The Way of the Master - A Review
Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
(Galatians 3:24)
The Law and The Gospel
Ray Comfort's The Way of the Master is hands-down the evangelism method I’ve taught and used the most personally. As time goes on, I am confident that this method of using the Law to expose sin and lead people to faith in Christ will continue to be part of my teaching ministry and personal evangelism.
The principles that Comfort explains are sometimes controversial. I’ve experienced some of that controversy firsthand. Nevertheless, these biblical principles ought to be understood by every Christian so that we can use the tools God has designed for leading people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Materials
There are many resources available from Ray Comfort and his ministry to teach Christians to correctly employ the Law in witnessing. In this review, I am focusing on these three:
The Way of the Master book by Ray Comfort; and
The School of Biblical Evangelism textbook.
There are other free resources you can check out on their website and YouTube channel.
Biggest Strengths
There are many strengths to this method. I’ll limit the discussion here to my top three.
1) Recovering the Purpose of God’s Law.
The emphasis of The Way of the Master is on recovering the biblical purpose of God’s Law in evangelism. Many in the modern church argue over the role and purpose of the Law. This is something we are commanded not to do (for example, see 1 Timothy 1:8-11 and Titus 3:8-11).
Comfort writes,
“I am humbled that God would take a little nobody from the uttermost parts of the earth and trust him with this incredible, forgotten teaching--a teaching that was once proclaimed by some of our greatest Christian forefathers” (WOTM, 4).
This forgotten principle is using God’s Law for its intended purpose. That purpose is expressed in the New Testament. Although forgotten by many modern followers of Christ, the Apostle Paul taught the purpose of the Law was to lead people to saving faith in Christ (Galatians 3:24).
Failure to employ this principle has produced rotten fruit. There is a direct correlation to the number of false converts that come to Christ and then quickly fall away when their life does not improve or they begin to face some of the promised persecution and difficulty that comes to all followers of Christ.
The entire method that Comfort teaches revolves around this forgotten biblical principle. Rightfully so. It is so important. At the same time, it is so commonly neglected in modern evangelism. It is for this reason that The Way of the Master will always have a place in my teaching and equipping ministry in some way or form.
2) Simple to Implement.
A second strength of this method is that it is simple to understand. It can be implemented fairly quickly into the life of the believer. Through the Basic Training Course each student is exposed to several one-on-one witnessing conversations. These examples demonstrate how each individual can faithfully and simply navigate their own conversations using these principles.
After a little practice, you can begin using these principles immediately. The overall method requires a little bit of memorization but, for most people, it can be assimilated pretty quickly with a moderate amount of effort.
3) Showing the Sin of Failure to Evangelize.
A final strength must also be mentioned. The teaching emphasizes the sin of being derelict in our duty to evangelize.
Many Christians sit passively by as people they know and love perish under the wrath of God. Comfort calls this what it is. It’s sin. You can’t sit through a session of the Basic Training Course without being confronted with your need to take evangelism seriously and pursue the lost with urgency.
This is one of the things that causes controversy. There are many Christians who prefer to think of evangelism as a task only fit for a select few. Comfort exposes the falsity and danger of this sinful and unloving attitude.
Biggest Weakness
It is no secret to anyone who knows me that I love The Way of the Master. However, if I have to pick points of weakness there are two that stand out.
1) Examples Sometimes Betray The Method.
Watching the videos of evangelism can begin to betray the method. At least a little bit.
What I mean is, the actual principle taught throughout the class is that the Christian is to use God’s Law to expose sin in the non-believer until they are humbled. Acting on the biblical principle that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble, the method officially calls for administering Law until the person is humbled before giving them grace.
However, if you watch enough videos of the one-on-one witnessing, you’ll begin see a consistent pattern. 9th Commandment, 8th Commandment, 7th Commandment, 6th Commandment, then moving to grace. These recorded conversations tend to take on this exact same pattern regardless of whether the person’s countenance and disposition has changed or not.
Certainly, there are some exceptions. But the tendency exists to “just get through” the method without actually applying the excellent principles in the way they are taught. This criticism can be leveled at any methodology. The Way of the Master is not any better or worse in this area.
It should be noted and reiterated that the purpose of every evangelism method, tool, and resource is not to simply “get through it.” We are attempting to witness the gospel of Jesus Christ to people created in the image of God. We should, therefore, take the necessary time to faithfully bear testimony in every opportunity we have. Personal evangelism is not a check-box to simply tick and then move on to the next thing.
2) Strong Leadership Is A Must.
The course can be intimidating. That’s undeniable.
Although the approach itself is simple it may not be easy for many to overcome their years of disobedience and/or fears. As a result, strong leadership is important to getting this program off the ground. It is necessary to demonstrate confidence in approaching people. A timid leader will have difficulty encouraging timid and fearful followers of Christ to actually put this into practice in the real world.
If the leader of the group is unsure, timid, or weak at this approach, it can be very difficult to get things moving or keep them moving for any sustained period of time. As a result, this teaching can be difficult for people to just pick up and use. This is especially true if the facilitator is going through it for the first time with everyone else.
Concluding Thoughts
The Way of the Master materials are resources that I highly recommend. It is not the only evangelism training resource. Nor should it be the only thing a Christian ever studies to be equipped to share the gospel. However, I have often said that it likely should be the first thing a Christian studies. This forgotten principle is that important.
The church has an urgent message to share. We ought to use God’s tools appropriately when proclaiming the good news of salvation through Christ alone. The Law is indispensable for leading people to understand their need for the Savior God has provided. We ignore this God-given gift to our own detriment.
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