Using Biblical Stories in Evangelism Across Cultural Contexts

The use of biblical stories in evangelism is rooted in the biblical mandate to spread the Gospel to all nations. The apostle Paul's missionary journeys, for instance, were characterized by preaching the Good News "in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of God's Spirit" ^[1]. This approach is exemplified in the Gospels, which were composed during the latter half of the first century to record the life and teachings of Christ ^[2].

Biblical stories can be effectively used in evangelism across cultural contexts because they convey universal themes and moral lessons. For example, the story of the fall of humanity in Genesis 3 is seen as a heinous and aggravated sin, characterized by a love of self, dishonor to God, and disobedience to the Creator ^[6]. This narrative can be used to illustrate the human condition and the need for redemption.

The biblical concept of sin is a crucial aspect of the Gospel message. According to Psalm 51:5, all human beings are born sinners ^[3]. The Psalmist also highlights the problem of deliberate sin, which is characterized by an insolent or arrogant attitude towards God ^[7]. The apostle Paul explains that both Gentiles and Jews are equally under sin's power and cannot find favor with God by their own actions ^[8].

In using biblical stories in evangelism, it is essential to understand the cultural and historical context of the narrative. The parables of Jesus, for instance, were stories that expressed an analogy between a common aspect of life and a spiritual truth ^[11]. To effectively communicate the Gospel, one must locate the central analogy and understand it in its historical context.

The early Christian church demonstrated a commitment to spreading the Gospel across cultural contexts. The apostle Paul's missionary efforts, for example, were characterized by a willingness to adapt to different cultural settings while remaining faithful to the Gospel message. The Gospel is represented as a traveler, whose object is to visit the whole habitable earth, proclaiming glad tidings of great joy to all people ^[12].

The use of biblical stories in evangelism is not limited to any particular tradition or denomination. Various Christian traditions, including Presbyterian, Protestant academic, and Methodist/Wesleyan, have emphasized the importance of sharing the Gospel across cultural contexts ^{[4, 5, 9, 10]}. The everlasting Gospel is seen as a message that must be proclaimed to all nations, and biblical stories provide a powerful means of communicating this message.

The biblical narrative provides a rich resource for evangelism across cultural contexts. By understanding the cultural and historical context of biblical stories and conveying their universal themes and moral lessons, Christians can effectively communicate the Gospel message to people from diverse backgrounds. The rapid spread of the Gospel throughout the ancient world, as described in Colossians 1:6, serves as a model for contemporary evangelistic efforts ^[12].

Sources

Romans “in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of God’s Spirit; so that from Jerusalem, and around as far as to Illyricum, I have fully preached the Good News of Christ; -- Romans 15:19”
Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Gospels — The name Gospel (from god and spell, Ang. Sax. good message or news, which is a translation of the Greek euaggelion) is applied to the four inspired histories of the life and teaching of Christ contained in the New Testament, of which separate accounts are given in their place. They were all composed during the latter half of the first century: those of St. Matthew and St. Mark some years before the destruction of Jerusalem; that of St. Luke probably about A.D. 64; and that of St. John towards the close of the century. Before the end of the second century, t”
Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 58:3: 58:3 All human beings are born sinners (see 51:5); however, whereas the wicked indulge their sinful nature, the godly fight against it (Rom 7:19-23; Jas 4:1-10).”
Proverbs (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Proverbs 30:8: vanity--all sorts of sinful acts (Job 11:11; Isa 5:18).”
1 John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 John 3:8: He that committeth sin is of the devil--in contrast to "He that doeth righteousness," Jo1 3:7. He is a son of the devil (Jo1 3:10; Joh 8:44). John does not, however, say, "born of the devil." as he does "born of God," for "the devil begets none, nor does he create any; but whoever imitates the devil becomes a child of the devil by imitating him, not by proper birth" [AUGUSTINE, Ten Homilies on the First Epistle of John, Homily 4.10]. From the devil there is not generation, but corruption [BENGEL]. sinneth from the beginning--from the time that any beg”
Genesis (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Genesis 3:13: beguiled--cajoled by flattering lies. This sin of the first pair was heinous and aggravated--it was not simply eating an apple, but a love of self, dishonor to God, ingratitude to a benefactor, disobedience to the best of Masters--a preference of the creature to the Creator.”
Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 19:13: 19:13 An individual who commits deliberate sins does so with an insolent (86:14) or arrogant (119:21, 69) attitude. • The great sin is rebellion (see 32:1).”
Romans (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Romans 1:18: 1:18–3:20 Paul delays exploring the theme of righteousness through faith (see 3:21) until after he first teaches about universal sinfulness. Gentiles (1:18-32) and Jews (2:1–3:8) are equally under sin’s power and cannot find favor with God by any action of their own (3:9-20). 1:18 God’s anger is not a spontaneous emotional outburst, but the holy God’s necessary response to sin. The Old Testament often depicts God’s anger (Exod 32:10-12; Num 11:1; Jer 21:3-7) and predicts a decisive outpouring of God’s wrath on human sin at the end of history. While Paul usually de”
1 Corinthians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Corinthians 3:23: 3:23 Just as they may now claim everything as their own, so Christ has claimed them for himself (see Rom 14:7-9), and in Christ they are ultimately claimed by God (see 1 Cor 6:19-20; 7:23).”
Revelation (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Revelation 14:6: Another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel - Whether this angel mean any more than a particular dispensation of providence and grace, by which the Gospel shall be rapidly sent throughout the whole world; or whether it mean any especial messenger, order of preachers, people, or society of Christians, whose professed object it is to send the Gospel of the kingdom throughout the earth, we know not. But the vision seems truly descriptive of a late institution, entitled The British and Foreign Bible Society, whose object it is to print an”
Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 13:3: 13:3-9 This parable (interpreted in 13:18-23) addresses the mostly negative responses of the Jewish nation to Jesus and his message. • Parables (Greek parabolē) are stories that usually express an analogy between a common aspect of life and a spiritual truth. To understand a parable, it is necessary to locate the central analogy and understand it in its historical context and in the context of the Gospel text; then the central message can be understood. Speculative allegorical meanings that were not intended should not be found in every element of a parable.”
Colossians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Colossians 1:6: Which is come unto you - The doctrine of the Gospel is represented as a traveler, whose object it is to visit the whole habitable earth; and, having commenced his journey in Judea, had proceeded through Syria and through different parts of Asia Minor, and had lately arrived at their city, every where proclaiming glad tidings of great joy to all people. As it is in all the world - So rapid is this traveler in his course, that he had already gone nearly through the whole of the countries under the Roman dominion; and will travel on till he has proclaimed his messag”

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