I heard something about a very good man named Mr. Rogers. You might have grown up with him on TV. He died about 15 years ago. I watched a documentary on his life, and I was very impressed with him as an individual.
Although he was an ordained Presbyterian minister, I don’t know a lot about his deep theological convictions. It was clear, though, that his theology dictated his behaviors towards people, making them feel accepted, loved, and cared for in ways that he never experienced as a kid. He was magnificent in that regard.
However, I was troubled by a conversation he had with his wife at the end of his life regarding Matthew 25, the separation of the sheep from the goats. He asked his wife, “Do you think that I’m one of the sheep?” His wife responded, “Honey, if anyone was a sheep, you are.”
I want you to think about that for a moment from the perspective of the grace of God in Christian theology.
At the end of my life, I am not going to recount all the good things that I did in order to make myself feel comfortable as I face death. I’m not going to reflect on whether I have done enough good things to qualify for the Kingdom of God. I know that I haven’t.
Think about it for a moment. The two greatest commandments that Jesus gave are to love the Lord your God with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. If that’s the summary of the law, there is hardly a moment in my life when I have fulfilled either of those. If that’s the way I am going to be judged, then I’m a goner, and so is everyone else.
Our good deeds are like filthy rags. It’s our iniquities that get us. On my tombstone I want it to say, from Psalm 130, “If you, Lord, should mark iniquity, oh Lord, who could stand?” Not me. Not Mr. Rogers, as good and noble as he was. If God were to mark our iniquities, no one would stand.
The psalmist goes on to say, “But with You there is forgiveness that You may be praised.” That’s the hope. The hope isn’t whether I have done enough good things in my life. I haven’t, and I know that. You know that. Mr. Rogers knew that. That’s why he asked the question.
The only hope is in the grace of God. I wish his wife had told him, “Fred, you have been rescued from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of God’s beloved son in whom you have redemption, forgiveness of sins.” That’s what I’m banking on in my last day.
What We Can Learn from Mr. Rogers' Understanding of Salvation
Greg Koukl
Which Kind of Evangelist Are You?
Greg Koukl
In evangelism, before there can be a harvest, there has to be a season of gardening. If we go to the field looking for a harvest, we may be frustrated because the fruit may not be ripe yet. In other words, before someone comes to Christ, there is first a season of considering Christ. I’m not a harvester. I’m a gardener. Someone comes into my garden after me and harvests my fruit. Do you think that bothers me? No, I’m glad. Jesus confirms this point in John 4. He says to the disciples, “You are about to reap where you did not sow.” He’s identifying one field, two seasons—reaping and sowing—and two kinds of workers—harvesters and gardeners. I think the gardening job is harder than harvesting because when the fruit is ripe, it falls into the basket. Jesus is telling the disciples they’re about to get the ripe, low-hanging fruit after someone else did the heavy lifting. Then He says, “So that the one who reaps and the one who sows can rejoice together.” I want to put a stone in someone’s shoe. That’s my approach. I want to create a doubt in their mind about their own view so they move a little closer to Christ. If more Christians thought of themselves as gardeners and left the harvest up to God’s sovereignty, more Christians would be willing to get into play. The book Tactics is a game plan that will allow you to do that effectively. Tactics help you to garden, and gardening is the biggest thing that’s needed right now.
Want to Share the Gospel? Start with This Question
Greg Koukl
Having a tactical game plan in place allows you to engage somebody in a productive way for Christ without taking a lot of risk on yourself. Don’t worry about the harvest, but think more about the gardening. If we garden effectively, the harvest will take care of itself. Trying to win someone to Christ is daunting for a lot of people, so they sit on the bench instead. I want to suggest how you can get in the game. First, gather information. What does that do? It gives me a lay of the land. I might find out if they are a Christian, if they used to be a Christian, whether they’ve thought about Christianity, or whether they’re hostile to Christianity. These are all things that are really valuable to know before you move forward. You don’t need to hurry. Do not worry about winning them to Christ. Just think about gathering information. I have a model question that will help you: “What do you mean by that?” You can use it different ways, under different circumstances, with different people. This is especially helpful when people are raising objections or challenges against Christianity. Examples: A: Friend: “Everything is relative.” You: “What do you mean by relative?” B: Friend: “I believe in evolution.” You: “What do you mean by evolution?” C: Friend: “I believe the Bible is filled with errors.” You: “Why do you believe the Bible is filled with errors?” It is always in your favor to ask more questions. You don’t have to answer the objection at this point. Just get more information. The more information you get, the better. The more you understand that person, the better you’ll be able to decide which direction to go or whether to go in any direction at all. This first question, “What do you mean by that?”—meant to help you gather information—is going to get you started, and that’s all we want to worry about at this point in the tactical game plan.
The Burden-Free Step in Discussing Christian Beliefs
Greg Koukl
When we think about the tactical game plan, or how we thoughtfully engage someone while staying relaxed and keeping our risk level low, I have in mind a multi-step process. The first step is to gather information. We can use the question “What do you mean by that?” The second step I call “reversing the burden of proof.” The burden of proof is the responsibility someone in the conversation has to give reasons or evidence for a view. Here is the burden of proof rule: The one who makes the claim bears the burden. If somebody says, “The Bible has been changed,” or, “God doesn’t exist,” or “Jesus didn’t exist,” or, “There are no miracles,” it’s not your job as a follower of Christ to show where the other person is wrong. It is that person’s job to show why he or she is right. After we ask some questions to get more clarification, we will have a clear picture of what they believe. We want to know why they believe their view. This is where some form of the question “How did you come to that conclusion?” comes in. “What are your reasons for saying that?” “How do you know that’s the way it really happened?” “Do you have any evidence for that view? I’m interested in finding out.” In the second step, we’re gathering a different kind of information than the first step. First, we get clarity on their point of view. Now we want clarity on why they believe what they believe. Just like the first step, there’s no pressure on you. It’s relaxed. You’re being a student. You’re just listening to what the other person has to say. The other person has to clarify their view and their reasons for it. Don’t be surprised when you get silence in response to your questions because most people have not thought through their views. You have no obligation to go any further into theology, apologetics, or philosophy. All you’re doing in the first two stages of the game plan is gathering information, getting an education, and deciding whether you’re in a position for the next step. No stress on you.