In 1980, Jerry Falwell declared a ‘holy war’ against the rise of sin and evil that was engulfing this nation at that time. Women were killing their babies in record numbers, and homosexuality was being normalized through our media.

In response to this decadence, Falwell created the ‘Moral Majority,” which he initiated in 1979. It was designed to be a political force that would hopefully reverse the gains that evil had made in our culture. This began the rise of the ‘religious right.’

America had been a God-fearing nation since its founding, and a political conflict was brewing between those who believed in the Bible and those who believed in moral relativism. Falwell believed that he could win this conflict by ensuring that moral politicians were elected to the federal government. These virtuous politicians would then pass legislation in keeping with the word of God rather than nihilism. They would also ensure judges were appointed who would reverse misguided decisions such as Roe vs. Wade and restore moral order back to the country.

Falwell seemed to have limited success in slowing the cultural rot that was taking over the nation during the next ten years. The election of Ronald Reagan, the greatest president of the twentieth century, made the 1980’s a decade of remarkable prosperity that the country had not experienced before. Although great strides were made in the area of taxes, deregulation and military buildup, there was little progress in reversing the moral decline of the nation.

The problem was that Falwell, and the nation, would have been better served if he had proclaimed the Gospel in conjunction with his political activism. His focus on the lawlessness of the nation regarding abortion and homosexuality was laudable, but the call to repentance for the forgiveness of sins in the name of Jesus was, as far as I can tell, missing.

This was exacerbated by the fact that there were many false teachers with which Falwell was associated that he failed to call to repentance. In fact, he often partnered with them to the detriment of the movement.

It is now time for a new organization to be created to declare holy war on the demonic forces that are taking over the nation and the world. Unfortunately, there are very few people of faith left, so this will be a daunting task.

The vast majority of people in this country 40 years ago still had decent moral standards, so it was appropriate to call that organization the ‘Moral Majority.” Judging from the state of our most popular churches in this country, the same cannot be said about the faith of this generation.

We can learn from the failures of the past and create an even more influential movement than the Moral Majority. We can call our new movement “The Faithful Few.” The name is not very intimidating, but if it is done correctly, it can be far more devastating to the Godless than the Moral Majority.

The mission of the Faithful Few is twofold and actually quite simple:

1. Teach people the Gospel (including ‘Christians’).
2. Teach people how to use the Gospel in spiritual battle.

Let’s take each of these two goals individually.

Teach People the Gospel

I know what most people are thinking. Every Christian knows what the Gospel is!

That is where they are mistaken. If you ask the vast majority of Christians what the Gospel is, they will usually verbally fumble around until they finally come up with an inadequate answer. Too much false teaching suppresses the Gospel to the point where most people cannot even testify to it. Most of our seminaries are not much help either.

This is a sad situation because Paul was very clear as to what the Gospel is:

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve” (I Corinthians 15:1-6).

This is the primary testimony of the Christian; it is of first importance. The Gospel is the light of the world; it is the pearl of great price. The Gospel is an actual historical event, and it is for this event in history that we throw away everything we own to possess it.

As Paul delivered this great truth to us, we must be prepared to deliver it in all situations. The Gospel should be the foundation of every discussion or argument that you find yourself in with an unbeliever (or a ‘believer’ for that matter). Every discussion should begin (and end) with “Do you believe that Christ died for your sins.” This must be the foundation of every spiritual debate.

It should also be how you evaluate those who claim to be Christians. When you listen to a sermon, you should always ask yourself throughout the sermon, “What does this have to do with the fact that Christ died for my sins?” If you cannot answer that question by the end of the sermon, you are in all likelihood dealing with a false teacher, and it is time to vacate that church.

The Gospel is also valuable for ensuring that you are not subject to spiritual deception. Every doctrine should be evaluated in terms of its relationship to it. If you cannot link a doctrine to the Gospel, it is probably false doctrine.

For instance, what does the ‘Purpose-Driven Life’ have to do with the fact that Christ died for my sins? The answer, of course, is absolutely nothing. Therefore, you can and should discard this doctrine as meaningless nonsense. The same process can be used with “Best Life Now” theology, Social Justice Theology, and the ever-present “Love Gospel.” (Please see my previous article on my blog with this title for more information.).

Use the Gospel in Spiritual Battle

After the resurrection of Jesus, Christ made the most important statement in the entire Bible. He summarized all of Scripture when he said:

“Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things'” (Luke 24:44-48).

This is our nuclear weapon that we must use relentlessly against the demonic evil that is overwhelming the world.

When we view the world through the lens of the Gospel, we evaluate it in terms of God’s law and his Gospel. The following are three examples of how we use the Gospel to do spiritual battle against the ungodly.

When someone demands that we accept homosexuality as moral, we respond the way Christ told us to. We simply say that homosexuality is a terrible sin in the eyes of God (God’s law). But we have good news for you (The Gospel). Jesus died for that sin too, and he calls you to repent and be forgiven in his holy name.

When unbelievers call you a ‘homophobe,’ we then turn to the Ten Commandments and inform them that bearing false witness against your neighbor is a terrible sin against God. But we have good news for you. Jesus died for that sin too, and he calls you to repent and be forgiven in his holy name.

When a ‘pastor’ opines that you are unloving because you refuse to accept homosexuality as moral, you turn once again to the Ten Commandments. You inform this ‘pastor’ that he is taking the name of the Lord in vain (as he is claiming that God said homosexuality is acceptable when God said nothing of the sort). But you have good news for him. Jesus died for that sin too, and he calls him to repent and be forgiven in his holy name.

If these people refuse to repent, then they are turned over by God to the tender mercies of Satan. If they continue to refuse to repent, they become Satan’s possessions, and there is nothing more that can be done for them.

There are a lot of evildoers out there who need to be silenced. This becomes much easier when they do not have the demonic power behind them to help them push their agenda. The best way to get rid of that demonic power is to proclaim the Gospel as Christ intended us to do.

Now that we have the mission statement of the Faithful Few, it is incumbent upon all members of this group to proclaim the Gospel.

We do not have to create a formal organization, have meetings, or even contact each other to be a member of this group. All we have to do is hold firmly to the Gospel and not allow others to ‘overintellectualize’ it to the point that it becomes meaningless. (Please see my article on overintellectualizing the Gospel titled “The Deconstruction of the Gospel.”)

Since much of the church is struggling to get this message out, it is the job of the evangelists to proclaim the Gospel. Fortunately, we have guidance in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians that helps us to understand that we all play a role in this mission.

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13).

There is a great reward for those who proclaim the true Gospel of Christ. It is impossible to be deceived when all Scripture is viewed through the lens of the Gospel. Paul continues:

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth (the Gospel) in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:14-16).

If we stand on the true Gospel of Christ, this is our reward. Although it would be nice to have moral politicians who cannot be bought and who work for the good of the nation, this is not likely to happen anytime soon. It is certainly not going to happen until the spiritual condition of the nation begins to improve.

This change in the spiritual condition of the nation begins with the proper proclamation of the Gospel. It is not possible to obey the Gospel, and thereby increase the faith if you do not know what it is.

“But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?’ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:16-17).

gospelist.net

In Romans 11:13, the Apostle Paul inserts a short but pointed phrase that has the power both to convict and to inspire. He wrote simply, “I magnify my ministry.”

It seems that such a personal and dynamic statement may be better understood when it is exemplified than when it is exposited. But it has captured my imagination, and I thought that I would share a few thoughts on the subject—for my own sake, as well as those who read them.

In the context, Paul is talking about amplifying and projecting his ministry “to the Gentiles” (v. 13) in order to “provoke to jealousy” (v. 14) the Jewish people—in the sense of stirring their interest in the gospel of their very own Messiah. In essence, he wants his “countrymen according to the flesh” (Rom. 9:3) to be motivated to ask, almost defensively, “Why are you Gentiles talking about such things which, by nature, belong to us as God’s chosen people?” This, he hoped, would drive them toward the message of salvation in Christ alone.

Still, I find myself fascinated by this phrase. What did Paul specifically do to enhance and advance his ministry in this way, and what can we learn from him? How can we apply this concept to our spheres of service?

I do not claim that my thoughts here are exhaustive or conclusive—I only hope that they are encouraging, enlightening, and instructive.

We can magnify our ministries, first of all, by our evidence of sobriety—of “sober-minded” (1 Tim. 3:2; Tit. 1:8; 2:6) thinking. Indeed, Paul exhorts all Christians “to think soberly” (Rom. 12:3) about their lives. Who should give greater concern to such sober thinking than the minister of the gospel?

My impression, then, is that there should not be any doctor, lawyer, business owner, or politician who is more serious about his work than I am about mine as a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. After all, the results of his specific labors are temporal; the results of mine are eternal. Yet, we both trade in the things of time. The efficiency with which I make use of this fleeting time and the limited resources at my disposal ought to outpace anyone who is operating purely for worldly gain.

But sobriety is not only to be found hidden within our attitudes. It should also emanate out into the areas of our lives that are public and visible. My “manner of life” (2 Tim. 3:10) ought to be such that people might think it appropriate to ask me questions of eternal importance or to inquire of me concerning other grave and weighty matters.

What we are really discussing here is leading by example—doing those things that it is incumbent upon oneself to do.

For one thing, I want to look like a leader—certainly when I am acting in any official capacity. I will concede that I do not wear a dark suit and tie everywhere I go like some of the preachers of yesteryear. However, I definitely want my appearance to complement my message and never to distract from it, within the context of a given local church culture. I’m not a college kid and am absolutely not a shock jock, a fashion model, or a trendsetter. So, unless there is a reason or a request to do otherwise, I will wear a coat and tie to speak on Sunday morning.

We also magnify our ministries when we conduct them with consistency—in an orderly fashion. “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:40), Paul told the Corinthian congregation. That verse—and that principle—were drilled into me from my earliest days in my Lutheran upbringing. How much more needful they are for me today!

In my ministry with The Friends of Israel, I work independently on a daily basis, and the task before me is enormous—indeed, one which could never be completed. My view of the work can quickly become diffused, and my attempts to manage it can quickly descend into chaos once I am inconsistent in my approach to them.

I must be proactive—careful to remain on course and on schedule. Sometimes it is necessary to rethink priorities, but I must do so in a way that will maximize efficiency rather than simply eliminating difficulties. Missing deadlines, lowering expectations, and delivering less than promised are all too easy to do but are certainly not the means to magnifying one’s ministry.

Losing track of emails, dropping phone messages, or falling behind on correspondence are small blunders that can build up huge deficits in a hurry.

Few things feel as good as sending out a letter—or a whole mailing—right on time or finishing an article when it is due. And nothing will ever replace a handwritten note.

Some of these things are painfully convicting to me even as I write them. Truly, it is “not that I have already attained” (Phil. 3:12). But that only serves to reinforce their importance.

I will conclude these thoughts next time by focusing on our need to develop increasing proficiency and greater productivity in the quest to magnify our ministries.

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Paul J. Scharf (M.A., M.Div., Faith Baptist Theological Seminary) is a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, based in Columbus, WI, and serving in the Midwest. For more information on his ministry, visit sermonaudio.com/pscharf or foi.org/scharf, or email pscharf@foi.org.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version.