Power Evangelism
Redefining Evangelism in Ada: A Vision for Tomorrow’s Outreach.
Could you imagine what would happen if the churches in Ada Oklahoma were full of evangelists? Not the belligerently argumentative kind of evangelism, the real Spirit-lead Power Evangelism. Don’t get me wrong, I love apologetics, and I might even appreciate it for some of the wrong reasons. As a bit of a contrarian, I enjoy debate and believe I can win arguments with the average unbeliever about the historicity of Jesus’ existence, the evidence of His resurrection, and the reliability of the Scriptures as a source of unaltered truth.
However, sometimes my need to be right distracts me from the true purpose of apologetics. I often use it not to reach the lost but to defend my beliefs or to ‘win’ debates. While apologetics is valuable, it is neither the sole nor the primary method Jesus and the Apostles used for evangelism. Certainly, Jesus debated with the religious leaders of His day, Paul reasoned with the philosophers at Mars Hill, and the Apostles robustly defended the faith.
How Jesus Did Evangelism: Why We Should Pursue ‘Power Evangelism’.
However, When seeking Israel’s lost sheep, Jesus urged, “repent and believe,” accompanied by signs, wonders, and miracles. When Paul visited Corinth, he didn’t rely on ‘persuasive words of wisdom,’ but on the ‘demonstration of God’s power’ (1 Corinthians 2:3-5). The salvation of 3,000 at Pentecost was witnessed alongside a manifestation of tongues. In Acts 4, God’s healing power contributed significantly to 5,000 individuals finding salvation. Jesus’ instruction to His 72 disciples in Luke 10 was to preach faith and repentance and heal the sick in any welcoming house. The majority of evangelism in the New Testament seems to be less about apologetics, and more about Holy Spirit-empowered ‘power evangelism’. Why should it be any different here in Ada?
Consider the woman at the well in John 4. She initially discriminates, demeans, and debates with Jesus. She starts off by saying, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?’ (v9). There is serious tension between the Jews and the Samaritans, and the woman at the well knows it all too well. Why should she comply, pulling up water for a JEW? Then, the woman at the well tries to demean Jesus by suggesting he thinks he is “all that.” She says, ‘Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.’ (v11-12).
Next, the woman debates Jesus about the correct place for worship. She challenges, ‘Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, you favor Jerusalem.’ Her initial skepticism is evident in her words, but Jesus cuts through these barriers, not with arguments, but with the power of the Spirit, revealing knowledge about her life she thought was hidden. ‘You are right in saying, “I have no husband”. For you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband,’ Jesus tells her (v17-18). This is not an ordinary man; this man is coming in the name of the Lord. The contents and intentions of her heart must be exposed, thinking, “Surely God is with this man” (1 Corinthians 14:24-25).
Imagine her shock: amazement, fear, and awe mingled. Her encounter with Jesus transformed disbelief into wonder. Ten seconds prior to the ‘you have been married five times’ prophetic word, she was talking down to Jesus. Now she’s like, ‘Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet’. Her walls, barriers, and arguments just didn’t hold much water once she saw the power of God on display.
A Call To Power Evangelism
The power of God displayed through His people often breaks down walls and barriers more effectively than arguments ever can. I would imagine it’s pretty hard to stay an atheist when you are crippled and Christians heal you in the name of Jesus. it’s hard to stay a Buddhist when Christians cast Buddhist demons out of you. it’s hard to remain agnostic when Jesus is revealing the secrets of your heart through His people. This is why we need power evangelism.
I am not saying we should not study apologetics or that we should not be able to give a defense for our faith. In fact, the opposite is true. We have to be ready in season and out of season to give an answer for our faith. But let me remind you, the Mormons, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Muslims have apologetics too. What they don’t have is the POWER of the Holy Spirit confirming the words they speak. Beloved, we owe it to Ada Oklahoma not only to deliver evangelistic calls of ‘faith and repentance’ but also to see those calls accompanied by mighty signs and wonders performed through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:30).
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