I used to not connect hermeneutics (the interpretation of Scripture) with evangelism, and certainly not passionate evangelism. My mind kept them in their neat and tidy little spaces, separated from one another by that familiar gap known as compartmentalization. For me, knowledge led to action, but certainly not zeal.
It's been awhile since I've changed my mind on that. Here are my 5 reasons why I believe hermeneutics can help stoke those flames of evangelism.
- A proper understanding of God's word recognizes the importance of evangelism
As the apostle Paul stated, "zeal without knowledge," can be a dangerous thing (Ro 10:2). Paul's own countrymen were zealous for God's glory but they were not believers in Christ because they misapplied the Scriptures and saw Jesus as blasphemous instead of Savior and Messiah. Unfortunately, there are a lot of well-meaning Christians in the same boat, somewhat. They have a zeal for evangelism but lack the knowledge of biblically carrying it out. Hermeneutics gives us that proper knowledge to go along with all that fire inside. - A proper understanding of God's word recognizes the glory of God in evangelism
God is glorified when a soul is saved. Jesus teaches us that He and all of Heaven rejoice when a sinner repents and trusts in Christ (Lk 15:7). God's glory should be chief in the believer's life, and there is not better way for us to showforth that glory by fulfilling the Great Commission. The only way to really grasp how glorious God is, is to hunker down and get into His word. - A proper understanding of God's word makes one passionate about God's glory in evangelism
The more we study the more of the glory of God we see. The more of the glory of God we see the greater our passion is to glorify Him. I remember the first time I read through the book of Acts as a new believer. I ached badly to be as the apostles, bringing thousands to Christ. That's the norm for new believers, but have you ever had that passion reading through Leviticus? Yes, even the "boring" parts of Scripture reveal God's glory and His passion to make His Name known throughout the nations. Leviticus deals with the regulations that would set God's people apart and make them His treasured possession (1Pe 2:9). So get in there and study the bible, even those Old Testament books that seem to be obscure. - A proper understanding of God's word causes one to seek how to fulfill God's glory in evangelism
While there are biblical and non-biblical ways to evangelize, there are many methods that one can be engaged in. Gospel tracts are always a great ice breaker when sharing the gospel and can be left just about anywhere. Others prefer to sit in a coffee shop and talk one-to-one with people, while still others prefer to stand on a street corner. The point is that God uses or own personalities, interests, and strengths to call His elect to salvation. And the better we understand God's word the more we will be equipped to go out and actually do it! When we understand what glorifies God our natural response should be to find ways, inside the biblical principles, to do it. - A proper understanding of God's word causes excitement in evangelism
This is kinda the flip side of point number 1. Evangelism is more than just an activity. When we see evangelism as just a chore or another thing to mark off our check list for the day we will fast loose our zeal. Evangelism should be the outflowing of God's mercy in our own lives. It should be as natural as living itself. Some people try to muster up the feelings of excitement so they can evangelize or do it solely out of guilt, because they know they should. Both of these alternatives are bad, and both usually happen as a result of misunderstanding or misapplying Scripture. I can't tell you how many times I've heard sermons where preachers try to guilt their congregation into evangelistic activities. We should exhort others to evangelize but we should never try to lay the guilt factor on them. That's what the Holy Spirit and study of Scripture does. When a person gets into the bible enough, the conviction will come and so will the excitement.
