A Case for E-0 Evangelism

The month of June, 2008 isn't over yet but it is already one that I will remember for a long time. Not merely because it is the longest amount of time I have been apart from my girlfriend since we started dating (or perhaps since we have known each other). But because it is the first time that I have seen a multiple accounts of apostasy within my social circle (of any period) during a very short period of time. This is not a shock to me at all. Mark my words; I will have more friends within the coming years who reject Christ in one way or another. But it does make me think about what I could have done in obedience to Christ that might have changed this situation. The reason I want to be careful with my words and focus on obedience is because I believe in God's sovereignty over all things, including salvation. But there is one thing that I want to make a case that I, and other Christians, should be doing much more frequently. In missiological terms (the science and practice of missions) this is known as E-0 evangelism.

Stay with me, this is an important truth that is VERY easy to understand. If I am talking about the different levels of evangelism I might refer to local or foreign evangelism. If I am referring only to local evangelism I could be talking about within this country, region, state, or city. These different levels are referred to in missiology as E-1, E-2, E-3, etc.. But there is one form of evangelism that is often either overemphasized or neglected. E-0 evangelism is evangelism that happens inside the church to her own members. One would think that this shouldn't be necessary but we all know that there are people within the church who are as lost as anybody outside of it. So I want to make a case for E-0 evangelism.

The most important part of this form of evangelism is from the pulpit. The gospel should be the center of every sermon because it is the center of the Bible's message. But what about within our everyday lives? I remember one instance in which my friend (who is now an agnostic) was doing something that I was convicted of as sin. I jokingly said that it wasn't a good idea but didn't outright plead with him to reconsider for the sake of his soul. Had I done that then (and I'm sure there were plenty of other occasion) it might have exposed the real problem before he outright abandoned belief in God. In other words, I could have confronted him with the gospel before his heart became so hard as to bring about this new manifestation of the unbelief that had been there his whole life.

In reality this is why church discipline exists, for the good of the person being disciplined. But the point is that we should, in one way or another, be communicating the gospel to fellow Christians whether they are in sin or not. That is the heart of Christianity from the new birth till the day we drop.

So now I move to a new type of evangelism with these friends. But the lesson I come away with is very valuable. Perhaps God is using this situation to save someone within the church down the road; I would be incredibly grateful if He were to use me in that. This was a different type of post in many ways but I hope it has been valuable for you in some way.

"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)

Now get off the computer and serve Him! :-P
Stephen