperating encouraged personal sanctification and also opened up more opportunities to share the Gospel then constantly being around them. After seperating, I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with the majority of my friends, praise God. :thumbs:

 

An amazing thread.

Lifestyle evangelism? Romans 8:9 says those who are His are controlled by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:28-20 states that those who love Him are predestined to be transformed into the image of Christ by the Holy Spirit. Philippians 1:6 says He is faithful to complete the good work He has begun. Ephesians 4 and 5 -- the chapters -- command our lives to be different. James clearly states that if we have faith but it does not show up in our lives, our faith is dead.

If our lives do not show all of this, then our words mean nothing.

As far as evangelism goes, it is completely logical for a Calvinist to deny its effectiveness or necessity, or perhaps even its desireability. However, since the Bible itself pleads with the unsaved to seek God and go for the truth, it seems to me that 'lifestyle evangelism' is not only desireable, but a necessity in this world of hypocrisy and evil. Granted one cannot make a horse drink, but one can certainly lead it to water. And if the horse is thirsty, he will drink.

 

Yes, John, I saw that. That was really why I wrote as I did. You had written: "As I recall, christianyouth is a Calvinist, so that would explain his position." So I replied that I could not answer for christianyouth's theology, meaning simply that I do not know whether your recollection about him being a Calvinist was correct or not.

 

Logical it might be, but such a denial is not believed by any of the Calvinists I have come across.

 

Hi, christianyouth. I need to hit the sack, but I just wanted to answer you and say thank you for getting back on this thread and for a good post.

I kind of thought this was where you were coming from. Now as far as it goes, you are right about Matt. 5:16 in that it is not directly about evangelism. Neither I nor anyone else has said it is. However, it is about lifestyle, and if a lost person glorifying God is not them being drawn to Christ by the Holy Spirit, I don't know what is!

Also, once again, please answer about 1 Peter 3:1-2. How is that verse not about lifestyle evangelism?

I agree completely here that a relationship and a witness can be established in just a few minutes. That to me is a kind of lifestyle evangelism!

I disagree completely that lifestyle evangelism is an Arminian teaching. The logic you use here could also be used against: inviting people to church, also an act of the human will. For what it is worth (and I'm just going to throw this out here, not planning to argue over it), this is the weakest part of the Calvinist arguments: does a believer then have a free will once he is made pure in Christ? I did a grad paper on this and found absolutely no discussions by Calvinist authors on this.

Now, what you are missing in your post is the work of the Holy Spirit in evangelism and salvation (other than to mention the fruit of the Spirit). Any discussion of salvation and evangelism must include a discussion of the work of the Holy Spirit to be Biblical. So seldom do they, especially on the BB. I hope you will begin to study deeply on this issue and continue to grow. I highly recommend The Power of Pentecost, by John R. Rice, and two books by R. A. Torrey: How to Obtain Fullness of Power, and The Holy Spirit: Who He Is and What He Does.

Personally, I don't recommend this, and it is not what lifestyle evangelism means to me.

This is exactly what should happen!

I really don't think that seeing God work through your pure and joyful lifestyle is what most Calvinists mean when they malign pragmatism in evangelism! :smilewinkgrin:

This is exactly what the verse says--we let our light shine, and men glorify God! The motive for a good life is not to bring men to Christ--but then the Holy Spirit uses that life.

Excellent! Praise the Lord that He is using you! :applause:

It's almost midnight and I must work for the Lord tomorrow, but I really felt burdened to write you in detail here. I believe your heart is right. Continue studying the Word on this matter, especially about how the Holy Spirit works in salvation and through the believer.

Oyasumi nasai. ("Sleep well.") :sleeping_2:

 

So, it seems that many of you limit "preaching" to a Biblical exposition.

Many things in our lives preach - our walk, our attitudes, etc. Music can preach. Drama can preach. Interpretive movement can preach. Preaching is not merely a person standing in front of a crowd talking. Now, am I saying preaching is not important? Not at all.

Now to the lifestyle evangelism point, LE does not preclude or exclude a spoken. Both are needed. One must complement the other and not distract or destroy.

Tim

 

Surely what really matters is not whether "many of us" (or few of us, or any of us, come to that) limit "preaching" to a Biblical exposition, but what we find in that bible itself. If we find Jesus Christ, or the apostles, or any Christian preacher in the New Testament, using music, drama or interpretive movement as preaching, then yes, we would have reason to do so too.

I don't have anywhere near perfect knowledge of the bible, but I must say that I have yet to come across even one example of this. Can we imagine Peter singing, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,” or Stephen somehow acting out his preaching, or Paul standing on Mars Hill performing some interpretive movement to tell the people there that the unknown God Whom they worshipped ignorantly is in fact the Creator of heaven and earth? The nearest he gets to anything like that (in my opinion) is when he says in Acts 17.28:

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. ​

But that is a long way from saying that we can preach by reciting poetry. Perhaps you have some other bible references in mind to support what you say.

 

In a short response to the title of the thread, I'm not sure exactly what "lifestyle evangelism" means, oir is supposed to mean. But I am fairly sure that if one's apparent lifestyle does not line up with Scripture pretty well, there usually won't be a whole lot of evangelism taking place.

Ed