How to Evangelise - Part 2: The Court Room Illustration.

So then after you've made the person realize his need for salvation, the next thing, is to provide the solution.

As said before, sin is the disease, the gospel is the antidote.

So then the gospel must be presented in a way that it can be easily understood, and it's worth can be made obvious to the hearer.

For this, we use: Illustrations.

Now this cannot be overemphasized, in order to get something to stick into a person's mind, an illustration is ABSOLUTELY necessary.

Why? Because it gives easy understanding. It presents the information in a way that can be easily memorable.

Teaching a child math for example: if you merely say, 2+2=4, that sounds very abstract and meaningless.

But if you say, "If I give you two oranges, and add another two oranges, you will have: four. Therefore, 2+2=4", it would make wayyy more sense. The same thing applies to preaching.

Let me introduce you to one of the illustrations I use to preach the gospel. This is by far the most important among them.

Let's call it the Court Room Illustration (courtesy of Ray Comfort).

It goes thus:

- Some criminals robbed an area, possibly shot some people in the process.

- They are asked to pay a fine of 200 Million. Unless they go to prison for the rest of their lives.

That's over 50 years in a confined cell, no freedom, horrible living conditions (imagine Kiri Kiri), bad food, inmates that can harm/rape you, and more. FIFTY. YEARS.

Unless you can pay that fine.

- You can't. You are given 7 days to get the money, but you don't.

- You stand before the Judge. You beg, obviously he can't answer. He can't just let you go like that. 

Why? Justice MUST BE SERVED!

(Take note that you must capture this with emotion, the seriousness has to be shown in your eyes, and in your voice.)

- And then also, the person might want to plead his cause saying, "But judge I do good things! I help people, I give to the poor, people on my street know me".

Would it matter? Would it plead your cause? You've robbed, you've hurt people, and now, you must face the consequences. No matter whatever good acts you might have done before.

- And so, you begin to be taken to prison; the police carry you, you're on your way to the van, handcuffs behind your back, you're already sobbing with tears, and suddenly, the Governor walks in: Sanwo-Olu (if you're in Lagos).

- He says, "What's going on here?"

- The Judge: "Your excellency, these are the people that robbed at X area, we have sentenced them to a life in prison, unless they can pay a sum of 200 Million."

- The Governor says, "Whoa, that's a lot!". 

Now the governor can easily just let you go: It's not his business; it was your choice, and you must face the consequences.

- But in that moment, because of how much he loves you, seeing the tears in your eyes, he says, "STOP! I'll pay the 200 Million. Just don't take him to prison for the rest of his life. Please".

- Everyone's mouth is DOWN! WHATT???!!!! THE GOVERNOR is about to lay down HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS for a CRIMINAL??? Why???

- "Because I love him."

And I will not see him suffer. So take my sacrifice instead, and let him go".

- And so he pays the money, the ENTIRE 200 Million, and so because of that, the criminal, is free to go.

That's what Jesus did for us.

- The punishment for sin is Death and Hell, and so Jesus comes,

dies the death we were supposed to die, goes to the Hell we were meant to go to, suffers for us, and then, 

He resurrects. He comes back to life. To prove, that ALL sin has now been paid for.

Past, present, and future. 

But why? How could this be? How could a man pay for an eternal Hell by going there only for three days? 

Shouldn't he be there forever???

Yes. He should. If he were only a man.

But this man, is God.

God carries eternal life, He is eternity itself.

So what He does, He lays down His Eternal Life, to pay for an eternal death.

Jesus suffers once, yet it is recorded in Heaven as though He suffered forever;

Why? Because when Eternity does something once, it is as though Eternity has done it,

Forever.

The same way God created the world.

This is why Jesus is God, and is also why He was able to resurrect. Believe the gospel.

Stay tuned for part 3. 🥂✨