By Bud Brown

Is there a distinctively Free Grace way to motivate Christians to talk about Jesus and eternal life with those who don’t believe?
Many are urging pastors to exhort church members to evangelistic effort. A wealth of books, blogs, electronic resources, videos, and ministries have been devoted to creating evangelistic momentum in churches. Pastors
with strong teaching gifts preach sermons featuring the imperative in the “great commission” passages (Matt 28:18-20; Mark 16:15ff; Luke 24:46-48; John 15:16; 20:21; Acts 1:8). Those with caring and helping gifts
may extol Jesus as our example (Matt 18:11; Luke 19:10) or highlight the plight of those who live in darkness. Others who prefer the prophetic voice warn of potential discipline upon the disobedient (Revelation 2-3). Pastors in denominations with a strong affinity for revivalism schedule itinerant evangelists to conduct annual crusades. These may include strong importunities to urge believers into evangelism.

There’s usually some measure of imperative (duty), admonition (guilt), or reproof (shame) baked into these methods. They are flavored with “must do.” This lends an aroma of law rather than grace. But beleaguered pastors who earnestly want churches to become effective evangelistic outposts may reach for anything that may help.

So, the question remains, is there a distinctively Free Grace motivation that reignites evangelistic passion in apathetic Christians? How do Free Grace pastors, teachers, and evangelists reframe the privilege of witnessing for Jesus from a “have to” to a “get to?” How do pastors avoid resorting to law yet ensure that church members
pray for (Col 4:3) and enter open doors (2 Cor 2:12) and make the most of every opportunity (Col 4:5-6)?

The answer is in the NT. There we find two suggested strategies: (1) remind people of God’s blessing in their lives; (2) reconnect them with God’s love.

Remember God’s Blessing

Isn’t it remarkable that Jesus often told those whose lives he had touched to keep quiet? Yet, in spite of the Lord’s admonition, those who experienced his gracious blessings could not help themselves. They broadcast the good news of what God had done for them far and wide. This motif recurs in the Gospels with different people, in different settings, with different audiences.

Mark 7:31-37 tells the story of a deaf man presented to Jesus with a request that He heal him. Perhaps his family, friends, or neighbors brought him to Jesus. Whoever it may have been, they “begged Him to put His hand on him” to heal this poor soul (v 32). When the deed was accomplished (vv 33-35), Jesus told them to keep the matter private (v 36). His warning was unheeded. It seems Jesus warned them several times, but each time they broadcast the news even more widely. The good news was announced loud and clear to those who had not yet heard or believed it!

Consider the two blind men upon whom Jesus bestowed sight (Matt 9:27-31). He touched their eyes, immediately restoring their sight. The Lord told them, “See that no one knows it (v 30).” But how could one so blessed, the recipient of such amazing grace, possibly keep quiet? They naturally spread the good news throughout the whole
region (v 31). Once again, those who had not yet believed in Jesus saw clear evidence that the good news was true!

Do you see the pattern? When a person experiences the blessings of God, when his gracious hand touches us, the beneficiary of God’s grace cannot be restrained. They tell anyone and everyone the good news of what Jesus has done for them.

This pattern is a common feature of the Gospels. There’s the paralytic’s running dialog —debate, even—with the Pharisees about the indisputable facts of what Jesus has done and what those facts imply (John 9). A leper wouldn’t keep quiet despite Jesus’s admonition to say nothing to anyone (Matt 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-44; Luke 5:12-14).

Perhaps this is the principle we’re looking for: recipients of God’s grace cannot restrain themselves from proclaiming the good news, even when God or man warns them to remain silent.

From Gratitude to Gompassion

This leads us to fascinating research into the nature of gratitude. It turns out that gratitude—the awareness that we have been blessed by another—is statistically and positively associated with empathy. Empathy, that awareness that another person is enduring hardship, results in compassion. Compassion leads to action intended to alleviate that hardship. It works like this:

Gratitude > Empathy > Compassion

Those Gospel stories are the written record of gratitude responses. People experienced God’s blessing. Gratitude overwhelmed them. That, coupled with the desire to glorify God, led to passionate proclamation of what Jesus had done so that others might enjoy the blessing of knowing Jesus.

Application

Here then is a way to motivate church members to active evangelism, a process that relies on grace rather than law or duty.

It begins by reconnecting believers who do not evangelize with their own experiences of God’s grace and blessings. Pastors who trust that “we love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19), help people arrange themselves before God in such a way that He can ignite their passion once again. This involves a two-pronged approach: the
preaching calendar and teaching two spiritual disciplines.

Preaching

Make God’s love and grace your major preaching theme for the next year. Yes, perhaps it sounds a bit too much – a whole year? My experience (eighteen years a church consultant, trainer, and mentor of pastors) tells me that pastors embrace change (cognitive and behavioral) much faster than church folk. Your goal isn’t conveying information; it is to change how believers see themselves. This is a slow process. It can take many months.

If you relish dwelling on technical details in your sermons, you may need to polish other skills. Connect the sermon to the emotions. You want them to feel God’s love and grace, to experience it afresh—not merely to understand it. Remember the paradigm: Gratitude (not knowledge alone!) > Empathy > Compassion.

Two Spiritual Disciplines

Two spiritual disciplines will amplify your preaching’s effectiveness. The “gratitude letter” and the daily “three blessings” discipline reconnect Christians with their experiences of grace and blessing.

First, ask your people to write a letter of gratitude to God. It should be recall three to five specific ways God blessed, with an explanation of why these were blessings and how their lives were changed as a result. Once the letter is written, direct them to read it aloud to the Lord. You may even ask them to share the letter with trusted
friends. Have them file the letter and review it from time to time. Within a matter of weeks, they will feel uplifted in spirit and experience positive emotions toward others.

Second, “three blessings” is a daily exercise that focuses their attention on various ways God is still at work in their lives. Each night they set aside ten minutes to reflect on what went well during the day. These could be something
as simple as a fine meal enjoyed with friends, a moment of solemn joy, or a short nap. Recording them draws attention to God’s grace on a daily basis.

Conclusion

Gratitude, not obligation, as a primary motive for Christian living is a hallmark of Free Grace theology. Relying on grace to nurture evangelistic passion among Christians is good theology and good science.

Isn’t it amazing what grace can do?

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Bud Brown is President and Co-Founder at Turnaround Pastors.