Series overview: Over the last year or so I have written a lot about Jesus-centeredness in general and Jesus-centred biblical interpretation in particular. In this latest series of posts I am taking a passage of scripture and demonstrating how these concepts work in practice. The text I have selected is from John chapter One.
In all my years as a Christian I have yet to successfully argue anyone into the Kingdom of Heaven. No amount of clever rhetoric of careful logic can save a person. Why not? Because salvation does not rest on how much one knows but on who one knows. Phillip invited Nathanael to come and meet Jesus and within minutes of encountering the Word of Life Nathanial was transformed from spiritual death to life. Just a few words from Jesus was all it took![/su_note]
When I was invited to pastor the Village Church Lonehill there were only 17 people in the congregation. We needed to reach out and build the local church. I asked the people why they were not ‘evangelising’ and they said it was because they didn’t know how to; they needed training. So, I put together a comprehensive course and presented it over a three month period. The result was that not one person was brought into relationship with Jesus. Why not? Because evangelism is not a matter of knowledge and technique, but rather a heart-to-heart witness about our relationship with Jesus. The bottom line is this – if you are born again of the Spirit of God into a living relationship with Jesus then you know enough to introduce someone else to him. The primary evangelical message is, “come and see”.
