I’m often asked, “What’s the next great evangelism program?” My answer, “The first great evangelism program.” Let me explain.
I've been reading Michael Green's Evangelism in the Early Church lately. Considered by many a modern classic, Green presents an exhaustive study of early Christian writings, showing how the church progressed from a minor sub-sect of Judaism to a global movement.
One point Green makes abundantly clear is the opposition those early disciples experienced. Few messages were as out of sync with their world as the gospel. After all, to the Jews their worship of a crucified Messiah was blasphemy (Green, p. 31). To the Romans, their insistence that Jesus is Lord was treasonous. Most everyone else considered them anti-social, atheistic, and depraved (p. 29).
And yet, their message swept the world. How? The short answer is the Holy Spirit. Empowered by the Spirit, the disciples’ witness pierced hearts, drawing people to faith.
But as Green describes their witness, I’m amazed by how little it had to do with sermons preached in buildings (they likely had no buildings for the first 150 years). Rather it was the love they displayed both to one another and their neighbors, the moral clarity by which they lived, the universal appeal of their message, and the offer of reconciliation with God amidst an otherwise broken world. These qualities, so clearly evident even as the culture pressed against them, drew observers near so they too would hear and respond to Christ’s invitation (p. 123, my paraphrase).
Flash forward to the present, where I see a world very much like that of those first disciples. Contemporary society considers the gospel scandalous at best, a sign of ignorant naivety at worst.
And yet, we have the same commission as our forebears, to make disciples of all nations. How can we succeed against such extreme opposition?
We do it like they did, through faithful obedience to His call, empowered by His Spirit. Look back at those qualities evident in the early church, their love for others, moral uprightness, openness to all peoples, and closeness to the Lord. Live consistently like they lived, in sincere, faithful godliness among unbelievers, and opportunities for explaining your hope will abound. And some, prompted by the Spirit at work through you, will repent and believe.
Is there more to it. Yes, I simplify. This is, after all, a blog post, not a book. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word.” But I believe it’s your authentic godliness among unbelievers by which the Spirit draws them to listen.
In other words, the next great evangelism program is the first great evangelism program. Let’s get to it.
Bro. Jim
I've been reading Michael Green's Evangelism in the Early Church lately. Considered by many a modern classic, Green presents an exhaustive study of early Christian writings, showing how the church progressed from a minor sub-sect of Judaism to a global movement.
One point Green makes abundantly clear is the opposition those early disciples experienced. Few messages were as out of sync with their world as the gospel. After all, to the Jews their worship of a crucified Messiah was blasphemy (Green, p. 31). To the Romans, their insistence that Jesus is Lord was treasonous. Most everyone else considered them anti-social, atheistic, and depraved (p. 29).
And yet, their message swept the world. How? The short answer is the Holy Spirit. Empowered by the Spirit, the disciples’ witness pierced hearts, drawing people to faith.
But as Green describes their witness, I’m amazed by how little it had to do with sermons preached in buildings (they likely had no buildings for the first 150 years). Rather it was the love they displayed both to one another and their neighbors, the moral clarity by which they lived, the universal appeal of their message, and the offer of reconciliation with God amidst an otherwise broken world. These qualities, so clearly evident even as the culture pressed against them, drew observers near so they too would hear and respond to Christ’s invitation (p. 123, my paraphrase).
Flash forward to the present, where I see a world very much like that of those first disciples. Contemporary society considers the gospel scandalous at best, a sign of ignorant naivety at worst.
And yet, we have the same commission as our forebears, to make disciples of all nations. How can we succeed against such extreme opposition?
We do it like they did, through faithful obedience to His call, empowered by His Spirit. Look back at those qualities evident in the early church, their love for others, moral uprightness, openness to all peoples, and closeness to the Lord. Live consistently like they lived, in sincere, faithful godliness among unbelievers, and opportunities for explaining your hope will abound. And some, prompted by the Spirit at work through you, will repent and believe.
Is there more to it. Yes, I simplify. This is, after all, a blog post, not a book. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word.” But I believe it’s your authentic godliness among unbelievers by which the Spirit draws them to listen.
In other words, the next great evangelism program is the first great evangelism program. Let’s get to it.
Bro. Jim