Foundations of Evangelism

In 1942 Martyn Lloyd-Jones was asked to speak on trends in modern evangelism at Sion College in England.

Volume 2 of his biography (DML-J: The Fight of Faith, Banner of Truth Trust) gives this synopsis of that speech, all of which is quite contemporary:

By way of introduction MLJ indicated that there were two positions to be avoided [when critiquing evangelistic efforts]--

first, that of men whose belief is "perfectly orthodox" yet whose work is utterly barren, and

secondly, that of those who seem to get "phenomenal results" without concerning themselves over-much how they are obtained: 'They take a campaign, or preach a sermon and , as a result, there are number of decisions for Christ, or what are called "conversions": but they are not permanent; they are merely of a temporary or passing nature.'

Lloyd-Jones went on to list these five foundational principles of evangelism:

1. The supreme object of this work is to glorify God...The first object of preaching the Gospel is not to save souls...Nothing else, however good in itself, or however noble, must be allowed to usurp that first place.
2. The only power that can really do this work is that of the Holy Spirit.
3. The one and only medium through which the Holy Spirit works is the Word of God...The medium which is used by the Holy Spirit is the truth.
4. The true urge to evangelization must come from apprehending these principles and therefore, of a zeal for the honour and glory of God, and a love for the souls of men.
5. There is a constant danger of error, and of heresy, even amongst the most sincere, and also the danger of a false zeal and the employment of unscriptural methods.