Mark Dever: Exposition of Ezekiel 37:1-14

I have been meaning to post this for some time, and since my posts have been sparse lately I thought I would go ahead and post this now. When I went to Louisville for the Together for the Gospel conference, I had the pleasure of hearing Mark Dever give a chapel message at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The message was a simple exposition of Ezekiel 37:1-14 and it was just filled with the gospel. It was the first time that I had ever seen Mark preach, and to be honest, I wasn't really sure what I thought of the guy. In fact, my thoughts of him were mostly negative.

To be clear, those thoughts had nothing to do with his theology, but his personality, or rather, what I assumed his personality was from hearing him on the 9marks website. Friends, I could not have been more wrong about Pastor Dever. The message was clear, humble, and loving. His expostion was precise and helpful and as I said before, the message made a bee-line to the cross. Enjoy and be edified friends!





Consequently, I almost wonder if Mark Dever is becoming one of my favorite teachers in the church. While we don't agree on everything, I appreciate his ministry much more now than I did before the conference in April. The message that he gave at T4G was very helpful, thought provoking, and most likely caused the greatest stir in pastor's hearts and minds about their treatment of the gospel in ther home churches. For that, I am thankful for Mark and I find his writings and ministry to be a great and worthwhile resource to the universal church body. Please take a moment if you haven't and visit the 9marks website, and subscribe to their newsletter. Great stuff.

Top 10 Myths About Evangelism

1. IT’S MY RESPONSIBILITY TO CONVERT PEOPLE.
We are only responsible for what we can do, not what others do. Our responsibility is simply to proclaim the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit and leave the results to God. We don’t have to push.

2. WE CAN WITNESS BY OSMOSIS – WITHOUT WORDS.
By definition a witness is “one who testifies.” What if all the “witnesses” in a court trial only answered in mime? As Christians our lives need to be consistent with our words but they are not a substitute for them.

3. WE MUST “EARN” THE RIGHT TO BE HEARD.
While there is merit in the idea of gaining a hearing, the notion of “earning the right to be heard” can also put Christians on their heels. Do Hollywood producers call you to ask if you might be offended by the scenes and themes of their upcoming movie? Do professors in colleges distort Christian ideas and qualify their lectures with an apology? All around us people are making bold assertions about what is right and true. We have the truth. We are called to declare it sensitively and assertively.

4. PEOPLE’S BELIEFS ABOUT GOD ARE BASED ON REASON.
We often assume others have thought about their spiritual beliefs to the extent we have. Many people believe what they do more for emotional reasons or expedience. People often believe what they want to believe – what makes them feel good. This is especially true among those influenced by the postmodernism, reflected in this way: “Whatever you believe about God is fine and true for you, but it’s not for me.” On some occasions you might succeed in thoroughly answering a person’s intellectual objections only to find they still resist. We need to lovingly discern “smoke screens” and surface the core issues that keep a person away from God.

5. PEOPLE AREN’T INTERESTED.
Our experience doing Gospel Outreaches (GO) verifies that there is overwhelming interest in discussing the substantive questions of life. Nobody likes to be pushed, but there is strong interest in discussing spiritual ideas. By experience we’re seeing that many people are tired of shallow conversations and the rules of political correctness that make it taboo to talk about God.

6. I MUST HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS.
”And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

7. I MUST HAVE A FRIENDSHIP WITH SOMEONE BEFORE I CAN SHARE THE GOSPEL.
While this helps, the gospel’s inherent power is not bound by our personal connections. God may bring people across our path for even a brief time by His sovereign design in order that we would share the message of Christ with them. The Bible records many accounts of the gospel powerfully going forward, apart from a prior established friendship. Remember the account of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-40)?

8. I MUST FIRST WAIT FOR PEOPLE TO ASK ME WHY MY LIFE IS SO DIFFERENT.
Do you fish? When was the last time a fish jumped out of the pond, flapped all the way up to your house and asked, “Hey, where’s your fishing pole? I wanna get on your line right now.” Fishing for men requires initiative on the fisherman’s part, not the fish! Sharing the gospel with others is an active endeavor, not a passive one.

9. SHARING THE GOSPEL IS INHERENTLY CONFRONTATIONAL.
Most people are uncomfortable with interpersonal confrontation. But sharing the gospel usually is a conversation not a confrontation. Although there is a very real battle taking place in the spiritual realm, on a personal level people should know that we genuinely care about them. We need to refine the art of asking good questions and listening. See Luke 2:46-47; the principles in this passage are excellent and very insightful with regard to our personal witness. If someone is clearly uncomfortable discussing God then we should back off. Whoever said that the same rules which apply in “normal life” don’t apply in personal evangelism?

10. I MUST TELL A PERSON EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT GOD IN EVERY SITUATION.
Not every opportunity to share the message is going to be equal. In some cases you’ll have just a few minutes to talk, ask a question, share an idea, or simply listen. Make the most of it and relax (Colossians 4:5). Try to discern how much a person is ready to hear. Jesus Himself said “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear” (John 6:12). Even with His disciples he did not feel compelled to unload everything at once.

Get the PDF containing the "10 Myths of Evangelism" here at www.proclaimcourse.com

Proclaim: An Evangelism Resource for Your Church

Want to share your faith but don't know how? Proclaim is a small-group course designed to help everyday Christians like you grow in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Through seven sessions, you'll discover how to communicate the gospel more clearly and how to trust God more fully in evangelism.

Session Titles
The Unstoppable Gospel
Gifted for Evangelism
Becoming a Friend of Sinners
Breaking the Sound Barrier
Proclaim the Bad News
Proclaim the Good News
Putting the Go in Gospel

The Proclaim course was developed by Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, to help you grow in sharing your faith. To learn more, visit www.ProclaimCourse.com.

Sovereign Grace Ministries is offering a Small Group Study Kit on their site as well.

Twelve Days of Luther - Day 6

Indulgences spread through Germany. While many rejoice in being redeemed through a quick monetary exchange, Luther becomes frustrated and angered. His flock was being deceived. In an effort to uncover the heresy within the papacy and the use of indulgences, Luther writes his 95 Theses and nails them to the Wittenberg Castle door. Little did he know that this work of his would be mass produced and distributed throughout Europe.

As I watched this video, I couldn't help but notice a similarity between indulgences and modern day evangelism. Indulgences provided a quick fix and an easy assurance of redemption. Through successful advertising, many considered themselves free and no longer in need of confession. Does this sound familiar?

The popular evangelism of our day is to come up with catchy ways to share the gospel, or to create the most efficient gospel presentation so that the person on receiving end of that presentation has the best possible chance to be saved. We tell someone, "Say this prayer and you will be free!", or "Sign this card and your sins will be forgiven you!". Doesn't this sound like a quick fix? I am convinced that if someone genuinely repents and believes that they are redeemed, and that this comes by the Spirit of God as a gift given by Christ. I suppose that what I am trying to say is that no amount of advertising, marketing, or fancy techniques will save a person's soul. I'm not even sure that they can persuade a person to repent and believe. Only Christ can regenerate a heart, and only Christ calls and draws His elect. No man can ever improve or add to what Christ does in working out salvation, and yet it seems that we try so hard to have a perfect delivery or well thought out sales pitch.

As a concluding point: Use tracts, use the cross diagram, memorize specific verses, teach outreach in your church, but by all means do not think that any of these things in and of themselves save a person's soul. They can help us to give a 'clear' presentation, but all we can do is plant a seed, water it, and expect that if Christ is at work in that person the seed will grow. The most amazing testimony of Christ is your own joy in the grace and mercy that he has shown you. People are advertised to every day, they don't want to hear us sell Jesus. Herald the true gospel my friends and trust the unwavering faithfulness of Christ!