d a r e
t o
b e
l u t h e r a n
igher Thing
A Special Topical Issue:
Evangelism
• Feel Free to Pass on the Good News! • The Liturgy: Tried and True Evangelism • It’s All About the Seed, Not the Sower • We Don’t “Do” Evangelism
www
S P R I N G 2 0 1 7 _
. h i g h e r t h i n g s . o r g / S P RING / 2 0 1 7 1
Lutheran theology can be complicated.
But it doesn’t have to be.
When words like dichotomy, canonicity, and adiaphora cloud our understanding of theology, it can be hard to answer the question, “What do Lutherans really believe?” H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 2
Deepen your understanding of more than twenty hallmarks, including:
Hallmarks of Lutheran Identity explains important doctrines and practices in an easy-to-understand way that doesn’t water down Lutheran theology or its rich historical traditions. 124497 $14.99 336 pages Paperback cph.org/hallmarks 800.325.3040 order@cph.org
• Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura, and Solus Christus • The Dichotomy of Law and Gospel • Christ’s Presence in the Lord’s Supper • Luther’s Unique Insight on the Theology of the Cross
Contents T A B L E O F
Volume 17/Number 1 • Spring 2017
HigherThings
®
Volume 17/Number 1/Spring 2017 Bible Studies for these articles can be found at: higherthings.org/ magazine/biblestudies.html Editor
W
hether it’s defending your faith (apologetics) or sharing your faith (evangelism), it’s really the same message: JESUS for you. No matter which you do, the true Worker is really the same: the Holy Spirit through you. Jesus wanted all creation to hear His Gospel (Mark 16:15), that He really died and really rose for all people. The Holy Spirit uses that Word: when it’s preached, read, tied to water or bread and wine. He creates faith in Jesus. He sustains faith Jesus. The great joy of sharing the faith is that all the pressure is off you, and it’s all on God. No one believes by their own reason or strength, and you can’t make them believe either. That’s real evangelism right there: the Triune God redeeming, calling, and saving sinners, and that’s exactly what you’ll read more about in the pages of our spring topical issue!
Katie Hill Art Director
Steve Blakey Editorial Associates
Rev. Greg Alms Rev. Paul Beisel Rev. Gaven Mize Rev. Dr. Matthew Richard Copy Editor
Dana Niemi Bible Study Authors
Rev. Jacob Ehrhard Rev. Aaron Fenker Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz Subscriptions Manager
Elizabeth Carlson
In Christ, Rev. Aaron T. Fenker Higher Things Media Executive
___________ Board of Directors President
Rev. George Borghardt Vice-President
Rev. Duane Bamsch
Special Features 4 Feel Free to Pass on the Good News!
By Rev. George F. Borghardt Did you know that Lutherans were the first “evangelicals”? There’s a reason for that and Rev. Borghardt, in his gospelly way, launches our topical issue helping us to understand what that means for us today.
6 We Don’t “Do” Evangelism
By Rev. Donavon Riley The most creative evangelism efforts won’t amount to anything, asserts Rev. Riley, if we fail to look toward and point to the very ways the person and work of Christ are communicated to us: through water, Word and Supper. Essentially, evangelism is “done to us” through the Holy Spirit and that will naturally lead to our evangelism of others.
8 It’s All About the Seed, Not the Sower
By Rev. Eric Brown When we read the Parable of the Sower we tend to spend a lot of the time puzzled over why the sower seems to be so careless. Rev. Brown demystifies this parable by showing us that all we need to focus on is what Jesus is telling us: The seed is the Word of God.
10 Planting and Watering
By Rev. Joel Fritsche Rev. Fritsche, an LCMS missionary in the Dominican Republic, encourages you to plant and water in light of the reality that God’s way of reaching out to us and others is through His means of grace, no matter where the mission field is.
12 Seven Apologists Every Christian Should Know,
Conclusion
Declare First, Defend Second: Why Apologetics Takes a Backseat to Evangelism
By Rev. Mark A. Pierson How much of a role does apologetics play in evangelism? Find out in Rev. Pierson’s masterful conclusion to his “7 Apologists Every Christian Should Know” series.
Treasurer
18 Third Article Evangelism
By Rev. Chris Rosebrough It’s common to hear in Christian circles that to become a Christian one must “decide” and “ask Jesus into one’s heart” in order to have some kind of conversion experience. Rev. Rosebrough reminds us via the Third Article of the Apostles Creed that this is not, in fact, how people come to Christ.
20 The Liturgy: Tried and True Evangelism
By Katie Hill Whether you’ve grown up Lutheran or are new to the scene, Katie shows you there’s a not-so-secret agenda behind our church liturgy: the clear proclamation of the Gospel.
22 Evangelism on the College Campus: Fish Don’t Want to Be Caught
By Rev. Philip Young As a former college ministry advisory pastor, Rev. Young has keen insight into how evangelism happens on a college campus and what results should really look like. (We think his 2012 HT Magazine article provides a such significant understanding of our topic that we are revisiting it).
Regular Features 28 Catechism: The Small Catechism for Evangelism
By Rev. William M. Cwirla Rev. Cwirla makes the case for keeping your catechism handy in your evangelism toolbox. Its simplicity and back-to-basics format will equip you to have answers for your friends who might be inquiring about what you believe.
30 Bible Study: It’s All About the Seed, Not the Sower
Be sure to check out this sample of one of our student Bible studies which links up with Rev. Eric Brown’s article on P. 8.
Mr. Eric Maiwald Secretary
Rev. Joel Fritsche Deaconess Ellie Corrow Rev. D. Carl Fickenscher Mr. Bob Myers Rev. Chris Rosebrough ___________
Executive Council Deputy Executive/ Conference and Retreats
Sandra Ostapowich Media Executive
Rev. Aaron Fenker Business Executive
Connie Brammeier Marketing Executive
Ann Osburn
Development Executive
Erica Jacoby
Higher Things® Magazine ISSN 1539-8455 is published quarterly by Higher Things, Inc., PO Box 156, Sheridan, WY 82801. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the executive editor of Higher Things Magazine. Copyright 2017. Higher Things® is registered trademarks of Higher Things Inc.; All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at St. Louis, Missouri. For subscription information and questions, call 1-888-4826630, then press 4, or e-mail subscriptions@higherthings.org. (This phone number is only used for subscription queries.) For letters to the editor, write letters@higher things.org. Writers may submit manuscripts to: submissions@ higherthings.org. Please check higherthings.org/magazine/ writers.html for writers’ guidelines and theme lists.
S P R I N G 2 0 1 7 _ 3
Declare First, Defend Second:
Why Apologetics Takes
7
Apologists Every Christian Should Know Conclusion
H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 12
“How many dinosaurs did Noah put on the ark?”“If God made the world, then who made God?”“Don’t all religions basically teach the same thing, just in different ways?” Some years ago, these and other questions were asked of me—or, targeted at me—by three skeptics over dinner. It wasn’t a planned, coordinated attack on their part; it just sort of happened. One by one, they tried to show me that I believe in a fairy tale, that my faith is unreasonable, and that I’m narrow-minded and intolerant. So I dove right into the deep end of apologetics and began defending the truth the best I could. Logic, science, history—I used them all to show that Christianity rests on facts and I’m not a fool for believing it. I even did a fairly decent (though not perfect) job of keeping my composure in the face of their snarky slurs, sloppy thinking, and constant interruptions. But when all was said and done, they remained unconvinced and I was left utterly frustrated. What had gone wrong? At first I figured it was all their fault. None of them were particularly interested in having a conversation; each merely wanted to take potshots at what I believe. And I still think that’s probably true. I’ve talked to enough unbelievers to know when they’ve stopped listening and just want to lob one-liners or bring up “difficult” questions to make themselves look intellectually (or morally) superior. Solid answers often won’t get them to reconsider their unbelief because they are playing a game of one-upmanship, quickly moving from one predictable objection to the next in hopes of landing a knockout punch. Indeed, it was a bit like trying to have a fruitful exchange in the YouTube comments section—a nearly impossible task! Quite a bit later, however, I realized that my whole approach had been wrong. I was putting the cart before the horse and expecting apologetics to do something it was never intended to do.
The Limits of Apologetics Apologetics is important to me. There was a time when I had serious doubts about the Bible, about the truth of Easter, and about the claims of Jesus. Thankfully, I met a wise and patient apologist, Dr. Rod Rosenbladt, who answered my questions with reason and evidence. He demonstrated that Christianity centers on facts, on history, on Truth incarnate, such that it can be explored and investigated by believers and unbelievers alike. This was a lifesaver for me. All I had heard from Christians were personal testimonies, appeals to emotion, and the silly notion that faith should be blind. But here was an approach that appealed to my mind and not just my heart. In short, apologetics kept me from thinking Scripture should begin with “Once upon a time...” I then tried to learn as much as possible about apologetics so that I could shoot down the most popular objections to
a Backseat to Evangelism By Rev. Mark A. Pierson
Christianity and help others do the same. After consuming numerous books, lectures, and videos, I became convinced that I could win virtually any argument. This, I thought, was the key to conversion: just defeat your opponents on scholarly grounds and they will be forced to accept your position and believe the Good News. Ah, how foolish and naïve I was. You see, in my zeal to defend the gospel as true, I ignored a crucial part of my training and committed the colossal blunder of starting with apologetics. As in the above example, I would spend hours arguing with people over
evidence without first declaring what Jesus had done for them. So eager was I to act like a lawyer and make a convincing case for Christianity that the gospel message itself seldom (if ever) saw the light of day. I had assumed everyone already knew the Good News when in fact most didn’t. What is more, I was expecting apologetics to have the effect that only the proclaimed Word has. Facts, reason, and evidence are of great value, to be sure, but that value is limited, for they do not and cannot create faith in the heart. And that, above all else, is why evangelism always comes first. Where I had gone wrong was in
thinking that defending the truth and declaring the truth were the same thing. But in fact, apologetics is merely evangelism’s handmaiden. It serves a vital purpose, but when and how apologetics comes into play always depends on the particular circumstances. For example, one skeptic will deny that Jesus existed, another will ask about contradictions in the Bible, and some won’t raise any objections at all. The proclamation that Christ is the Savior of sinners, however, is for all people without qualification. Only the astonishing truth that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto
S P R I N G 2 0 1 7 _ 13
he Liturgy: Tried and True Evangelism By Katie Hill
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16)
To an outsider looking in, the historic liturgy of the Church might H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 20
seem like something out the Dark Ages, particularly in a culture that tries to make everything “relevant” or “relatable”. Liturgy, simply put, is a pattern of worship. Lutherans understand liturgy as God serving His people by the proclamation of the Gospel and administration of the Means of Grace, and in response we get to offer thanks and praise to Him. Good liturgy is evangelistic by design. I was raised as a very traditional Roman Catholic but I chose to leave that church when I was 18. So, for a long time, I eyed anything even vaguely liturgical with great suspicion. Repeating the same words at church over and over again? Nope! Pastors wearing vestments? May it never be! Incense? Are you kidding? What I didn’t realize then was that much of that liturgy I had experienced every Sunday growing up had been evangelizing me all along.
After two decades of various denominational and non-denominational church experience, I converted to Lutheranism 10 years ago. In short order, the liturgy became something from which I learned to draw great comfort. My previous objection of “That’s just vain repetition,” was cast aside. That repetition became near and dear to me—it nurtured my faith. And when I reflected upon my Roman Catholic upbringing I came to a stunning realization that, although there were parts of the Mass or what was preached from the pulpit that clouded or even obscured the Gospel, much of the liturgy came straight out of the Scriptures. It’s not as though Martin Luther set out to reinvent the liturgy wheel. Remember, he sought only to reform the church and promote the Gospel with as much clarity as possible. Luther took the liturgy that had been taught for centuries, translated it into the language of the people, and filtered it through the Lutheran confessions that sought to return the Christian Church to her biblical roots. And so today, we can experience a liturgy that is undergirded by centuries of practice and history, in the Divine Service, Daily Offices and other services. Simply put, the liturgy’s job is to feed our faith. Our Confession puts it this way: “The purpose of observing ceremonies is that men may learn the Scriptures and that those who have been touched by the Word may receive faith and fear and so may also pray.” (Apology XXIV:3). It accomplishes this in various settings but we can zero in on a few areas in the Divine Service for a few examples: Confession and Absolution You’ve probably heard it claimed that there is a certain prayer that one must pray to “make a decision” for Christ. This is often called the Sinner’s Prayer— something one can point to and say “That’s when I became a Christian.” And believe it or not, our liturgy has a sinner’s prayer, too…every time we confess and receive Absolution! After we are faced with the demands of God’s Holy Law we cry out, “I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities.”“Forgive us, renew us, and lead us!” After this we hear, “I therefore forgive you in the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.” We recognize our sin, repent and receive Absolution. This isn’t a one-time event. This is an as-much-as-we-need-it gift! Why is this important? While it’s vital we seek to reach non-Christians with the Good news, Christians need to hear the Gospel, too! Both you, and that friend from school you brought to church last Sunday to hear
about Christ, got to hear the same thing! Liturgy is an equal opportunity evangelizer! The Creeds We say, alongside our brothers and sisters, three creeds—or confessions of belief—(Apostles’, Nicene or Athanasian), all of which speak of the God whom we worship and how He has saved us through the work of His Son. This goes counter to much of mainstream Christianity which will often assert,“No creed but Jesus!” That just doesn’t make sense, because the creeds are all about Jesus. Christians throughout the centuries have declared the same words, which is why it creates a unity that is faithstrengthening every time we recite the creeds. The Lord’s Supper This is the ultimate altar call! We go to the altar, not to make a decision for Christ or to rededicate our lives to Him. Rather, because He has dedicated Himself to us, we get to receive Him. Our faith is strengthened by hearing His words “This is my body…this is my blood…for YOU” and our spirits are nourished when we drink from the cup and eat His body, broken for us. This is crystal-clear evangelism. Benediction To the very end, our liturgy is reminding us of the Gospel. Benediction means “good words” and that’s exactly what we get to hear before Divine Service ends…the Good News. “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you and give you peace.” We are reminded to Whom we belong and that we have true peace through His Son, Jesus Christ. These sections of the Divine Service are just the tip of the liturgy iceberg. We can turn to any page in our service books and find the faithful proclamation of the Gospel. The liturgy is designed from start to finish to point to and give us Christ. From the Sacrament of the Altar, to your Pastor’s final words; from the baptism of a new child in Christ to that tiny little “+” in the text, you’ll see it’s true. More than that, it is a small but delightful taste of what we get to look forward to in Paradise. And when it comes to communicating the Good News, that’s as relevant and relatable as it gets. Katie Hill is the editor of Higher Things Magazine. She can be reached at katie.hill@higherthings.org. S P R I N G 2 0 1 7 _ 21