Unrighteous Motives for Evangelism

by Bud Lambert

In the sight of God, motives for doing or not doing something are just as
important as the righteous act itself ( 1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
One specific area of righteous activity where proper motives are especially important is evangelism. In 1 Thessalonians 2:1-6 Paul defended his evangelism as successful because he proclaimed the gospel boldly (v.2), truthfully (v.3), and with pure motives (vs. 3-6). Notice, Paul's evangelism was successful, not just because he boldly and truthfully proclaimed the gospel, but because he also proclaimed it with pure motives.
You and I must proclaim the gospel for the right reasons. As 21 st Century evangelists, we can proclaim the gospel boldly (in spite of suffering, insult, and strong opposition). We can proclaim it truthfully (book, chapter, and verse). And people can even accept it and obey it. But unless our motives for proclaiming it in these ways are pure, our evangelistic efforts can't really be considered successful. Using Paul's discussion of his motives in I Thess. 2:3-6, let's notice some unrighteous motives for proclaiming the gospel.
One unrighteous motive is to please men: "we are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts" (v. 4). We should never use any evangelistic method or technique only because we want to please our teachers, parents, preachers, elders or even the grumpy, critical brethren who like to sit back, complain and tell others what and how they ought to do things. Paul told the Galatian brethren, "For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ ( Galatians 1:10).
Another unrighteous motive is to get gain for ourselves: "You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up our greed - God is our witness" (v. 5). We must never proclaim the gospel as a front for making money. Evangelists who proclaim the gospel to make money - even though they may proclaim it truthfully and boldly are not successful evangelists. In the same way, churches who evangelize just to have more money in the treasury are not doing successful evangelism.
A final unrighteous motive Paul mentions in this text is to receive the praise of men: "We were not looking for the praise of men, not from you or anyone else" (v. 6). If we evangelize so that others will say "look at that great Christian," pat us on the back, and put us on a pedestal, we are not doing successful evangelism. If we collectively as the church evangelize just to get the praise and recognition from the brotherhood as" being a great church, our evangelism is vain.
Let's do successful evangelism! Let's make sure our motives for evangelism are pure.

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