The Anti-Gospel Coalition Says We Must ‘Earn the Right’ to Share the Gospel
These blockheads at The G̶o̶s̶p̶e̶l̶ Coalition continue to spew anti-gospel filth from their foaming fingertips at an alarming rate. Greg Forster puts out a piece yesterday saying that Christians need to “earn the right” to share the gospel with people in their workplace? Why? Because, essentially, people don’t like it when we do.
“Earn the right to be heard.” This comes from Bill Peel, director of the Center for Faith and Work at LeTourneau University. As he explains, we have shifted from a cultural environment where it was assumed Christianity had something of value to say about life to an environment where the opposite is assumed. Generally speaking, people won’t listen to us until we earn the right to be heard.
Yeah. No.
When has the “cultural environment” EVER assumed that Christians — true, Bible-believing Christians — had anything of value to say? Jesus said Christians will be hated and persecuted, and that when they do, it’s because they hate Him first. This has always been the case. Unbelievers do not want to hear the gospel — it’s foolishness to them (1 Corinthians 1:18).
He continues,
People don’t like to be condescended to or manipulated. If you are only in that workplace to get a conversion out of people, they will know it and they will resent it. Excellent performance in the work itself, for its own sake, along with humane treatment of customers and coworkers, will earn you the right to be heard.
Again, this is stupid. First off, who only goes to work to “get a conversion out of people.” Paul commanded us in 1 Corinthians 10 to do all things to the glory of God. That includes our work. What brings God the most glory? His son Jesus. What did Jesus tell us to do? Go out and proclaim his name among the nations — to make disciples. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 that “all authority in heaven and on earth” had been given to him. Jesus is the one that earned the right to be heard. That burden is not on us.
Earning the right to be heard takes time. You should not expect evangelistic opportunities quickly. Trust that as you labor faithfully, God will use your track record of excellent performance and humane treatment of people to awaken the hearts of those around you.
This is just unbiblical claptrap. Not one place in Scripture does it say that our “labor” or our “track record of excellent performance and humane treatment of people” is what awakens the hearts of people. How idiotic drivel like this makes it through editing in a blog that purports to be “Calvinistic” is beyond comprehension. The Scriptures are clear. It is God who awakens and draws people (John 6:44), and he does so through the foolishness of preaching
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?[c] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?[c And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
.Romans 10:13-17 (ESV)
The whole concept of “relationship evangelism” is an unbiblical concept. We are called to proclaim Christ by proclaiming the truth. We’re not called to make friends with the world — for friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4). If you’re worried about offending unbelievers with the gospel, you don’t understand the gospel. We’re not after peace with the world. That’s what the world wants from us. The world wants us to stop proclaiming Christ, and when we do, we’ve lost the gospel altogether.