On January 5, 2025, my morning sermon was from Acts 2:42-47. That text teaches us that the early church was devoted to evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, ministry, worship, prayer, and stewardship. Since that time, I have written weekly about one of those key elements of life in the church. We have also had a sermon series through the summer where we focused on one key element each week, adding Baptism and the Lord’s Supper to this list as fundamental to the church.
This week’s article will once again address the necessity of the Christian witness in the life of every believer. When we encounter the living out of those early believers faith, one of the things we immediately notice that comes from their conversion is what it says in Acts 2:46-47, “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
What we see is the internal reality has become external activity. Those who had repented of their sins and trusted in Christ were living their lives and intersecting with unbelievers, in such a way that they were giving testimony to their salvation, and God was using that to continue opening hearts to the good news of Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
Evangelism gets a lot of push back from Christians in today’s world. Some think evangelism is a “gift” that only some Christians have, or that it is best left to the professional pastors or evangelists. Some think evangelism is pushy, and that in today’s world that is more of a turnoff to unbelievers, so they would rather just love people, and hope they will seek out a church. Some even think the Great Commission was given to the apostles and therefore is not even relevant for us today.
Let me give you four considerations on why every Christian should evangelize.
- First, the command to be a witness is given to every follower of Christ. Yes, the Great Commission was given first to the apostles, but that command includes, “teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you,” (Matt. 18:20). Surely, teaching to observe all Jesus commanded would include the command to make disciples of all nations. Plus you have Acts 1:8, which says, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” In 2 Corinthians 5, we are told that we are ambassadors of Christ, and ministers of reconciliation.
- Second, the early Christians were ordinary people. Historian, Kenneth Scott Latourette wrote, “The chief agents in the expansion of Christianity appear not to have been those who made it a profession or a major part of their occupation, but men and women who earned their livelihood in some purely secular manner and spoke of their faith to those whom they met in this natural fashion.” The spread of the gospel was primarily by the means of ordinary people. We read in Acts 8:1, “And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” This persecution arose after the death of Stephen, and as people began to spread, they took the good news of the gospel with them.
- Third, we are to be good stewards of what we have received from God. If we are to be good stewards of our money, our home, our cars, our families, our jobs, and the like, why would we not be good stewards of the greatest gift God has given us, namely, salvation through Jesus Christ. Jesus taught us by parable in Luke 12:48 saying, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
- Fourth, the work of ministry is to be done by the saints. Yes, God gives gifts to the church through prophets, apostles, evangelists, pastors and teachers. These gifts of leadership are, “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ,” (Eph. 4:12). The work of service or ministry must necessarily include evangelism. What greater source of love or care can we provide than of sharing the good news of God’s redeeming love through His Son, Jesus Christ?
We are to be devoted to evangelism. Biblically these are just four reasons. There are many more in the Scriptures. But we also ought to devote ourselves to evangelism because we believe fully in the reality of hell, and we deeply care for those who are headed there. The compassion of God compels us to care for those who have not yet called upon Christ for salvation.
By His Grace and For His Glory,
Pastor Mark
