Emotions Underlying Evangelistic Outreach

I was arrested recently by Paul's claim to have incredibly deep feelings for the Jews (Rom 9:1). Although I've read the passage before, the Spirit would not leave me alone about this passage. As a result of my meditation, I organized a lesson that I taught twice this past weekend. I left the last 10-15 minutes open for discussion that really helped me along in my thinking. The result of my meditation and the contributions of the classes I taught are below:

I. Paul's emotional response to lost Jews

A. Paul's claim is really pretty remarkable. He claims that he felt great sorrow or heaviness such as the sorrow one might feel when he learns that a close friend is moving far away (Jn 16.6), when a woman approaches labor (Jn 16.21), when a person is excluded from a community he desires to be included in (2 Cor 2:7), and when a person learns of the death of a loved one (Philippians 2:27). As I meditated on this claim, I realized how appropriate the KJV's "heaviness" is as a translation. Paul is saying that he has a great big cloud hanging over him. And that cloud is an emotional pain. Paul also claims that he is continually feeling agony emotionally. The same word is used in Luke 16 to describe the pain of the wealthy man who woke up in hell. So, to summarize, Paul has a continual sense of emotional pain and agony over the lost state of the Jews.

B. Paul recognizes that this claim is difficult to believe. That is why he starts off with a three-fold affirmation of the truthfulness of his claims. He says that he speaks the truth in Christ, he is not lying, and the Holy Spirit actually bears witness with his conscience. So I am left with no choice but to believe that Paul is describing his actual feeling.

C. Paul spells out what kind of attitude grows out of this deep feeling of sorrow and agony: self-sacrifice. And not just the desire to lose sleep and undergo discomfort for the sake of the lost. Paul actually has the attitude that he is willing to forego the bliss of eternity with God so that the Jews could enjoy that bliss.

II. Paul's lifestyle backs up his claims with a life of sacrifice.

To some extent, I am a product of the enlightenment. So I tend to be skeptical. I can just imagine that if I claimed to feel this type of deep sorrow and continual emotional pain for a people, some would say "prove it." So I looked in Acts to see if Paul's lifestyle matched his claims. This is what I found:

Passage	Activity	Result
Acts 9:20, 23	Proclaimed in the synagogues in Damascus	Plot to kill him; he escapes to Jerusalem
Acts 9:29	Preached, disputed with Greek speaking Jews in Jerusalem	Plot to kill him; he escapes to Tarsus
Acts 13:5	Preached in synagogue in Salamis
Acts 13:14, 45, 50	Spoke in synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia	Contradicted, reviled, persecuted, driven away
Acts 14:1, 2, 5	Spoke in synagogue in Iconium	Stirred up and poisoned Gentiles, attempt to mistreat and stone
Acts 14:19	In Lystra	Stoned Paul to pt of death
Acts 16:3	Circumcised Timothy for Jews’ sake
Acts 16:13	Preached on Sabbath in Philippi	Attacked and imprisoned
Acts 17:1-3, 5	Reasoned in synagogue in Thessalonica	Jealousy; mob, riot, attack
Acts 17:10, 13	Gave word in synagogue in Berea	Agitation and riot
Acts 17:17	Reasoned in synagogue in Athens
Acts 18:4, 6, 9-10, 12	Reasoned in synagogue in Corinth	Opposed, reviled, threatened, sued
Acts 18:19	Reasoned in synagogue in Ephesus
Acts 19:8-9	Reasoned in synagogue in Ephesus	Spoke evil of the way
Acts 20:3		Plot made by Jews in Greece
Acts 21:26, 30-32	Paul purifies self and pays for other’s vows for Jew’s sake	Seized, dragged, almost killed, beaten
Acts 23:1, 10	Spoke to council of Jewish leaders	Violence that threatened to tear Paul apart
Acts 28:17, 23	Calls together local leaders of Jews in Rome teaching morning till night	Some believed and some did not.

When I look at these passages, I see that I cannot gainsay what Paul claimed. I mean, how many times do you have to get beaten and driven away by the Jews before you think, "Perhaps this isn't the best method?" What made him go back again and again? It was his love for the Jews. It was this deep, emotional, sorrow and pain he felt for the Jews.

As I look at this passage and think it through, I see three concrete aspects of Paul's life that grow out of his feelings:

1. Prayer. His feelings provoked him to pray (Rom 10:1).

2. Proactive evangelism. The chart above shows that Paul pursued the Jews. When he arrived in a town, he sought out the synagogue. He did not have a GPS or the yellow pages. He had to find them. In Acts 16, we read that he found the Jews and God-fearers praying at the river on the Sabbath. How did he know they would be there? He found out where the Jews met, joined them, and spoke up about the gospel.

3. Persistence in the face of rejection. Paul never stopped going after the Jews. Even after we've read of time after time of Paul's being kicked out, reviled, beaten, and even stoned, we find that Paul's first act after arriving in Rome is to call the local Jewish leaders to him to reason with them from morning to evening for the gospel's sake. Real sorrow of heart grows into persistence.

III. Application

I am forced to confess that my life does not match up with Paul's. I am likewise forced to admit that my emotions do not either. Why not? The following reasons are the ones that I and others thought of:

1. Self-focus: all I care about is what is going on with me, my family, my church, etc.

2. Self-righteousness: I am actually irritated and frustrated by the ungodly because I think so highly of myself

3. Self-dependence: Paul's tenacity and persistence grew out of his dependence upon God. In my experience, it takes only a few rejections (pretty mild when compared to Paul's) to make me timid.

4. Isolation from the lost. This can be physical isolation that grows out of spending all of our discretionary time with other believers, all of our discretionary time as a family, etc.

5. Thoughtlessness. These deep emotions aren't the result of five minutes of meditation and prayer. They grow out of prolonged, regular meditation on truth.

Meditations on John the Baptist

John 3 records a situation that could have turned out very badly. John the Baptist, who has enjoyed large success in his ministry, faces the challenge of responding to the fact that Jesus’ ministry is beginning to eclipse his own. One of John’s disciples points out (apparently with some consternation) that all of John’s disciples are going to Jesus. How will John respond to his diminishing influence? Will he express the natural human responses: jealousy, resentment, dejection? His response, by God’s grace, is exemplary. He acknowledges that Jesus’ success is from God, reminds his follower that he had always insisted that he is Jesus’ subordinate, and expresses that his joy is tied to Jesus’ success. Because of these things he can honestly say that he wants Jesus’ star to rise while his star fades into the horizon.

As I ponder these verses I wonder if I can honestly say “He must increase, but I must decrease.” These words are so easy to verbalize and yet so difficult to internalize. What does it look like to think this way? The key to understanding the concrete ramifications of John’s statement lie in reviewing his thoughts and actions prior to this declaration. I cannot copy John’s final, gloriously self-denying call for Jesus’ magnification unless I embrace his earlier, daily submission to Jesus’ rights.

1. John, the son of a priest (and so in line to serve as a priest with its comforts, stability, and prestige) lived in the wilderness, dressed in rough clothing, and ate a meager diet. His garb and diet were intended to communicate to the public that he was God’s prophet so that they would listen. But apparently he was rejected by the majority as being demon-possessed (Mt. 11:18). His sacrifices seemed fruitless.

2. John pointedly proclaimed a firm message that angered unrepentant sinners. He confronted people from all classes, including the religious leaders of Israel and the political leaders appointed by Rome. He did not compromise to be liked, received, or even tolerated.

3. John resisted every temptation to pronounce himself to be something more than he was. How easy it would have been to gain a little more credibility with the crowds and a little more weight for his message if he had been dishonest.

4. John humbly thought of himself as nothing more than a herald. Jesus later identifies John as the Elijah that was to come. Did John lie when he denied that he was Elijah (Jn. 3:21)? No. He simply did not think so highly of himself to imagine that he might be anything more than he was: a mouthpiece for God preparing the Lord’s way.

5. John publicly acknowledged his inferiority to Jesus (thus exalting Jesus).

6. John engaged in a ministry for the purpose of revealing Jesus to men.

7. John testified explicitly before all Jesus’ exalted status as the Son of God and his intended goal of being a substitute sacrifice for sin.

John’s entire life reflected the priorities contained in the statement “He must increase but I must decrease.” And so I find myself challenged, not so much by the statement, but by the life. My hope is that the Spirit who indwelled John lives in me. Therefore, I can live in such a way that Jesus is magnified in my life. God give me a heart that desires Jesus’ exaltation above my own! A life driven by that desire will certainly get what it wants.

Seek the Father in the Son!

A majority of French people question the very existence of God. If, however, a Frenchman allows for the existence of a "God," most likely he will be an agnostic, questioning whether it is possible to know that God. The question "Can I know God?" is not a bad one, if one asks it because one knows that sin separates him from God. In essence, no matter why one asks the question, the answer remains the same. Yes, God can be known in His Son, Jesus!

These thoughts arise from my consideration of Hebrews 1. What a mercy that God has revealed himself to us! What an opportunity we have to direct men's attention to the only One who can reveal God the Father to sinful men! What a joy to explain that the Son has made it possible for sinners to approach God safely!


John Owen writes the following concerning the self-revelation of God in Christ. It is, of course, difficult to digest, but wading through the quotation is worth the effort because it is encouraging and convicting.


"Would we come to that acquaintance with the nature, properties, and excellencies of the Father, which poor, weak, finite creatures are capable of attaining in this world,--which is sufficient that we may love him, fear him, serve him, and come unto the enjoyment of him? would we know his love and grace? would we admire his wisdom and holiness?--let us labour to come to an intimate and near acquaintance with his Son Jesus Christ, in whom all these things dwell in their fullness, and by whom they are exhibited, revealed, unfolded unto us; seek the Father in the Son, out of whom not one property of the divine nature can be savingly apprehended or rightly understood, and in whom they are all exposed to our faith and spiritual contemplation. This is our wisdom, to abide in Christ, to abide with him, to learn him; and in him we shall learn, see, and know the Father also" (Commentary on Hebrews, 3:100).

Now, if only I can express that in French.