There has definitely been one over the last one hundred years in the church, but the question we ask in the title above is one worth our honest exploration. Has the evangelism explosion the New Testament church has been involved in been a true success, a marginal success, or a historic failure?

Some would scoff at the mere thought of the question and dismiss it right away as Satan inspired negativism. But, may I gently, but firmly admonish you to stick around and hear what I have to say?

Since the turn of the 20th century the gospel of grace has definitely been preached. It has been preached in the church house, in the streets, in neighborhoods, door to door, in schools, and the workplace. Gospel tracts have found their way into many a public restroom and on restaurant tables. Preachers have sounded loud and long the old, old story of how Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, died a substitutionary death on the cross, rose bodily from the borrowed tomb, and ascended to the right hand of the Father…where He now intercedes for all who accept Him by faith. Thank God for this fact!

But, have we in our zeal for an evangelism explosion lost a part of the message? Or rather have we simply not felt it necessary to focus on this missing part of the good news?

Please, don’t stop reading here or you will be tempted to label me a heretic for sure!

The part of the evangelistic message I am speaking of is so vital, because if it is left out or minimized, it greatly decreases the chances of true conversion. But, if we teach this important truth to sinners, it will truly produce an evangelism explosion like we have never seen!

O.K…O.K. I’ll tell you what it is. It is true, Biblical repentance. Repentance from sin and to God through Jesus Christ! Oh, I can hear some of you right now, saying, “But I do preach repentance in my Gospel message!” Are you absolutely sure about that? What I mean is, are you sure you are thoroughly convincing sinners of their sin enough to produce a true explosion of humility in their hearts so that they see God almighty for who He is and bow their head low in shame over the conviction in their soul? If not, you may just be delivering into this world stillborns, or more appropriately called false converts.

Let me stop right here and say that I firmly believe the Bible doctrine of eternal security (John 10:20-29, 5:24; & many other scriptures). But, I also believe that more often than we are willing to admit there are many who think they have received the gift of eternal life, but in reality, they have not. They never produce any fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). They do not fear God and they have no concern for the lost, but a fatal attraction for the world. Charles Spurgeon, the prince of preachers, once said, ” Have you no desire to convert the lost? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that.”

Where then are we missing our mark in the heart of the sinner? We are missing the mark and failing to ignite evangelistic fire, by failing to use the Law of God properly in its capacity to convert the soul.

“We are not under the Law!”, I hear some of you scream at your computer screen. Ah, I agree, but the unregenerate sinner needs to be placed under it for a time in order for it to do its work before the Gospel can take root.

Let me explain…The Bible says, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul…” What does the Bible say is perfect and converts the soul? The Law of God! (Don’t click away yet!) The Law must have its perfect work in the sinner’s heart to prepare the way for the Gospel much like John the Baptist prepared the way for our Lord’s ministry. God has designed the Law of God (the Ten Commandments) as His forerunner.

Everyone knows that for a battery to work, there must be a positive charge and a negative ground. It’s the same with the Gospel and simply saying “all have sinned” is just not the best way to evangelize, because many will not be fully convinced of their sin until they come under the heavy hand of the Law. Galatians 3:24 states plainly, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” In fact the apostle Paul stated that he had not known sin, but by the Law!

The Law of God was given for the simple purpose of bringing the knowledge of sin, so that man would truly see his need for the Savior! This method is the Bible method for reaching past man’s intellect into his conscience and rooting up his natural sense of right and wrong that God, Himself, put within his heart.

Very simply put, when the Law of God is preached pointedly to a sinner before the Gospel, then he or she understands the nature of their sins. Their sins become exceedingly sinful in their own sight because they know that it is in God’s! Then judgment, hell, and the cross make sense!

This is where the evangelism explosion really begins and people begin getting soundly saved in this day and time in which we live!
This article is merely a brief introduction into this Biblical teaching. More in depth study can be found at LivingWaters.com.

I do not necessarily endorse all that is taught by the Living Waters ministry, but I will tell you that you will not find more effective gospel tracts anywhere that present the Gospel in the manner we have described.

Also, I have found no one to better and more fully explain this principle than Ray Comfort, who runs the Living Waters ministry. Let me caution you however that some of Ray’s teachings, although he denies advocation of “sinless perfection”, seem to me to reflect that doctrine. I believe firmly that a person who gets saved by the grace of God ought to live a life that reflects the grace he has received, but I do not believe that we can (Biblically) or should add law keeping to God’s perfect gift of salvation.

The blood of Jesus Christ “cleanseth us” from all sin, not just some of it!

Evangelism explosions cannot be based on unscriptural compromises.