MODEL EVANGELISM

Acts 8:35 ... "Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, he preached Jesus to him."

      Philip is introduced at Acts 6:5 as one of the "seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom" who were appointed to supervise the work of distributing food equitably to Hellenist and Hebrew widows in the church. Because this service is generally taken to be that of deacons, we come to know this man first as "Philip the Deacon." He evidently occupied himself with this work until the great persecution against the church zealously promoted by Saul of Tarsus. At that time the Christians of Jerusalem were "scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria," (Acts 8:1). Consequently, "Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them," (v.5). Since the original meaning of "evangelist" was "one who preaches the gospel of Christ," Philip the Deacon became "Philip the Evangelist." It is by this designation that we today know him best.

      Philip deserves to be called "evangelist" because Luke, in recording Philip's ministry, emphasizes that what he preached was indeed the gospel of Christ. When Philip arrived in the city of Samaria, he "began proclaiming Christ to them," (v.5). Verse 12 states that, while he labored there, "Philip [was] preaching the good news about the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ." Finally, he was called away from Samaria to the road that led from Jerusalem southward to Gaza and then on down to Egypt. The Holy Spirit saw a prospective disciple traveling that road and wanted him to have the opportunity to learn the gospel, obey its requirements. and become a true child of God. When Philip found this man, a nobleman of Ethiopia, he was reading from the scroll of Isaiah at the place now designated as chapter 53. When Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading, the man answered that he did not. He then invited Philip to enter the chariot and teach him. It was at this moment the evangelist "opened his mouth and, beginning from this Scripture, preached Jesus to him."

      The object of evangelism proceeds from the Divine proclamation of Ezk. 18:4, "The soul who sins will die." In Rom. 3:23 we are told that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." These two premises force the conclusion that everyone is due to die because of his sin. The human situation is hopeless, until we find in I Tim. 2:4 that God "desires all men to be saved" and that He gave His own Son, whom He sent here in human form, to offer "Himself as a ransom for all," (v.6). Everyone should love God with perpetual praise and thanksgiving that He does not desire to carry out upon anyone the penalty of death for sin. He sent Christ to pay that penalty for us. But God requires us to do something for Christ's ransom to save us. We must put our faith in Jesus as God's Son and our Savior, and be baptized in water.

      Evangelism is the effort to persuade a person to make that critical, utterly vital response. That is what we see in the case of Philip and the Ethiopian nobleman. Anyone who refuses to make this response is effectually saying, "No, God, I do not want Christ to ransom me. I had rather pay the penalty of death for sin myself." And that, my dear reader, is not so much physical death as eternal death ... being separated from God's presence forever ... and everlasting exclusion from the Paradise of Heaven.  That decision, and the awful result to which it leads, is the ULTIMATE HUMAN TRAGEDY!

THE FIRST CHRISTIAN MARTYR

Acts 7:60 ... "Falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them!' And having said this, he fell asleep."

      Stephen was one of the seven men appointed by the apostles to oversee the work of distributing daily sustenance equally to Hellenist and Hebrew widows. As he performed this duty, he somehow ran into disputes with Jews from certain synagogues in Jerusalem. But because Stephen was filled with wisdom and the Spirit of God, these adversaries performed badly in the debates. It is evident that their goal was not to define truth and righteousness but rather to protect selfish interests. We read in Acts 6:11-12 that "they secretly induced men to say, 'We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.' And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and they came upon him, and brought him before the Council."

      The seventh chapter of Acts is devoted to Stephen's trial before the highest court of the Jews, the Sanhedrin. It was far from a fair trial; from its beginning it is obvious the purpose of the Jews was to convict and destroy Stephen. Acts 6:13 reports that "they put forward false witnesses," just as they had previously done in the "trial" of Jesus. In the middle of his testimony (v.51) Stephen abruptly turned from his presentation to make a severe indictment of these men for obstructing the will of God and for murder, whereby they perpetuated the tradition of their ancestors. In their countenances he apparently read the malice and injustice in their hearts. His severe words to them, however, were not motivated by anger and hatred, for his dying words as they stoned him was a prayer that God would forgive them of the terrible sin they were committing.  Stephen felt pity for them in their spiritual blindness and hardheartedness and spoke to them the strong words he did for their real benefit.

      This Christian martyr, the first on record, serves as a worthy model for all who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. He made no compromise of the truth to save himself, but rather boldly defended it. In fact, a close analysis of his speech reveals he was more interested in revealing God's plan of human redemption than he was in his own defense. Had he been allowed to finish his discourse, he probably would have extended the gospel invitation to the Jewish leaders to accept it and be baptized into Christ. Stephen's heroism and steadfastness may have had a positive impact upon one special adversary that day, Saul of Tarsus, who later became a Christian and an apostle of Jesus.

      In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. ... Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great," (Mat. 5:10,12). Fortunately, in the present situation, it is not likely we will suffer Stephen's fate in our stand for Christ. Nevertheless, if we truly stand loyal to Christ in a society that every day is turning further away from God and making light of His word in the Bible, we shall suffer persecution in some form. It says in II Tim. 3:12 that "all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." Because Christ in His gospel uncovers and condemns the sin in people's lives, they will despise and ridicule His teaching. And those who become disciples of Jesus they will persecute in one way or another. The opposition of society to Jesus and His disciples has recently become more prevalent and more overt. The challenge to maintain our identity in Christ is growing stronger, and we must valiantly rise to meet it. The offense we may take is with the word of God and righteous conduct. If that is not sufficient, as it was not for Stephen, we must be "ready to suffer." But suffering for Christ is never in vain, for "great is your reward in heaven." (See Rev, 7:9-17).

THREE NECESSARY CHRISTIAN ASSETS

Acts 6:3 ... "Select from among you, brethren, seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task."

      The church Christ promised to build (Mat. 16:18) was established in Jerusalem in 33 AD on the Day of Pentecost. Jews had come from most of the Roman Empire to observe this major religious festival, and some of them were among the 3000 who were baptized into Christ and added by the Lord to His church of that day of its inception. It seems that these foreign Jews, called "Hellenists," stayed longer than they had first intended in order to be further established in their new-found faith. Using up the funds they had brought to cover their anticipated needs, they soon found themselves in financial straits. The church responded to this crisis at once with the programs mentioned in Acts 2:44-45 and 4:31-37. There were doubtless many facets to this benevolent work, one of which was distributing food daily to Christian widows, some of whom were "Hebrews" (native Palestinians) and the others foreign born "Hellenists," (Greek speaking). Perhaps subconsciously, the men who made the allotments favored the Hebrew widows, since they spoke the same language and were culturally most similar. In any case, the Hellenist widows were being neglected, or overlooked, in the "daily ministration," and their complaint was brought before the apostles. These inspired men offered the remedy presented in the introductory text above.

      To qualify for this work, usually recognized as the service of deacons, the men had to meet three criteria. First, they had to be of good reputation; second, they had to be full of the Spirit; and third, they had to be full of wisdom. As we read this, let us not restrict these requirements only to those seven men in Acts 6, or even to the men who now serve as deacons in the churches. Rather, it should be the goal of every Christian to meet these criteria, whether we every hold office in a church or not. These qualities are valuable assets to any Christian and ought to be coveted by every disciple of the Lord.

      To be of good reputation means to be respected as one who is honest, upright, and beneficial to his community. Although we should not court the favor of people by dramatizing good works in order to highlight our piety, we do want to be recognized by them as being pious and devoted by love to serving our community. We are taught in I Pet. 3:15-17 to "sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts ... and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong." In other words, as Christians we should be so committed to good works, motivated by good conscience, that we are recognized and valued as good people. If bad treatment comes upon us, let it be persecution for good deeds rather than justly deserved punishment for evil activity, (see I Pet. 4:15).

      To be full of the Spirit means to be a wide open channel through whom the Holy Spirit operates in this world. Since the Spirit works through the revealed word (Scripture), a person who is well-informed in God's word, devoted to teaching it to others, and adept in applying it to life experience, may fitly be described as "full of the Spirit." So it is not surprising that in Acts 4:31, after it says "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit," it reports that the Jerusalem Christians "began to speak the word of God with boldness."

      Wisdom is the proper application of knowledge. There is no substitute for wisdom. Without it a person can be a brilliant fool and lead an unproductive life. Great knowledge of God's word is not enough. Only the wisdom by which that word can be effectively used is sufficient, and God will give it upon request, (Jas. 1:5).

The Early Apostolic Ministry

Acts 5:42 ... "And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."

      Just before Jesus ascended back into heaven unto the Father, He gathered about Him the apostles and commanded them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." (Mk. 16:15). After the church was established on Pentecost, these men applied themselves zealously to carry out this commission. Since the first converts were "continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching," (Acts 2:42), it seems logical that the apostles were just as devotedly teaching that doctrine to them. When Peter healed the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, and a great crowd quickly gathered to behold the miracle, he took advantage of the occasion to preach Christ unto them, (Acts 3:12-26). The Temple authorities, "being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead," (Acts 4:2), proceeded to arrest Peter and John and put them on trial, When it came their turn to offer a defense, these bold apostles chose rather to speak out on behalf of Jesus and His gospel, (Acts 4:8-12, 19-20). The Jewish Council, however, "commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus," (Acts 4:18). Being released with this official warning, they nevertheless went back among the people "and with great power" gave "witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus," (Acts 4:33).

      The sustained ministry of the apostles, made the more visible by their acts of healing, (Acts 5:12-16), resulted in a great number of people being won to the faith. Then the High Priest and Sadducees, moved further by envy, again arrested the apostles (all of them this time!) and put them on trial. At the conclusion they "called the apostles in, flogged them, and ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus," (Acts 5:40). But these witnesses of Christ were not at all intimidated by these threats or rough treatment. Instead, they "went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."

      We marvel today at the rapid growth of the early church from an initial number of 120 (Acts 1:15) to 5000 (Acts 4:4), which was soon "multiplied," (Acts 6:1). The gospel triumphed in people's lives so quickly that "the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved," (Acts 2:47). Conversions occurred on a daily basis then. But in our age conversions occur in a local church more at a weekly, monthly, or even a yearly rate. And today, the number of disciples almost no where is multiplying. The typical growth of a congregation is not due to the conversion of the unchurched, but rather to members moving from one church to another to satisfy personal preference, such as social activity, charisma of a preacher, or higher energy in worshiping. We are made to wonder sadly why our ministry today is so weak and ineffectual in comparison to that of the apostles and other early preachers. Although the full explanation doubtless involves many complicated factors, one of the most significant centers on the phrase "every day." Acts 5:42 reports that the apostles preached Christ and taught the gospel EVERY DAY, and Acts 2:47 reports that people were being saved DAY BY DAY. Can we say we are preaching the Word "every day"? Is our activity in church assemblies on Sunday and Wednesday evening the limit of our effort to enlighten people with the gospel? Is a week of sustained effort in a Vacation Bible School or Gospel Meeting the closest we come to the daily teaching and preaching of Christ and His good news of salvation? These are questions we need to ask ourselves soberly and then give honest answers. We need to find and enact ways in which we can expand the propagation of the gospel from two days a week to seven. In the world about us people, especially children, are daily being taught a humanistic world view and worldly mode of living by their environment in general and by the electronic media in particular. Do we think that on one or two days a week, in a total of less than three hours, we can offset this massive worldly indoctrination? Decreasing conversions prove we cannot!

THE NAME THAT SAVES

Acts 4:12 ... "There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved."

      When Peter healed the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, (Acts 3:1-8), a crowd quickly gathered who were "filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened," (Acts 3:9-11). Peter took advantage of this assembly to preach Christ to them and encourage them to accept the salvation which He offered, (3:12-26). As He continued to speak, the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and the Sadducees took note of the situation and were "greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead," (4:1-2). So they had Peter and John arrested, and on the next day brought them before the Sanhedrin (Jewish High Council) for interrogation about their mission. Their first question was, "By what power, or in what name, have you done this?" (v.7). With great boldness Peter answered, "By the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead -- by this name this man stands here before you in good health," (v.10). Then the apostle proceeded to make the declaration about salvation in the initial text above.

      We should notice that Peter calls attention to salvation in two spheres of human experience, both of which he attributes to the power of Jesus. First is the matter of the salvation of the physical body, demonstrated in the healing of the lame man. When Peter released the power that performed the cure, he clearly said, "In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene -- walk!" (3:6) In Biblical terminology "by the name of" means" by the power of." Only someone who was authorized to use Jesus' name could direct His power to perform wonders in the physical realm. Jesus authorized His apostles in Matt. 10:8, and when other tried to access Jesus' power by the unauthorized use of His name, their efforts came to naught and almost resulted in their destruction, (Acts 19:13-17).

      The second sphere of human experience wherein Jesus' power to save is demonstrated is the spiritual. Man is composed of more than merely a physical body, which is often blighted by disease, injury and dysfunction and needs salvation from these degenerative forces. Man is also composed of a soul, which is continually blighted by the spiritual disease of sin. We are assured in Rom. 3:23 that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." In I Jno. 1:8 we are told that "if we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Although men of medicine have learned ways to save the body from many diseases, men are absolutely powerless to deal with the spiritual disease of sin in the human soul. In Matt. 19:25 Jesus' disciples once asked Him, "Who can be saved?" His answer was, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Man cannot remove sin; only God can do that. It is this aspect of salvation that Peter was speaking of when he declared that "there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved." Only God can remove sin from the human soul, and He has invested that power in His Son Jesus Christ. When people look elsewhere, or unto anyone other than Jesus, for salvation from sin, their search ends in failure.

      In I Pet. 3:21 this same apostle wrote that "baptism now saves you." And in his statement in Acts 2:38 he added that this baptism must be based on repentance and must be "in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." These statements tell us how and where the power of Jesus to save people from sin is experienced. The person must repent of his sins and submit to baptism in the name of Jesus. Since "all have sinned," it is imperative that "all" respond as soon as possible to have Jesus' power to save applied to their souls.

TIMES OF REFRESHING

Acts 3:19 ... "Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."

      Peter and John, apostles of Jesus, had gone up to the Temple to pray when they saw a man who had been lame from birth. When the man asked them for alms, Peter said to him, "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene -- walk!" Not only did the man get to his feet and walk, but he also leaped and entered into the Temple to praise God. Naturally, a great crowd quickly came together, and recognizing the formerly impotent beggar, they were "filled with wonder and amazement." Peter took advantage of this assembly and its focus of attention to preach to them the gospel of Jesus. After charging them with sins, the greatest of which was denying Jesus' divinity and murdering Him, the apostle told them that mercy and pardon was nevertheless available. He then informed them they must "repent ... and return that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."

[[ Parenthetical note:  The verb "return" translates the Greek epistrepsate, which means to "turn" in the sense of "be converted." The idea is to turn from practicing sin to a life of moral purity. Many English versions translate it as "be converted."]]

      So, by means of repenting and being converted these people would have their "sins blotted out." The same power that had healed the lame man of physical infirmity would heal them of their spiritual infirmity and bring them "times of refreshing ... from the presence of the Lord." That is, they would become children of God, disciples of Christ, and citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven with all the blessings thereof.

      It was also Peter who, only a few weeks earlier in the Temple, had told another Jewish audience how they could obtain the remission of their sins. That statement is found in Acts 2:38, "Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" It is revealing to compare these two statements by the same apostle, who spoke by inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38                                           Acts 3:19

repent                                                repent
and be baptized                                 and return (be converted)
for the forgiveness of your sins        that your sins may be wiped away
and you shall receive the gift           that times of refreshing may come
of the Holy Spirit                             from the presence of the Lord

      These statements do not differ in meaning, but rather complement each other. They reveal to us how we may be released from sin and admitted into God's presence. First, they require repentance, the reorientation of our lives from sin to righteousness. Second, they require conversion, which is accomplished in baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. Conversion requires baptism, and baptism climaxes conversion. Conversion (baptism) results in "the remission of sins," which is the same as having "your sins wiped away." That is, the wiping away of sin occurs in, and not before, baptism. As a consequence of conversion (baptism) and the remission (wiping away) of sins, the individual "shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." It is through His presence in the person's life that "times of refreshing may come." The Spirit, who dwells within the new convert, is "the presence of the Lord" in that individual's life.

WHAT SHALL WE DO?

Acts 2:37-38 ... "Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brethren, what shall we do?' And Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"

      What question could be more fundamental, more important, or more critical than the one asked by these people in Peter's audience in Jerusalem, "What shall we do?" The context indicates the subject of concern, namely, what can people do to be saved from the consequences of their offenses against God? The violation of God's will is sin, and it is a fact that everyone sins, (Rom. 3:23). Sometimes we all disregard instruction from God and commit sin. We must recognize that from the beginning God has decreed we must pay a price for our sin, and that price is ... death! (Rom. 6:23). The greatest problem anyone faces in this life is his sin, and the greatest benefit is the removal of that sin and release from its dreadful penalty. Those who heard Peter's sermon in Acts 2 had the problem of sin brought poignantly right into their faces, and they were quite shocked by it. In addition to the sins common to all people, these people were guilty of the atrocious act of murdering the very Son of God. In his message Peter had told them pointblank: "By the hands of godless men (Roman soldiers) you nailed to a cross and put to death" the Man sent by God to save you from spiritual destruction, (v.23). This accusation found its mark and suddenly activated the consciences of these people, for "when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart." Immediately, they felt an urgent need to do something to have their sin forgiven and avert the dreadful response of God.

      Peter's answer was from God and is therefore the ultimately authoritative statement of the way sin is removed from the soul. The apostle by inspiration directed the people to do two things, repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. To repent means to turn away from the life oriented toward sin and redirect one's life according to the instruction of the New Testament. To be baptized means to be buried momentarily in water, (Rom. 6:3-4). Sprinkling or pouring as other "modes of baptism" are perversions of the New Testament Greek term baptizo, which means to "submerge, plunge, immerse." Furthermore, baptism is only valid when performed "in the name of Jesus Christ," which means "by His authority." In other words, baptism must be a response to the commandment of Jesus; it must be for the purpose He specified, the "remission of sins"; and it must be by the approved method, burial in water. Any other baptism, or lack of it, is human interference with divine will and thus invalid.

      If this question, "What must we do to be saved?," is asked today, many will answer, "Only believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." While there are numerous places in the New Testament which emphasize the necessity of faith for salvation, they do not isolate faith as the ONLY factor. In fact, there is but one occurrence of the words "faith alone" in the New Testament, Jas. 2:24, and it clearly states that a person is justified "not by faith alone." In Mk. 16:16 Jesus inseparably joined faith and baptism as co-factors in human salvation when He decreed, "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved." To deny the necessity of baptism in salvation also denies the integrity of I Pet. 3:21, "Baptism now saves you -- not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but the appeal to God for a good conscience." Actually, faith, repentance, verbal confession (Rom. 10:10) and baptism are all integral parts of the ONE process that results in the remission of sins and salvation. In no way does one of them exclude the other three. Because faith begins the process and leads one to perform the other three, it may be used to represent the whole, just as it is sometimes used to mean the entire gospel, (Jude 3). One must not take this use of "faith" (as in Rom. 5:1) and declare that faith alone justifies. (Observe that the apostle who wrote Rom. 5:1 also wrote Rom. 1:5, where he spoke of "the obedience of faith.") True faith leads to obedience; otherwise, it is "dead" according to Jas. 2:26.  And that obedience is realized in baptism.