Report on First RP Conference on Biblical Evangelism

On Saturday, February 2, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary was host to the First Reformed Presbyterian Conference on Practical Theology. The speaker was Dr. David Murray, an ordained minister in the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) and a professor of Old Testament and Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed. He spoke on the subject of evangelism, presenting three lectures to a crowd of roughly 150 attendees. The makeup of the audience was wide, with over 10 denominations and 29 congregations being represented by folks not only from Grand Rapids, but from Southfield, MI, Elkhart, IN, Ontario, Canada, Albany, NY, and Malawi. The travelers were blessed with clear clean roads, somewhat of a rare sight in the midst of a harsh Michigan winter, but certainly a welcome sight.

All showed up bright and early to register, and by 9:00 were ready to begin the proceedings. Seminarian Nathan Eshelman, who organized the event, welcomed everybody and prayed for God’s blessing on the day. After a psalm was sung, Rev. Ray Lanning, minister of First RP, introduced Dr. Murray to the audience. Dr. Murray then gave his first lecture, which dealt with the motives of Biblical Evangelism. He made the most of the time, addressing the glory of God, the good of souls, the groundwork God has already laid, the growth of the church, how our gratitude impacts our sharing the Word, the gain we receive, and some common “demotivators” to evangelism all in the space of less than an hour.

There was a brief time for coffee and fellowship, during which it was discovered that the seminary’s coat rack, despite a valiant effort, had fallen due to the strain of holding so many heavy coats. That story ended happily, however; as Doug Sikma, an elder at First RP, was able to repair it at the end of the day. Undaunted by this turn of events, the eager crowd filed back in to hear Dr. Murray’s second lecture on the message of Biblical Evangelism. He started off with a list of false gospels, some of which are outright denials, some distortions, some stepping-stones, and some useful, but none the actual gospel. After he had thoroughly and convincingly told us what the gospel isn’t, he then in the second half outlined what the gospel is, namely, that we’re all great sinners, that’s there’s a great Savior, and there’s a great so-what – we’re to repent and believe. He urged us to realize there are many ways of saying we’re sinners, and even more ways of exalting Christ, but that these truths are essential to gospel preaching.

There was time for a brief question and answer session, after which the hungry conference-goers were given time to go get some lunch. All went out according to their tastes, and came back refreshed and ready to hear Dr. Murray explain the method of Biblical Evangelism. Dr. Murray summed it up thusly – “Church based personal evangelism”. He encouraged churches to preach the gospel so the unconverted visiting might be saved, though he also called for this to be balanced with expository preaching. Evangelistic visiting – discussing Christ with those in the church – was also recommended as a healthy exercise.

The next portion of his lecture dealt with evangelizing the world, outlining the need for real Christians, receptive churches, reverent worship, and reliable gospel preaching. After his lecture had concluded, Dr. Murray graciously fielded questions from a eager room, dealing with subjects such as reaching those who have a false assurance, motivating one’s self to share the gospel, and preaching to covenant heads. Had time permitted, this session could have gone much longer, but all good things must come to an end and after a Psalm had been sung, all adjourned for coffee and refreshments, and possibly visits to the Reformation Heritage Books bookstore.

The Lord blessed this event well beyond what any of its planners had expected, providing many willing and able hands to assist with setup and takedown, nursery, logistics, and serving. We are thankful for the good weather He provided and the smoothness with which things ran, and give all the glory to Him alone.

MP3s of the lectures are available by clicking on any of the following links:

• Biblical Evangelism;s Motive
• Biblical Evangelism’s Message
• Biblical Evangelism’s Method