The Good Samaritan: Christ's Pattern for Intervention

“But a certain Samaritan, as he jour­neyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, “And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. “And on the morrow when he depart­ed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.” Luke 10:33-35.

The parable of the Good Samaritan is an allegorical gold­mine. In three short verses it relates the spiritual history of man, the mission of Christ into the world, the purpose and power of God in redemption, and defines the role of the church in the world. In terms of our theme, this parable spells out the steps for both physical and spiritual intervention care with amazing clarity.

The Samaritan’s Attitude

“A certain Samaritan… came where he was.” First, we must get on the level of the sinner. This does not mean to partake of his sin, but to relate to him up close, in his language, in a relevant fashion, and with respect to his specific needs. We cannot redefine the sinner according to our own tastes. We cannot minister to today’s environ­ment in the mode or mindset that was appropriate decades ago.

“When he saw him.” The Samaritan needed to get an ac­curate picture of his condition. Although it was not a pretty sight, he looked directly at the victim and assessed his need. He did not turn away in disgust, nor did he pretend the problem was not as bad as it was.

“He had compassion on him.” The Samaritan did not see an oppor­tunity to make money, fame or acclaim. He did not take advantage of a helpless man. He considered how it must feel to be beaten and robbed. But for a few hours, it may have been himself lying there broken and bloody. For us, evan­gelism must be seen as an unselfish act of compas­sion.

The Samaritan’s Action

“And went to him.” The Samaritan did not offer the beaten man words, philo­sophies or ideas. He got phy­sically, actively involved in the process. He com­mitted himself, sacri­ficed his time, expended his energy and exe­cuted the task.

“And bound up his wounds.” Open, bleeding wounds demand urgent care. Al­though the Samaritan may not have been a doctor, he simply used common sense in taking what he had available to him and bound up his wounds. He knew time was of the essence. Before the healing can start, the bleeding has to stop.

“Pouring in oil and wine.” In Bible times, both oil and wine were known for their soothing, curative effects. The Samar­itan applied the medicines he had to the wounded man. Oil and wine are both types of the Holy Spirit and speak of anoin­ting, cleansing, grace and power. Long before a sinner is regenerated, the virtues of the Spirit of God can bless, indeed, must bless him.

The Samaritan’s Aftercare

“Set him on his own beast.” The thieves left this man im­mobile and generally helpless. He had to have physical help to leave the ditch where the robbers had thrown him. Thus, this caregiver wil­lingly used his own resources to transport him. He felt per­sonal respon­sibility toward the victim.

“Brought him to an inn.” Shelter, protection and basic comfort was necessary to nurse this man back to health. He could not stay out in the cold night. This is a beautiful type of the church’s role in the salvation of the sinner. The church must remain visible, functional and strong so the sinner has a place to come for help.

“And took care of him.” The Samar­itan did not fall short in his efforts to bring a man back from the dead. He could have justified himself in dropping him off at the inn and rushing on to his ap­pointments. Instead, he took care of him throughout the night, paid for his use of the room, and committed himself to the innkeeper to reimburse him for any further expenses incurred by caring for the wounded man. This implies that more treatment and care would be necessary for full recovery. Ur­gent care must be given first, and then full and proper treatment comes later.

As this parable demonstrates, healing encompasses the entire scope of salvation. Man’s sin has filled his life with pain, guilt and loneliness. God, through His infinite grace and compassion, condes­cended to man’s level, entered into his pain, and ministered healing to the soul.

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16.

Jesus held out this parable as a model for the church. Let us now examine our philosophy of winning souls in the light of this parable. Without the attitude of the Samaritan, we cannot have the kind of results that our Lord intends. As we re-shape our thinking about reaching the lost in terms of Christ’s purpose, we will come closer to fulfilling the mission of the church.

The Medical Philosophy

The medical profession has a tradi­tion for dedication to human service. For centuries, the Hippocratic Oath, so named in honor of Hippocrates, a medical man of great influ­ence in ancient Greece, solem­nized the conduct of medical doctors upon entering into their profession. Even today, it is used in the commen­cement exercises of schools of medi­cine. This oath endures because it conveys the sacredness of life. Every doctor, accor­ding to the oath, must dedicate his life’s efforts to benefit the sick.

The first part of the oath pertains to teaching medical know­ledge. The second part, given below, applies directly to the doctor’s work.

The Hippocratic Oath

“The regimen I adopt shall be for the benefit of my patients according to my ability and judgment, and not for their hurt or for any wrong. I will give no deadly drug to any, though it be asked of me, nor will I counsel such, and especially I will not aid a woman to procure abortion.

Whatsoever house I enter, there will I go for the benefit of the sick, refraining from all wrongdoing or corruption, and especially from any act of seduction, of male or female, of bond or free.”

The Declaration of Geneva

In 1948 in Geneva the World Medical Association drew up a modern version of the oath. Its text was amended in 1968.

At the time of being admitted a member of the medical pro­fession: I solemnly pledge myself to consecrate my life to the service of human­ity;
I will give my teachers the respect and grati­tude which is their due;
I will practice my profession with conscience and dignity;
The health of my patient will be my first consideration;
I will respect the secrets which are confided in me, even after the patient has died;
I will maintain by all the means in my po­wer, the honor and the noble traditions of the medical profession;
My colleagues will be my brothers;
I will not permit considerations of religion, nationality, race, party politics or social stan­ding to intervene between my duty and my patient;
I will maintain the utmost respect for human life from the time of conception; even under threat I will not use my medical knowl­edge con­trary to the laws of humanity. I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honor.

Health care experts find people in their most vul­nerable and helpless con­dition. Very often, their decisions result in the life or death of the patient. Thus, the patients expect health profes­sionals to perform at their highest level of skill and commit­ment every moment. Pro­fes­sionals cannot afford to misdiag­nose a patient, prescribe improper medications, and fail to anticipate harmful side effects of medications or treatments, or delay proper treat­ment. Today, of course, the danger of a malpractice suit haunts every medical deci­sion or act. But it is a pathe­tic physician who depends on negative consequen­ces to ply his trade. Beyond the legal and finan­cial considerations, a moral basis exists to motivate people in the health care industry to achieve an ideal. That ideal, to give the best possible care to every patient, is the guiding philosophy of the medical field.

A Philosophy for Spiritual Healing

A philosophy is a broad theme, which underlies and gives meaning to a way of life. If the med­ical profession embraces such a noble philoso­phy as the Hippocratic Oath and the Declaration of Geneva, soulwinners must be no less con­cerned about saving people for eternity. The Bible sets forth our philosophy for evan­gelism. As we survey the verses which deal with reaching the lost, at least two ideas emerge. First, we see a profile of the kind of person Jesus targets with the gospel. Second, the purpose of Christ speaks of itself loud and clear.

• “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. “Go ye therefore, and teach all na­tions, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: “Teaching them to observe all things what­soever I have com­manded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20.
• “So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. “And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast com­manded, and yet there is room. “And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” Luke 14:21-23.
• “It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” Luke 15:32
• “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10.
• “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusa­lem.” Luke 24:47.
• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
• “He that believeth on him is not con­demned: but he that believeth not is con­demned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:16-18.
• “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Acts 2:38.
• “And all things are of God, who hath recon­ciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; “To wit, that God was in Christ, re­con­ciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath com­mitted unto us the word of recon­ciliation. “Now then we are ambas­sadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” II Corinthians 5:18-20.

What kind of person should we reach with the gospel? Soulwinners must not permit prejudice or animosity to interfere with the task at hand. They should consider each person to be loved by God. They must not assign condemnation to anyone, and must always reach out to people with compassion.

What motive becomes a person who leads people to Christ? Soulwinners should share the gospel with the understanding that all the necessary authority is given to them. They should go forth with the purpose of seeing lost people saved to the uttermost, and should use the resources of the full gospel to accomplish this purpose.

We conclude that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” T­here­fore, those who have not been deliv­ered from sin are “poor, maimed, halt and blind.” In today’s vocabulary, we may de­fine them as dysfunctional, addictive, im­balanced, co-dependant, or suffering from emotional, psychologi­cal or social problems. They may be lonely, rejec­ted or guilt-ridden. They may be outwardly successful, but inwardly troubled. The key concept is that people in sin are people in pain. Without a cure, these people will die an eternal death.

Jesus Christ came to rid each believer of his sin, relieve him of the pain caused by sin, and recreate him in the image of God and give him everlasting life. He did not come so man could merely exchange one pain for another. He did not come to establish another religion in a world already glutted with reli­gion. He did not come to simply identify sin and preach condem­nation. He came to save. “For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which is lost.” Salvation is, above all else, God’s plan to restore man to a right relationship with Himself. We, as the church, are Christ’s ambas­sadors to this world, recon­ciling it to God. We must incor­porate these ideals into our philosophy of soulwinning.

People in sin are people in pain.

Healing Evangelism: Sin Is A Disease

Striking similarities exist between sin and disease. Here are the most out­standing parallels:

1. Like the pain caused by disease, pain from sin varies from person to person. Some can sin with impunity. Others trans­gress only with great pain of conscience. Some are easily persuaded to turn from sin. Others are indifferent, callused or even hos­tile. Consequently, our approach in reaching people differs from one to anoth­er. This is indicated by the writings of Jude.

“And of some have compas­sion, ma­king a difference: “And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” Jude 1:22-23

2. Like pain affects breathing, heart rate and the emotional state of a person, sin impacts body, soul and spirit. Sin is not merely a legal or philosophical entity that exists only on paper or in the abstract. It has real, concrete consequences.

“For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.” Romans 7:5.

“We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful na­ture. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. “Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” Romans 7:14-20. (NIV)

3. Like disease, sin is not always easy to detect. Sometimes sin hides in the soul, lies about its presence, appears as some­thing good instead of bad, and eludes the spiritual sur­geon’s grasp.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his do­ings.” Jeremiah 17:9-10.

4. Like disease, sin does not have to exist in gross forms to be deadly. The smallest sin leads to eternal death.

• “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:17
• Then when lust hath con­ceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is fin­ished, bringeth forth death. James 1:15.
• “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23.

5. Like the symptoms of disease, the symptoms of sin often attract more atten­tion than the sin, which caused them. When the source is removed, the symptoms disap­pear.

“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adul­teries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blas­phemies: “These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.” Matthew 15:18-20.

6. Like disease, sin is hereditary. Sin has made man predis­posed to further infec­tion and invasion.

• “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Psalm 51:5.
• “Wherefore, as by one man sin en­tered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sin­ned.” Romans 5:12.

7. Like disease, sin is communicable.

“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good man­ners.” I Corinthians 15:33.

8. As medical science treats disease without condemning the diseased person, Jesus showed us how to love the sinner while hating the sin.

• “When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. John 8:10-11.
• “To wit, that God was in Christ, re­conciling the world unto him­self, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath com­mitted unto us the word of recon­ciliation. II Corinthians 5:19.
• “For when we were yet without stren­gth, in due time Christ died for the un­godly. For scarcely for a right­eous man will one die: yet peradven­ture for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sin­ners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8.

9. Pain caused by sin is regis­tered upon the conscience. If a person has a damaged conscience, he has little or no sensitivity to sin.

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” I Timothy 4:1-2.

Why People Wait

As pain level increases, life can­not go on without ob­taining relief. Yet, the greater the pain, the more severe the cure must be. For this reason, many people endure their pain until it gets out of con­trol. They dread the very thing that their delay guarantees: a radical cure. If they wait too long, a cure may not be pos­sible at an advanced stage of disease.

At first, many people deny the exis­tence of a problem. They may have secret misgivings about their pain, but openly, they refuse to admit that anything is wrong. This denial is so strong that even when they suffer seizures, fainting spells, numbness, loss of mental and physical abilities and other serious symptoms, they still claim to be fine.

Why do certain people behave this way? Pride causes some to maintain an image of strength. Some fear a show of weakness more than they fear disease. Others refuse to be embarrassed by physical examinations or procedures. Irrational phobias about doctors, hospitals, knives, x-rays, and needles stop others. Some imagine the worst possible scenarios: amputation, blind­ness, paralysis, or even death. A sur­prising number allow cosmetic consequences such as scar tissue or loss of hair to stop them. Many who have suffered bad experiences vow that it will never happen to them again. Some believe they cannot financially afford to do anything about their condition. A great many simply say they are too busy and cannot take the time to get themsel­ves checked out. Others do not want to inter­rupt their obligations to families or employ­ers. Some believe that the pain will go away of its own accord.

Getting Relief

Eventually, people in pain take some kind of action to get relief. This is the crucial point. Will their action treat the symptom rather than the disease? Will it only exacer­bate the problem? Will it lead to far more radical remedies at a higher cost? Will they end up as a much greater burden for their families and be lost to their employers after all? Will they lose much more than their hair or their pride?

A century ago, charlatans roamed this country selling exotic potions, snake oil, and strange mixtures that supposedly cured almost every physical problem known to man. While the Food and Drug Administration has curtailed most of this activity, a lucrative market still exists for placebos, herbal con­coctions, unapproved drugs and treat­ments. Some manufacturers of these dubious products make wild claims: hair growth, cures for cancer, AIDS, heart disease, infertility, and more. Why do people believe this adver­tising? Because pain drives people to find relief. They jump at the first ad they come across that directly addresses their need. Couple this with a strong aversion to proper medical treatment, and a sale is made. Unfortunately, the only product they really buy is the illusion of a pain-free exis­tence.

Going After the Pain

When pain persists, the search for help intensifies. People eagerly talk about their problem and all the possible solu­tions for it. If their parents or grand­parents suffered from the same disease they may try to imitate their “patented” home remedies. Mystical or superstitious types delve into old wives tales or even wizardry. They collect bits and pieces of advice and try to patch it all together to make it work. Others em­bark on a health food and healthy lifestyle campaign, buying, reading and subscribing to everyt­hing they can on the subject. Still others peruse the drug and health aid shel­ves of pharmacies and experiment with every bottle or package that remotely relates to their pro­blem. Whatever relief these self-applied remedies afford the sufferer, in the end they lose the battle if the real source of the problem is not touched.

Confusion and Despair

Finally, another barricade prevents some people from seeking medical attention—-they simply don’t believe in it. They think the medical establishment is an elaborate sche­me designed to rob millions of their money. With no basic confidence in medicine or medical practice, they will not submit themselves to it. They see doctors as playing guessing games and manipulating patients like pawns on a chessboard, and charging exorbitant prices for it. Unfortunately, these reservations have proven true in enough cases to keep the doubts alive.

Even people who venture into the arena are confused about which direction to go. There are debates about which doctor to choose and which philosophy of treatment to believe. Should people place their confidence in the os­teopathic, chiropractic or medical schools of thought? Others are confused about the new emphases on herbal treat­ments, acupuncture, or hypnosis. Will these ideas work? Are there other innovations waiting in the wings? Will future research discover that present treatments are more detrimental than helpful? In the end, many are left to contend with the same old pain that will not go away.

In addition to the parallel between sin and disease, a clear relationship also exists between behavior toward physical pain and spiritual pain. As we look at these reactions, we must expand our definition of spiritual pain to include guilt, loneliness, fear, rejection, and any other discomfort of the human soul and spirit. All of them are sympto­matic of the root disease, sin.

Denial.

When spiritual pain begins, many people refuse to admit that anything is wrong. Even those who admit a problem insist that sin has nothing to do with it. Such people often self-destruct and their world crumbles around them. Yet, they cling to their denial.

As with physical pain and disease, pride stands as a mono­lithic obstacle to the cure for sin. “I’ll make it. I’m OK. I just had a rough day at the office. Don’t worry about me.” Expressions like these are pride’s smokescreens. The fleshly nature violently resists any show of weakness or vulnerability. “A man’s pride shall bring him low.” Proverbs 29:23. Pride prevents him from seeking help. As a result, he loses all he has, pride included. Many people will not move from their seat at an invitation. They may not kneel in prayer, or even bow their heads. Such resistance stems directly from a prideful heart.

Phobias.

Irrational fears seize many people when they consider giving their lives to the Lord.

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath tor­ment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” I John 4:18.

Some may fear any kind of relation­ship with God. In their eyes, He is too awesome, too demanding, or too holy. They may see the worst things that could happen should they release their faith—-such as losing their marriages over religion, alienating their family or friends, losing their identity, or becoming a fanatic.

In the same vein, some peo­ple become nervous or embar­rassed when asked about salvation. Somewhere in their past, they may have been stung by hypo­crisy, or felt keen disappointment in some­one who claimed to be a Christian. Even worse, they may have been secretly hurt or brutalized by a family member or a false Chris­tian. Buried injustices leave deep and ugly scars. Perhaps they know that a true surrender to Christ will involve higher costs than they are willing to pay at the moment. They may fear that they cannot maintain their walk with God should they start out.

Indecision.

When decisions seem too big, many people cannot make any decision at all. They blame their procra­s­tination on busy schedules, prior commit­ments, the demands of family and job, or simply their own lack of preparedness. People often say, “I’m just not ready,” when they want to keep all their options open. A decision means losing their freedom to choose. Many soulwinners overlook this motive in dealing with pain.

Painkillers.

When spiritual pain, loneliness, guilt, or fear increases to the point that something has to be done, tem­porary relief is usually only as far as the tavern or liquor store. People don’t start drinking because alcohol tastes good, or because it’s good for them, or to become an alcoholic. They drink because they want to either numb the pain they feel inside, or to substitute the pain with pleasure. Even those who drink for the fun of it or for social reasons, are using alcohol to address deep needs.

Drug abuse begins much the same way. While it may sound strange to say it this way, it starts out as an innocent and honest try to get relief from boredom, frustration, personal loss or anxiety. Unfor­tunately, it ends up as a much greater pro­blem than the one it was supposed to solve. The key is to recognize that, in the mind of the user, alcohol and drug abuse are logi­cal, easily accessible solutions to the problem of pain. Drink­ing and drugs actually makes sense to the people who use them.

In order to get relief from spiritual pain, many people ex­periment, not with drugs, but with ideas.

“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imagina­tions, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncor­ruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” Romans 1:21-23

Thousands of people are converted every year to cults, religions, philosophies and heretical beliefs. Why? People enter these groups, not because they discover truth in them, but because a deep hurt in their lives predisposes them to conversion. They fall prey to the first group that addresses that pain. A totally new interpreta­tion of life grants them an im­mediate escape from their problems, piques their curiosity, and promises all the things they’ve ever wanted: peace, meaning, accep­tance, love and belonging.

Consider for a moment, the rallying cry for several of these groups and notice how it appeals to people in pain. One group stresses eternal marriages and bap­tism by proxy for family mem­bers. How good that must sound to people going through marital strife or who have wronged their families and want to make amends. Another group continually points out the absurdities and inconsis­ten­cies in other religions. This appeals to the spirit of bitterness in people by legiti­mizing it and giving it new targets. New Age groups promise mystical power and control over one’s life and destiny. This looks like the perfect answer to those with a poor self-image or a sense of inadequacy. Many groups who have no particular tenets of faith build empires on love and acceptance. Those hurt by hatred and rejection all their lives find this extremely attractive. Most importantly, people usually join groups because someone in the group reached out to them, not because of intellectual or doc­trinal reasons.

Soulwinners must recognize that few people get saved as a direct response to doctrinal truth. Doctrine becomes a major factor in their minds after salvation, but until then, the most significant gesture for them is for someone to talk about the pain and hurt they feel and use words and im­ages they understand.

Self-help.

Just as many people in physical pain turn inward for help and determine their own plan of attack, those in spirit­ual pain often try to figure themselves out, and then announce their solutions, often outlandish or irrational ones. Psych­olo­gist’s and psychiatrist’s offices are rou­tine stops for these people. They also get ideas from books, movies, television pro­grams, fads, fashions, trends, gossip, boy­friends, girl­friends, next-door neighbors, and other popular sources. You’ll hear these people say something like, “Finally, I think I know what my problem is,” or “I don’t care what anybody thinks, I need to…,” or, “Don’t try to talk me out of this.” They sink into depression while they look for the answer. As soon as they’re convinced that they know what the problem is, their mood swings upbeat, and they forget their pain.

Pain gives birth to life-changing decisions. Such people may drop out of school or enroll in college or change ma­jors. They may get married, get divorced or get involved in a new relationship. They may quit their job, change positions within their company, change employers or start their own business. They may buy a house, a sports car, a boat, a motorcycle or some type of gadgetry, get into body-building or Karate, redecorate, buy all new furniture, buy a new wardrobe, take expensive vaca­tions, join the Army or move out-of-state. Sometimes they have plastic surgery, change names, go on crash diets, or affect other cosmetic changes.

While some of these changes seem harmless or perfectly normal, the wise soulwinner notices them and probes for the underlying reasons. The spiritually healthy person makes changes when oppor­tunity knocks and the decision is pleasing to the Lord. The person in spiritual pain forces changes at inopportune times to please the self and subdue his pain. The healthy person is happy at any place or cir­cumstance in life, and doesn’t depend on change for happiness. One who is in pain always perceives the change as the way to happiness. The more irrational the change seems, the more likely it is a result of acute, spiritual pain.

Constant, unabated pain often c­auses people to erupt in outbursts of an­ger. If physical pain does this, spiritual pain is even more notorious for it. In severe pain, people scream out curses, viciously attack­ing whoever or whatever they see as the reason for their hurt. Many times they curse God because they see Him as being ul­timately responsible for their an­guish.

“But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy com­munication out of your mouth.” Colossians 3:8.

Many people blame others for their pain, rather than deal directly and rationally with it. Blaming, cursing, attacking, and implicating others temporarily blunts pain. It stems from several prejudicial attitudes. Here are some of them:

a. “I don’t deserve this.” These complain about the unfair­ness and injustice of life. They take special care to vilify God and curse Christianity. They deny God’s love, poin­ting to their pain as proof that God does­n’t love them.

b. “If you hurt me, I’m going to hurt you even worse.” Revenge consumes such people. They focus in on a mother, father, spouse, or whomever they perceive as respon­sible for their condition. Often, they hide their feelings in public, but in private, they dig, taunt or curse the target of their wrath. They know what to say and when to say it to cause the most pain.

c. “I don’t know who hurt me so I’m going to make every­body as miserable as I can.” These embittered souls are virtually bap­tized in the gall of hatred. They lash out at everybody and every­thing. Nobody is right. Everybody is hypo­critical and out to get them. Their bitterness and anger is the only way they see to balance out the inner pain.

• “Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.” Job 7:11
• “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitter­ness.” Romans 3:14.

d. “I can’t stand to see you happy while I am in pain.” Jealousy and envy often find expression in anger, bitterness and resent­ment. Sufferers desire to be like the whole­some people around them, but are unwilling to confront their own condition in the right way. They end up criticiz­ing bitterly the person they secretly admire.

Gross sin.

People in intense pain tend to make matters worse in order to make them better. They smash their fists against brick walls, refuse treatment (includ­ing food and water), defy doctor’s orders, and act in ways that are clearly self-destruc­tive. Why? It may not be as irrational as one might think.

Damping. When an injury occurs, the body’s first reaction is known as damping. Dam­ping occurs when repetitive signals from nerve endings that detect touch and pres­sure close a “gate” in the spinal cord that blocks the transmission of injury impulses. Gating also occurs when certain pain-in­hibiting neurons that descend from the base of the brain are activated. The gate they control in the spinal cord is activated by morphine and similar drugs, and by certain naturally occurring substances called endor­phins that are produced within the brain. This process is thought sometimes to act spontaneously during emergencies such as accidents or combat. One may not be acting without purpose then, when he or she seeks a deliberate injury. There is a certain numbing effect created, even though it is temporary.

Sin causes spiritual pain. We might assume that once people realize this, they will stop doing the thing that causes the pain. Unfortunately, the opposite often happens. Very often, they descend into deeper, viler sin. Each time they transgress, they experience numbing or even pleasurable effects. “Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.” Hebrews 11:25.

Each sin calls for another sin worse than the one, which preceded it. The gamb­ler risks more and more money each time he gambles in order to make up his losses. The drug user goes from marijuana to amphetamines, cocaine, crack, ice, and whatever else he can get. The flirtatious girl goes from a petting session to secret fornication to openly flaunting sex and sin. The dishonest boy goes from pilfering candy to purse snatching to robbing a store or bank. While each step down gives a rush of pleasure, it is all an expres­sion of pain hidden deeply in the heart.

Sin as a weapon. When people who behave this way believe their actions will hurt those who have hurt them, they often use sin as a weapon against them. They go to great lengths to shock, shame, embar­rass and offend those they deem responsible for their pain. They take a devilish delight in the outcome of their actions.

Certain gross sins such as abortion and abusive behavior are especially seen in this context. Abortion, for example, is a direct result of pain, according to experts in the field. They say,

“Women who seek abortion of their ‘un­wanted child’ find themsel­ves ‘socially aborted’ long before they seek the medical abortionist. They are aborted, rejected and un­wanted by those close to them—-their husbands, par­ents and friends. By the time these same women reach the abortionist they are al­ready iso­lated and afraid; they feel literally trap­ped.” (Hilgers and Horan; Abortion and Social Justice).

Abusive behavior is similarly an outgrowth of a much deeper problem. “The abuser has little self-esteem, often considers himself a failure, relates poorly to people, is jealous, and accuses his mate of being non-supportive or unfaithful. These symptoms are also present in the child abuser…He often vents his frustra­tions, the hurts and pains of his childhood on his own child­ren.” (Graham and Ward; The Billy Graham Christian Worker’s Handbook).

“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affec­tions: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: “And likewise also the men, leaving the natu­ral use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themsel­ves that recompence of their error which was meet. “And even as they did not like to retain God in their know­ledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; “Being filled with all unrighteousness, forn­ication, wicked­ness, covetous­ness, mali­cious­ness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, “Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, “Without understanding, covenant­breakers, without natural affection, implac­able, unmer­ciful: “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are wor­thy of death, not only do the same, but have plea­sure in them that do them. ” (Romans 1:26-32).

Reversion to type.

In crisis or dis­tress, or in the pre­sence of certain stimuli, the body usually reverts to an intuitive re­sponse. It manifests instinctive, “knee jerk” behaviors such as batting the eyelids, sneezing, flinch­ing, salivating, ducking or running. These re­sponses are hard to avoid, even when they are clearly not appropriate.

The innocent Adam and Eve wel­comed God’s presence in Eden. The guilty Adam and Eve hid from Him and made themsel­ves clothes of fig leaves. Sin always incites behavior opposite of the will and desire of God. It causes people to fall back on familiar old excuses and cling to ideas contrary to the Word of God. These beha­viors are involun­tary, unresponsive to rea­son. They are less matters of the head than of the heart. Often, we hear these common responses:

a. “Nobody loves me.” Insecurity in­flicts untold pain on people throughout their lives. They refuse to believe that anyone, least of all, God, loves them or cares about them. Often they lack a definition of love. Insecurity resis­ts heal­ing, and will usually respond only in the context of time.

b. “I’m not good enough.” The Apostle Paul addressed this pain sev­eral times in the Scriptures. “For by grace are ye saved thro­ugh faith; and that not of yoursel­ves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephes­ians 2:8-9. We often think of this in terms of pride, but for many it is an expres­sion of the despairing pain of never being good enough. Such people live their lives desper­ately seeking the ap­proval of a parent who gave them only criti­cism. This is not always the case. Some­times, people have com­mitted sins for which they feel guilt. Un­resolved sin brings with it a sense of the impen­ding judgment of God, and drives the soul away from God. “But your iniquities have sepa­rated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2.

c. “I can’t believe.” Since we are created in the image of God, the human spirit wants to believe. People who say they can’t be­lieve are confessing pain. Beneath their callused remark lies bitter disap­pointment, disillusion­ment, or someone’s failure to build the foun­dation for trust. Belief is not a feat for the mind alone. Some claim to disbelieve because of intel­lectual reasons. The real truth is that they resist believ­ing in a God whom they associate with someone who has hurt them so deeply.

d. “I don’t understand God.” No one really understands God, but that does not keep believers from worship­ping and serving Him. When peo­ple say they cannot under­stand God, they are ex­posing pain. Per­haps contra­dictory stan­dards and rules were forced upon them, or a tragic event in their past remains un­resolved, or life has always see­med out of control. Through under­stan­ding, they search for order and meaning. Disor­der and mean­ing­lessness are painful to the soul.

e. “I hate God.” People who claim to hate God are angry for some­thing that they can blame on no one but God, such as loss, tragedy or death. Death itself does not necessarily precipitate this feeling, but pre­mature death does. So does the sense of being cheated or dealt with unfairly. People take it as a per­sonal affront. Yet, they realize that God is the only One who can ultimately help them. This dilemma com­pounds their pain. Feeling trap­ped, they respond with hatred towards God.

Part Two: T h e W o r l d o f P a i n

The Basis for Spiritual Truths

Christ, the Master Teacher, found His greatest teaching resource in the world around Him. He constant­ly drew parallels between the natural and the spiritual realms in His parables and His conver­sations with His disciples. This technique allowed Him to relate di­rectly to his hearers because he talked about the things most familiar to them such as sheep herding, farming, house­keeping, and servan­thood. He first es­tablished a truth in the natural realm, and then applied it to the spiritual kingdom. The Apostle Paul makes this point in the book of Romans. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead.” Romans 1:20.
 
The study of natural phenomena yields great insight into spiritual truth­s for us as well. In order to understand “Heal­ing Evan­gelism”, the reader must assume that the spiritual truths of sin and salvation have close parallels in the human condition of disease, injury and healing. Sin behaves like a disease; salvation behaves like heal­ing. The similarities are so close that nearly each point in the natural has a correspon­ding spiritual counterpart.

The Cau­ses of Phys­ical Pain

What is Pain?

Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional exper­ience usually caused by an injury or threat of injury to the tissues of the body. Health care experts know that the behavior of a person in pain must be understood as a complex interac­tion of physiological, psycholog­ical and sociological factors. For example, an individual’s re­sponse to injury or pain varies from culture to culture, depending upon such factors as age, gender, and social expectations. The threshold of pain often differs widely from person to person, even within the same culture.

In the last few years, the medical field has stressed patient sensitivity, especially with regard to pain. Health care professionals insist that pain must be viewed from the patient’s perspective. Pain is whatever the patient says it is, and it occurs whenever the patient says it does. They recognize that it is ludicrous to tell patients that they do not feel pain when they say they do. The constant report of pain may frustrate the doctors or nurses, but the sensitivity must lie with the patients who are actually doing the suffering. Also, professionals know that the amount of obvious injury may not necessarily be equal to the amount of pain

Pain is often classified as either acute or chronic. Acute pain occurs suddenly, has limited duration, and is usually reversible. It gives a sharp, prickling, “electric” sensation. Chronic pain is deep in origin, may be either intermittent or persistent, and becomes increasingly intense over time. Sufferers often describe chronic pain as a burning, aching or throbbing sensation. Such descriptions aid the care provider in locating the cause of the pain. Thus, it is vital for the patient to communicate to the health care professional exactly how he/she feels. If this expression is discouraged or denied, the problem may be diagnosed improperly or incompletely.

Why did God create us with the capacity to feel pain? Pain performs a valuable function in minimizing the harm of accidental injury or minor disease. People who have no ability to feel pain live in danger of unrecognized injury or disease. On the other hand, some people can feel pain so severely that it triggers reflexes which affect breathing, heart function, and blood pressure, with potentially fatal consequen­ces. Prolonged pain which is not treated or which resists treatment may cause intense suffering and dis­couragement.

Injury and Disease

Most pain is caused by either injury or disease. Injuries are physical disruptions of an organism. A dis­ease is any condition that disturbs the nor­mal functioning of a living organism, wheth­er in whole or in separate organs or sys­tems. Injuries caused by external forces such as a fall, a blow, a cut or burn, are comparatively easy to assess because they usually have outward, visible symptoms. Many diseases, on the other hand, manifest similar or identical symptoms. Only extensive testing or observation identifies them. Some dis­eases may be impossible to know anything about, except by their symp­toms, given present technology.

The word disease itself simply means “dis-ease,” or lack of health and well being. At one time, only gross changes resulting from diseases were recognized as symptoms. Only in recent times have we understood the microbiological aspects of disease. This finding has enabled medical science to recognize the presence of a disease by taking blood samples, biopsies, x-rays, ultra­sounds, and other advanced methods of detection.

Every organism, without exception, is subject to diseases. Cataloged diseases, which affect humans, number in the thou­sands. While we do not know what causes some diseases, we know that many diseases are caused by agents, whether living or non-living, that invade or affect the body. These range from various environ­men­tal and psychological conditions, to hereditary factors.

Diseases may be grouped in a num­ber of different ways. Such external agents as bac­teria, viruses, parasites, chemicals or physi­cal agents cause infectious diseases. Hu­mans, animals, insects, or substances transmit them. He­reditary diseases are caused by genetic disorders of one or both parents. Degen­erative diseases occur as the result of the natural aging processes. Psychoso­matic disorders appear to be the result of emo­tional stress. All of them can either reduce the quality of life or prematurely end a person’s life.

Other Sources of Pain

Injury and disease present obvious reasons for pain. There are other sources of pain, however, that remain mysterious. Phantom pain often occurs to persons who have recently lost a limb due to am­putation. They actually feel the pain in the extremity that no longer exists. Evidently, the nerves which once transmitted the pain signals require an adjustment period to the loss. Referred pain results from a physical problem in one area of the body that affects another part. Heart ailments, for example, typically cause pain in the left arm and neck. Psychologically-based pain disrupts the lives of millions of people who suffer from mental or emotional problems. Stress, it has been found, contributes to much physical pain. The fast pace of life, pressure to succeed in finance and career, and the stress of urban living all work together to cause much suffering.

The association between pain and stress gives us insight into the spiritual aspect of pain. There are two interesting stories behind this discovery. In 1822, on Mackinaw Island, Michigan, a nineteen-year-old boy named Alexis St. Martin accidentally injured his stomach in a shotgun blast. He survived the injury, but the accident left a hole through which doctors could observe his stomach. In 1895, another boy named Tom, injured his esophagus in a fire. In order to save his life, doctors cut a hole in his stomach wall and poured food into it. Both of these accidents enabled doctors to see the stomach in operation. They discovered that the stomach acted strangely whenever emotional distress occurred. Excitement or nervous tension caused the stomach lining to turn bright red and become very active. The outcome was a landmark event for medical history. It could now be shown that emotional problems impact the body in real ways. Significantly, if sin brings about tension and stress, it causes real changes in the body. Pain is a logical result of sin.

The Healing Model: Evidence From Scripture

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Let us examine the scriptural mandate for the healing model. Every enduring program must pass this critical test. The healing model for evangelism grows out of many scriptures. Not only does it meet the textual demands of in­dividual pas­sages, it captures the divine attitude and spirit toward soulwinning.

1. The Old Testament uses the words for heal and healing in both a physical and a spiritual context.

• “So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.” Gen­esis 20:17
• “Turn again, and tell Heze­kiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: be­hold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.” II Kings 20:5
• “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14
• “I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.” Psalm 41:4

2. While physical healing demonstrated God’s power and compas­sion in both testaments, spiritual healing is His eternal purpose.

• “And if thy right eye of­fend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profit­able for thee that one of thy members sho­uld perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
• “And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” Mat­thew 5:29-30.
• “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” Malachi 4:2
• “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yie­lded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:2

3. Throughout the Bible, sin is characterized as disease, sickness and injury resulting in death.

• “Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
• “From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no sound­ness in it; but wounds, and brui­ses, and putrifying sores: they have not been clo­sed, neither bound up, neither mollified with oin­tment.” Isaiah 1:5-6
• “Come now, and let us reason to­gether, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18
• “There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.” Psalm 38:3
• “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sin­ned.” Romans 5:12
• “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

4. Sin, as a spiritual malady, causes pain, guil­t, loneliness and many other kinds of symptoms affecting the soul and spirit.

a. Adam and Eve were im­mediately struck with guilt and a sense of shame when they disobeyed God’s com­mand:

• “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themsel­ves aprons.
• “And they heard the voice of the LORD God wal­king in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid them­selves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:7-8

b. Pain was the consequence of their sin.

• “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy concep­tion; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth child­ren; and thy desire shall be to thy hus­band, and he shall rule over thee.
• “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hea­rkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I com­manded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
• “Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
• “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat brea­d, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Gen­esis 3:16-19.

c. Loneliness, shown by man­kind’s separa­tion from God, also resulted from sin.

• “Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
• “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims , and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” Genesis 3:23-24.

5. The ministry of Christ reinforces the healing model of evan­gelism.

a. The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches that a man’s neighbor is the one who cares about him most.

• “But a certain Samaritan, as he jour­neyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
• “And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. Luke 10:33-34

b. In His lesson on forgiveness and healing in Matthew 9, He seems to make little difference between sin and sickness in terms of the divine re­sponse.

“And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. “And, behold, certain of the scribes said wit­hin themselves, This man blasphem­eth. “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? “For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to for­give sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.” Matthew 9:2-6.

c. The beatitudes focus on hur­ting and de­prived people.

• “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
• “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be com­forted. “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
• “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteous­ness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:3-6.

d. Christ’s self concept was one of a healer of the soul.

• “And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
• “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken­hearted, to pre­ach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, “To preach the accep­table year of the Lord.
• “And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
• “And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Luke 4:17-21.
• “And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physi­cian; but they that are sick. “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:31-32

e. A healing ministry characterizes Christ’s mandate to the church.

• “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a strang­er, and ye took me in: “Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
• “Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee dr­ink?
• “When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
• “Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
• “And the King shall an­swer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:35-40

6. The essence of the Gospel is redemption.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; “To wit, that God was in Christ, re­conciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath com­mitted unto us the word of reconciliation. “Now then we are ambas­sadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” II Corin­thians 5:17-21

7. Physical healing was primarily used to show God’s power and to bring attention to the Gospel.

“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. “And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? “Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. “When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, “And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpreta­tion, Sent.) He went his way there­fore, and wash­ed, and came seeing.” John 9:1-3; 6-7.

8. Healing more fully represents the entire scope of salvation than does any other definition of soulwinning: The prior condition, the act of salvation, the nature of the soulwinner, the positive intent and pur­pose of God, and the generally holistic approach.

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. “But he was wounded for our trans­gressions, he was bruised for our ini­quities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are heal­ed. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:3-6.

The Healing Model: Scriptural Evidence

• Healing is both physical and spiritual.
• Spiritual healing is God’s eternal purpose.
• Sin is a disease which results in death.
• Christ’s ministry reinforces the healing model.
• The essence of the gospel is redemption.
• Physical healing proves God’s power to save from sin.
• Healing represents the entire scope of salvation.

Healing Evangelism: Ineffective Evangelism

Most churches take numerous roller‑­coaster rides on evangelistic programs. Some programs are ineffective, some are good, and a few get re­peated in the total church outreach. Through it all, however, both churches and pastors long for something that will penetrate deeply into basic attitudes about soulwin­ning. They lay aside most specialized programs after their novelty wears off. An old saw reminds us that “Anything will work if you will work it”. However true that may be, it seems difficult to picture Jesus as “working” at com­pas­sion, love, caring, win­ning souls and touching hearts. Yet, that is precisely where we often are as a church.

The healing model seeks to answer some of these fundamental problems that plague soulwin­ning. What person among us has not felt failure, frustra­tion, and even des­pair at attempts to witness? Many would­‑be soul­winners simply give up. They vow they have no ability, no motivation, and no power to do the job. The ones that have some success become dissatisfied with ineffective me­thods, incomplete results, and disap­pointments in people. All soulwinners battle the negative image that the world has of people who witness.

Frustration and Failure

Within two years of conversion, most Christians stop witnessing. Why? Do they grow carnal and indifferent? Do they run out of friends and family to talk to? Do they lose their zeal? Or do they finally tire of the con­stant rejections and retreat into their shells? Failure and frustration compound the problem. Evangelistic programs often seek to overcome these obstacles. Most of us have heard church members sharply rebuked for not witnessing in the following ways:

• “Failure to witness is a sin.”
• “If you don’t witness, you must be ashamed of Jesus.”
• “Don’t you care that millions are going to hell?”
• “If you’re not reproducing yourself spiritually, you’re not even saved!”
• “You’ve got to get over your shyness. After all, you have power to witness now. Have you lost the Holy Ghost?”

Can you imagine Jesus motivating people by guilt? Can you picture Him pres­suring people to succeed by appealing to their carnal instincts? Competition, material rewards, threats, ridicule, debasement, condemnation and caustic remarks have no place in evan­gelism. When we resort to such tactics, we may as well admit that we have a flaw­ed concept of the general mission of the church.

Incomplete Models

 
Many images of the soulwinners role have been projected to the church. We have been told the church is a sales force. A recently published book contends that we are in the business of marketing the church. Another one calls us warriors in the battle to save souls. Yet another por­trays the soulwinner as a fisherman that needs only to use the right lure. Seminars abound that instruct us how to scientifically define target areas, compile statistics, ana­lyze the demographics, and profile the kind of person we want and customize our appeal. Some of the models are listed below. Does long lasting motiva­tion come from these models?

Agent of Change

If we see ourselves as simply a prose­lytor or one who converts another to a different religion, we enter into a battle of wills. Winning is only a matter of sharper mental prowess, better argumentation, and a stronger will.

Conqueror

The appeal here is to pride, whether it is carnal or spiritual. Again, strength is the bottom line. It forces the soulwinner to continually ask himself if he is a spir­itual weakling.

Salesperson

Rejection is the nightmare of the sales­man. When we see soulwinning as selling, and the Gospel as the product, we set ourselves up for rejection. Success rises or falls on the fickleness of the “buy­er”. More­over, the sales model requires us to please, woo, trick, manip­ulate or trap the customer into buy­ing. For unscrup­ulous minds, pressure to “sell” the Gospel has even led to tampering with the message itself in order to make it more sale­able. Even if some elements of evan­gelism seem to fit this model, the premise is distasteful and false.

Pronouncer

“I’m right and you’re wrong.” This sums up the style of the pronouncer. When you tell people to shut up and listen to you, you eliminate ninety‑nine percent of the souls you want to win. It is neither soulwinning nor witnessing.

Inspector

For this person, the sinner’s sins are so offensive that he continual­ly reacts and points his finger at the flaws. He is like the quality control inspector who is trained to look for scrap. His tools of trade are mi­crometers and scales. Before he shows any care or mercy, he is alert to every dif­ference, every variant belief, every mis­sed step, and every questionable move. The Bible tea­ches, however, that “all have sinned.” It’s not necessary to inspect for flaws. The flaws were deeply ingrained in us through Adam’s sin. We should search for ways to care.

Sportfisherman

 
Yes, Jesus said we would be fishers of men. He said this, however, to career fishermen who could easily understand His reference. They didn’t fish for the sport of it. We must see souls as more than wily fish. Soulwinners must be more than rod and reel experts who enjoy a good challenge.

Hunter

Is a soulwinner someone with a rifle and binoculars out stalk­ing his prey? Should we think of souls as trophies that hang from our walls? Are we out for bragging rights, record racks and pric­ey pelts? Not much compassion exists in this mod­el.

Counselor

 
Our total mission as a soulwinner is not over when we help to relieve someone’s spiritual discomfort. While we must care about a person’s pain, we also recognize that the problem will never be solved until he or she deals with the sin question. Band-Aids are only a temporary answer until a com­plete treatment is pos­sible.

Politician

Do you ever get the feeling that modern evangelism has come down to popularity contests between preachers, churches or denomina­tions? Does it seem that whoever puts on the biggest show, builds the finest facil­ity, offers the widest range of services, or handles public relations in the most profes­sional way gets deemed most likely to grow? These techni­ques are not inherently wro­ng, but they often become the main thrust of the church. They do not mean that smaller chur­ches will never win souls.

Charismatic Personality

 
Madison Avenue idolizes glamour and glitz. Far too many of us assume that plain looks and average personalities cannot win souls. Smiles and handshakes and re­membering names may be pre­scribed by the world in the quest for suc­cess, but winning souls moves quickly beyond such super­ficial tactics.

This does not exhaust the list of evangelism models, but it repre­sents a genre of ideas that appeal to the wrong instincts and emotions within us. Pride, com­petition, fleshly glory, philanthropy or worldly ac­claim cannot provide an en­during reason for the church to reach out to the world. The less noble the cause, the more badgering and pressure must be applied to keep it going.

Dissatisfaction with Results

In assessing the results of an evan­gelism program, we must look at the impact on both the soulwinner and the soul. First, many who patter­n after incomplete models may become deeply dis­couraged by failure and rejection. After long periods of rejection, they back away from initiating a witness. Occasionally, a stirring message about winning the lost provokes them to repent about their failure to wit­ness. They try again, fail, and repeat the process over and over. Eventually, they just repent about not witnes­sing, but never do anything else about it. Others become radical about witnessing and pride themsel­ves in “telling” people about Jesus. For all their talk, however, they win few, if any, souls. Still others perceive witnessing as setting people straigh­t, winning ar­guments, scoring points, and parading their know­ledge about the Bible. Those who fail at soulwinning often say things like:

• “I’ve tried and I just can’t do it.”
• “I’m not the type to win souls.”
• “I need more training.” (And more, and more.­..)
• “I don’t know enough about the Bible.”
• “People just don’t want the Lord anymore.”
• “I’m not comfortable with sinners.”
• “I always manage to stick my foot in my mouth­.”

Such expressions are based on mistaken models of soulwin­ning. Efforts that contradict scriptural patterns will produce more failures than successes. In the end, people who once desired to win souls be­lieve that it is either not possible or ex­tremely dif­ficult. They talk of a “burnt-over” field. They believe that revival has moved el­sewhere, that no one wants what they’ve got, that there must be sin in the church, or that God is displeased with the spiritual program of the church.

Second, people who are won by wrong methods and for wrong reasons often suffer from incomplete conversions and short-lived changes. They make a profes­sion, get “religion”, pray, have a religious experience, attend church, buy a Bible, sign cards and do lots of other things associated with conversion. Deep-rooted sin, however, remains large­ly un­touched in their lives. Souls “won” by a prideful or com­petitive motive often become statistics on a chart rather than true instances of salvation.

Genuine con­version, however, purges the soul from all sin. We cannot conscientiously preach a gospel that sees anything less than this as its goal. One wise, old preacher put it this way. “We may not be perfect, but our standard is not imperfection!” Sal­vation may be instantaneous, but it must not be super­ficial.

Easy-believism, a new word coined in the past few years, defines a trendy c­heap­ening of the grace of God. Those who practice it desire crowds and outward results at any cost. Easy-believism springs from false models and methods of evangelism. It may happen because pressure to “succeed” leads people to sanction what­ever results occur and pass it off as a genuine conversion. It may happen because someone’s ambition to be seen as a soulwinner takes prece­dence over anything else. In truth, one’s reputation is unimportant. The important thing is that souls do have to be saved. Most of us today are tired of ineffective evan­gelism.

Negative Image of Witnessing and Evan­gelism

Finally, all of us who yearn for more effective evangelism face an uphill battle against the negative image of witnessing. People are turned off by pushy, dogmatic zealots who are often long on words and short on action. Everyone has heard jokes about certain religious organizations and cults. People make jokes about them because few care to sit through a mechanized perfor­mance flow-charted right down to the last raised eye­brow or slammed door. It insults and de-humanizes.

Have you noticed that conversations that turn to religion and politics often end in futile arguments? Sometimes people notify others that they refuse to discuss either one. Why? Because they recognize that not much good is ever done by it, even if they can hold their own in a debate. Witnessing sessions that degener­ate into haggling over scriptures, or that go off on the tangent of hypotheti­cal questions actually become counter-productive. Those who insist on this kind of witness make it harder on all of us.

People who talk too loudly about their faith get branded as “Jesus freaks”. In many cases, the criticism is well deserved. Any witness given outside the context of caring and sensitivity is almost sure to spark re­sentment. Unfortunately, the potential for getting stig­matized is so real that many Christians clam up altogether.

Other practices also give witnessing a bad name. Awkward confrontations, cars plastered with bumper stickers, proselytizing on company time, guilt mongering, judgmentalism and condemnation turn off the average person. In Christian circles, those who reduce their witness to statistics or numbers cause all kinds of havoc. Some inflate their numbers or use questionable means to arrive at an impressive number. The actual conversions become secondary to the number each one repre­sents. All of these indicate ineffective evan­gelism.