How can we avoid misguided evangelism?

Don Hart explains in this video that there is a lot of well-intentioned evangelism that is misguided. For instance, there are those who believe that salvation is dependent on the sovereignty of man instead of the sovereignty of God. There are those that believe we are responsible for anyone who goes to hell that we didn't evangelize to or when we tried to, we didn't do it effectively. Charles Finney once said that if you gave him 15 minutes with any man, he allegedly could make sure that they were saved. The remedy for correcting misguided evangelism is a knowledge of the Scriptures and an understanding of sound doctrine.

The fact is, God saves, not us. It is his irresistible grace, it is a gift of faith, it is being drawn to Jesus Christ. It is a heart of stone turned to a heart of flesh. That is the effective work of evangelism. Salvation is not something that an incredibly persuasive person can take credit for or that a saved person can boast in. It is the work of the Holy Spirit and God gets all the glory, not man.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) – “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Our Lord's last command is our first priority. In the church, in the family, in the city, to the ends of the earth, join us in October for White Under Harvest. I think knowing and understanding the Scriptures are incredibly important for the work of evangelism. I think sound doctrine is incredibly important for the work of evangelism. There's quite a bit of well-intentioned evangelism that I believe is misguided because of a wrong understanding of the Scriptures.

There are those who believe that salvation is something dependent on the sovereignty of man as opposed to the sovereignty of God. There are those who believe that you or I might be responsible for everyone who goes to hell, who we either don't evangelize or don't evangelize effectively. Even Charles Finney had a bit of a disturbing application when he said, give me 15 minutes with any man. And I can effectively be certain that he's saved. That's a bit of a summary of his precise position of how effective he believed he could be in evangelism.

But the fact is that it's God. It's His irresistible grace. It is a gift of faith. It is being drawn to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is enmity ending and friendship beginning and a heart of stone turned to a heart of flesh that is the effective work of evangelism.

And that's not something for which any incredibly persuasive man can take credit. And that's not something for which any saved person can boast. That is the work of the Holy Spirit for which God gets all the glory, not any man.