Dr. Horn's Blog Archives - Louisiana Baptists

Radical Evangelism

Dr. Steve Horn — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 14:24:35 +0000

Note: This is the sixth in a series entitled “Culture of Evangelism.”
Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 • Part 5

The early church experienced explosive growth because of a conviction to evangelize which led to a culture of evangelism. When confronted and threatened, they did not pray for their safety but for greater boldness.

In this culture of evangelism, every decision is celebrated, but the evangelist never settles. This is the testimony of Philip in Acts 8 after the conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch. As the baptism waters were still stirring and the eunuch was still shouting, the Spirit of the Lord whisked Philip away to the next assignment.

The early church believed and took to heart the words of Jesus that their evangelism must start in their cities, but move to ends of the earth. So, in the thirteenth chapter of the Book of Acts, we see the early church set apart missionaries to go to other regions to share the Good News of Christ.

With the salvation of one named Saul, whose name is changed to Paul, we see this commission to take the Gospel message to the ends of the earth expand and be the continuing story of the New Testament. This world-wide evangelistic effort culminates in the last book of the New Testament when we see this scene in heaven – people of every nation, tribe, people, and language standing before the Throne of God and singing, “Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne.” (Revelation 7:9-10)

In 2 Corinthians 5:11-21, we see four principles that should fuel our evangelism.

Our Theology compels us.

Here is a theology of judgment, but here also is a theology of love.

Some might think Paul is out of his mind (v. 13), but the theological conviction that drives his passion is those who believe in Christ will go to Heaven, and those who do not believe in Christ will go to Hell. When that is our conviction, we cannot be silent.

Our Transformation calls us.

Paul’s evangelism is further fueled by his own testimony. He recognized he had been brought from death to life. He was once an enemy of God but is now a friend of God. He was once destined for Hell, but now his true citizenship was in Heaven. He wanted others to know the same transformation.

Our Title commissions us.

The title is Ambassador. We are ambassadors for Christ! We represent Him. We represent the Gospel.

Our Times challenge us.

Urgency must fuel our evangelism. We don’t know our days on this earth. We don’t know the days others have left on this earth. As Paul challenged the Corinthian believers, we cannot know people from purely a worldly perspective (v. 16), we must see them as spiritual people—going to Hell or going to Heaven.

In light of this, approach today with radical evangelism!

Baptism to Discipleship

Dr. Steve Horn — Wed, 31 May 2023 18:48:18 +0000

Note: This is the fifth in a series entitled “Culture of Evangelism.”
Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4

Some years ago, I was on a follow-up visit with a friend, and we were visiting a gentleman who had recently prayed to receive Christ. The man had not yet been baptized, and we were going to talk with him about doing so.

We began by reviewing the Gospel and his decision. He clearly gave evidence of his commitment to Christ, but indicated he had no intention of being baptized. One reason was his age. Another reason had to do with his hesitancy to stand before a large crowd. We listened compassionately to his story – one that I had heard many times – and I was waiting to interject all the reasons he should be baptized. When there was an appropriate break in the conversation, my partner said, “Well that’s ok, you don’t have to be baptized if you don’t want to be baptized.” I just about lost it. I didn’t say anything, but I was thinking about all the things that I was going to tell him when we got back to the car.

Then, my friend proceeded with his own personal testimony. He said, “When I first was introduced to Jesus, I had the same reaction as you. I believed in Him for salvation and the forgiveness of my sin, but I said I will never be baptized. And then something happened. The Lord convicted me that I should be baptized. And then I got baptized, not because I had to be baptized, but because I wanted to be baptized. And when I came to that place where I wanted to be baptized, nobody was going to keep me from being baptized.”

My friend was instantly a genius in my eyes. The question always comes up “Do I have to be baptized to go to heaven?” We are saved by grace. We cannot add anything to that work of grace—not even a good thing like baptism. But, there is another question to ponder – why would a person be a follower of Jesus and not want to be baptized?

I have been thinking heavily about what it means to have a culture of evangelism. Among other primary considerations (Read about them by using the links at the beginning of this post), when and where there is a culture of evangelism, we must believe in progressing every decision towards discipleship. Belief is just the beginning. Believer’s baptism is a next step, but only a next step.

In the Acts 8 account of Philip’s conversation with the Ethiopian Eunuch that led to his conversion, we read, “The eunuch said, ‘Look, there’s water. What would keep me from being baptized?’”

Until then, there is no mention of Philip broaching the subject of baptism, but surely it happened. How else would the Eunuch know to ask about baptism? At some point Philip moved the conversation from baptism, and so must we. And not only this, but we must move Gospel conversations to discipleship conversations that focus on a growing relationship with the Jesus they profess.

God, grant us this kind of evangelistic culture!

Every Scripture Points to Jesus

Dr. Steve Horn — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 21:05:54 +0000

Note: This is the fourth in a series entitled “Culture of Evangelism.”
Read Part 1 • Read Part 2 • Read Part 3

In 2012, Elvis Presley’s Bible sold at an auction for $94,600. Among other markings, Luke 9:25 was underlined. According to the King James Version, the verse says, “For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” On another page, Elvis wrote in the margin, “To judge a man by his weakest link or deed is like judging the power of the ocean by one wave.”

I cannot fathom paying $94,600 for a Bible, but I do have in my possession a couple of Bibles that are special to me. One is a Bible my youth pastor gave to me when I graduated high school. The Bible had been given to him by his youth pastor. In the front cover, my youth pastor wrote:

This New Testament helped me through my first two years of college. I hope this is an encouragement to you, with special verses marked and underlined that helped me. You have four years to be a witness on your campus. Don’t wait until your senior year. Start today.

Our world needs Jesus. Philip knew that. I love this verse recorded in Acts 8:35. “Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture.” (CSB)

I’ve been thinking about how to create a culture of evangelism in my life, in my community, and in churches. Throughout the Book of Acts, specifically in Acts 8, I observe these principles:

To create a culture of evangelism, we must believe . . .

Every person is an evangelist.
Every person can be saved.
In being sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

Now in verse 35, we find this principle – those who strive for a culture of evangelism believe that Every Scripture points to Jesus.

I’m not suggesting we don’t learn other truths through Scripture. I simply mean that to establish a culture of evangelism, we must use Scripture to point people to Jesus. Scripture is not only sufficient, but powerful in bringing people to a point of decision. This is true from the Old Testament to the New Testament. The Gideon’s, an organization committed to putting Scriptures into the hands of people throughout the world, have staked their ministry on Isaiah 55:11. “So my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.” (CSB)

Perhaps the best Bible truth to emphasize this principle is Romans 10:17. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” (NKJV)

There have been periods in my life where I have believed that it was better to share the Gospel without the use of Scripture. My logic went that if we used God’s Word to a person who did not believe it was God’s Word, we were losing before we got started.

I have repented of that notion.

There is something powerful about how God uses His Word. The writer of Hebrews understood this well. “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:11-12 CSB)

Do you want to be a part of a culture of evangelism? Scatter His Word. Not as some pithy thought for the day, but believing that Word is the power of God unto salvation.

Empowered by the Spirit

Dr. Steve Horn — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 17:27:30 +0000

Note: This is the third in a series entitled “Culture of Evangelism.”
Read Part 1 • Read Part 2

Everything is powered by something.

Think about that for a moment – your house is powered by electricity, natural gas or possibly propane. Your car is powered by gas. Your watch is powered by a battery. Your exercise bike is powered by – you! Everything is powered by something.

As we work towards establishing a culture of evangelism in Louisiana, what is going to power this effort?

The great Evangelism Professor, Roy Fish, defined evangelism as “the compassionate sharing of the Good News of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit to lost people with the intent of winning them to Christ as Lord and Savior that they in turn might share Him with others.”

I love every aspect of this definition. I love the intentionality of this definition. Evangelism has an intent—winning the person to Christ. Our evangelism is to be compassionate. I love the last part that reminds me, as my Evangelism professor, Don Wilton, taught, that “evangelism is not complete until the evangelized becomes the evangelist.”

What I like best about Dr. Fish’s definition is the reliance of the witness on the Holy Spirit.

If we’re going to establish a culture of evangelism within our churches, we must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. We must believe that He is at work! We must believe that He is always at work. We might not always see how God is at work, but we must believe He is at work. The Book of Acts begins with this commission from Jesus: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, CSB)

The power of the Holy Spirit and the dependence of the church on the Holy Spirit is on full display throughout the Book of Acts. We observe this power and dependency on the macro level throughout the book and then observe this same pattern on the micro level in Acts 8 as God uses Philip.

An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip. (8:26)
The Ethiopian is reading Scripture. (8:28)
The Spirit told Philip to join the chariot. (8:29)
The Spirit carried Philip away. (8:39)

At every step in the story, the Spirit is at work. Philip’s witness was empowered by the Holy Spirit. The work of the Spirit of God is evident throughout the entire narrative. First, the Spirit of God scattered the Church throughout the region. Then, the Spirit of God spoke to the heart of Philip and sent him to a specific location to intercept the Ethiopian. Then, God set up the Ethiopian riding in the chariot by having him read from the prophet Isaiah. The point is that the Spirit of God is continually at work. We can be certain that God is at work drawing people to Himself. This fact ought to give us both great enthusiasm and great confidence as we seek to reach Louisiana, and beyond, one person at a time.

As I am fond of asking the Biblical text when I read, “So what? What is the one big take away for me?”

If the Holy Spirit is our greatest power in evangelism, then prayer is our greatest resource.

Will you begin to pray for the estimated 3.2 million people in our state who may not have a relationship with Christ? Closer to home, will you begin to pray for the people you pass every day who may not know Christ? How about beginning to pray for ONE with whom God wants you to share?

When there is a culture of evangelism, we are always praying and watching to see where the Spirit is at work – while believing He is at work!

Anyone Can Be Saved

Dr. Steve Horn — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 15:31:07 +0000

Note: This is the second in a series entitled “Culture of Evangelism.” Missed the first installment? Read it here.

“It can happen to anyone.”

Have you heard this expression before? You may have said it to someone or maybe, someone said it to you when you made an uncharacteristic mistake, misunderstood someone’s direction, or overlooked something that was literally right in front of you. No matter what, no matter where, no matter when, “it can happen to anyone.”

As we continue to focus on daily developing a culture of evangelism in Louisiana, allow me to share a personal story.

My grandfather became a Christian at the age of sixty-five. His lifestyle change after his conversion represents one of the most immediate transformations that I have ever seen. He quit smoking, drinking, and cursing on the day he got saved. That same day he started attending church every Sunday, reading the Bible every day, witnessing, and even tithing. As unusual as this is, that kind of transformation is exactly what the Scripture says ought to happen when a person is saved. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Cor. 5:17) God truly changed my grandfather’s life in this way.

As I think about his conversion, I stand in awe of our great God and the power of the Gospel to change lives. Though my grandfather never attended church prior to his conversion, he watched Jimmy Swaggart on television. Eventually he developed a friendship with a pastor near his home. That preacher died shortly after my grandfather’s conversion. In addition to those two influences, I had a childhood Sunday School teacher who awarded stickers for praying for someone who was not saved. I chose my grandfather. After I got too old for stickers, I kept praying because that had become my habit. One glorious Sunday, my grandmother called with the news that my grandfather had believed in Jesus for salvation!

It’s amazing how God works to bring someone to Himself—a preacher some would call fallen, a small-town preacher nearing retirement who refused to grow weary, and a preacher who was looking for stickers as a child.

As I continue to pray about Louisiana having a culture of evangelism, I think about people like my grandfather. Among the almost 4.6 million people living in Louisiana today, there are many people just like my Papaw.

Understand that in order to develop a culture of evangelism, we must have the core conviction that . . .

Anyone can be saved.

We meet Simon in Acts 8:9. He practiced sorcery and claimed to be someone great. The text seems to pick up on the improbability of his salvation from a human perspective, “Even Simon himself believed.” (Acts 8:13)

Actually, the greatest example of this truth that anyone can be saved is the Apostle Paul who we first meet in Acts 8:1 as being in agreement with putting Christians to death.

I love Louisiana! I was born in North Louisiana and grew up visiting relatives in Olla, Jonesboro, and Monroe. I was raised in South Louisiana. I went to Seminary in New Orleans. My first two pastorates were in Southeast Louisiana. My last two pastorates were in Acadiana. My Louisiana roots are deep, and my love is strong. I resonate with the Apostle Paul when writing to the Romans about his people, “My heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning them is for their salvation.” (Romans 10:1) Let’s build on the work already established and work tirelessly to call our state to call on the name of Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

Salvation can happen to anyone! Do you believe that? Paul told the early believers in Rome, “Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13, Living)

So let’s be intentional, prayerful, relational, watchful, and hopeful, because we believe that Anyone Can Be Saved!

Culture of Evangelism

Dr. Steve Horn — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 22:13:56 +0000

Culture.

Louisiana is known for it. Our food. Our celebrations. Our hospitality.

While I acknowledge and enjoy those things, my heart’s desire is for Louisiana in general, and Louisiana Baptists in particular, to be known for a culture where lives are transformed by people who are transformed – by the power of the gospel. I’m calling this a culture of evangelism.

What does this look like? What are some characteristics of a culture of evangelism?

We have a great example of this in the early church as is recorded for us in the Book of Acts. The book’s purpose seems clear. Luke wanted to show the expansion of the Gospel as outlined to the disciples by Jesus in Acts 1:8. The concluding word on this matter is the book’s last verse. Paul was “preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered,” (Acts 28:31). Though Paul was under house arrest, God’s purpose was being carried out in that the Gospel was going to the ends of the earth.

As I identify principles of this evangelistic culture in the early church, this much is clear . . .

Every person is an evangelist.

Someone is going to protest, “Not me.” Let’s follow the text. Acts 8:1 says that “all except the apostles were scattered.” Let’s skip down to verse 4 which reads: “So those who were scattered went on their way preaching the word.” So, who was scattered? All, except the apostles. Who preached? All who were scattered. If anything, this text teaches us that the first evangelists were not the professionals.

In this scattering of the church, we are introduced to Philip. Philip is the same as Philip the Deacon in Acts 6. The highlight of Acts 8 is Philip’s witness to a sorcerer named Simon and an Ethiopian official. We don’t hear about Philip again until Acts 21:8, where we see him as Philip the Evangelist. Philip the Deacon (Acts 6) becomes Philip the Evangelist (Acts 21)!

The example of Philip in chapter 8 illustrates the principle of personal witness. There is no real substitute for the advancement of the Gospel outside of one-on-one witnessing. Before I became the pastor of Highland Baptist Church in New Iberia in 1999, the Pastor Search Committee sent me a preliminary questionnaire of about eight questions. One of those questions was, “How many people have you shared the Gospel with in the past year?” I was not offended by the question. In fact, I would say this question created a great deal of interest for me in the position. I was excited that a church would have this question as a primary standard-bearer.

When I became the Executive Director for Louisiana Baptists, one of the search committee members asked me during the in-person interview, “Tell us about the last two times you shared the Gospel with an individual.” The great evangelist, Billy Graham, was asked if he had to live his life over, what would he do different? He answered, “Teach more people to share the Gospel.” Billy Graham recognized that even with all the people that had been saved through his preaching, more could have been saved through one-on-one witnessing.

There is more to having a culture of evangelism, but don’t miss the point that this culture starts with every Christian being a witness.

So, as the popular evangelistic emphasis in SBC asks, “Who’s your one?”