In his book, Sermon on the Mount, Sinclair Ferguson tells the story of a busy street overwhelmed by sidewalk commotion. On one side a group of street evangelists were loudly haranguing each passerby. On the other side, a blind girl was sweetly singing. Unsurprisingly, the singer quickly attracted a crowd. The melodious tone likely had no eternal significance, yet people saw more value in the lyrical beauty than they did in the shouts of condemnation that were being haphazardly flung at them as they wandered pass.
Ferguson did not tell this story as an indictment against street evangelism or to extol the worth of street performances. Instead, he gave the illustration to show that the ways of the world are often more winsome than well-intended Christians who prefer their tried-and-true evangelistic methods over exercising discernment. Only those participating could attest to the reality of what was in their hearts, but as Ferguson observed the event, it appeared that those shouting were more intent on their process than the people they were trying to reach. And because of this, they were failing to reach anyone.
We may be prone to fall into the same error. Perhaps God used a certain evangelistic tool to bring us to Himself, and therefore it is the only tool that we trust. Perhaps we view every lost person the same (and in one sense they are, in that they all need a Savior), and we neglect to prayerfully consider what will speak to their heart, rather than what has spoken to ours. As the old business school saying goes, “when you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” And while this may be o.k. for your tool belt, it doesn’t make for a very effective or loving witness for Christ.
Our job as Christ-followers, therefore, is to follow the pattern of our Savior who spoke to those He encountered based on who they were, how they were uniquely made and their existing life experience, rather than based on others who had responded to His message before. His gentle approach to the woman at the well stands in stark contrast to His strong words of condemnation for the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, and yet in adjusting His approach, He never compromised the totality of the Gospel message. He presented the bad news of sin and the good news of His grace in different ways, but that was always the message that He communicated. And because He treated people like individuals in how He delivered Gospel truths, those individuals were increasingly likely to respond in repentance and faith.
The reason that “hammers” like to envision everything as a nail is because if you treat everything the same, it doesn’t require as much time or thought when considering how to approach it. However, the message of salvation is too treasured not to think prayerfully and carefully about how to present the reality of sin and salvation in a manner that will be winsome to those who hear. May we increasingly exercise discernment in our evangelism; honoring our Savior by praying for those we will share the message with, and by treating them as the unique and wonderful works of God that they are. May we value them and not our favorite evangelistic process, and through doing so, may our gospel efforts bear far greater fruit for the Kingdom of Heaven.
