Seeing They Did Not See

by Katherine Van Lengen

FGS Graduate Student

When you hear the words, “mission field,” what comes to mind?  A trip to an exotic, far off place to share the gospel with those who haven’t heard?  Does it take learning a new language and guiding the villagers from their reliance on the shaman, spirits, and gods?  We understand this mission field and it plays a vital role in the spreading of the gospel, as many have done.  Perhaps your thoughts stay closer to home where you participate in giving Spiritual Viewpoint Questionnaires and share the gospel with people approaching your table at the church dinner or county fair?  These venues are a mission field too, minus the long trip, jungles and shaman.  

The apostle Paul traveled far and long, evangelizing everywhere he went, and he exhorts us to do the same – not just in the mission field, but everywhere. There are people in your neighborhoods that haven’t heard and understood the good news.

How do we share the gospel everywhere?  Surely that isn’t necessary…  or is it?  But what do we do?  Do we hand out tracts in the airport or stand on the street corner hoping someone will listen?  These methods don’t work for me.  It seems a waste of time.  What if some of these people are already Christians?  If people want to know about Jesus there are churches all around them to visit.

But what about talking to the Christians we know at work or through our child’s school?  We assume that these folks have heard the gospel and frankly, we’d feel rather silly proclaiming the gospel to a Christian.  We surmise they’ll look at us as a “know it all” or as if we’ve lost our minds if we think we need to tell them how to be saved.  Who needs that kind of rejection?  You may think it is ridiculous to share the gospel with your fellow churchgoers, but what’s wrong with a spiritual conversation?  We all know that a conversation with a Christian can be encouraging and edifying.  That’s better than doing nothing, right?  Let me share a couple of Christian conversations…  

My friend Carol is a well-grounded Christian friend who believes in salvation by faith alone, but I noticed a few funny looks coming my way when I used the phrases “free grace” or “free gift.”  Carol understands that works are not required for salvation, but I sensed she had some discomfort with the word “free.”  One day, she asked, “What about the ABCs – admit, believe and commit?” 

I thought a moment and then with enthusiasm, answered “The ABCs sound great!  First you admit you are a sinner and need salvation, then you believe and receive the gift of salvation, and then that salvation spurs you on to commit out of love and gratitude for the gift God has given you.”  Her mouth opened to make her planned objection, but her expression quickly turned to a smile.  It seems she liked my version better than the one she had heard.  Thankfully, the Holy Spirit gave me the words I needed.  Commitment was comfortably placed where it belonged, after salvation. 

A man named Jim arrived in the office to work on a project with me.  Tucked under his arm was a book about the book of Daniel.  I thought “Wow, the book of Daniel.  We can have some deep Christian conversation.”  When I remarked on his choice of reading, Jim told me that he used to attend church regularly, but had not been for a while and really wanted to get back into it.  Although religious discussion is generally stifled in the workplace, I saw a opportunity to chat with Jim about spiritual matters.  Not long after, a casual conversation turned to the topic of finding a church for Jim to attend.  When I told him that County Line Church was a Bible teaching, free grace church, he looked curious. I explained that we believe absolutely in salvation by God’s free grace when you trust in Christ and Christ alone, and that no works were required for salvation.

What was a soft smile quickly turned into a puzzled look, and then I heard the most unexpected response!  “But Christ died for all of our sins… He forgave everyone’s sin… so that means everyone is saved when they’re born, right?  …I mean, if he forgave all of our sins, then we’re all saved.”  (It sounded more like a question than a statement.)  It took me a moment to recover, but I responded, saying that Christ died to forgive all sin so that everyone who believed in Him would have eternal life but that you had to trust Christ as your personal Savior to be saved.  Unfortunately, the phone rang and he slipped out of my cube so that I could answer the phone and he could escape to contemplate what I had said. 

Jim needed some serious theological correction.  Seeing, he did not see; Hearing, he did not hear.  Somehow he understood Christ’s work on the Cross as “automatic justification.”  While many people fail to understand free grace by injecting legalism into the gospel, Jim had done the opposite.  He either missed the word “believe” completely or had defined “believe” as “knowledge.”  He knew that Christ died for our sin, but somehow he missed the part about trusting Him as his personal Savior.  How could Jim possibly have a personal relationship with God if there is nothing personal in his faith? I believe that his choice of reading and desire to return to church, reflect a desire to fill an emptiness due to this lack of personal relationship. I pray that he did contemplate our conversation and that it led him to hear what he did not hear before.   

Jim is not an isolated case.  In the forward of his book The Gospel of the Christ Tom Stegall tells of his failure to understand Christ’s finished work.  Stegall was raised in a religious home, believing that Bible as the Word of God, but by his own admission, he did not know what that Word was.  He believed salvation was a reward for good people with good works.  He stated, “Christ’s death was NECESSARY to go to Heaven, but I finally understood that it was ENOUGH to be saved forever.”  Only after understanding Christ’s finished work, did he place his faith in Christ as his personal Savior and begin to enjoy a personal relationship with God.  With his religious background, no one would have thought Stegall needed clarification, but thankfully he received it.  Today, he’s the author of a comprehensive volume about the gospel.

At a church function, I saw Joyce standing shyly a few feet from the Spiritual Viewpoint Questionnaire table.  I invited her to complete a questionnaire with me. She seemed excited and eagerly engaged in sharing her viewpoint.  We went through the questions and she told me that grace meant “peace,” that God placed grace on us, and that it was the spirit of love.  Joyce was 80-90% sure she was going to heaven, but striving for 100% surety. 

She knew she was a sinner, but said that she had repented because she knew you had to love others and do charity to be forgiven.  She told me that God would let her into heaven because she abided by His commands, was charitable, and ministered the Word to others.  When asked if heaven was a free gift, she then told me that heaven was free to all, but you have to be in His will.  “After all, you couldn’t run around doing bad things.”  She did not see the contradiction between the works she was convinced she had to do for salvation and her declaration that heaven was a free gift.

After giving me her viewpoint, I asked if she wanted to hear the Bible’s answers to these questions and she enthusiastically said yes.  She added that she and her husband had been visiting a lot of churches lately to hear what they had to say.  That morning I had prayed that I would be able to share the gospel clearly and right then I really needed for my prayer to be answered! 

After talking about God’s attributes, His commandments and works, I drew “S-I-N” vertically down the center of the page and explained that sin was the barrier keeping us from God.  Joyce agreed that we were all sinners and that good works did not erase our sin.   She knew Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death.” and had heard Isaiah 64:6 which equates our good works to “filthy rags.”  I explained how good works were filthy rags because they couldn’t “clean-up” your sins. They were worthless for getting you over the sin barrier.  She agreed, but then suddenly began to look worried as she began to realize that this meant the works she was depending on were not doing anything to get her over the sin barrier.  She was realizing the implications and looked very upset.  

I glad it was time to share the good news!  I read Acts 16:31 where the jailer asked Paul what he had to do to be saved, and Paul answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” I pointed out that if works were required, Paul would have taken this perfect opportunity to give the list of requirements, but he didn’t, because there is no list.

“So how do we get over the sin barrier,” I asked.  I wrote “Christ” across the word “Sin,” forming a cross.  The smile returned and Joyce was nodding her head in agreement – very pleased (and probably relieved) with His providing the bridge to overcome the sin barrier. 

When asked again why God should let her into heaven, for the first time Joyce struggled to speak.  Her mouth was twisting as she couldn’t bring herself to say that the answer was faith alone, and not obeying commands or charity that would allow her into heaven.  I believe she wanted to say the words – to proclaim faith to be the answer - but I think Joyce was also conflicted because these words countered everything she had been taught and all that she had just told me.  Not wanting her to continue struggling, I broke the silence by going back over how good works don’t erase sin, but that John 3:16 and Acts 16:31 said all you had to do was believe.  Trusting in Christ as her Savior was all that was required to overcome the sin barrier. 

Joyce was now nodding again but still not able to speak.  I desperately wanted for her relax and feel free to express the words that were still struggling to come out of her mouth.  I wrote “believe” under the word “Christ” on the cross and pointed back to John 3:16 - and then it happened!

I watched the stress lines disappear from her face and the smile return.  The joy and excitement was bubbling out of her, “It’s believe. That’s all it says to do is believe!  I’ve read this (John 3:16) so many times but never saw what it says. Isn’t that amazing how that can happen!” 

Joyce leaned back in her chair, shaking her head but beaming.  “All of the times that I read this, I never saw what it really says.”  I was delighted beyond description, so with a big smile I asked, “So why should God let you into heaven?” and she said,  “Because I believe!” 

What a blessing! The Holy Spirit worked through me to enable Joyce to see what she had been seeing but had not seen, and to hear what she had been hearing but not heard.  Seeds had been planted and watered by others before me, but Joyce had yet to see and hear God’s revelation.  I was blessed that the Holy Spirit used me and illuminated her so that she now saw and heard that wonderful good news!  

Maybe you’ve gone to the mission field, evangelizing those who’ve never heard or maybe never had the opportunity to hear the good news.  Maybe you’ve served at the witnessing table or handed out tracts at the county fair where there are so many that have heard something, but you were able to provide clarification.  As Christians, why don’t we strike up biblical conversations outside of a Bible study or Sunday school class?  I never did, but since I’ve started to do so, I’ve either experienced an opportunity to provide clarification or for mutual encouragement or to lead someone to faith alone in Christ alone, and edification. 

So I ask myself, “Where is the mission field?”  It’s in the jungle and at the county fair.  But it’s also found in the least expected places, among our church -going friends. 

Start a biblical conversation in your mission field with a Christian friend or acquaintance and you may be evangelizing without even setting out to do so.