It is the devil’s master-piece to make us think well of ourselves. (Thomas Adam, Private Thoughts on Religion)
“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
Evangelism can be done by nothing but self-love and a way to make self think well of self. Evangelism can also be a way for souls to trust in themselves and their own works, which in a sense is a way for people to think well of themselves. The devil hides behind supposed good words, works, and motives. How can one be wicked if that person does evangelism? How can one be wicked if one spends time and money in evangelizing? The easy answers are that they do this in an effort to win something from God, to prove something to themselves or others, or simply from the love of self.
Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
In Matthew 23:15 it is clear that the Pharisees went to great lengths in their evangelism. They would travel long distances in order to make on proselyte. But what was the problem with the Pharisees? Matthew 6 is so clear that they did all their works of righteousness to be seen by men. This passage teaches us that people can be missionaries who travel to foreign lands and yet they are doing it out of nothing but the love of self and the love of applause of others.
Galatians 4:17 They eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out so that you will seek them.
Galatians 6:12 Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.
In the two passages above there are two motives for evangelism given. One is that the ones seeking the Galatians wanted the Galatians to seek them. This shows that one can do evangelism in a way that has the primary motive of wanting others to seek the one doing the evangelism. In the second passage we see that some sought for the Galatians to be circumcised in order to keep themselves from being persecuted. This, once again, is seeking something for others out of a motive that has self as its primary intent and love.
Phi 1:15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; 16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.
The passage above shows us that there are people who preach Christ simply out of selfish ambition. In this case, they wanted to cause distress to Paul while he was in prison. Most likely, then, those preaching Christ in that context were trying to get the people to follow them rather than Paul. But in their efforts to get the people to follow them rather than Paul, their chief love was not Christ or the people but instead themselves. Even in being an orthodox minister a person can preach Christ in a way to make self think well of self.
Phi 2:19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20 For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.
The passage just above is a startling passage. Paul had not one to send to the church in Philippi because he had no one who would genuinely be concerned about the people. The reason for this is that he had no one who was truly concerned about the things of Christ instead of the things of self. But all of this sets out the clear and unmistakable teaching that people can evangelize and be very religious and do that only for the reasons of self. In other words, the devil has brought his master-piece of making people feel good about themselves into the churches and into our evangelistic practices. People evangelize because they feel good about themselves rather than love for Christ. People evangelize in order to obtain or further a sense of self-righteousness instead of love for Christ. In other words, evangelism can be a way for people to deceive themselves and as such is a way of the devil to make people think well of themselves. It is diabolical.
God Loves... Himself 
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