CROSSFLAME

Acknowledgments

This manual was written, and originally published, on the mission field under extremely adverse conditions. Between unwanted attention from the police, severe health problems and the time constraints of leading a team of missionaries, it is a miracle that this manual was completed. It was not completed alone.

Many thanks go to Frontiers' Missionary team I lead. Not only did they type, edit and help to print the original CROSSFLAME manual, but they served as willing and eager guinea pigs for the first application of the CROSSFLAME principles to missionaries in a closed Muslim country. Their faithful labors eventually resulted in 43 Muslims being baptized and 5 missionaries going to jail (oppressive Muslim governments have no sense of humor about religion). With out their labor, both the heroic and the unseen, this manual would never have been written.

Most importantly, unmeasured thanks go to our Lord Jesus. Because of His grace, forgiveness and love an unworthy sinner has been allowed the privilege of proclaiming His glory to the nations.

CROSSFLAME, Version I94.1

Copyright, (c), 1993 by Bob Cunningham. All Rights reserved

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to CROSSFLAME: Biblical principles for sharing the gospel. This booklet has been written to assist you to acquire the skills of an evangelist through an on-going relationship with a mentor who is leading Muslims to Christ. This booklet will provide you with the theory. Your mentor will show you how to apply these theories. There is nothing new in this booklet. Every principle contained here can be found in the writings of men who are far more qualified than I to write on evangelism. (In fact, the names of many of these books are included in the text.) But as A.W. Tozer said, "Others before me have gone much farther into these holy mysteries than I have done, but if my fire is not large it is yet real, and there may be those who can light their candle at its flame."

The principles contained in these materials are intensely practical. These evangelistic skills were not acquired in the classroom. They were learned by applying the teaching of others in the laboratory of life. Although I am still in the process of learning, I, and those I have had the privilege of working with for the past 15 years, have seen these principles work. They work in America. They work in the Middle East. They will work in your life.

This booklet was not written for your information but for your application. Missiologists and theologians are not welcome here. They have their contribution to make, but this booklet is written for the soldier in the field. The field can be a weary and discouraging place if you are not seeing souls come to Christ. Fellow soldiers, be encouraged! You can see fruit - not in five years, not in ten years -- but this year.

These materials can help you be fruitful this year. They cannot make you fruitful (Jesus alone can do that), but they can help. The remainder of this introduction will talk about how these materials can help you. I believe it is important that you understand two things:

1) Evangelism is a skill.

2) Evangelistic skills are passed on in a learner relationship.

1. EVANGELISM IS A SKILL

Evangelism is a skill. It is a skill every believer can master. Evangelism is not a divine miracle that is bestowed upon people in some mysterious and mystical way. Neither is it primarily a gift or calling (although the gift of evangelism and the calling of evangelist are undeniably present in the scriptures and the church).

There is a tendency for missionaries to fall into two opposite but equally deadly errors. Some of us believe that evangelism is a supernatural process which has little or no relationship to human methodology. Conversely, some of us believe that we would become fruitful in evangelism if only we could increase our knowledge of evangelistic techniques.

The precious doctrine of the sovereignty of God can become a refuge for our own inadequacies and failings. If God has sovereignly decided not to produce fruit through me, then I am relieved of all responsibility. Of course, very few of us believe that God arbitrarily decides that He will give fruit to this one and not to another. However, we do not take on our own shoulders the responsibility for seeing fruit.

Who does God hold responsible?

"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD." (Eze. 22:30, 31)

God looked for a man, yet He did not find one. Because He could not find a man He could use, He consumed the people. God is looking for men and women whom He can use. He has already gone on record that it is His will for you to bear fruit. "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name." (Jn. 15:16) God always keeps His promises. If you are not seeing fruit, you must not blame God.

The foolishness of making our fruitlessness God's fault is described by Charles Finney, one of the world's greatest evangelists. One hundred and fifty years after his death, his ministry continues to bear fruit through his writings. What does Finney say about evangelism (which he called revival)?

Revival is the result of the right use of constituted means. It is not a miracle, nor dependent on a miracle. There has long been an idea prevalent that promoting religion has something very peculiar in it, not to be judged by the ordinary rules of cause and effect. No doctrine is more dangerous than this to the prosperity of the Church. Suppose a man were to go and preach this doctrine among farmers, about their sowing grain. Let him tell them that God is a sovereign and will give them a crop only when it pleases Him, and that for them to plow, and plant, and labor as if they expected to raise a crop, is very wrong, and taking the work out of the hands of God. And suppose the farmers should believe that doctrine. Why, they would starve the world to death. Just such results would follow the Churches' being persuaded that promoting religion is somehow so mysterious a subject of Divine sovereignty, that there is natural connection between the means and the end. I fully believe, that could the facts be known, it would be found that when the appointed means have been rightly used, spiritual blessings have been obtained with greater uniformity than temporal ones.

Once you understand that evangelism is a skill and not a miracle, you may rush headlong into another error and multiply efforts to gain knowledge about evangelism. Knowledge of evangelistic techniques is not enough. You must possess the skills of an evangelist.

Our present day impotence in evangelism is due in large measure to the fact that we have made evangelism an intellectual exercise, something to be studied and written about. But we allow very few opportunities for Christian workers to receive hands-on training. Nowhere is this more true than the field of Muslim evangelism. The results of this vacuum are predictable.

Imagine a coach trying to develop a world class soccer team. Where would he invest most of his time - in the classroom or the playing field? Would he have his team studying books about the soccer techniques of Pelé? No! He would have them out on the soccer field dribbling the ball, passing the ball, making lots of mistakes but receiving his expert correction. Under his mentoring, this team would make far more progress than if they had studied and received Ph.D.s in Soccerology.

Evangelism is a skill. If we are to see large numbers of Muslims coming to Christ, we must believe that personal evangelism is the responsibility and ability of every believer. Only if every new believer is mobilized as an evangelist can we hope to make a dent in the obscenely large number of unsaved Muslims in the world. We cannot righteously teach that evangelism is the duty of every believer if evangelism is primarily a gift of God. It would be wrong for us to lay a burden on new believers which could only be discharged if they are specially or uniquely gifted.

Of course, some are specially gifted in evangelism just as some are specially gifted in giving. Yet we expect all believers to give. Some are specially gifted to teach. Yet we expect all elders to be able to teach. Some have special gifts of mercy and faith. Yet we expect all believers to be merciful and have faith. Evangelism is no different. Some will be especially gifted in evangelism. They will see more fruit more easily than their brothers and sisters. But this does not relieve the burden of evangelism from the shoulders of every member of the body of Christ.

Once we understand that evangelism is a skill we can impart to others, we simultaneously accomplish two things. First, it is possible for all members of the body of Christ to be mobilized for ministry. Second, it is possible for believers to be free from the frustration of failure which has characterized their previous attempts at evangelism by training them how to effectively fish for men.

2. EVANGELISTIC SKILLS ARE DEVELOPED THROUGH MENTORING

When Jesus called the first disciples he said to them, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." (Mt. 4:19) He entered into a three-and-a-half-year training program with them in order to teach them how to fish for men. Notice that He did not simply impart to them spiritual gifts or spiritual power, but He trained them. Gifting is helpful and power is essential, but an untrained man has no idea what to do with the power at his disposal.

Jesus did not primarily teach His followers about evangelism. In fact, there is very little direct lecturing in the Gospels about fishing for men. Instead, Jesus trained His disciples how to evangelize. He modeled before them His evangelistic techniques. He sent them out to copy what He had done. Then He corrected their mistakes. In other words, he was their mentor.

If you are going to acquire and pass on evangelistic skills, you must understand the process of mentoring. Developing skills through mentoring involves finding a model, copying his example and receiving his correction. Books and tapes can help you (especially if they focus on application instead of theory). However, they cannot provide you with feedback. Books and tapes cannot correct your mistakes or show you where you might improve in your ability to share Christ. Mentoring is the Biblical model.

As you begin to learn the principles of CROSSFLAME, you must actively seek to apply what Jesus teaches you and receive correction from your leaders. This will take a tremendous amount of commitment and self-discipline. Evangelistic skills will only be developed if you are "in the game." Only as you are evangelizing can your coach help you to apply the truths in this manual. You can succeed - if you are hungry enough.

This manual contains what I believe are the twelve most important principles of evangelism.

CROSS Christ centered witness Relating your experience Offering the kingdom Seizing the initiative Sowing the word

FLAME of zeal

Faith

Love

Adapting to the culture

Mediating for your people

Exemplifying your message

Taken together, they form the acronym CROSSFLAME. (The words cross and flame are two of the principles.)

The evangelistic methods enunciated here do work. They will work for you, but not as a result of reading this manual. You can read this manual, fully understand it, and still be unable to lead Muslims to Christ. The primary purpose of this material is to help you work with your coach. If you apply these truths, rely on the teaching of Jesus through His Word, trust in His Holy Spirit, and seek correction from your leaders, our Lord will make you a "fisher of men."

THE 12 CROSSFLAME PRINICPLES OF EVANGELISM

PRINCIPLE #1 THE CROSS

The number one obstacle to our effectiveness as evangelists is our unwillingness to fully and enthusiastically embrace the cross for the glory of God. The cross seems to have disappeared from the preaching of many churches in the West. While we remain silent, the world rebukes our sin. Instead of being amazed that we have been with Jesus, because they can see how much we are like him, they ridicule us for how much we (and our leaders) are unlike Him.

The world understands what many Christians do not. As Jack Harrison, one of the early leaders of World Evangelism Crusade, points out:

"Christianity is based on sacrifice. Take away the sacrifice, and what is left? An insipid lifeless nothing, a shell without explosive, a farce - not a force. Sacrifice is written large over the pages of the Holy Bible. God so loved that He gave heaven's best. Jesus so loved that He laid down His life. Unto us His followers it is given, on His behalf, not only to believe but also to suffer for His sake."

This amnesia in reference to the cross even effects us as missionaries. How often do we focus on fulfillment rather than obedience, on safety rather than duty, on ministry survival rather than boldness? In the words of C.T. Studd: "Heroism is the lost chord; the missing note of present-day Christianity!" This is tragedy. The cross should be the most prominent feature identifying us as Christian workers. Our Lord Jesus made the cross a condition of discipleship: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.'" (Mt. 16:24-25)

To follow Christ but not embrace His cross is oxymoronic. Further, it displays our unworthiness to be His disciples.

Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Mt. 10:37-39)

Our forsaking of the cross brings shame on us (and on our Lord). It also severely limits our fruit. Notice that in Matthew 10:39 and Matthew 16:25 our Lord Jesus points out that by trying to save our lives we will lose them. This is an eternal principle written to the fabric of the universe. "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." (Jn. 12:24-25)

There is no gain but by a loss, We cannot save but by the cross; The corn of wheat to multiply, Must fall into the ground and die. O, should a soul alone remain, When it a hundred fold can gain?

Our souls are held by all they hold; Slaves still are slaves in chains of gold: To whatsoever we may cling, We make it a soul-chaining thing, Whether it be a life or land, And dear as our right eye or hand. Whenever you ripe fields behold, Waving to God their sheaves of gold, Be sure some corn of wheat has died, Some saintly soul been crucified: Someone has suffered, wept, and prayed, And fought hell's legions undismayed.

A.S. Booth-Clibborn

Death is the secret of life and the cross is the secret of fruit. It is possible to find a hundred subtle ways to avoid the cross. You would never say to ourselves, "I will not speak boldly about Jesus for fear of my personal safety." But you may be tempted to think, "I must be careful. I cannot minister if I am thrown out of the country. I will not do anyone any good." When this happens, we are not bold, we do not take risks, and we can be described by that most horrible of words - careful.

Why do we shrink from the cross? We may not understand that the cross is our calling. "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him." (Phil. 1:29) As our Lord was headed for the cross, He told His disciples, "Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be." (Jn. 12:26) Or perhaps we do not see the cross as the pathway to ministry. Down deep, like the Ford Motor Company, we may suspect that we have a better idea. However, God is looking for us to apply spiritual truth, not modify it.

Some of us do not believe in the effectiveness of the cross. Yet willingness to die is listed as one of the keys to victory: "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." (Rev. 12:11) The cross is a powerful weapon. We lack fruit not because the cross is weak, but because we will not apply its power. C.T. Studd pointed out this obvious truth when he said, "If we had the pluck and heroism of the early aviators, or the men who explored the North or South poles ..., we could have every soul on earth knowing the name and salvation of Jesus Christ in ten years."

And all through life I see a cross, Where the sons of God yield up their breath; There is no gain except by loss; There is no life except by death; There is no vision except by faith; No glory but by bearing shame; No justice but by taking blame; And the Eternal Passion saith - Be emptied of glory, might and name

Author unknown

The cross works its power in at least four areas for those of us laboring in difficult or dangerous fields. First, the cross allows us entry into the enemy's strongholds. Second, God trains us as His men and women by the cross. Third, our authority to minister is vested primarily in the cross. Fourth, whether or not we embrace the cross will define the character of our fruit.

The mark of the cross is written boldly across the history of missions. Five young families committed themselves to bring the good news to the Auca Indians and all five of the men were killed, leaving their widows to fulfill the task. Tragedy? Yes, and yet the Aucas have now been evangelized. Three of the five men who murdered the missionaries are now pastors. In the words of one of the murdered missionaries, "He is no fool, who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he can never lose."

Andreas Riss, missionary to the Gold Coast of Africa (Ghana), saw seven comrades on his field die. He wrote home, "Let us press on. All of Africa must be won for Christ. Though a thousand missionaries die, send more." This commitment was typical of many of the first missionaries to Africa. Today Africa is one of the most evangelized regions in the world.

There are many fields where it is impossible to see fruit without extreme sacrifice. But whenever that sacrifice is made, God gives fruit. As Tertullian said, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." L.E. Maxwell adds, "When she ceases to bleed, she ceases to bless."

For us, the essential thing is not cost. We must recognize that God will honor our sacrifice and give us fruit. Any man's usefulness in the kingdom is inversely proportional to his "I won't". That is, the more things that we are willing to endure for the kingdom of God, the more we will be used by God.

Paul was so greatly used because he was willing to endure so much:

As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. (2 Cor. 6:4-10)

This is not a bizarre idea. The early church so identified Christian witness with death that the very word "martyr" comes from the Greek word for witness [martus]. As C.T. Studd reminded us, "Missions means warfare. Should soldiers of the Cross shrink from undertaking for Christ what is being done every day for commerce or conquest?"

General Eisenhower said, "There is no bargain basement price for victory." In some ways, the cross is simply the price of doing business in a war zone. But many of us do not want to pay that price. We reflect the "Vietnam syndrome." We want to win the war. We just don't want anybody to be hurt in the process. However, wars are costly. More to the point, victory is costly.

How can you face this cost? First, you can remember the promises of God. Your sacrifice will not go unrewarded by God. It is the souls of the martyrs (not the missionaries, evangelists or pastors) who are under the altar of God (Rev. 6:9). In modern terminology, they are given the 50-yard line seats in heaven. It is not the missionaries but the martyrs of whom it is said, "The world was not worthy of them." (He. 11:38)

Second, you can "fix our eyes on Jesus ... who for the joy set before Him endured the cross." (Heb. 12:2) We may not always understand why God allows us to suffer. But when we look at the cross, we are sure He allows us to suffer out of His love. God does not simply talk about His love for us. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in that ... Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8) "... Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love." (Jn. 13:1) When you feel discouraged, disappointed or confused, you can turn your eyes on Jesus and receive encouragement from His example and strength from His love.

Lord, when I am weary of toiling, And burdensome seem Thy commands If my load should lead to complaining, Then Lord, show me Thy hands, - Thy nail-pierced hands, Thy cross torn hands, My Savior, show me Thy hands.

Christ, if ever my footsteps should falter, And I be prepared for retreat, If desert or thorn cause lamenting, Then Lord, show me Thy feet, - Thy bleeding feet, Thy nail-scarred feet, - My Jesus, show me Thy feet.

O God, dare I show Thee My hands and my feet.

Brenton Thornburn Bradley

THE CROSS: GOD'S METHOD FOR TRAINING

Our willingness to obey God and to face the enemy is not enough. If we are to "take the land" we must be hardened for war. "When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, 'If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.'" (Ex. 13:17)

The Israelites were willing and obedient, but they were not ready. The cross is God's primary method for training His children to be soldiers:

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. ... No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Heb. 12:7,8,11)

God loves us too much to allow us to continue in our self-indulgent ways. He wants us to be like our crucified Master. "Everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher." (Lk. 6:40) God's method for training us is suffering, "See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction" (Isa. 48:10).

God harden me against myself, The coward with pathetic voice Who craves for ease and rest and joy. Myself, arch-traitor to myself, My hollowest friend, My deadliest foe, My clog, whatever road I go.

Amy Carmichael

The Spartans understood the principle of gaining strength through affliction. L.E. Maxwell relates this story: "It is said that the Spartans refused to allow the destruction of a neighboring city which had often called forth their armies, saying, 'Destroy not the whetstone of our young men.'" If suffering trains the natural soldier, how much more the man or woman of God. This is why A.W. Tozer said, "God seldom uses greatly those he has not hurt deeply."

When God wants to drill a man And thrill a man And skill a man When God wants to mold a man To play the noblest part; When He yearns with all His heart To create so great and bold a man That all the world shall be amazed, Watch His methods, watch His ways! How He ruthlessly perfects Whom He royally elects! How He hammers him and hurts him, And with mighty blows converts him Into trial shapes of clay which Only God understands; While his tortured heart is crying And he lifts beseeching hands! How He bends but never breaks When his good he undertakes; How he uses whom He chooses And with every purpose fuses him; By every act induces him To try His splendor out - God knows what He's about!

Author Unknown

If you are to be trained as soldiers of the cross, you must cooperate with God's training program. There will be times when you want to quit - but you must not. God is not running a draft board. He has an all-volunteer army. If you wish to progress in our training, you must embrace the cross with joy. This is why James says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (Jas. 1:2,3)

Our Lord Himself had to go through the very same school of suffering, though for different reasons. "Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered." (Heb. 5:8) As we seek to be trained as evangelists, let us enthusiastically embrace the training of the cross that we might be powerful weapons in the hands of our living God.

From prayer that asks that I may be Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee, From fearing when I should aspire From faltering when I should climb higher From silken self, O Captain free Thy soldier who would follow Thee From subtle love of softening things From easy choices, weakenings (Not thus are spirits fortified, Not this way went the Crucified), From all that dims Thy Calvary, O Lamb of God, deliver me.

Give me the faith that leads the way, The faith that nothing can dismay The hope no disappointments tire The passion that will burn like fire, let me not sink to be a clod: Make me thy fuel, O Flame of God.

Amy Carmichael

THE CROSS: OUR AUTHORITY TO EVANGELIZE AND LEAD

When you enter a hostile Muslim country and ask a Muslim to believe on Jesus, you are also asking him to follow you - even though you are a stranger and a foreigner. Some Christian workers are squeamish about asking others to follow them. Make no mistake about it, you are asking men and women to follow you when you evangelize, disciple or plant churches. If that makes you uncomfortable, good! It should. You are well aware that you have not "already attained all this or have already been made perfect." (Phil. 3:12) But your discomfort will not change the fact that you may be the best (or only) source of teaching and example this new believer has of what it means to follow Jesus.

But, should this person follow you? On what will you base your authority? Typically, in the church, we base our authority on education, position or expertise. In other words: "Follow me because I have this degree," "Follow me because I am the pastor or priest or elder." "Follow me because I know so much about the Bible, or have led so many to Christ, or am able to do this job better than anyone else." Are any of these adequate reasons for your Muslim friends to follow you as you follow Christ? Did the apostles appeal to any of these reasons when leading new believers?

When Paul's authority was challenged by rebellious people troubling the Galatian church, he did not appeal to his education, his expertise, or even primarily to his position (although he did take pains to show that his position was not dependent on man). His final trump card was his suffering, "Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus." (Gal. 6:17)

When faced with a similar situation in Corinth, Paul offers even greater insight into the authority of the cross. He says that his great sufferings define him as a great servant of Christ:

Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.)

I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from , in danger from bandits, in danger from our countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea, and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? (2 Cor. 11:23-29)

Do you have this authority of suffering? Are you asking people to walk where you have never walked or to do what you have never done? If we are telling Muslims that you are a servant of the crucified One, if you are teaching them that there is victory in the cross, and if you are asking them to risk their lives by following Jesus, can we show them your scars?

Hast thou no scar? No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand? I hear thee sung as mighty in the land, I hear them sing thy bright ascendant star, Hast thou no scar?

Hast thou no wound? Yet I was wounded by the archers, spent, Leaned me against a tree to die; and rent By ravening beasts that compassed me, I swooned: Hast thou no wound?

No wound? No scar? Yet, as the Master shall the servant be, And pierced are the feet that follow me; But thine are whole; can he have followed far Who has no wound, who has no scar?

Amy Carmichael

Some mission leaders have taught that third world believers resent hearing about the cross and suffering from rich Western missionaries. Therefore, they conclude, we should not speak about the cross and suffering to third world Christians. Their observation is correct. Their conclusion is wrong. The solution to the problem is not to rip the message of sacrifice out of the heart of our teaching, but to embrace sacrifice more rigorously in our own lives (i.e. living more simply, taking more risks in sharing the gospel, etc.). If you have a clear testimony of suffering for Christ, then you may freely talk about your suffering in order to challenge and encourage others.

Muslim men and women being confronted with the claims of Christ often face incredible persecution and possibly death. It will not help them if you put your head into the sand and pretend that suffering is not central to your message. Neither will it help them if you speak about something which is not a reality in your own life. Only by taking care to embrace the cross as an example to others can you have the authority to share the Gospel in the face of opposition.

THE CROSS: THE PATTERN FOR FRUIT

In the Muslim world (or in any part of the world hostile to the gospel), if we are going to have more than just a trickle of converts, we must have bold, fearless, national believers. Foreigners alone are not the answer. A reasonably trained Muslim believer has much more potential for fruit than the ten most gifted foreigners. But these Muslim believers must be willing to face rejection, prison and even death in order to win souls. This takes a tremendous amount of courage. And yet, in the Arab world at least, one of the things that characterizes so many Muslim believers is fear. How can we change this?

How did Paul motivate first century Christians, who faced every bit as much persecution as Muslim believers, to boldly share the good news? Specifically, how did the Philippians become bold in the face of persecution? Was it when they read Paul's latest book, Boldness and How You Can Obtain It and viewed the accompanying video? Was it after he preached his sermon on, "The Twelve Easy Steps to Boldness"? No! They became bold after watching Paul, Silas and Timothy being beaten for the sake of the gospel.

This is also why the Thessalonians were bold. Look at what Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7, "You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia." The Thessalonians became imitators of Paul and his coworkers. The word imitators is the Greek word mimetai (???????) from which we get our English word mimic. This is exactly what the Thessalonians did. They mimicked (copied) the example that Paul and his companions gave of suffering for Christ.

However, the story does not end there. The Thessalonians themselves became a model to others of how to endure suffering for Christ. The key here is the power of example. Example is self-multiplying. But example must have a source. We must be that example. This is why C.T. Studd said, "Unless we have missionaries so full of the Spirit of Christ that they count not their own lives dear to them, we will probably look in vain for converts who will be prepared to lose their lives in the masters service."

Words alone are not enough. Our lives give definition to our words. The potential convert and the young Christian will both ask, "What does it mean to embrace the cross?" We must be able to say with Paul, "Therefore I urge you to imitate me." (1 Cor 4:16). We are the key to seeing bold, risk taking, witnessing Muslim believers.

"It is extremely important to have the right stamp of men - men who have made some sacrifice yet count it as privilege and honor; men who do not know what discouragement means, and who expect great things from God. Such men are not manufactured: they are God made. The Master who has need of them is able to provide them" C.T. Studd. Do we have the mark of the cross in our lives?

Can we say to potential coworkers, "Do not come unless you can say to your Lord and to us, The Cross is the attraction" (Amy Carmichael). If we and our coworkers have the mark of the cross, if we are the "right stamp of men," if we have paid the price, then our children in the faith will be bold and self sacrificing. They will be willing to lay down their lives for their Master and He will honor their commitment with much fruit.

PRINCIPLE # 2 CHRIST CENTERED WITNESS

What is the Gospel? What do we mean when we say, "We are sharing the Gospel?" Most of us would agree that we do not mean that we are defending Western civilization, the Church, or the behavior of other Christians. (Although we spend an inordinate amount of time doing just that.) Furthermore, we would agree that sharing the Gospel does not mean attacking the religion of Islam. (Although, again, we seem to find ourselves doing this all too often.) But what is the Gospel? Most Evangelicals, if pressed, would respond with a series of things which must be believed and done. Common examples of this understanding can be found in such Gospel presentations as, "The Four Spiritual Laws", "The Steps to Peace with God", "The Bridge to Life", "The Roman's Road" and the "Evangelism Explosion" presentation.

I have a problem. I would like to share the Gospel in the same way that Jesus did. I believe that He gave us a pattern to follow. It is my conviction that part of the reason that we have four Gospels is in order to look at that pattern from four different perspectives. I believe that in a Middle Eastern culture the Savior's model is particularly applicable. So, what's my problem? Just this: Jesus never shared the Gospel in a way that even remotely resembles any method I have been taught.

Jesus never presented a three, five or seven part plan to anyone. Neither He nor His disciples ever led anyone in a prayer to invite Him into their hearts. The contrast between our evangelistic methods and that of Christ and His Apostles is striking. Because this contrast is so striking it may never have even occurred to us that we have no Biblical model to justify our evangelistic practices. Whether we have noticed it before or not, Evangelical evangelistic methods are unbiblical and consequently less effective than Christ's own methods.

Biblically, the Gospel is a person, not a set of propositional truths. That is why Christ does not preach, "The Gospel." He is, "The Gospel." Over and over again in the Bible, the Good News is called, "The Good News of Christ" or "The Good News about Christ." Not just the Good News of truths about Christ, but the Good News of Christ Himself.

Christ's great work was to call men to Himself. Let's look at a handful of examples: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Mt. 11:28). "Jesus answered, 'If you want to be perfect . . . Then come, follow me'" (Mt. 19:21). "Come, follow me," (Mk. 1:17). "On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink'" (Jn. 7:37). "Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water'" (Jn. 4:10). "Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent'" (Jn. 6:29). "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you" (Jn. 6:27). "Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty'" (Jn. 6:35). "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world, Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life'" (Jn. 8:12). "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture" (Jn. 10:9-10). "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die'" (Jn. 11:25-26).

Our work also must be to proclaim Christ Himself and to call men to Him. The reason that this point is so essential goes back to the very nature of eternal life. Eternal life is not just existing forever. The ungodly exist forever in hell. Eternal life is not living in heaven. We have eternal life now, although we do not yet live in heaven. Eternal life is knowing God through Christ. "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (Jn. 17:3). (See also 1 John 5:11-13 & 20).

It is entirely possible to believe that God loves you and that you've sinned and that you need to repent and not to come into direct contact with the Lord Jesus Himself. We can spend a large portion of our time confronting men with ideas about Christ or even the ideas of Christ without bringing them face to face with our Lord Jesus Himself.

Those who have been greatly effective in evangelism have done so because they understood this principle. Count Zinzendorf, the founder of the Moravian movement, said, "I have one passion; it is He, He alone." It was said of Jonathan Goforth (one of China's greatest missionaries), "When he found his own soul needed Jesus Christ, it became a passion with him to take Jesus Christ to every soul." A.B. Simpson, the founder of the Christian Missionary Alliance denomination, wrote a poem called, "Himself," in which he contrasts the desire for Christ Himself with the desire for the teachings of Christ or the gifts of Christ. Dawson Trotman gave the Navigators their motto, "To know Him and to make Him known."

In each of these examples the emphasis has been on the person of Christ. This may seem like I am beating a dead horse. But the point is so subtle that it can easily elude us. Look how the psalmist contrasts Israel and Moses: "He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:" (Ps. 103:7). The Israelites knew about God - Moses knew God Himself. I am afraid that often we have been preaching about true things, things which may be important, but we are not presenting Christ Himself.

Our work is often made complex because we are trying to proclaim and defend truth instead of introducing men to Him who is the Truth. E. Stanley Jones tells us how we can make our job much more simple: "I thought my task was more complex than I now see it to be; not less difficult but less complex. When I first went to India I was trying to hold a very long line -- a line that stretched from Genesis to Revelation, on to Western Civilization and to the Western Christian Church. I found myself bobbing up and down that line fighting behind Moses and David and the Christian Church. I was worried. There was no well-defined issue. I found the battle almost invariably being pitched at one of these three places: the Old Testament, or Western Civilization, or the Christian Church. I had the ill-defined but instinctive feeling that the heart of the matter was being left out. Then I saw that I could, and should, shorten my line, that I could take my stand at Christ and before the non-Christian world refuse to know anything save Jesus Christ and him crucified. The sheer storm and stress of things had driven me to a place that I could hold. Then I saw that there is where I should have been all the time. I saw that the gospel lies in the person of Jesus, that he himself is the Good News, that my one task was to live and to present him. My task was simplified."

Stanley Jones' frustration parallels that of many Muslim Evangelists. Most of us have spent hours and hours defending the Scriptures, debating the relative values of Christian practices versus Islamic practices and trying, in love, to prove that the other man is wrong. This is an incredibly frustrating experience for most of us. And yet, because we have put the focus in the wrong place, we have inadvertently provided unbelievers with tremendous amounts of ammunition to use against us.

Again, E. Stanley Jones shows us the better way, "I still believed in the Old Testament as being the highest revelation of God given to the world before Jesus' coming; I would inwardly feed upon it as Jesus did. But the issue was further on. A Jain lawyer, a brilliant writer against Christianity, arose in one of my meetings and asked me a long list of questions regarding things in the Old Testament. I replied, 'My brother, I think I can answer your questions, but I do not feel called on to do so. I defined Christianity as Christ. If you have any objections to make against him, I am ready to hear them and answer them if I can.' He replied, 'Who gave you this authority to make this distinction? What church council gave you this authority?' I replied that my own Master gave it to me -- that I was not following a church council, but trying to follow him, and he himself had said: 'Ye have heard it said of old time, . . . but I say unto you,' so I was simply following his lead for he made his own word final even in Scripture. I was bringing the battle up from that incomplete stage of Revelation to the final -- to Jesus. Revelation was progressive, culminating in him. Why should I, then, pitch my battle at an imperfect stage when the perfect was here in him? My lawyer friend saw with dismay that a great many of his books written against Christianity had gone into ashes by my definition. They were beside the point. But the lawyer was not to blame for missing the point. Had we not often by our writings and by our attitude led him to believe that we did make the issue there?"

It is not an easy task to present Christ to Muslims. It will take everything all of our spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical resources to present Jesus Himself to those we love and desire to see in the Kingdom of God. As Rev. Jones points out, proclaiming Christ alone does not make our task easier, but it does make it simpler. We can focus our energy on one thing, that one needful thing.

Paul was a man whose intellectual prowess and academic accomplishments most of us can never hope to match. Paul also shows us the better way: "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:1-2). Men need to come to Jesus. Today, as in the past, the cry of the unsaved world is, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus" (Jn. 12:21).

Accurate history and correct theology never saved anyone. Are these issues unimportant? No, but they pale into insignificance when compared with the Jesus Himself. Jesus is the answer that Muslims need. If Jesus is the answer, let's talk about Him. Jesus has promised, "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." John 12:32

It is tempting to argue. When men say things which are obviously untrue it takes tremendous maturity to be quiet. But this is exactly what is required of a man of God. "Flee the evil desires of youth ... Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, ..." (2 Tim. 2:22-25).

Arguing is not only forbidden, it also doesn't work. No one was ever argued into the Kingdom. People do not like to be proved wrong. Illogically, the stronger your argument, the greater their commitment to what they already believe. Remember the proverb, "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still." Furthermore, arguing goes against our nature. It drains us of energy and makes us feel miserable.

We will find that presenting Christ Himself will make our witnessing experiences energizing rather than draining. That is, we will actually enjoy ourselves while sharing the Gospel with Muslims (what a unique concept!). "I found that when I was at the place of Jesus I was every moment upon the vital. Here at this place all the questions in heaven and earth were being settled. He was the one question that settled all others" (E. Stanley Jones).

Our work will become simpler, more effective, and more vital if we invest our time presenting Christ himself. Why would we want to do anything else?

PRINCIPLE # 3 RELATE YOUR EXPERIENCE

Testimony is the nuclear weapon in the Christian worker's arsenal. Arguments, scoffing and skepticism all fall by the wayside in the face of testimony. Testimony focuses on what we have experienced rather than what we are able to articulate. The debater may twist our words, but he cannot change our experience. This is why testimony is listed in the triad of weapons with which the Christian overcomes Satan: "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death" (Rev. 12:11).

By testimony, the simplest believer can confound the most erudite opponent of the Gospel. Do you doubt it? Remember the man who was born blind (John chapter 9)? He was completely unschooled. In those days there were no schools for the blind and it is unlikely that he had any oral education. After Jesus healed him, he was taken to the Pharisees and they began to question him. The Pharisees were not only antagonistic to our Lord and all who followed Him, but they were also the intellectual elite of their day. When the illiterate man is confronted by the Harvard graduate, who wins?

"They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. 'He put mud on my eyes,' the man replied, 'and I washed, and now I see.' Some of the Pharisees said, 'This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.' But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided. Finally they turned again to the blind man, 'What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.' The man replied, 'He is a prophet.' . . . A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. 'Give glory to God, ' they said. 'We know this man is a sinner.' He replied, 'Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see'" (Jn. 9:13-25).

The Pharisees had no reply. This illiterate, ignorant, untrained man had silenced them with his testimony. This is the power of testimony. The old English proverb is more true than false: "A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument."

Testimony is incredibly powerful. Nevertheless, most of us find ourselves sharing the Gospel in ways that have no bearing on what we ourselves have seen and heard and felt. We do not understand our calling. We think we are to defend God (and His truth) rather than simply testifying to "what we have seen and heard" - this is folly.

E. Stanley Jones shares from his experience as a young minister, "As God's lawyer I was a dead failure; as God's witness I was a success. That night marked a change in my conception of the work of the Christian minister -- he is to be, not God's lawyer to argue well for God; but he is to be God's witness, to tell what Grace has done for an unworthy life."

Jesus commissions us to witness, that is, to testify to what we have seen and heard: "'But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth'" (Acts 1:8); and again, "'And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning'" (Jn. 15:27). We cannot testify about or witness to anything that we have not personally experienced. I may believe something to be true with all of my heart and soul and mind, but I can only testify to it if I have seen it myself.

Biblical testimony is quite simply sharing what you have experienced. Your experience may relate to salvation or anything else that God, through Christ, has actually done for you. But, it must be something that you have actually experienced. To share with someone about the forgiveness that I have in Christ is testimony. To tell them Christ forgives everyone's sins is not testimony. To tell someone how God has blessed you through a particular verse in the Bible is testimony. To tell them that the Bible is inspired is not testimony. To tell someone how God answered your prayer is testimony. To tell them that God answers the prayers of all Christians is not testimony. Doctrinal truth is not bad. However, there must be a certain openness from the hearer before doctrinal truth can be significant. Testimony speaks powerfully even to the most closed minded individuals.

To the Apostle John, testimony was the foundation of his teaching: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life" (1 Jn. 1:1). John taught others what he had experienced. Peter also appealed to his experience: "For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20). ". . . but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty" (2 Pet. 1:16).

We have not seen Christ in the flesh. But we can appeal to our testimony of what He has done in our lives. My first hand testimony is always more powerful than anyone else's testimony related second hand. Unbelievers who would never listen to our doctrine will listen to our experience. Yet in spite of the power of testimony, many are resistant to using it.

Why then do we not use testimony more often? First, because some of us have been prejudiced against testimony by an unbiblical understanding of what it is. We have been told that to give our testimony is to briefly recount (usually in one or two minutes) how we became Christians. To equate this to testimony is like equating a McDonald's hamburger with filet mignon. They are both related, but there is just no comparison.

Second, some of us are uncomfortable with testimony because we are committed to revealed, absolute truth. We have been warned against elevating experience over truth. Down deep we suspect that all this talk of experience could lead to trusting my emotions rather than God's holy Word. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Experience and truth are not set against each other. "Truth," which produces no peace, no joy, no forgiveness, no assurance of salvation, no answered prayer, is not truth at all. God's truth always produces experience in the lives of those who embrace it. To reject experience because some have trusted experience instead of God's Word is like rejecting good works because some have trusted in good works for their salvation. We will trust in His grace for our salvation and cultivate good works in our lives. We will also take our authority from God's Word and share our experience.

The great strength of a relationship with Jesus is that it produces experience. His invitation to men is based on experience: "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life" (Rev. 22:17). The thirsty unbeliever can expect to have his thirst quenched if he comes to Jesus. Islam can offer nothing like this. It offers doctrine, dogma, zeal and conviction, but it offers no experience.

When we speak with Muslims about the Quran, Mohammed or the Bible we are not offering them life. But when we tell them what we have experienced (particularly how Jesus satisfies us in the great issues of life) we are offering them life. Even if they verbally disagree with us, a part of them will be thinking and hoping, "Could this be true?" Muslims are hungry for reality. Instinctively, they know that reality is not found in a doctrine. Experientially, they know that reality is not found in a book. Cautiously, they may begin to believe that reality is found in a person, if we testify to them that this has been our experience and it can be theirs also.

Furthermore, when they believe and find life in Christ they are automatically equipped to share the Good News with their friends in the very same way it was shared with them. This is the Biblical pattern. New believers should immediately become effective evangelists. Andrew says to Peter, "We have found the Christ" (Jn. 1:41). Philip says to Nathanael, "We have found the one Moses wrote about" (Jn. 1:45). The woman at the well told her fellow citizens, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did" (Jn. 4:29).

These people were all instantly qualified as evangelists because they had a real experience to share. New believers have had their lives changed in a way that amazes their friends. This makes them powerful tools for good in the hands of our God. Unfortunately, we often communicate that the young believer can only be equipped as an evangelist after constant study and diligent effort. To be a pastor or teacher requires maturity, study and training. But the ministry of testimony is open to all who love Christ.

We do indeed overcome Satan by the "word of our testimony." And yet how we neglect this mighty weapon. If evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where he found bread, then why do we spend our time debating the nutritional value of bread rather than testifying to our satisfaction with the bread and offering to others a chance to eat from the same loaf? God is still calling out, "Why spend money on what is not bread and your labor on what does not satisfy?" (Isa. 55:2). Today He is still calling on us to testify that He satisfies the soul and fills the longings of every heart.

PRINCIPLE # 3 OFFER THE KINGDOM

Jesus preached the Good News of the Kingdom of God: "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent" (Lk. 4:43). He taught His Apostles to preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God: "and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick" (Lk. 9:2). After His resurrection, He continued to teach them about the Kingdom of God: "After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3 ). Philip, the Deacon, following the example of the Apostles, preached the Kingdom: "But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God" (Acts 8:12). The Apostle Paul also made the Kingdom of God a centerpiece of his preaching and teaching: "Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God" (Acts 19:8). "Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God " (Acts 28:31).

The Kingdom of God is mentioned over 150 times in the New Testament. But there are very few references to the Kingdom of God in our preaching and teaching. What is worse, we almost never present the Kingdom in our evangelism. It was the habit of Jesus and the Apostles to teach unbelievers about the Kingdom of God.

I am not suggesting that we simply add the words, "Kingdom of God" whenever we share the Gospel. Neither am I advocating that we share a "Bible school" lecture about this topic. It is, however, vital that we understand what the Kingdom of God is and preach the Good News about the Kingdom.

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