 
### Living and Sharing the Gospel

By Grace Communion International

Copyright 2014

Published by Grace Communion International

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com   
The "NIV" and "New International Version" are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

### Table of Contents

Living the Gospel

Sharing the Good News

Sharing a Secret

Reaching Out With the Gospel

The Jonah Syndrome

Courage in the Commission

Ev-Angela's Sermon

Fostering an Evangelistic Culture

Why Should We Tell People About Jesus?

Losing Our Gospel "Buts"

Evangelism Through the Local Church

Preaching in the Early Church

Preaching in the Book of Acts: Part 1: Peter

Preaching in the Book of Acts: Part 2: Paul

Gossiping the Gospel

The Power of Intent

Ordinary People Change the World

Invisible Missionaries in China

Show Up – Declare – or Win?

How I Found My Way to Follow Jesus

Gone Fishing in Africa

Not Putting Your Gift in Storage

About the authors

About the publisher

Grace Communion Seminary

Ambassador College of Christian Ministry

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## Living the Gospel

As followers of Jesus Christ, we proclaim the gospel—we announce the good news of what Christ has done for all humanity. But the gospel is not just words to pronounce—it also involves practical application in our lives.

When we accept the gospel of grace, it affects the way we think and the way we live. When we realize that we are sinners saved only by God's mercy, we become more patient with other sinners. When we realize that we have been forgiven an enormous debt, we become more forgiving. The better we understand and appreciate the grace shown us, the more gracious we become toward others. We see the need for forgiveness in ourselves and in others.

However, the more we see the need to be like Christ, the more we see how inadequate we are to this calling. We do not forgive as well as we should, or as well as we want to. We continue to need forgiveness for our lack of forgiveness, as well as our many other shortcomings. We do not find it in ourselves to do what we know we should.

So we look to God for the strength to forgive, and the desire to forgive. This is a learning and growing process, not achieved all at once. We look to God to change not just what we do, but who we are and how we think and what we value.

### A matter of trust

In this often-slow process of change, we need to trust Christ. We need to trust that he will, in his own time, make us like himself. We need to trust that he will change others, too. Although the church and its members are not perfect, and although they disappoint us and sometimes even hurt us, we need to trust Christ to do his work in them just as he does his work in us. We are all sinners on the journey together.

Trust in Christ affects the way we live—the gospel persistently reminds us to be forgiving, and to be aware that forgiveness will always be a necessity in this world. Just as we need continual forgiveness from God, the people around us need continual forgiveness from us. Even people with the best of intentions make mistakes. Even people who love us hurt us sometimes. In this world of pain and tears, forgiveness is necessary.

If this world is all we have to hope for, we have a rather meager hope. But in Christ, we have a sure hope of a far better world to come. The world needs a major overhaul, and we trust that Christ will do it. Our faith in the future, the heavenly world that Christ has promised, changes our values in the present. We put less importance on the things that this world values, and we put more emphasis on the things of Christ.

This change in values doesn't happen instantaneously. Like other changes in our lives, it is a slow process with breakthroughs and backslidings. Sometimes we get mired in the temporary things of the world, and sometimes we are able to cast them away as irrelevant and unnecessary burdens. As we value people more than things, as we value truth more than money, as we value grace more than revenge, the gospel is changing our lives.

### Examples

Friends, we are not just to know the gospel and preach the gospel—we are to be living examples of the gospel—examples of grace and faith and love. We want our lives to support the gospel, to commend the gospel, to make it attractive to others. We want the words we say about Jesus Christ to be accompanied by the sweet aroma of a Christlike life.

Few things can bring the gospel into disrepute more than a Christian with a corrupt life. People hear of sexual immorality within the church and devalue the gospel even before they hear it. Get your own house in order, they might say, and then we might listen to what you say.

Certain television evangelists have given the gospel a bad name. Church treasurers who steal give the gospel a bad name. Immoral priests have undermined the gospel. Church members who gossip and slander cause the gospel to be ridiculed. Hypocrisy undermines the good news. Self-righteous judgmentalism, on the other hand, hurts the gospel as much as adultery and crime. The point is that our behavior affects the reputation of the message. One bad example can mar thousands of good words.

A good example, however, helps the gospel to be favorably received. That is one of the dynamics at work in friendship evangelism. People can be won to Christ in only a few words after they have seen some good examples of the gospel in action. As Paul wrote, "Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Philippians 1:27). Some behaviors are worthy of the gospel, and some are not. Our example is important. Our lives should reflect the grace and faith we have in Jesus Christ.

When we trust Christ, we are willing to do what he says, confident that his instructions are what we need. Our behavior should include not only obedience to the commands of Christ, but also sensitivity to the expectations of our cultures. We do not have to obey cultural expectations, but we are sensitive to them because that is part of the way that we show love to others. We are considerate, gentle, patient and kind. Faith and love makes a difference in our lives.

Jesus said, Let your good deeds be seen so people will praise God (Matthew 5:16). Peter wrote, Let your good deeds be seen so people will glorify God when the right time comes (1 Peter 2:12). But we do not do good deeds simply for show—we do them because they are right. We were made for the purpose of doing good deeds (Ephesians 2:10). We were made for love, and love means more than good feelings—it means helpful words and helpful actions.

### Cause and effect

However, the gospel is not a list of good deeds that we must perform. The gospel is a message of grace—but after this message has taken root in our lives, it produces the fruit of good works, because the more we value the grace and love we have been given, the more we want to dispense grace and love to others.

Even so, we must distinguish between root and fruit, between the gospel and its results. We should not preach the results as if they were the message, because if people try to imitate the results without being motivated by the grace of Jesus Christ, they have mere religion, a fake faith, a legalism, not the gospel.

We preach the gospel of grace. We can point people, as the New Testament does, to the results that God's love will have in our lives, but we must remember that these are the results and not the focus of the message. But on the other hand, if there are no results, we might wonder whether the gospel has really been understood. This calls for patience. Just as we have a continual need for grace, others do too, and we have to trust Christ to do the work that only he can do.

The gospel commends good works, and good works commend the gospel. It is important to distinguish them, but not separate them. They go together, and grace is the horse that pulls the cart of good works. Our job is to help the horse. Our behavior should be a reflection of the gospel, based on grace, pointing toward faith and love.

How can we better live the gospel? That is something worth thinking about, worth talking about and worth putting into practice.

Joseph Tkach

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## Sharing the Good News

After Jesus had been resurrected and had appeared to his disciples for several weeks, he took them to the Mount of Olives. The disciples asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). In other words, where are we now in the prophetic timetable? Are we near the end?

And Jesus answered, "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (verses 7-8). In other words, you don't need to know the prophetic timetable. What you need to do is to preach the gospel.

What Jesus said to the disciples is still true: Our place in prophecy is not to calculate dates, but to preach the gospel. We do not need to worry about the _next_ phase of God's plan—we need to be diligent about the phase of history we are _currently_ in. This is the church age, the gospel-preaching age, and we need to be doing the work he has assigned us.

Evangelism is central to our mission, as described in Jesus' "Great Commission": "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20).

### For apostles only?

However, a few people have wondered: "The apostles were commanded to preach the gospel, but how do we know that it applies to us today? Isn't our role just to set a good example, and then give the gospel to people when they ask about it? The Bible does not actually command us to preach to the public, does it?"

Let's go back to Matthew 28:19-20. Jesus told his apostles to teach other people to obey everything he had commanded the disciples. And one of his commands to them was to preach, and as a result, the apostles taught believers to obey Jesus' command to preach the gospel. In effect, Jesus gave a self-perpetuating command. Future disciples were to carry on the commission. Matthew ended his book with a command that his readers needed to obey.

Verse 20 tells us that Jesus promised, "I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Jesus did not promise merely to be with the apostles, but with the church throughout the centuries. The commission is likewise applicable to all the church, from the earliest apostles even to the end of the age. The New Testament records the results of Christ being with and motivating apostles and many other believers to preach the gospel.

### A word about 'preach'

Before we look at examples in the New Testament about the church carrying out the command to preach, let us take a moment to better understand the Greek words usually translated "preach" or "preaching." Some Christians are put off by the idea that all believers are told to "preach." They understand "preaching" as standing up in public and speaking convincingly and forcefully. Very few people are equipped to do that kind of "preaching."

But "preach" is only one of the possible ways the Greek words can be translated. One of the words commonly translated "preach" is _euaggelizo,_ and it means "to bring or announce good news." Certainly, the common understanding of "preach" is an important way in which the good news is announced. But that common understanding is not the only way to bring the gospel.

In passages such as Luke 1:19 and 2:10, _euaggelizo_ is translated "show" or "bring" the good news. Our concept of "preach" needs to expand to include the many other ways the gospel can be given to others. The concept intended with _euaggelizo_ is that of a person or persons getting across the message of the good news of the gospel to other people. There are many ways in which that can be done in addition to preaching.

Another word usually translated "preach" is _kerysso,_ and this means to proclaim, to make known. This can be done by public preaching, but it can be done in other ways too. The word used in Mark 16:15 and translated "preach" is _kerysso._

Different translations often use different words to translate _kerysso_ or _euaggelizo._ For example, in Luke 9:2, the King James Version translates _kyrusso_ as "preach," while the New American Standard translates it "proclaim." In Luke 1:19, the KJV translates _euaggelizo_ as "shew thee these glad tidings," while the NAS translates it as "bring you this good news" and the New International Version has it "tell you this good news."

Getting the gospel to others is not limited just to popular notions of preaching. On the contrary, informing others about the grace of God in Jesus Christ can take many forms, and all of us are gifted by the Spirit to bring the gospel to others in one way or another.

### Evangelism in the early church

Throughout the book of Acts, we see the apostles carrying out Jesus' commission. They declared that Jesus is the Christ, that he was crucified and raised from the dead, and that salvation is available through him. It was a Christ-centered message, an "evangelistic" or "gospel-oriented" message.

But was the gospel proclaimed by the apostles alone? Not at all! Stephen did great works in the name of Christ, and argued that Jesus is the Christ (Acts 6:8-10). Before the Sanhedrin, he forcefully argued that Jesus is the Righteous One, the Messiah, predicted in the Scriptures (Acts 7:51-52). His dying words were a testimony to God's forgiveness of sins in Christ (verse 60).

God inspired Stephen, and he inspired many others. "On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered.... Those who had been scattered preached the word ( _euaggelizo_ ) wherever they went" (Acts 8:1, 4). Even at risk of their lives, these lay Christians saw to it that the gospel was given to others. They were simply doing what Christians do naturally. They felt compelled—led by the Holy Spirit—to tell others the good news that God had blessed them with. Luke presents the story as a good example for us to follow.

Next, Philip went "to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there" (verse 5). God blessed this evangelism by converting some of the Samaritans. The gospel continued to expand.

#### Those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. (Acts 11:19-21)

God inspired his people to tell the good news about Jesus, and he blessed the results.

Paul was given a special commission as an apostle to the Gentiles. But Luke tells us that Paul was not the only one who shared the good news with them. "Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they _and many others_ taught and preached the word of the Lord" (Acts 15:34). Luke does not think that the commission applied only to the apostles. His book serves as an example of what future generations of the church should do.

Also in the book of Acts, we might note the example of Apollos, who "vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ" (Acts 18:28). Later, Paul rejoiced that even more people were preaching Christ (Philippians 1:15-18; _kyrusso_ is used in verse 15; _kataggello,_ meaning "proclaim," is used in verses 16 and 18).

Paul told Timothy (2 Timothy 4:5) to do the work of an evangelist ( _euaggelistes_ —a bringer of good news). God gives some of his people a gift for evangelism (Ephesians 4:11). Training can make their gift even more effective. The church could not fulfill its mission if all it ever did was wait for people to come to it. It needs to be intentional about going out in the name of Christ and reaching people with the good news.

### Personal evangelism

At one level or another, evangelism involves every member of the church, every disciple of Jesus Christ. As we mature in the faith, each member should become more competent with the Christian message. "By this time you ought to be teachers," Hebrews 5:12 says, implying that anyone who has been a Christian for a while should be able to teach others the good news.

God has given the "message of reconciliation" to all who are reconciled by Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). We are to encourage other people to be reconciled to God through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As the church obeys the commands of Christ and we conduct ourselves "in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Philippians 1:27), people will indeed come to us and ask for help. This is evangelism by example, and it adds to rather than replaces our responsibility to be intentional about reaching others. We are to do both. Part of our example should be our willingness to give credit to the One who works within us.

We are a holy people, called to "declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9). How do we do this? In part, by living "such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us" (verse 12).

It is in the context of setting a good example that Peter writes, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15). Example and evangelism go hand in hand. Sometimes one comes first, sometimes the other does.

In the world today, the Christian way of life stands out. When society is pessimistic and apathetic, the Christian hope and purpose are more noticeable. People need and want the peace of Christ, whether they understand it yet or not. When they ask for help, we can explain in our own words why we have hope in Jesus Christ. A good example and a wise witness to our faith help preach the good news.

Paul encouraged Christians to live "without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe" (Philippians 2:15). But the Christian's role in the community does not stop with avoiding sin. Paul's very next words are "as you hold out the word of life" (verse 16). Their works were combined with their words. Good deeds go with the gospel, and the combination is an effective form of evangelism.

### Prepared to give an answer

Each Christian should be able to explain the basics of the faith. Perhaps not in an eloquent way, and certainly not in an argumentative way, but in simple confidence. We know the peace of God in our lives. We know that we will be resurrected. We know that life is worthwhile. We know that our sins are forgiven. We know that God sent his Son to die for us, and that he now lives for us. We know he wants us to stop living for ourselves and start living for him (2 Corinthians 5:15).

Christians can't explain every verse of the Bible, but they can give their own testimony as to why they believe. They can't prove every point with an iron-clad argument, and they don't need to. What makes their testimony believable is their "good behavior in Christ" (1 Peter 3:16). When we give an answer for the hope that lies within us, the evidence is in our works as well as in our words. The two reinforce each other to make each more effective than they would have been on their own.

Not every member is equally gifted at explaining the grace of God, and not every member will do it in the same way. "Evangelism," in the sense of continually approaching others with the gospel, is a spiritual gift, and we cannot expect every Christian to have this particular gift. But all Christians are commanded to be ready to give an answer. All of us should want our neighbors to have the blessing of knowing Christ, rather than living in ignorance. All Christians should be ready to be used by God when appropriate situations arise.

Personal evangelism should not be ignored. The Holy Spirit leads each Christian in behavior and in word. That means that each of us should be a good example in the community and be a faithful witness of the faith that lies within us. If you are a more reserved person, if religion is not the first subject you want to bring up, that's OK. Be zealous for Christ in the way God has gifted you—but always be ready to give an answer. Being ready includes being willing, not just having the right words.

Christ's commission to bring the gospel to others is a continuing part of our work. That is why we are committed to the work of evangelism—this is one of the ways in which we obey Jesus Christ. This is part of our commission, part of our responsibility.

Joseph Tkach

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## Sharing a Secret

I've got a secret—and you probably have one, too. But it's no longer a secret. It's been revealed in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was hidden for a long time, Paul said, but at just the right time it was opened to the world.

The gospel is "the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him" (Romans 16:25).

God had a mystery—a secret plan—a plan for all nations to be given eternal life in Jesus Christ. The Old Testament prophets wrote about God's plan, but very few people back then understood it.

### An Old Testament secret

God whispered the secret to Abraham when he called him out of Mesopotamia. "Go to the land I will show you," God said, "and I will bless you... and _all peoples on earth_ will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:1-3). The blessing of Abraham extends not just to the Jewish people, but to people everywhere around the globe. Genesis says very little about it. It doesn't even say that the blessing would involve eternal life. It was still a secret.

Centuries later, when God brought Israel out of Egypt, he whispered again that his plan was bigger than the tribes of Israel. The plagues on Egypt were not just to punish Egypt or to impress Israel—they were also designed so that "the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord" (Exodus 7:5).

The plan went farther than Egypt, too. God told Pharaoh that he would show his power in Egypt so that "my name might be proclaimed in all the earth" (Exodus 9:16). Apparently some of the Egyptians learned about the secret—there were "many other people" who left with the Israelites (Exodus 12:38).

When Israel was at Mount Sinai, God offered that they could become "a kingdom of priests" (Exodus 19:6). They would help other nations come to God. Israel seems to have neglected the offer, though, and we do not hear of it again until the New Testament. But God's plan remained—he was still determined to bring all nations to learn about what he could do for them.

When Joshua led the people across the Jordan River, was it just for Israel? No—Joshua said that God's plan was that "all the people of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful" (Joshua 4:24). The shepherd boy David had an inkling of what God was doing, too. He told Goliath that "the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel" (1 Samuel 17:46).

### Singing about salvation

Many of the psalms are about God's plan for all nations. Psalm 2 speaks to the Son of God: "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession" (verse 8). "Kiss the Son," the nations are advised. "Blessed are all who take refuge in him" (verse 12).

"Let all the earth fear the Lord," Psalm 33:8 says. "Let all the people of the world revere him." O, that everyone would know his goodness. "Shout with joy to God, all the earth!" (Psalm 66:1) "Come and see what God has done," the psalmist says to everyone. "Praise our God, O peoples... Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me" (verses 8, 16).

The mission of the church is not based on a single scripture at the end of Matthew—it is based on what God has promised from the beginning. Although the Old Testament is focused on Israel, various passages here and there remind us that God has a lot more than Israel in mind.

God sent his own Son into another culture in order to reach people. When we are involved in mission, when we are sharing the blessing he has given us, we are taking part in God's plan to bless all nations through the Seed of Abraham.

"Sing to the Lord, all the earth.... Proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations" (Psalm 96:1-2). "The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.... All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth" (Psalm 98:2-4).

### Everyone is involved

God wants everyone to come to a knowledge of salvation—to hear the gospel (1 Timothy 2:4). When our hearts are like the heart of God, we too want to see the salvation of all peoples, and we'll do our part spreading his good news to others. Some of us will go to our own city to share the gospel. Others will travel within one nation, and some will go to other nations. Others will support them in prayer and finances and hospitality.

I encourage you to share the gospel, and to pray for those who share the gospel. I encourage each congregation to train people in evangelism, encourage people in evangelism, and allocate part of their budget for evangelism. It can be done by supporting churches in other nations, or by supporting new churches in the next neighborhood.

The Great Commission is our mission, and that is why our financial structure includes support for mission developers in other nations. Through this denominational initiative, every congregation has at least an indirect role in supporting overseas missions. Some choose to have more direct involvement, too, through "sister church" arrangements or other partnerships that can help churches share the good news of salvation.

We may help in different ways, but for each of us, the call is there: Go, preach the gospel, make disciples of all nations, and teach them to do the same thing (Matthew 29:19-20). The secret is simply too good to keep to ourselves.

Joseph Tkach

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## Reaching out With the Gospel

What is the best, most effective way to share the gospel with others? This is a question our church has been discussing as long as I can remember. And I think I can say with some confidence that we have tried just about everything except the Goodyear blimp.

We have published millions of magazines and booklets, used radio and network television, launched evangelistic personal campaigns — and in recent years we have experimented with web casts and other types of social media.

Which of these has been the most effective? It's very hard to quantify the results. Some work for a time, and then the novelty wears off. Others seem to be effective, until we add up the cost. Then there are methods that generate a huge initial response, but very little actual returns. Like a magazine newsstand program. Or advertisements in _Reader's Digest_.

But is there one method that is the most effective? Yes, there is.

Ed Stetzer was a guest speaker at our International Conference in Orlando. He is a missiologist and the president of LifeWay Research, and he provided us with a helpful, humorous and colorful presentation on evangelism. He noted that while driving down the interstate, especially in the "Bible belt" in the USA, you will come across some interesting billboards and marquees, set up by well-meaning religious organizations that seem to have more enthusiasm than theological insight and marketing savvy.

Like me, you probably wonder what made the sponsors think that messages like these would turn people to the gospel. As Ed said, "You feel frustrated at how silly they seem. But more importantly, you wonder about the reaction of the countless unchurched who are reading them."

Ed has done research on this topic, and has come up with some interesting information about how unchurched people respond to various evangelistic approaches. He conducted a survey with more than 15,000 Americans, asking them about different methods of church outreach. The survey covered 13 different evangelistic methods to discover ways that Americans are willing to receive information about local congregations. The top five, in increasing order of effectiveness, are:

5) Newspaper or magazine advertising — 46%

4) Outdoor sign or billboard — 46%

3) Informative ad in the newspaper — 48%

2) Personal conversation with a friend or neighbor from the church — 56%

1) Personal conversation with a family member — 63%

So the research showed that, whereas mass marketing methods have some effect, the biggest impact is gained by the least expensive techniques.

Additionally, the research discovered that some people are more or less receptive to considering issues of faith at different times in differing circumstances. The following are the top five times that people are most open to considering matters of faith:

5) After the birth of a baby — 28%

4) After a natural disaster — 34%

3) After a major national crisis — 38%

2) During the Easter season — 38%

1) During the Christmas season — 47%

What Ed Stetzer's research has shown is that unchurched people are more willing to talk about Jesus than we may realize. But it has to be the right person and the right time. So while the research shows that marketing and advertising do provide support for outreach, they are supplemental at best. Contact based on relationships is the most effective approach.

And so it has been since the early years, when Peter exhorted the first Christians: "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15).

The message of Jesus is best shared by example, one conversation at a time. Perhaps that helps explain why, rather than hovering over us for all eternity in a heavenly blimp, Jesus came to us in time and space, in flesh and blood, in person, face to face!

Joseph Tkach

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## The Jonah Syndrome

" **How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Meet the Assyrians"**

"Show proper respect to everyone; love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king" (1 Peter 2:17). This is a great code to live by, but it's much easier said than done. Why is it difficult? Perhaps because our jaded society tends to make us suspicious and fearful of people different from ourselves, and that attitude can't help but short-circuit human relationships.

Numerous studies show that the gospel is carried to new people most effectively by personal contact. Fuller Seminary's mission expert Charles Van Engen has written: "The world is ever more a stew-pot of people of very diverse cultures, religions and world-views working and living side by side." For this reason, Van Engen argues, "the local body of believers is the primary agent for crossing cultural barriers and experiencing reconciliation in Christ."

Your Muslim or Buddhist neighbors may question your religion, but they cannot overlook the fact that you, John or Joanne Christian, are different from other people on the block. Or at least we should be.

This is why, when Christians are asked to consider the importance of personal evangelism to the basic mission of the church, we need to reacquaint ourselves with the book of Jonah. As we seek to reach out to the world on a more personal level, the experiences of this Old Testament prophet can at the very least help show us how _not_ to do mission.

### Called to mission

Romans 15:4 tells us that everything written in the past, that is, in the Old Testament, "was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope."

What is immediately hopeful about Jonah's story is that it shows us in stark terms that the source of genuine mission and outreach springs from the kindness and mercy of the great heart of God. Near the end of the book of Jonah, God asks Jonah the core question: "Should I not be concerned about that great city?" (Jonah 4:11).

That gets to the heart of effective biblically based mission. God was concerned about the cities of Jonah's day, as he is concerned about the people in our cities today.

The biblical witness is consistent. Abraham pleaded for the life of Sodom (Genesis 18:23-32). Jeremiah urged his compatriots in Babylon to "seek the peace of the city." Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44), and Jonah... well, Jonah had some lessons to learn.

God had a challenging new assignment for Jonah, one that totally upset the prophet's comfortable worldview: "The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 'Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me'" (Jonah 1:1). Jonah's reaction was far from exemplary— "Not me, Lord — find someone else, please!"

### 'Calculated terror'

What is going on here? A little background helps. Up till now Jonah had been a successful prophet. His ministry had gone well.

Sometime in the long and prosperous reign of King Jeroboam II (c. 793-753 B.C.) God had given Jonah the opportunity to announce the good news that Israel would expand its borders (2 Kings 14:23-25). As a native of Gath-heper, a town in the area later known as the Galilee, Jonah was overjoyed to proclaim that his nation would expand northward. Perhaps this expansion would secure a buffer zone between Israel and the dreaded Assyrians to the north.

The Assyrians — that was a name to reckon with. These fearsome warriors had already made their reputation with raids into Israelite territory in the previous century. Assyria's King Shalmaneser III (858-824 B.C.) had received tribute from Israel around 841 B.C., and Adad-Nirari was banging at the gates of Damascus in 804 (Lasor, Hubbard and Bush, _Old Testament Survey,_ page 207). Cunning and cruel, Assyria's swift-moving legions were the most dreaded military force in Jonah's day, and Nineveh was the capital of Assyria!

The Assyrians practiced a policy of calculated terror. The Assyrian king Ashur-Nasir-Pal II (883-859 B.C.) inscribed his tactics on a stone monument: "I stormed the mountain peaks and took them... with their blood I dyed the mountains red like wool.... The heads of their warriors I cut off, and I formed them into a pillar over against their city, their young men and their maidens I burned in the fire" (Finegan, _Light from the Ancient Past,_ pages 202-203).

How gruesome can it get! And God was asking Jonah to preach to these people? Impossible. Inconceivable! Jonah, like everyone else in the Ancient Near East, was all too familiar with the sins of Nineveh, its "evil ways and...violence" (Jonah 3:8). This was too much for Jonah to handle. "A mission to Nineveh, to the Assyrians? Lord, you must be kidding," we can almost hear Jonah saying. This is like a mission to Osama bin Laden.

### Fight and flight

In times of stress, psychologists tell us, we react with either fight or flight. Perhaps Finegan's words give us a partial insight into Jonah's flight reaction to God's calling: "But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord" (Jonah 1:3).

What a strange turn of events! A prophet trying to escape God's presence by leaving the territory of Israel! Ironically, he leaves from the exact same seaport where God will send the apostle Peter to start the Gentiles on the road to salvation (Acts 10:5-6).

So now the lessons from Jonah begin to accumulate. For openers, the prophet seems to have had a limited concept of God. Whether from a panicky fear of the Assyrians or from the shattering of his comfortable assumption that God was working only with Israel — he hightailed it to Tarshish, perhaps in the Western Mediterranean.

He was about to learn that God was a lot bigger than the Mediterranean. He would be faced with the uncomfortable fact that this God he served loved all people — even the dreaded Assyrians.

The action continues: "Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up" (Jonah 1:4).

Where was Jonah during this storm? Incredibly, he was in the hold of the ship fast asleep (verses 5-6). What was going through his mind? Was he totally uninterested in the fate of the ship or — as seems more likely — was he still in shock over God's shaking up of his neat and tidy division of the world into good guys and bad guys?

Some expositors picture Jonah down in the hold in utter shock, perhaps curled up in a fetal position. Perhaps it was fear and loathing toward the Assyrians, or perhaps it was the trauma of a shattered worldview, but Jonah was in deep, emotional disturbance.

We can almost hear him pondering down in the darkness of the cargo hatch: "Isn't Israel God's nation? Aren't they a special treasure above all nations (Exodus 19:5)? Why is God sending me to the wicked Assyrians? No, no, it can't be... can it?... Does God love Israel's enemies as much as he loves Israel?"

Deep down, Jonah may have suspected that this was the case (Jonah 4:2-3). But he has to work out this shattering new formula in his mind. Jonah had misread his country's history. God had called Israel to be "a kingdom of priests" (Exodus 19:6). Their founding father had been commissioned for an international mission of mercy — "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:3).

### Missing the boat!

Israel was to be a missionary nation (Isaiah 49:6). Jonah was being challenged to stretch his thinking; to be inclusive rather than exclusive; to be sharing the light, not narrowly looking down on others.

Jonah may have known all this, but he needed time to process the shock. He may have been on a vessel, but he was missing the boat. No wonder he is too distracted to notice that they're all about to drown!

Here the narrative gets more ironic. The Gentile sailors are terrified of the storm. They have "done something religious" — they have been calling out to their gods, a common procedure when in trouble (Psalm 107:23-37). The captain shakes Jonah awake: "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish" (Jonah 1:6).

Nope. Jonah remains obdurate. When it becomes clear that all this is his fault, he says: "I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land" (v. 9). This would sound comical if so much was not at stake. The pagan sailors could have asked: "If your God created the sea, why did you think you could get away from him on a boat?"

Ah — a logical question. But Jonah isn't thinking logically. Neither do we in times of great mental and emotional turmoil. You can almost visualize Jonah thinking of his next move. He responds impulsively: "Throw me into the sea. All this is my fault!"

Incredibly, those pagan sailors refuse. They have more respect for human life than the so-called man of God. Ironic, isn't it? Finally, events force them to do the deed, but with great reluctance. They do it respectfully, reverently, invoking God's name (v. 14). The pagans are more religious than the prophet!

Further, when the storm subsides, they offer sacrifices to God (v. 16). What potential converts these seamen might have made. But Jonah is not thinking about such things. Into the sea he goes. Tragically, he chooses self-extinction rather than accept God's mission.

Mercifully, God wasn't through with his servant yet. A great fish swallowed up Jonah, the man of God. A man of God, all right, but a man who had head knowledge without corresponding heart knowledge.

But he was still Yahweh's servant, and with his back to the wall, inside the great fish, Jonah prayed a beautiful prayer of repentance (Jonah 2:1-9). Notice the lessons here. His "death" in the sea reconciled the sailors to God (Jonah 1:16). His "resurrection" from the belly of the fish would result in the salvation of Nineveh (Jonah 3:10). In all of this, the Hebrew prophet was an amazing foreshadowing of the Messiah, also from Galilee, Jesus the Christ (Matthew 12:40).

### The still, small voice

But the repentance of Nineveh brought out the worst in this hot-headed prophet. Habits of a lifetime are not so easily overcome. He resented God's grace and mercy (Jonah 4:1-3) and erupted with one of the most ironic requests ever made by a biblical rarity: a successful prophet: "Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live" (Jonah 4:3).

God does not do what Jonah wants (just as well for Jonah!). In this experience and in the incident with the worm and the vine (verses 5-8), God twice approached Jonah in the soothing tones of a skilled Counselor: "My friend Jonah, come on now, be reasonable. Do you have a right to be angry about all this? Don't you see what I'm doing here?" (Jonah 4:9-10).

What great lessons for us today! New Testament Christians are continually challenged to keep growing, to keep breaking new ground in our relationship with God. Perhaps we can all relate to Jonah — a sincere servant of God with a successful track record who still had so much to learn about the depths of God's goodness and grace.

Yes, we need to stay humble before God's overwhelmingly unfathomable love. God's mission of mercy is for everyone who will hear — including the Assyrians. It is so splendidly all-encompassing.

This supreme reminder from the book of Jonah was stated more powerfully by another prophet, Isaiah. He too passed on a message about the greatness of God, about his loving concern for all people, all nations. And he reflected: "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9).

### God goes ahead of us

Perhaps Jonah was so busy being a prophet to Israel that he forgot the purpose of his nation's existence — to be a nation of priests to the whole world, regardless of color, creed or birth. Perhaps his involvement in his own country's liturgy and service — the true religion of God — had blinded him to the fact that God looks on the heart.

The sinning Assyrians found that God could be reached through attitudes of repentance and faith rather than religious ritual. Even heathen sailors could turn to God when given a chance. You never know where God might be working.

These are profound lessons to ponder as the 21st century unfolds. God wants us to expand our horizons, to be always ready for new opportunities that lie around us. From Jonah we learn that God is always ahead of us — the Creator of all wants to be the Redeemer of all (Ephesians 1:9-10).

In that hope we can recommit ourselves to the mission of making disciples — "of all the nations" (Matthew 28:18-20). God is already there ahead of us, just as he was already working with ancient Nineveh before Jonah appeared, just as he later prepared the ground for Philip (Acts 8:26-40).

God wants us to succeed in our mission, for the mission is his. He wants to use us to help spread more of his light to a dark world and...avoid the Jonah Syndrome.

Neil Earle

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## Courage in the Commission

The famous American pilot Eddie Rickenbacker once said, "Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared." But, it's very human to think of courage being the absence of fear. That's why Rickenbacker's observation can help us in our Christian lives.

God's work is not accomplished by might or power (Zechariah 4:6). God's perfect love will help us cast out our fear (1 John 4:18, 2 Timothy 1:7). The Holy Spirit lives in us, and he helps us to fulfill our commission.

God inspires courage in us, and gives us power to advance his kingdom. God is not simply a resident in our lives, he is the president of our lives! He has marching orders for each of us individually, and all of us collectively. During those times when we feel that we are slipping away from God, we can go to him for help. He will renew our courage and faith. He meets us in Scripture and in prayer as we face life's challenges. As Jesus' disciples, we live every moment by faith in the Son of God, who loves us and gave himself for us.

Jesus is King of kings, and Lord of lords. He prepares us for battle. He strengthens and trains us. He builds our endurance. He stands with us in every battle, and he empowers us through to the end. God has work for us to do! That is what the commission to the church is all about. We are to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Everybody has a part in that work. Each part is different, but each part contributes to the commission in its own way.

Please remember our collective needs. We pray that you will continue standing with your church financially, for your contributions are vital. We all need to support our church with our time, talent and treasure. _With God on our side, as we stand together in courage, and as we_ _support each other, we can fulfill what God wants us to do!_ Thanks for accepting your part in the commission God has given to our church!

Joseph Tkach, Sr.

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## Ev-Angela's Sermon

Angela showed us an amazing example of evangelism. She invited seven members of the same family to church last month, and they all seemed to enjoy themselves. While most Christians would rather take up bullfighting than evangelize, six-year-old Angela made it look easy.

"Living and sharing the gospel" is the motto of our denomination, and I have been encouraging my congregation to commit to this great commission. That's what Christians are supposed to do, isn't it?

Since this thing called "evangelism" scares the life out of most Christians, Angela's example paints a beautifully simple portrait of what can be an overcomplicated concept.

Earlier in the year, I asked our local members to seek out one person per year with whom they could cultivate a relationship and learn his or her life story. I asked if they would also share their own life journey and maybe even invite one person to join us for worship. These simple steps seemed to be at the heart of living out the meaning of our church motto by sharing genuine love and hope through authentic relationships.

Many evangelicals concentrate on "bringing people to Christ," but our focus has been more on "bringing Christ to the people" by extending to them his love as we get to know them. To that end, our little "Ev-Angela" blessed us with an example of pure and undefiled commission work.

During a discipleship class, we saw in high definition our Lord's message of Matthew 18:1-4. Jesus said, "Unless we change and become like little children, we will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Wow, what a way to see what the kingdom is like. As I led the discipleship class, I noticed Mr. and Mrs. Toy and their five children in the front pew. They had come for the third visit at Angela's invitation. They sat impeccably dressed and seemed to be soaking in every word.

I noticed that during the hymn singing they stood up, during the prayer time and sermon they sat, and following the service the Toys enjoyed being surrounded in fellowship as Angela introduced us to each family member.

It seems little Angela had invited them to join her family on the front row and had dutifully shared with them what to do next as the service unfolded. The beauty of her actions mesmerized me. Questions flooded my mind. Has this six-year-old been listening all these weeks? Has she understood what I have been preaching about?

The answer is probably more revealing than I care to acknowledge. Frankly, I don't think Angela ever considered evangelism to be a problem. These were the people she played with and talked to on a regular basis. These are the people she spends her free time with. Sure, they were a "toy" family, but does it make a difference to her? Angela wanted to share her worship experience with friends.

It was so easy, so natural, for Angela to invite the Toys to church and patiently walk them through what to do. Could this thing that often breaks adults out into a cold sweat really feel easy and natural? If meeting the Toys is an indication, I have to say yes!

George Barna reports that 99 percent of all evangelical Christians have never shared the gospel with an unbeliever. Could it be that many believers have been evangelizing all along but just didn't know that is what it was officially called? When we take the time to genuinely listen to another's story, share our own life story or seek to leave behind a piece of spiritual fruit for a hungry acquaintance, aren't we evangelizing? If your heart is to share what new life, true freedom and transformed thinking feels like, then Christ be praised, you have shared the gospel!

So, thank you Ev-Angela for the sermon you gave our congregation. You set a useful and inspiring example for everyone in speech, in life, in love, in faith and purity. May we all approach the good news with such simplicity and grace.

Jeffrey Broadnax

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## Fostering an Evangelistic Culture

Pastors and ministry leaders have many important responsibilities. One is to help shape within their congregation or ministry a culture (or "environment") that is expressive of the love and life of Jesus Christ. A critical aspect of such a culture is having an _evangelistic orientation_ —a passion for sharing actively in what Jesus is doing to reach out in love to share the gospel with non-Christians.

How do leaders do that? There is no one-size-fits-all formula, but there are helpful practices. Here are four, offered by LifeWay president Thom Rainer in a blog post:

  1. **Model passion for evangelism**. As a leader in your church, be active in sharing the gospel with non-believers. Then share your experiences with your church family. Doing so is much more impactful than a dozen sermons or Bible studies about evangelism. Passion for evangelism is more caught than taught.

  2. **Ask one of your small groups or classes to become an evangelistic group for one year**. This fosters accountability on a small scale as that group understands that it has been selected to be an example for the whole church. Watch how the group becomes more intentionally evangelistic—more prayerfully creative and excited to reach people with the gospel. Then share their stories with the whole church.

  3. **Begin a small-scale evangelistic mentoring program**. Doing so is another way to foster accountability. The mentor should teach their protégés how to begin a conversation about Jesus with a non-believer and how to include in that conversation a clear presentation of the gospel.

  4. **Regularly pray in church services for the lost**. Most members are not hesitant to pray for the physical needs of people. But it is rare for churches to pray together for the conversion of non-Christian family, friends and neighbors. As a church begins to pray consistently this way, God often begins to demonstrate clear answers to those prayers. As that happens, you will see your church becoming more evangelistic in its culture.

Ted Johnston

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## Why Should We Tell People About Jesus?

**Reflections on Romans 10:1-15**

In Romans 10:1 Paul says that it was his heart's desire to see his fellow Israelites saved. But there was a problem: the Israelites that he knew were relying on the law to be right with God (Romans 10:2-4). Christ is the end of all that, Paul says. You cannot be right with God by improving yourself. The only way to be right with God is if God makes you right with him.

We have all lived under laws at times. When I was a boy I lived under my mother's laws. One of her rules was that you didn't track mud and dirt all over her clean kitchen floor when you came in from playing in the yard. You had to get the dirt off before you came in the house, even if it meant being hosed down on the back porch.

### God cleans us up

God is no different. He doesn't want the filth of our sins tracked all over his house. The problem is, we have no way of cleaning ourselves up. It's a catch-22 situation: we cannot come in until we are clean, but we have no way of getting clean. Only those who are holy, sinless and pure of heart can see God, yet no one can achieve that purity on his or her own.

That's why God had to come out of his house, in the person of Jesus, and clean us up. Only he could make us clean. If you are waiting to come into God's house until you get the dirt off, you will be waiting until judgment day. But if you believe what he says, that he has already made you clean, you can come in right now and sit down to dinner at his table.

Understanding the remainder of Romans 10 hinges on understanding this fact. It is impossible to know God until your sin has been removed. Knowing God does not make it possible to have your sin removed; having your sin removed is what makes it possible to know God.

To back up this point in Romans 10:5-8, Paul quotes from the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 30: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down)." As human beings we cannot seek out and find God; he comes to us.

### God has found us

Moses had been to the mountaintop, seen God, received his word, and brought it down to Israel. They did not need to go find God and see what he says—God had already found them.

It is the same with Jesus, Paul is telling us. The eternal Word of God has come down to us, being made flesh as the man Jesus. We could not go up to heaven and find him, or summon him to our aid. But he could, and did, choose in his divine freedom to come down to us. Jesus saved the creation by cleaning up the dirt of sin and thus opened the way for us to come into God's house.

That leaves us with the question: will we believe what God says? Will we believe that he has come down to us, found us, and already made us clean so that we may enter his presence? Will we believe that Jesus has already washed the dirt off us so that we can now come into his house? To fail to believe this is to remain outside God's house.

This is what Paul is talking about in Romans 10:9-13. This is reality: God has redeemed his creation through Jesus Christ. This is reality: he washed away our sins and made us clean by his own work and righteousness, without any input, help or even request from us. When we believe in Jesus, confessing that he is Lord, we are now living in reality.

Here is an example. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This executive order said that all slaves in all states in insurrection against the U.S. government were now free.

The news of this freedom did not reach the slaves of Galveston, Texas, until June 19, 1865. For two and half years those slaves had been legally free, but they did not know it and could not live in the reality of it until soldiers of the U.S. Army arrived to tell them.

### Jesus saves us

It is important for us to realize that it is not our confession that saves us. Jesus saves us. Remember what Paul has already told us earlier in Romans 10: we cannot obligate God to do anything. Our good works do not make us right with God, and it does not matter what kind of work we are talking about. Whether it is the work of obeying a rule—like keeping a day sacred or avoiding alcohol—or whether it is the work of saying, "I believe." As Paul says in Ephesians 2:8, even our faith is a gift from God!

Maybe it is helpful to think of the difference between a contract and a confession. A contract is a legal agreement in which an exchange takes place. Each party is obligated to trade something to the other. If we have a contract with God, then our confession of Jesus obligates him to save us. But we cannot obligate God to act on our behalf; that would be like ascending to heaven to bring Christ down. Grace is Christ choosing, in his divine freedom, to come down to us.

In a confession, however, a person stands in open court and admits to the reality that already exists. A criminal might say: "I admit it. I stole the merchandise." He has confessed to the true state of his world. Likewise, followers of Jesus say: "I admit it. I needed to be saved and Jesus saved me." They have confessed to the true state of the world.

### Confess that we are free

What the slaves in Texas in 1865 needed was not a contract to buy their freedom. They needed to know and confess that they were already free. Their freedom had already been established. President Lincoln could set them free, and he did set them free by his executive order. God had the right to save us, and he did save us by the life of his Son.

What the slaves in Texas needed was to _hear_ that their freedom had been established, to believe that it was so, and to begin to live accordingly. This world being what it is, their freedom was only the first step in a long road toward being treated as free. Slaves need someone to come and tell them they have been set free. This is Paul's point in Romans 10:14.

Can you imagine what it was like for those slaves, chopping cotton in the 100-degree heat of Texas on that June day to hear the good news of their freedom? When they looked up and saw the U.S. Army coming, don't you think that was the most beautiful sight they had ever seen?

I think Paul would say that it was. In Romans 10:15 he quotes from Isaiah: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" What does that tell you about our role in God's plan of salvation? We are his army, carrying the good news of what he has accomplished to all those who have not yet heard. We cannot save a single person. Our job is to be the heralds, the messengers, the newscasters of the good news of what Jesus has already accomplished.

Why should we tell people about Jesus? Because they are living as slaves when they should be free. Jesus won their freedom 2,000 years ago, and they still haven't believed the good news.

The Israelites that Paul knew were relying on the law to be right with God (Romans 10:2-4). Christ is the end of all that, Paul writes. You cannot be right with God by improving yourself. The only way to be right with God is if God makes you right with him.

Jonathan Stepp

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## Losing Our Gospel "Buts"

Have you heard the big gospel BUT? It goes something like this: "Yes, yes... of course we're saved by grace, BUT..."

The big BUT always manages to bring up the rear in any discussion about grace. We can give unlimited lip service to "saved by grace," it seems, but when the chips are down, we'd have a whole lot more "faith" in our salvation if we had a decent-sized pile of good works to point to.

Most of us are ready to get a little agitated on that point any time we hear somebody pushing the grace envelope a little "too far."

"Sure, we're saved by grace, BUT keep that up and you'll go straight to hell."

Huh?

### What are we afraid of?

It's as though we're scared to death that somewhere, somehow, somebody might "get away with" something — something we might even wish deep down we could get away with, too. So we have to find ways to put the brakes on the grace train before it rumbles out of control, before people actually start to believe it, before they actually start to shed some guilt and quit fretting over whether God is going to throw them into hell for their failure to measure up to perfect behavior.

The Bible is pretty clear on the point. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Even our faith is a gift of God, not something we add to the equation. Our good works, such as they are, are God's workmanship, not ours.

Paul asked the Galatians rather pointedly: "I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" (Galatians 3:2-3).

So how did the big BUT get into the picture?

We're all addicted, it seems, to the idea that in the matter of judgment God is pretty much like us — that he doles out kudos and prizes for good actions and curses and plagues for bad actions, that he holds grudges, that he keeps score of all our mistakes, and that he will "get us" in the end. That makes sense to us, apparently, because we routinely do it to each other, to our spouses, to our kids, to our bosses, our employees, our neighbors, our friends.

God doesn't.

### Just like Jesus

When it comes to harboring grudges and keeping score and retaliating, he isn't like us at all. He's like Jesus Christ. Exactly like Jesus Christ. Jesus didn't count up mistakes and hold sins over people's heads. He forgave. He forgave even his enemies, even the people who killed him. "Father, forgive them," he prayed, "for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34).

Salvation isn't geared to how well you behave; it's geared to how much God loves you. He loved you so much that he gave his Son to save you; he sent his Son not to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:16-17).

Here's the BUT we should be listening to: "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4-5).

You won't find an extra BUT at the end of that one.

Yes, God will do something about your behavior too. He'll come and live in you though the Holy Spirit and begin a lifelong transformation of you from the inside out. That means your salvation is entirely his gift from start to finish. You can trust him; not even your weaknesses and problems and sins can stop him from seeing you through to the end he has for you.

If there's another "but" to reckon with, it's this: It's free, but you can't experience and enjoy what you won't accept. So why not accept God's love and trust Jesus for your salvation? You're safe in his hands.

Isn't it time you stopped worrying about what's going to become of you and hand over your life to him once and for all? He's on your side, you know — and he always has been!

J. Michael Feazell

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## Evangelism Through the Local Church

_Evangelism Through the Local Church,  
_ _by Michael Green_ (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1992)

Reviewed by J. Michael Feazell

A few years ago Dr. Billy Graham visited England, and part of the year of preparation was a study entitled "Is Your Church Worth Joining?" It was a tough question, but a very proper one, because many churches, frankly, are not worth joining. "And lots of people must share that view. The shrinking figures for church attendance in much of Western Europe bear testimony to the fact" (page 83).

Shrinking attendance is one of the major questions facing most churches in the U.S. and Canada. Every church has to face the question: Why should someone want to become a member of our congregation?

As we evaluate the question, Michael Green says, our focus has to return to the gospel itself, to Christ himself, and to taking the positive spiritual steps necessary to conform our local fellowship to the image of Christ. Such a process cannot be accomplished by simply continuing down the old, familiar paths. New spiritual vitality must be introduced into the fabric of the church itself if it is to become a fellowship in which new believers can be meaningfully nurtured in the faith and prepared for entering kingdom work themselves.

For most churches, this is a challenge of crisis proportions. Michael Green's work may be one of the most practical guides available to help pastors and concerned members find a meaningful path toward becoming the kind of congregation that actually attracts new believing members.

_Evangelism Through the Local Church_ provides more than 500 pages of interesting, inspiring and immediately practical tools for developing a church-wide self-analysis and casting a vision of what needs to be done. It is no longer in print, but used copies are widely available through online book stores.

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## Preaching in the Early Church

Editor's note: This chapter covers, in short form, what the two subsequent chapters discuss in more detail.

What is the true gospel, the gospel revealed in the Bible? There are several ways to approach Scripture to learn what the gospel is.

One would be to focus on the teachings of Jesus, who often called his own message "the gospel of the kingdom of God." We have done this in previous studies. We saw how he described the kingdom of God and how salvation is based on a person's response to Jesus.

But this is only part of the biblical picture. Jesus told his disciples some things privately, and he told them not to tell the public until after his crucifixion and resurrection. So perhaps the gospel was more clearly revealed after the Holy Spirit empowered the apostles for their mission. Because of this possibility, we should also find out what Jesus' _disciples_ taught.

In this study, we will focus on the book of Acts. We will compare the apostolic gospel with the message of Jesus to see if they are the same.

**1.** When Matthew wrote his book about the life and ministry of Jesus, he was inspired to end the book with some final instructions—the last words of Jesus that the readers needed. What did Jesus tell his disciples to do? Matthew 28:19-20. Luke also tells us what Jesus expected his apostles to preach. How did he describe it? Luke 24:46-47.

**Comment:** Jesus' commission to his church can be phrased in several ways. It can be called the gospel of the kingdom of God, but none of the commission verses happens to use that particular phrase. The content of the message is much more important than the label we use for it.

The content of the message is repentance and forgiveness of sins, which will be preached in Jesus' name, that is, by his authority, continuing the ministry he began. People who believe are to be baptized and taught, and they will be saved. It's a message of repentance, salvation and teaching.

It is a self-replicating message and mission, since one of the commands that Jesus' disciples are to teach is the command to go and make more disciples. It is to be taught and retaught to every generation.

**2.** The book of Acts reports Jesus' last-minute instructions to his followers. What did he say? Acts 1:8.

**Comment:** Jesus gave his apostles the task of being his witnesses. In Acts, Luke shows that the apostles were witnesses of Jesus in Jerusalem, Samaria and all the way to Rome.

The word "witness" is important in the book of Acts. "Witness" is a courtroom term. In a trial, witnesses are called to tell what they have seen and heard. Similarly, the apostles preached what they had seen and heard of Jesus. They were his witnesses, testifying to the truth about him.

The Greek word for "testify" is _martyreo,_ and the word for "witness" is similar: _martyr._ We get the English word "martyr" from the fact that many people who were witnesses for Jesus were killed because of their faith. Their willingness to die for Jesus was a powerful testimony that they firmly believed that salvation was given only through him. They were his witnesses to the very end.

**3.** Luke includes numerous sermons in Acts, the "history of the early church." What was Peter inspired to preach about on the Day of Pentecost? Acts 2:14-36.

**Comment:** Peter began by explaining the miracle of tongues. What was his focus after that? Verse 22. What was his main point? Verse 36. What were the people supposed to do with this information—what difference was it to make in their lives? Verse 38.

**4.** Peter gave another sermon in chapter 3. Again, he began by explaining a miracle (verse 12). What then did he preach about? Verses 13-18. What were the people encouraged to do? Verse 19.

**Comment:** The focus of these sermons is Jesus. Peter said that Jesus would return and restore everything, but the focus of his message was not on the future. Rather, he focused on what Jesus had already done, and how people were to respond to that right now.

Peter talked about Jesus' life, death and resurrection, his fulfillment of Scripture, and his identity as Lord and Christ. Peter called for repentance and baptism, and he offered the Holy Spirit and forgiveness. That was his concluding exhortation, the main point he wanted people to get.

**5.** The next sermon in Acts is a long message by Stephen, who preached to the Jewish leaders. He began with an overview of history (Acts 7:1-50). What accusation did Stephen then make against the Jewish leaders? Verses 51-52. This made them angry. What then did Stephen testify before the court? Verse 56.

**Comment:** Stephen's witness made the Sanhedrin so angry that they cut his sermon short and stoned him to death. His witness to Jesus made him a martyr. We do not know for sure how he would have concluded his speech/sermon, but as it turns out, his dying words were a message about forgiveness through Jesus (verse 60).

**6.** The next sermon that Luke reports is the sermon Peter gave in the house of Cornelius. This is a short sermon, perhaps because Cornelius already knew much of the message (Acts 10:37). But Peter repeated the most important parts. What was the focus? Verses 38-41.

**Comment:** How did Peter summarize the commission Jesus had given the apostles—how did he conclude? Verses 42-43.

**7.** Luke then describes some sermons by the apostle Paul, who spoke to four different audiences: Jews in Pisidia, Gentiles in Athens, Jews in Jerusalem, and civil rulers. Although Paul used different approaches for these audiences, some aspects of the message remained the same. In the synagogue in Pisidia, Paul began with Israel's history (Acts 13:16-22). What did he concentrate on for most of the sermon? Verses 23-37. What was the conclusion, the main point? Verses 38-39.

**8.** In Athens, Paul faced a different crowd. He could not begin with Scripture or Jewish history. But he could start with a contemporary situation (Acts 17:22-23) and introduce them to the Creator God (verses 24-28). What did Paul exhort the people to do, and how did Paul end his message? Verses 30-31.

**9.** In front of a Jerusalem crowd, Paul gave a more personal history—his own history before conversion, then his conversion and his commission. How did Ananias describe Paul's mission? Acts 22:15.

**10.** In front of King Agrippa, Paul again gave his personal testimony. As Paul describes it, what did Jesus tell him to preach? Acts 26:16-18. How did he describe his own preaching? Verse 20. How did he summarize his own message? Verse 23.

**Comment:** Keeping in mind that some of the sermons were not finished, let us see what they have in common:

  * All of them mention God.

  * All of them mention Jesus.

  * Seven of them mention Jesus' death.

  * Seven mention his resurrection.

  * Four say that he is now exalted.

  * Seven mention forgiveness of sins.

  * Five mention repentance.

  * Three mention the need for faith.

  * Five mention Scripture.

Luke tells us that the early church preached the gospel of the kingdom of God, but from the examples he gives us, we see that it is not necessary to use the word "kingdom" when we preach the gospel. Nor do we need to describe a future age.

The gospel is good news right now, but it is good only if we are able to participate in it—and we do that through Jesus Christ. He is the one we need to hear about, since he is the one who makes it possible.

The book of Acts shows us that gospel preaching should focus on Jesus Christ, especially his death and resurrection, and on repentance, forgiveness and salvation through him.

Michael Morrison

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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## Preaching in the Book of Acts  
Part 1: Peter

The church today is a continuation of first-century Christianity. We do not imitate every cultural detail of the church, but we do want to continue the faith and the message of the early church. To help us do this, let's turn to a record of what they did: the book of Acts. Evangelism is a major theme of the book. Let's examine it to see what the apostles preached.

### The kingdom of God

Our first clue comes in verse 3: The resurrected Jesus taught the apostles "about the kingdom of God." However, despite the many evangelistic sermons described in the book of Acts, the word _kingdom_ is not used in any of them. It is used only eight times in Acts:

1. Jesus taught about the kingdom of God (1:3).

2. The disciples asked about the kingdom (1:8).

3. Philip taught the Samaritans about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ (8:12).

4. Paul and Barnabas told the Christians in Antioch that we enter the kingdom of God through many hardships (14:22).

5. Paul argued in the synagogue for three months about the kingdom of God (19:8).

6. Paul told the Ephesian elders that he had preached the kingdom (20:25). But in verse 21 he characterized his message with the terms _repentance_ and _faith;_ in verse 24 he said he preached "the gospel of God's grace"; these seem to be equated with the gospel of the kingdom. (Luke never uses the phrase "gospel of the kingdom." The only place he uses "gospel of" is here: "the gospel of God's grace.")

7. To Roman Jews, Paul preached "the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus" (28:23).

8. In Rome, Paul "preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ" (28:31). Here, a message about the kingdom is linked to a message about Jesus Christ.

Although Jews believed in the coming kingdom of God and had the Old Testament prophecies of it, Paul argued about the kingdom for three months in the Ephesian synagogue. His concept of the kingdom must have been considerably different than what the Ephesian Jews believed. And no wonder! Paul's message about the kingdom was coupled with a message about Jesus and grace and faith.

That was Jesus' message, too. For 40 days after his resurrection, he taught the disciples about the kingdom. What did this entail? We can go to the Gospel of Luke to see what he talked about during that time. On the road to Emmaus, "he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures _concerning himself_ " (Luke 24:27). Later, he summarized his message: "Everything must be fulfilled that is written _about me_ in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms" (verse 44).

What was written? Here it is in a nutshell: " _The Christ_ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and _repentance_ and _forgiveness_ of sins will be preached _in his name_ to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (verses 46-47). This is the kingdom message. As George Ladd wrote,

#### In the days after Jesus' resurrection, he continued to teach them about the Kingdom of God (1:3). We are undoubtedly to understand this to mean that he was instructing them in the relationship between his proclamation of the Kingdom of God and his death and resurrection. (George Eldon Ladd, Theology of the New Testament [Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1963], page 332)

Jesus then reminded his disciples "You are _witnesses_ of these things" (verse 48). That brings us back to the book of Acts. Let's see what the apostles preached.

### Witnesses

What did the apostles preach about? Our next bit of evidence is in Acts 1:8. Jesus told his disciples that they would receive the Holy Spirit, and then he told them what that divine power would enable them to do: "You will be my _witnesses_ in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

_Witness_ is an important word in the book of Acts. It comes in several forms, both verbs and nouns, all built on the root _martyr-._ It refers to a witness in a courtroom, or the testimony that a witness gives in court. We get the English word _martyr_ from this Greek root. People who were faithful **witnesses** to Jesus Christ sometimes became **martyrs** for their faith.

Let's survey the occurrences of the _martyr-_ words in Acts to see what the disciples were witnessing to. They were giving evidence in support of a particular fact.

1:8 — witnesses of Jesus Christ  
1:22 — witness of Jesus' resurrection  
2:32 — witness of his resurrection  
3:15 — witness of his resurrection  
4:33 — they testified to the resurrection  
5:32 — witnesses of his resurrection, exaltation and forgiveness  
10:39 — witnesses of everything Jesus did  
10:41 — the resurrected Jesus was seen by witnesses  
10:43 — all the prophets testify about him and forgiveness  
13:31 — those who saw the resurrected Jesus are his witnesses  
14:3 — the Lord confirmed the message of his grace  
22:15 — Paul will be Jesus' witness of what he saw and heard  
22:18 — they will not accept Paul's testimony about the Lord  
23:11 — Paul testified about Jesus in Jerusalem and Rome  
26:16 — Paul was appointed a witness of what he saw of the Lord  
26:22 — Paul testified, saying that the Scriptures predicted that the Christ would suffer, rise from the dead, and proclaim light to Jews and gentiles.1

The focus of the apostles' testimony is Jesus, his resurrection, and the fact that grace or forgiveness is available. Let's go back to the beginning of Acts and see how often that message is repeated.

### Peter's Pentecost sermon

The first sermon that Luke includes in his apostolic history is Peter's comments to the crowd at Pentecost. This is not only a landmark event in the church, it is a foundational speech in the book of Acts. First, Peter tells the people that the Spirit-caused tongues are a fulfillment of Scripture and a sign that the "last days" had begun and people can be saved (2:16-21).

Ladd summarized it in this way:

#### The age of fulfilment was dawned. "This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel" (Acts 2:16). "But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets...he thus fulfilled" (Acts 3:18). "And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came afterwards, also proclaimed these days" (Acts 3:24). The apostles declared that the messianic age had dawned. (Ladd, page 329)

Peter then makes his point:

#### Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs.... This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you...put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead. (2:22-24)

Peter explains that David had predicted the Messiah's resurrection. The apostles are witnesses of Jesus' resurrection, and the exalted Jesus is now pouring out the Holy Spirit on his people. The conclusion: "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ" (2:36). Jesus is the Messiah and the One we should obey.

The people believed. They had crucified the Messiah they had been hoping for! So what were they supposed to do? Peter told them the appropriate response of faith: repentance and baptism, with the result of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit (2:38). And Peter pleaded with them to do it (2:40).

Three thousand did, and their zeal is shown in Luke's summary statement: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (2:42). Their willingness to share was legendary (2:44-45). They met at the temple, broke bread at home and ate together, praising God (2:46-47). They quickly became a community, a fellowship.

### Healing in Jesus' name

Peter's second sermon in Acts is reported in chapter 3. It is also given to a crowd of Jews at the temple, and it has some basic similarities to Peter's first sermon. A miracle was done; the people were amazed. They were ready to listen to Peter. What did he tell them? He told them about Jesus.

What ironies! The Jews wanted him killed, even though Pilate did not. Instead of accepting the true Messiah, they asked for a false one. They killed the author of life! (3:13-15). But God raised him and glorified him, Peter testified to the crowd.

The healing had been done by faith in the name of Jesus (3:15-16). The temple was the place of God's name (1 Kings 8:29), but the healing was done in the name of Jesus. We are soon told that there is no name, other than Jesus, by which we can be saved (4:12). The name of Jesus far surpasses the value of the temple.

Lame people were not allowed in the temple, but by faith in Jesus, this man, for the first time in his life, was permitted to praise God in the temple. Jesus, the Holy and Righteous One, makes it possible for more people to come to God. Readers would have already seen hints of that: " _Everyone_ who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (2:21). "The promise is...for _all_ who are far off — for _all_ whom the Lord our God will call" (2:39). These are literary anticipations of the eventual opening of salvation to other previously restricted peoples, such as eunuchs, Samaritans and Gentiles.

Peter continues his sermon by noting the Messiah's sufferings had been predicted (3:18). The desired response: repentance, resulting in forgiveness, and waiting for the predicted return of the Messiah Jesus. After all, Moses had predicted that God would "raise up" (same Greek word as "resurrect") a prophet, and whoever rejects him will be expelled from the community of God's people (3:22-23). If they don't want to follow the leader God provides, then they won't be part of his people.

In Abraham's day, God promised to bless " _all_ peoples on earth," and he is now blessing the Jews "first" (a subtle hint of others to come later) through the servant he raised up or resurrected, and the blessing comes through repentance (3:25-26). Luke summarizes the Peter's message in 4:2 — "The apostles were...proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead." The underlying implication is that Jesus' resurrection proves that we can also be resurrected if we are aligned with him.

### Peter's witness to the Sanhedrin

The Sadducees, who did not believe in a resurrection, did not like the apostles' message. Peter and John were arrested and brought into court. The Jewish leaders asked Peter, "By what power or what name did you do this?" (4:7). They couldn't have asked a better question. Peter soon got to his point: "It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed" (4:10). You rejected him, but God has made him the capstone and the only avenue of salvation.

The Sadducees still didn't like the message, so they told Peter "not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus" (4:17-18). But Peter replied that he had to speak about what he had seen and heard. He was a true witness, not one who could be forced to be silent or false.

Peter and John went back to the community of faith, and they all rejoiced in prayer. Their prayer acknowledged that the Scriptures predicted the conspiracy against the Messiah (4:25-27). It repeats the fact that everything had happened according to God's foreknowledge (4:28). They asked for boldness in speaking the word of God, and for miracles through the name of Jesus (4:29-30).

Luke gives another summary: The believers shared their possessions, and the apostles testified to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus (4:32-33). Grace and generosity are a result of Christian faith.

In answer to prayer, the apostles were bold, and many miracles were done (5:12-16). The Sadducees still didn't like it, and the apostles were jailed again (5:17-18). An angel released them, and told them to preach "the full message of this new life" (5:20). Here we see another phrase — new life — that characterizes the preaching of the apostolic church.

The apostles were again brought before the Sanhedrin and given opportunity to speak. Peter explained why he was disobeying the Jewish leaders' orders: "We must obey God rather than men!" (5:29). He was obeying God's orders to be a witness to the new life available through Jesus Christ. Peter then launched into his message:

#### The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead — whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. (5:30-32)

What kind of obedience was Peter referring to? Not the Jewish customs observed by the Sanhedrin. Rather, the obedience Peter had in mind here was belief in Jesus as the Christ, and obeying his command to preach salvation.

The Sadducees were even more angry at the message, and wanted to kill the apostles. But Gamaliel, a Pharisee (Luke is more favorable to Pharisees than to Sadducees), advised them to let the apostles go (5:33-39). Gamaliel's short speech may have been quoted partly for the benefit of Jewish Christians who did not like Paul's gospel to the Gentiles. The advice applies quite well: "Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God" (5:38-39).

Despite the threat of death, the apostles rejoiced and "never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ" (5:42). There's the gospel: Jesus is the Christ. His resurrection proves that he is the Messiah, the God-ordained agent of salvation.

### The kerygma

Peter had a consistent message. He had seen something so life-changing that he simply had to tell others about it. He was filled with the Spirit, filled with zeal, filled with boldness, to tell others the good news. This gospel focuses on the resurrection of Jesus, but several other related facts are usually included.

This package of core facts is usually called the _kerygma_ (a Greek noun meaning preaching). Here are the major components:

1. Jesus' resurrection: God raised Jesus from the dead.

2. Jesus' life and death: Jesus did many miracles, he suffered, he died by crucifixion.

3. Jesus' exaltation: God glorified Jesus, raised him to his right hand as Messiah, Prince, Savior and Lord.

4. Prediction: All this happened as predicted in Scripture. Jesus fulfills the promise of the Old Testament.

5. Salvation: Because of Jesus' resurrection, people are exhorted to repent and are promised forgiveness, grace, salvation, and new life in his name.

6. Restoration: Jesus Christ will return.2

This is the heart and core of the gospel — it is the message the apostles preached, despite threats of death. It's a life-transforming message, a message about new life, a message worth living for, and a message worth dying for. We see that in the next story Luke gives us.

### Stephen, Philip and Saul

Stephen, a Greek-speaking Jew, was arrested, and he preached a long sermon before the Sanhedrin. He reminded them of a central lesson of Israelite history: They disobeyed, resisted the Holy Spirit and persecuted the prophets (7:51-52). Moses predicted that God would raise up a prophet (7:37), but they killed the prophets who predicted Christ, and now they had murdered him.

Stephen's last message was that the exalted Jesus, the Son of Man, was standing at the right hand of God (7:56). Stephen's stinging indictment of the Jewish leaders led to his martyrdom, and his last witness was to the forgiveness that can be obtained from the Lord Jesus (7:60).

Persecution intensified, and the Christians were scattered, but they did not stop preaching despite the threats of death. Philip went "to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there" (8:4-5). Miracles were done, and the crowds listened as Philip told them about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus (8:6, 12). Many believed and were baptized. Philip eventually met the Ethiopian eunuch and accepted an invitation to speak. "Philip began with that very passage of Scripture [Isaiah 53:7-8] and told him the good news about Jesus" (8:35). The eunuch believed and was baptized.

Then we are introduced to the dramatic conversion and call of Saul of Tarsus. He was promised the Holy Spirit and was baptized (9:17-18). "At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God...proving that Jesus is the Christ" (9:20, 22). That was the fundamental message. The Lord told Ananias that Saul had been chosen "to carry my name" (9:15). Paul was not preaching a new gospel, but a continuation of the same basic message taught by Christ and the apostles.

### Peter's gospel message to Gentiles

Peter enters the story again, and his speech to Cornelius is pivotal. The leading Jewish apostle gives the kerygma to Gentiles. They, like Jews, can be saved through belief in the Messiah. God accepts people "from every nation who fear him and do what is right" (10:35).

Peter acknowledges that Cornelius already knows "the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all" (10:36). He knew the story, starting with the ministry of Jesus: "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and...he went around doing good and healing.... We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem" (10:38-39).

The next item on the evangelistic summary: "They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen...by witnesses whom God had already chosen" (10:39-41).

Jesus commanded these witnesses to preach that Jesus is the Messiah — "the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead" (10:42). As predicted in the Old Testament, "everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name" (10:43). This was a message Cornelius already knew. He believed, and the Holy Spirit gave evidence not only that God accepted Gentiles, but also that he accepted this message of salvation going to them as well as to Jews.

Peter continues to stress the now-familiar themes of the gospel. It is a message that brings salvation (11:14); it is a message about repentance and life (11:18).

### Endnotes

1 To be complete, here are all the other verses in Acts that use _martyr-_ words. These do not indicate what the apostles were commissioned to testify about, but show how the word can be used in other situations:

6:3 — men known to be full of the Spirit  
6:13 — false witnesses gave testimony  
7:44 — ancient Israelites had "the tabernacle of Testimony"  
7:58 — witnesses at Stephen's trial  
10:22 — Cornelius was respected by the people  
13:22 — God testified concerning David  
15:8 — God showed that he accepted Gentiles  
16:2 — the brothers spoke well of Timothy  
20:26 — Paul declared that he was innocent  
22:5 — he can testify that Paul persecuted the church  
22:12 — Ananias was highly respected by the Jews  
22:20 — the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed  
26:5 — they can testify that Paul was a strict Pharisee

2 Philippe Menoud gives us this summary of the kerygma:

#### The preaching of the apostles...may be briefly summarized as follows:  
God has realized the promises of the OT and brought salvation to his people (Acts 2:16-21, 23; 3:18, 24; 10:43).

#### This has taken place through the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus (2:22-24); 3:13-15; 10:37-39).

#### Jesus has been exalted as "Lord and Christ" (2:36).

#### The Holy Spirit in the church is the sign of Christ's present power and glory (2:33; 5:32).

#### Salvation will reach its consummation in the return of Christ to judge the living and the dead (3:21; 10:42).

#### The apostles have been chosen by God as witnesses of the ministry of Jesus and above all of his resurrection (2:32; 3:15; 10:40-41).

#### They address to their hearers an appeal for repentance and offer to the believers forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (2:38-39; 3:25-26; 5:31; 10:43).

#### In short, the primitive preaching of the apostles is a proclamation of the work of salvation made by God in Christ and a call to believe and be saved. (P.H. Menoud, "Preaching," _Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible_ [Nashville: Abingdon, 1962], volume 3, pages 868-869)

Michael Morrison

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back to table of contents

## Preaching in the Book of Acts  
Part 2: Paul

In Acts 11, Luke takes us back in time and fills us in on some developments in Antioch in Syria. Greek-speaking Jews had been telling Gentiles "the good news about the Lord Jesus." Many Gentiles believed and repented (11:20-21). This was "evidence of the grace of God" (11:23). Through the work of Barnabas and Saul, many people "were brought to the Lord" (11:24). These phrases are descriptive of what the gospel of Jesus Christ does.

The believers in Antioch talked about the Messiah _Christos_ so much that they became known as the _Christianoi_ (11:26).

### Paul's first major speech

Our previous major speech was the apostle to the Jews (Peter) speaking to Gentiles. We now move to the apostle to the Gentiles (Pual) speaking to Jews. This illustrates continuity. The message is the same throughout the apostolic history.

Barnabas and Saul were sent on a gospel-preaching journey, and Paul gave a sermon in a synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia. After a brief historical introduction, Paul gets to his point: "God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised" (13:23). Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament promise. (Luke never uses _promise_ in the plural. Christ fulfills _the_ promise of the Old Testament.)

John the Baptist preached repentance and baptism, but Christ is greater: He brought a message of salvation to both Jews and Gentiles (13:24-26). Paul gives the kerygma in his own words: In fulfillment of Scripture, Jesus was executed and buried, but God raised him from the dead, and he was seen by many witnesses (13:27-31). This fulfills God's promise (13:32-33).

Paul explains Christ's resurrection further (13:33-37). Because Jesus has been raised, forgiveness is available through him. This is what Paul is proclaiming. "Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses" (13:39). We cannot be justified by the law of Moses — justification comes only through faith in Christ. (The "law of Moses" will be dealt with again in Acts 15.) Those who believe are "appointed for eternal life" (13:48).

Paul warned the Jews that rejecting the word of God is equivalent to rejecting eternal life (13:46); the implication is that the message Paul preached is about eternal life. The Lord had commanded him to bring salvation to the ends of the earth (13:47). Although different words are used, Paul's commission to preach salvation and eternal life is the same as being a witness of Jesus to the ends of the earth (1:8) and the same as preaching the gospel in all the world (Matthew and Mark).

### Committed to the grace of God

Paul and Barnabas continued their journey. In Iconium, they preached the Lord's grace, and the Lord confirmed that message through miracles (14:3). In Lystra, Paul and Barnabas preached repentance from idolatry (14:15). On the return trip, they exhorted disciples to remain true to "the faith" (14:22; cf. 13:8). Christianity can be characterized by the one word _faith._ They had put their trust in the Lord and were to be faithful to him (14:23).

They returned "to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed" (14:26). The entire journey or commission or work was described as a commitment to the grace of God. We see that in 15:40, too, which tells us that Paul and Silas were "commended...to the grace of the Lord." The ministry Paul received from the Lord Jesus was to testify "to the gospel of God's grace" (20:24). Paul committed the Ephesian elders "to God and to the word of his grace" (20:32). That is the message Christ's ministers preach: Faith, repentance, grace, forgiveness, salvation, eternal life through the resurrected Jesus Christ.

Paul's first evangelistic trip demonstrated that God "had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles" (14:27). But not everyone could believe this good news. Some Jews insisted that the Gentile believers ought to become proselytes by being circumcised and accepting the law of Moses (15:1, 5). At the Jerusalem conference, Peter explained that the Gentiles had been given the Holy Spirit upon faith (15:7-8). God accepts people on the basis of faith whether or not they have been circumcised. Gentiles do not need to keep the law of Moses. There is no need to make it difficult for anyone to turn to God (15:19).

God cleansed Gentile hearts (that is, he justified them) by faith (15:9). They are right with God on the basis of faith. Not only are Gentiles saved by "the grace of our Lord Jesus," Jews are, too (15:11). No one can be justified by the law of Moses. The gospel of grace is for everyone.

### Paul's next journey

As Paul traveled, he reported the decision of the Jerusalem council, and the churches were strengthened in the faith (16:4-5). Paul eventually went to Europe and spoke to Lydia at Philippi. "The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message" (16:14). She believed, and she responded appropriately with baptism and hospitality (16:15).

Paul and his group told the people "the way to be saved" (16:17). They told the jailer, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (16:31). There is little question as to what gospel Paul was preaching: a message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. The jailer believed, and he responded appropriately with baptism and hospitality (16:33-34).

In a Thessalonian synagogue, Paul preached about the messianic promise of the Old Testament and proved that the Messiah "had to suffer and rise from the dead." He was proclaiming that Jesus is the Messiah (17:2-3). Hostile Jews accused him of preaching Jesus as a king, and Paul went to Berea, where he was received more favorably. They examined the Old Testament prophecies, and many believed (17:11-12).

Luke is emphasizing that Christianity is thoroughly rooted in the Old Testament. This is something his Gentile readers would need to know. It is also something Roman officials would need to know when they were asked to judge whether it was legal to preach the gospel. Judaism was legal. Luke records the judgment of Gallio, a Roman proconsul, that Christianity was a branch within Judaism and therefore outside the jurisdiction of Roman courts (18:14-15).

In Athens, Paul preached "the good news about Jesus and the resurrection" (17:18). He preached that we are God's children, that he is patient, that he commands everyone to repent (17:29-30). God "has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead" (17:31). Every human being will be resurrected (thus our opportunity for eternal life). The proof of this is in the fact that Jesus has been raised from the dead. His eternal life is the key to our eternal lives. Some of the Athenians believed (17:34).

In Corinth, Paul testified to Jews that Jesus is the Messiah (18:5). Many responded with faith and baptism (18:8).

Apollos "had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he...taught about Jesus accurately" (18:25). But he needed further instruction, presumably in association with Christian baptism. Priscilla and Aquila "explained to him the way of God more adequately" (18:26). What is the "way of God"? Is it a life-style, a behavior? Apollos, a disciple of John the Baptist, would already have had an impeccable life-style. What he needed more adequately was instruction about salvation through Christ. That is the way of God, the way of salvation.

Apollos moved to Corinth and helped "those who by grace had believed" (18:27). He not only preached about Jesus accurately, he proved, from the Scriptures, that Jesus is the Christ (18:28).

Meanwhile, Paul was in Ephesus, where he informed more people about Jesus. They were rebaptized and given the Holy Spirit (19:4-6). In the synagogue, Paul argued persuasively about the kingdom of God and preached publicly for two years (19:8-10). Great miracles were done, "and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor" (18:17). Many repented of their sorcery, and Paul persuaded many that idols were not gods (18:19, 26). A riot ensued, and Paul moved on.

On his way back to Jerusalem, Paul sailed to Miletus and called for the Ephesian elders (20:17). He gave them a heart-to-heart speech summarizing his work: "I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus" (20:21). He had been given the job of preaching the good news about God's grace, and that is what he called preaching the kingdom (20:24-25). The message about the kingdom is actually a message about grace, because it is only by grace that we can be in the kingdom.

We should not be misled by the way the word _kingdom_ is used in modern cultures. Rather, we need to see it in its biblical context. The book of Acts shows that "preaching the kingdom" is done by preaching about the Messiah-King and about how humans can become part of the kingdom through faith in the King. It is _not_ about the physical details of what Christ will do after he returns. The New Testament does not give such details, and Paul argued for three months with people who knew the Old Testament prophecies. He was not preaching the Old Testament, but something new.

Paul noted that God's grace could build them up and give them "an inheritance among all those who are sanctified" (20:32). He reminded the elders that by "hard work we must help the weak" (20:35). After this farewell, Paul sailed toward Jerusalem knowing that he had many enemies there. He knew their zeal and their willingness to kill. But he told the members in Caesarea that he was ready to die "for the name of the Lord Jesus" (21:13).

### Paul a witness to the resurrection

Paul was eventually given Roman protection from his persecutors, and he had several opportunities to explain his message. He had seen and heard the Righteous One, the Messiah, and he had been appointed a witness of what he had seen and heard (22:15). Earlier, Paul had said that others were witnesses of Jesus (13:31); here he says that he is also a witness. In the bright light on the road to Damascus, he had seen and heard the risen Jesus. He believed and was baptized, calling on the name of the Lord (22:16). He gave testimony about him instead of persecuting those who believed in him (22:18-19).

Before the Sanhedrin, Paul summarized his conflict with the Jewish leaders: his "hope in the resurrection of the dead" (23:6). That is a crucial element of the gospel. There will be a resurrection, and the resurrected Jesus is the way in which people can be given eternal life in that resurrection.

The Lord appeared to Paul again, promising that he would not die in Jerusalem but would testify about Jesus in Rome, too (23:11).

Paul told Felix that he had a hope that there would be a resurrection of the dead (24:15). That was the central reason he was on trial (24:21). Felix heard Paul speak not only about faith in Christ Jesus, but also righteousness, self-control and a future judgment (24:24-25). Here we see that there is an ethical component to the gospel message. Felix, who lacked self-control, did not like the implications of what Paul was preaching about the resurrection of the wicked, and he sent Paul back to jail (24:25).

Two years later, Festus explained to Agrippa that Paul was held in custody because of a religious dispute "and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive" (25:19). The dispute centered on whether Jesus had been resurrected. As Paul told Agrippa, "It is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today" (26:6). That promise, that hope, is the resurrection of the dead (26:7-8).

Paul recounted his commission from the Lord, the gospel he had received. Jesus had appointed him to be "a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you" (26:16). Paul was sent to the Gentiles "to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God [i.e., repentance], so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me" (26:18).

Paul, always zealous, did exactly as he had been ordered. He preached repentance and good deeds (26:20). He stressed that his message was in complete conformity to the Old Testament, which predicted the suffering and resurrection of the Christ, and the preaching to Gentiles (26:22-23).

To the Jews in Rome, Paul proclaimed that he was chained "because of the hope of Israel" (28:20). The hope of Israel is the resurrection, and Jesus is the first to be resurrected. So Paul, using the Old Testament prophecies, preached for two years about the connection between Jesus and the kingdom of God (28:23, 31). It is a message of salvation given not only to Jews who accept it, but also to Gentiles who listen (28:29).

Resurrection and salvation through the Lord Jesus. That's the gospel according to the book of Acts.

Michael Morrison

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## Gossiping the Gospel

I was asked by some congregations to consult with them about how they might be more effective instruments of Christ. I consider this a privilege and have learned as much from these members as they have learned from me.

One congregation had been devoting themselves, as a group, to asking God to transform them so that they might be able to fulfill his will. Together we discovered that we are bound to some faulty paradigms, which must change if we are going to be effective stewards of the gospel.

### Toxic paradigms

Paradigms are values and assumptions we never question. They are difficult to change because they remain invisible. Everyone just "knows" that a particular way of doing or thinking is right—so paradigms are assigned a truth status that is rarely questioned. Some are incorrect from the outset. Others may have been correct initially, but as situations change, a helpful paradigm can cease to be valid and become toxic.

It might be helpful to share a couple of areas where we (Western Christianity, including our denomination) tend to be paradigm bound—that is, unquestioningly accepting a faulty paradigm. I'll then try to contrast the faulty paradigm with one that is hopefully more reflective of Christ's intent.

### Static vs. dynamic

Christ intended that his disciples embark on a lifelong journey with him. The early church was dynamic—it spread like yeast, penetrating increasingly diverse places, crossing ethnic and cultural boundaries. The church could not be contained by any economic stratum and surmounted all class barriers. Only after several centuries did the church begin to position itself as the center of society, government and culture. It became the static church—everyone and everything in society was expected to revolve around the church.

In the United States we have no conscious awareness of this dynamic; nevertheless, this is where the prevailing Western Christian paradigm got its start. Over the last few centuries, government and society rejected the church being the center of all things. The church was forced to accept this new status, but did not shift back to its original dynamic, journeying role. Instead, the church began to compete for a place in the life of the individual, which brings us to a second flawed paradigm.

### Attraction

As the increasingly disenfranchised church continued to cling to the security of its centuries-old static paradigm, it was forced to adopt an approach of trying to attract unbelievers to it. As a result, nearly every evangelistic program and effort is built around the concept of either directly attracting people to join the static church, or to raise the awareness and reputation of the church. This is part of an effort to grow by attraction. The attraction paradigm is essential if the church is going to be static and still grow. This approach was effective to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the receptivity of the target audience.

### Marketing paradigm

Since World War II, the church in the West has been considered increasingly irrelevant. The target audience has grown more resistant to organized religion. The continued attempts to attract have often resulted in sheep shuffling, or transfer growth, rather than an increase in conversion of unbelievers.

### Marketing the church

The static and attraction paradigms have caused us to adopt and cling to another toxic paradigm that I'll call the marketing paradigm. To attract effectively, the church has essentially cloned the business model and seeks to market the gospel. Hence we have a huge emphasis on "evangelism," a term that seems to defy precise definition.

We find a strong focus on learning how to witness, share our faith, advance the kingdom, lead someone to Christ, give our testimony, fulfill the Great Commission. We take out ads, we do radio and television shows, we have seeker services, we conduct crusades and revivals, we canvass neighborhoods, we build attractive buildings with maximum amenities, such as childcare and exciting audio-visual effects.

All this is part of trying to make our product (the static church) more attractive to unbelievers. The desired result is the same—that unbelievers are brought to Christ—hence to the (static) body of Christ. The problem is that more and more effort is being expended for less and less result. Modern unbelievers in the West tend to reject the institution of the church.

Increasingly, wise heads within Christianity are urging us to force ourselves back into a dynamic mode instead of our comfortable static/ attraction/marketing mode. I urge our congregations to follow suit for two reasons. First, if we pursue a marketing paradigm, we are taking on as new something that is actually old and increasingly proven to be ineffective. Second, we are too small, too poor and too far behind to compete in that market. The good news is that there is a better way.

### Dynamic church

Let's take a fresh look at the principle on which Jesus founded the church and see if we might recapture some of Jesus' paradigm. One of the most overused slogans in the marketing paradigm is Matthew 4:19, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Reading this through marketing-paradigm eyes causes one to miss the true paradigm that Jesus was communicating. Under the marketing paradigm, we place the emphasis on learning how to be effective "fishers of men." That is backward thinking! The emphasis of Jesus is on "follow me."

Jesus is saying that we are invited to be on a journey (dynamic paradigm) with him. It is in following Jesus in a journey that he will cause us to be effective at catching other people. This is the opposite of the static paradigm—and takes us in the opposite direction from the marketing paradigm. As Wayne Meeks, church historian, puts it, the early Christians, who were a vibrant part of their communities, "gossiped" the gospel. The joy of the journey with Christ simply overflowed, impacting those in their intimate community. They didn't have to "evangelize."

The church Jesus founded was dynamic, not static. They had no status, no grand institutions or facilities other than their homes. They expected Jesus to return, and viewed themselves as sojourners. They lived normal lives and did not stand out from the culture around them—except that inwardly the Holy Spirit of God was radically transforming them.

The church was fully engaged with its community. Unlike our history, where we awaited Christ's return in as much exclusion as possible, Jesus plunged the first Christians into the world.

Except for avoiding idolatry, the culture of the church was virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding Jewish, Greek or Roman culture. By Christ's design, his people remained tightly connected to their friends and relatives. It was Christ living out of the daily lives of Christians that made them attractive. The focal point of the life of the church and the basis of its growth was the household—a fabric of family and business relationships.

Rodney Stark, sociologist of religion, relates research on the growth patterns of the early church in his book _The Rise of Christianity._ Stark shows that the growth of the church from its tiny 120 person beginning to a conservative estimate of from 5 to 7.5 million Christians by the early 300s need not be the result of unending signs and wonders or any other abnormal process. Stark demonstrates that a growth rate of about 40 percent per decade would account for the growth of the early church. This translates to about 4 percent per year.

Even in our modern context, this is not unknown. The Mormon Church has grown about 40 percent per decade for the last century!

### Importance of the household

Stark shows that the primary means of the growth of the early church was by attachments and networks of intimate relationships. Stark says that "conversions to new deviant religious groups (as early Christians were viewed by those around them) occurs when, other things being equal, people have or develop stronger attachments to members of the group than they have to nonmembers" (p. 15).

Stark then points out that

#### the basis for successful conversional movements is growth through social networks, through a structure of direct and intimate interpersonal attachments. Most new religious movements fail because they quickly become closed, or semi-closed networks. That is, they fail to keep forming and sustaining attachments to outsiders and thereby lose the capacity to grow. Successful movements discover techniques for remaining open networks, able to reach out and into new adjunct social networks. And herein lies the capacity of movements to sustain exponential rates of growth over a long period of time.

I urge any and all congregations to devote significant time and prayer to trying to discover how they can create and maintain open networks.

The early church grew because close friends and relatives of new Christians saw a transformation taking place in the lives of the believers. As a fellowship, we need to start living. We need to get in a frame of mind that embraces the fact that we are spiritual pilgrims while living a normal life, with relational attachments to our unconverted friends and loved ones.

By breaking out of the marketing paradigm, we will instead become servant-priests (1 Peter 2) who offer spiritual sacrifices of love, prayers, and quality time given to our households. This includes those friends, relatives, neighbors and associates with whom we have an open networking relationship. This may mean re-ordering our use of time.

Accepting Jesus' paradigm would lead us to love and serve rather than look for the opportunity to give our gospel sales pitch. Jesus said in Acts 1:8: "You will be my witnesses."

We witness him by living in close connection with our household, or network of relationships. The growth of the church will take care of itself when we love the household that God has given each and every one of us. Growth takes care of itself because "as movements grow, their social surface expands proportionately. That is, each new member expands the size of the networks of attachments between the group and potential converts."

To summarize, we need to transition out of the paradigm of marketing, which tries to attract people to the institution, and seek instead to do the following:

1. Every individual asks Jesus to transform him or her enough into his likeness to be an effective witness through ordinary living.

2. Every individual seeks to deepen the attachments with his or her existing network of relationships of unbelieving family, friends and associates. The individual purposely looks for ways to love and serve—with no strings attached.

3. When the Holy Spirit brings the unbeliever to a desire to know more, the Christian needs to have, through personal study and prayer, an effective answer for the hope that motivates them.

I will develop these concepts further in the following two articles.

Randal Dick

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## The Power of Intent

Many people want to understand how to respond to Christ's command that we are part of his Great Commission. They ask: "What is the next step?"

The answer is simple: become intentional about walking with Christ. The key word here is _intentional._ This next step is essential for most of us. It can also make a tremendous difference in the life of the individual and the fellowship.

A longtime friend and elder put it well when he said that so much of the problem that people were facing in his congregation revolved around the fact that they were conditioned to be reactive, or even passive, to the gospel needs and opportunities in our immediate surroundings.

Now, he said, we understand the need to take responsibility for sharing the gospel personally, to be proactive. But he concluded that it is a real struggle for a lot of people to make the transformation from being reactive to being a proactive part of the gospel of Christ—living with the knowledge that we were called to live our lives for them (the lost), not just for ourselves.

### Why are you saying that intent is so important?

It's simple when you think about it: God is an intentional being. You can see it in Genesis 1, where the God of creation moved across the face of the waters of a confused planet and with great intent restored it to a state of beauty. Or, you can look at John 1, where God intentionally came to earth and lived in the flesh in order to be the Savior of the human race.

God is not only a God of intent, he has the power to make whatever he intends become reality. The Great Commission is a statement of intent as well. Jesus is saying that the power to make _intent_ become reality has been given to him. He therefore wants us, when we go into all the world, to make disciples.

We are also intentional beings. That is one of the great gifts God has given us when he made us in his image. But unlike God, we do not have the power to always make our intention become perfect reality. Sometimes we don't even manage to make our intention reality at all, and sometimes we get a reality that we didn't intend.

### Why intent must be the next step

The Great Commission is of essential importance. But the Great Commission is not a mantra, nor is it a command that is independent of the other statements that surround it.

Edmund Gibbs, professor of church growth at Fuller Theological Seminary, observed that in order to understand Matthew 28:18-20, one must see it in the context of Matthew 4:19, where Jesus says to those who would be disciples, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

A Christian's primary intent should be to wholeheartedly participate with Jesus and allow him to lead us on that journey. That journey of following him is led, guided and guarded by Jesus personally. He knows the path and the destination. He chooses the pleasant meadows of the good times and the narrow confines of our trials and sorrows. This is a journey we will never finish in this life. When we draw our last breath, it will be on the road, so to speak. Most importantly for us, this is intended to be a journey of transformation.

It is essential to be clear on this point, because it forms the foundation of all that follows. Jesus causes a powerful transformation to happen within us as we intentionally participate and wholeheartedly submit to Christ's authority in our lives. As we are transformed, we become attractive to the lost who are seeking to understand the purpose of life. I cannot emphasize enough that this is what makes the difference between being part of Christ carrying out his will on this earth vs. trying to "do evangelism" and asking God to bless the endeavor.

### Where the power of intent enters the picture

Christ desires to shape our future, our reality and who we are. That is what the "follow me" is all about. I can't make my intent reality, but I do have the God-given ability (and responsibility) to be intentional in my desire to follow him. This is an essential response to Jesus' command to "follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." In so doing, we open ourselves up to Christ and allow him to make us an effective part of his will on this earth.

What would some of the transforming effects be when we are intentional about being part of Christ's journey, as opposed to asking him to be the guide of _our_ journey? The semantics are small, the difference in life is huge. We would become much more aware of the existence of unsaved people around us. We tend to block out the clutter of other people's lives, especially those for whom we feel that we have no responsibility. Being intentional about following Jesus on a daily journey automatically nudges us into a priestly mentality, because that is who Jesus is.

It is interesting to note that Christ inspired Peter to write that we, the members of the Body of Christ, are part of a royal priesthood that offers spiritual sacrifices in the name of Jesus the High Priest (1 Peter 2:9). What are those spiritual sacrifices, in practical 21st-century terms, that Christ desires that we offer? The answers to that question should shape who we are and what we do, both personally and collectively.

We would be growing spiritually. Being intentional about journeying with Christ would probably cause a person to begin talking to God about helping him or her to overcome some of the long-standing failings, be they commission or omission, that cause us to miss the mark. This is quite different from the legalistic approach to overcoming, where one is motivated by fear of not being in the kingdom or a desire for a greater reward.

This desire to have our character formed in Christ is driven by the realization that it is Christ in us who makes us attractive to the lost, and every sin that remains resident in us causes people to see Satan's way in action instead of the transforming power of the love of God at work in us.

We would be more serious about knowing what we believe and being able to give a sensible explanation of those beliefs. Being intentional about journeying with Christ tends to stimulate a person to also be intentional about having an effective response to a lost person who needs and desires to know that there is a God, and to know how they might connect with him. Why would we leave such an important thing to accident?

Think about the words of Isaiah that Christ adopted as a primary theme of his ministry to humanity, "Comfort ye my people." "Tell them that their iniquities are pardoned." "That their warfare is ended." And "make straight a highway to our God."

Should we not invest some intentional effort at being able to assess the felt need of a person and being able to articulate that part of the gospel that speaks to their immediate need, thereby encouraging them to take a step toward redemption? Is not a highway a long series of steps that has been cleared of obstacles, and passage made as simple as possible? What is the practical application of making a highway to our God (for the lost)? What part do we play, and what constitutes, in real terms, making a highway for them?

Being intentional about being on Christ's journey would lead us to change the way we allocate our time. We might begin to focus more time and energy on people instead of things. We would also tend to focus more on the relationships that we either have, or can develop, with people who do not have a saving relationship with Jesus. The focus of that time would be outgoing—being there for them, serving them in some small or great way, one time or ongoing.

I hope it becomes clear that by being intentional about yielding to Jesus' command to engage in a lifetime journey of following him, we put ourselves in the best position to be effective in his Great Commission. This is the power of intent.

### Next segment—it gets even better!

So far we've talked about the powerful spiritual dynamic that is put into motion when we are intentional about making our walk with Christ part of our daily thought and action. We've seen what a transforming effect it has on our personal life. But that is only the beginning. The power of intent goes way beyond our own life. By being intentional in our walk with Christ, we become a part of what he is doing on a much larger scale. We are often not even aware of its scope until it has passed by and borne incredible fruit.

In the next installment I'll give a couple of exciting examples from the lives of believers in the early church, how a small, insignificant group of outcasts rocked an empire. They didn't know that was what they were doing. They were just being intentional about following Christ. But by being intentional about their walk with Christ, they put themselves in a position to be a part of something big.

Randal Dick

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## Ordinary People Change the World

_This is part three of a trilogy that includes  
_ _"Gossiping the Gospel"_ _and "The Power of Intent."_

When we pray and ask God to let his will be done in our lives, how much do we mean it? We try to avoid putting our agenda before God's will, but I suggest that the bigger problem is that we often don't take God seriously enough in his statements about how he will use us to his glory and honor.

God desires to take our daily life and spend it in a way that yields results we could not produce or predict. The net result will be so much greater than anything we could "do for the Lord"—and the impact can be magnified even further when we allow God to work through us as a community of believers.

To illustrate this point, I cite two powerful examples. The people involved didn't perceive any particular dramatic value to what they were doing. Yet Christ used them to help bring the Roman Empire face to face with Jesus Christ.

### Women

When the first house church believers followed Christ's example in their communities, something started small, but soon grew large. The early church became attractive to women. The rate of conversion of women from paganism to Christianity became such a problem to the pagans that Emperor Julian issued a written order to Pope Damascus I banning Christian missionaries from calling at the homes of pagan women.

In order to appreciate how the daily walk of the individual Christian was used by Christ to create this history-shaping dynamic, we need to contrast the Christian community with that of the pagan.

### Gendercide

New converts who undertook to follow Jesus would have stopped practicing abortion and infanticide. Because of the need for a large male population for war and food production, female infanticide was widely practiced in the time of the early church. It would have been a part of most family's circumstances.

A study of the Delphi inscription enabled historians to reconstruct about 600 families. Only six families had raised more than one daughter. We would call that gendercide today. Abortion was also widely practiced in Greco-Roman society. When Christians obeyed God, it became visibly evident to the pagan community around them—it made a difference.

This simple act of obedience made the Christian way of life much more attractive to Greco-Roman women, and in a fairly short time the Christian church's dominant population was women, while the pagan religion was primarily populated by men.

### Christ made them 'fishers of people'

These women journeyed with Christ; their lives began to take on the character of their Lord. They were transformed into something desirable, that men could not find anywhere else. It's not that there were no virtuous pagan women, it's just that proportionately there were so many virtuous Christian women that any man looking for a virtuous woman would tend to be drawn to the Christian community.

Paul's statements in 1 Corinthians 7 were primarily intended to guide a phenomenon that was happening with increasing frequency. Pagan men were coming to the church to find wives.

### Quality of life

Over time, Christian women also came to enjoy a significantly better quality of life than did many pagan women of Greco-Roman society. This is where the Christian community, all journeying together in response to Christ, made a huge difference:

1. The Christian community rejected the double standard that expected women to be chaste but allowed men extensive sexual license. This changed the pattern of life for the community and everyone whom they touched. It extended to the subsequent generations. This exponentially increased the impact of that simple obedience.

2. Christians also reflected God's love for widows. Pagan widows were often forced to remarry against their will. They often became the property of the new husband and lost all inheritance and personal control of their assets. They could be put away and left with nothing. Not so with Christians. The Christian community would help sustain Christian widows without means.

3. Christian women were able to marry at an older age. That may not seem important until one realizes that in the Greco-Roman world, girls were often forced into pre-pubertal marriage. Some historians estimate that nearly 50 percent of pagan females were married before the age of 14. Christian women had it much better because of the intentional walk of the community on a journey with Jesus.

4. Leadership roles were available to Christian women—they were ordained deacons right along with the men. Origen and others commented on the women who were deservedly part of the diaconate. (The term _deaconess_ is a modern invention and does not reflect the original, where a deacon was a deacon, male or female.)

### Plagues

Two serious plagues swept the Roman Empire. The first ravaged the region between A.D. 165 and 180, the second about 100 years later. During its 15-year duration, the first plague took the lives of between one fourth and one third of the population of the empire. It even claimed the life of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. (His death was portrayed at the beginning of the movie _The Gladiator._ )

Christians were affected by the plagues along with their pagan neighbors. But unlike the pagans, most Christians were following Jesus and were emulating him in the way they lived—and in some cases the way they died. Jesus used the fact that his people followed him to rock the empire.

Imagine yourself caught in the plague. The stench of death surrounds you. Caravans of carts work their way through the streets and out of the city carrying diseased bodies to a communal dumping ground where they are either buried or burned. People all around you are dropping dead. Who will be next? In the midst of circumstances like these, people ask searching questions about life, death and God.

Pagans had no one to turn to. Their priests did not have answers. Their gods were of no help. Pagan gods were to be appeased so they would not cause harm. But the pagan gods did not offer to have a loving relationship with the pagan people. Only Jesus did. The pagan gods offered no eternal life—except in the dismal underworld.

So there was a hope and peace in Christians that was nurtured by the Holy Spirit. There was an attitude of outgoing love even in the sore trial they faced. Around A.D. 260 Dionysius wrote:

#### "Most of our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty; never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains. Many, in nursing and caring for others, transferred their death to themselves and died in their stead.... The best of our brothers lost their lives in this manner, a number of presbyters, deacons, and laymen winning high commendation so that death in this form, the result of great piety and strong faith, seems in every way the equal of martyrdom."

Large numbers of pagans, including rulers, priests and physicians, having no hope or anchor for their souls, fled to get away from the plague. They left their sick behind, alone, without care or the basic necessities of life. The Christians, as a whole, tended to remain and care for their loved ones, and for each other. In many cases the love of God in them stretched far enough to also enter the houses of the pagans and care for their sick as well.

This act, resulting from asking themselves what Jesus would do in the same situation, had a profound impact. Here are some of the ways they made such a difference: The Christian example was in such stark contrast to the pagan example that large numbers of those who survived the plague were drawn to look at the Christians around them with open hearts. Their own belief system had let them down, but their Christian neighbors seemed to know a better way. Many were brought to Christ.

### Pure religion... undefiled

Epidemiologists estimate that basic health care, such as providing adequate water and warmth, can result in as much as a 30 percent higher survival rate. Hence there were many more Christian survivors than pagan survivors. This by itself was enough to change the ratio of pagans to Christians. Also, pagans who were cared for by Christians also enjoyed a higher survival rate. These survivors then would tend to have loving relationships with Christians in place of the suspicions of the past. Conversion rates soared.

This change of the status quo had such a dramatic impact that we find the Emperor Julian writing to his chief priest of Galatia, complaining that they needed to equal the virtues of Christians.

In a letter to another priest Julian wrote, "I think that when the poor happened to be neglected and overlooked by the priests, the impious Galileans observed this and devoted themselves to benevolence." And he also wrote, "The impious Galileans support not only their own poor, but ours as well, everyone can see that our people lack aid from us."

Poor Julian, like many today, could only see things in marketing terms. He had no idea that he and his system were being confronted by Jesus himself through the collective lives of those who heeded the call to "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19).

Key lessons I have learned from researching and writing this series of three articles:

• Jesus wants _me,_ not just my efforts on his behalf. His call to me is to be my ____ (he will fill in the blank, and the result will glorify the Father).

• My effectiveness starts and ends with submitting my ordinary daily life to him—each day is a new step on a lifelong journey with Christ.

• Being an ordinary person, living an ordinary life in Christ, allows him to spend me in such a way that his kingdom benefits in ways I could not even imagine, let alone engineer.

I did not cite every quote or source. The main source is Rodney Stark's book, _The Rise of Christianity_ (HarperCollins, 1997). Dr. Stark cites the specific sources for the studies as well as the references from ancient manuscripts.

Randal Dick

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## Invisible Missionaries in China

An important part of preaching the gospel effectively is being sensitive to opportunities. An excellent example of this is the current global village economy, where rapidly growing economies import labor from other countries to fill their needs.

Every month, thousands of Filipinos leave the Manila airport on their way to be overseas guest workers. Christian leaders in the Philippines realize that these workers are being allowed into places where missionaries would not be permitted, and they provide mission training to as many overseas workers as possible.

Among those who are now spreading the gospel in China are a couple we will call Mary and Jesse. They had a deep desire to reach parts of China where the gospel has not penetrated.

They were given an opportunity to go to China on a one-month tourist visa. At the end of the month, in order to obtain an extension, Jesse had to become a student. Although he had very little money, he sought enrollment in one of the universities. God gave favor, and he and Mary were granted student visas. Jesse enrolled in classes in Chinese language studies. Extra funds had to be spent for the visa upgrade as well as for mandatory medical examinations.

### Getting started in mission

Mary and Jesse spent those first months waiting on God, in prayer, to see how he would open doors for them to reach people around them with the gospel. The area where they were working was home to more than 20 ethnic minorities.

At first Mary and Jesse went to universities, parks and public places to build friendships with the Chinese people. They invited them to their apartment. When they had enough people, they began an "English Corner." The group grew. After several meetings, they were able to determine that most of the group was open to reading the Bible, and they converted the English Corner into a small group Bible study.

Newcomers continued to show up. To keep numbers small and reduce the risk of being reported to the authorities for conducting private meetings, they started an additional group on a different day of the week.

### Blessed in China

God continued to bless and encourage them. Mary had become pregnant, and their resources had dwindled down to about a two-week's budget. They transferred to a new apartment with nothing inside except for a small dining table and a bed. However, Jesse wanted to continue to host people in their apartment.

On one occasion they were expecting more than 15 people, and they did not have a sofa. They reasoned that it would be more affordable to purchase an inexpensive carpet, and the guests could sit on the floor. Jesse measured the floor and calculated that they would need about $36 to cover the living room.

A few days before the event they were walking on a roadside when they heard a sound like falling dry leaves. When they looked down they found local currency worth about $36!

Jesse purchased the carpet. The big day arrived and Mary excitedly prepared Filipino dishes for their guests. They had a simple but joyful party. As the guests were leaving the party, each of them, one by one, approached Jesse and gave him some money. The total amounted to more than $60—more than one-month's food allowance.

Mary had to return to the Philippines, since it is illegal for foreigners to give birth in China. Jesse remained behind to complete the semester and to disciple the two groups, which had grown to 40 people. He then returned to the Philippines to be with Mary.

### Please pray for them

The baby was born, and the family went back to China the following year. This time they focused their work on a people in an even more remote province with a large Tibetan population. The baby was an effective missionary, too. He is so full of smiles that many people cannot resist stopping to take another look at him, which results in many more conversations and some additional relationships.

Missionaries like this know that they cannot do the work of God without our support and prayers. They ask that you lift them up to God in prayer. They ask for prayers for their families—that they can adapt to the physical climate and the cultural climate. They ask that you continue to pray for those God calls through them, that they will encounter the living God in their Bible studies.

Randal Dick

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## Show up — Declare — or Win?

How would Christ have us preach the gospel? Three broad approaches are in use today. Evangelism can be thought of as presence, proclamation or persuasion. Or in more colloquial terms, _show up, declare, or win._

Persuasion evangelism (which of course involves being present and declaring the gospel) is by far the most effective and biblically supported model. We fall short of Christ's intent if we define presence or proclamation evangelism as the primary goal.

This is not to say that the activities involved in presence or proclamation evangelism are not good Christian endeavors, but we must realize that even unbelievers can alleviate suffering and do good works. But only those who are in Christ can lead others to Christ.

God's primary purpose for us, and for the people we meet, is that we will all share eternity with him. That's why Paul, though he cared very much for the needy (consider the offering for the saints in famine-stricken Judea), he sought by all means to persuade people of salvation through Jesus Christ.

However, sometimes we face a situation where persuasion is either not possible or too dangerous. Sometimes even proclamation is not viable. In those cases, we revert to presence evangelism, but we never resign ourselves to making presence or proclamation our only goal—we always strive to return to persuasion evangelism.

The church's efforts in Bangladesh are an ideal example. Bangladesh is one of the most difficult mission fields in the world, and therefore one of the areas that has the greatest need for the gospel. John Biswas began with proclamation evangelism. Before long, several gospel workers were nearly killed, and our training facility was nearly burned down by angry mobs. We backed away to reconsider how to proceed.

John set out to establish a presence and let Christ be known through sharing his love with people round about. Everything was done with the intent of being able to see changed lives and permanent spiritual communities being formed. There is now a beautiful and effective progression in Bangladesh, from presence to proclamation to persuasion. Spiritual communities have been and are being formed, and they are gaining in strength and spiritual health. They remain a blessing to all who are round about.

### Definitions

**Presence Evangelism:** Letting your light shine, often through good works. Example: World Vision, Mercy Ships, Kids Alive, local outreach projects.

**Proclamation Evangelism:** Creation of situations where people are told about Jesus Christ and invited to accept him. Example: Crusades, door-to-door evangelism, musical touring evangelism, Jesus Film project.

**Persuasion Evangelism:** Establishment of relationships that lead to conversion and discipling of converts to a basic level of spiritual maturity. Example: church plants, World Impact, cell churches.

### Proclamation gone wrong

Ranjon Roy and his wife are part of the gospel work we support in Bangladesh. It's a risky occupation, but Ranjon patiently establishes a presence in a village. Based on the goodwill generated at the "presence" level, Ranjon introduces those who are open-minded to the Scriptures. As the Holy Spirit opens minds further, people are led to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Ranjon's brother was also a gospel worker, involved in strictly "proclamation" evangelism—in this case, showing the _Jesus_ film. He was stabbed to death in reprisal for attempting to indoctrinate villagers away from Islam. He was hailed in a U.S. Christian newsletter as a martyr. Perhaps he was, but perhaps there was a little lack of wisdom there as well.

### Presence evangelism

The goat program has opened doors and hearts in the villages. Our people establish relationships with village leaders, who help identify the poorest of the poor, who are then given a goat. One goat can, over time, lift a widow from destitution. Pictured are some of the latest beneficiaries of the goat program.

### Presence evangelism

The nurses training program is the latest of the "presence" evangelism efforts in Bangladesh. Professional training in home-care nursing is given. Pictured above is the second class to graduate from the training program. These young women will fan out across the countryside providing home-care for elderly and invalids. The nurses represent all faiths, but the Christian nurses have a special mission to share Christ's love with as many as possible.

### Proclamation Evangelism

Our ultimate goal is always to see people who are dead in their sins become alive in Christ. Pictured is a Bible study being conducted at our training center. Many of these women were reached through one of various "presence evangelism" programs. But their desire has gone beyond the physical to a desire to understand the Scriptures and to come to know the Christian God. The vast majority of attendees are women. This is common in many mission fields. The women teach the children, and eventually many husbands follow.

### Persuasion evangelism

Cell groups are formed where new converts can be part of a growing spiritual community. After conversion and a time of discipleship, these brothers and sisters in Christ become part of the presence and proclamation process. Each new household opens the door to relationships that are open to persuasion evangelism from the outset.

Randal Dick

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## How I Found My Way to Follow Jesus

John N. Biswas uses the following testimonial in a printed tract he uses in evangelistic efforts in Bangladesh.

On March 22, 1971, the front page of every newspaper in Bangladesh published a statement from its nationalist leader to the Bengali people stating, "This struggle of ours is for the complete freedom for the...people of Bangladesh.... We must be ready for any sacrifice in order to achieve our goal."

The Pakistani army opposed the independence of Bangladesh. At midnight, March 25, 1971, the Pakistani army began killing and terrorizing Bengalis. Seeing hundreds of people killed and many mass graves, I escaped from my college in Dhaka (capital of Bangladesh) and joined Muktibahini, the Bangladesh Liberation Force.

One awful night I joined 200 other young men on a two-week, 220-mile walk barefooted along the rough and muddy roads to India to train to fight for our homeland. This treacherous journey was filled with calamity and death. Several people died from lack of food, medical needs and severe exhaustion. It was a painful journey.

My first real inkling that God was calling me occurred during one of those perilous nights while trying to rest on the steps of a church. A missionary there invited me in, gave me a glass of water and showed interest in my troubled fate. He understood my apprehension to defend our country. He gently spoke about a great Defender, Jesus, who shed his blood for my sins. The missionary's story sounded like a fairy tale, but the Lord planted a seed in my heart. Afterward I went to Spicer College in India to study the Bible. There I placed my faith fully in Christ and trained as a soldier for Jesus.

The Bengali people suffered nine months of looting, rape and slaughter by the Pakistani army. Ten million people fled to refugee camps in India and three million were slaughtered—young and old, men, women and children. However, by God's grace the Pakistani army was defeated, surrendering to the valiant freedom fighters of the Land of Bengali— Bangladesh—Dec. 16, 1971.

Feeling fortunate to have survived the civil war, I believed God had spared me for a particular purpose. After completing my college studies at Dhaka University in Bangladesh, I decided to pursue higher knowledge at Far Eastern Theological Seminary in the Philippines and at Andrews University in Michigan in the United States.

At first, I wanted to be a rich lawyer, live in a big house and do great things. However, I got my degree in religion. God had other plans. I eventually returned to my home village and organized the native gospel mission now known as the Bengali Evangelical Association (BEA).

Why would anyone choose to follow Jesus? Because of his love, Jesus had respect for all people, especially the ordinary ones, the ones oppressed, whom other people look down upon. The prostitutes found refuge and forgiveness, not condemnation in him. He touched lepers, cast out demons, cared for children, esteemed women and foreigners.

Jesus was compassionate, and it cost him his life. God has come to us in Christ, offering us friendship, joy, hope, courage, doing good rather than evil, forgiveness rather than violence, renewal and more. The resurrection of Jesus is the main message for Christians to share with others. Jesus gave his life for a reason to pay the price to rescue us.

Jesus' death shows the depth of God's love for us. People should know that God loves them truly, and "that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Christianity teaches that eternal life is possible through faith in Christ. In Christ there is nothing to lose but rather everything to gain.

For some people, this makes tremendous sense, and they desire to follow Christ as their Savior. Jesus assures his followers that sacrificing for his sake will be repaid many times over in this life—Mark 10:29-30. People around the world have accepted his call and become his disciples. His word changed my life and it can change others.

I chose to invest my Christian education as a servant and an ambassador for Christ. Today I am not a lawyer but a fellow defender of the poor and follower of Jesus. He commands his followers to love one another. Jesus also told his disciples to preach the gospel.

Along with other native missionaries, we are now preaching God's love in the remote villages of Bangladesh, distributing gospel tracts and Bibles, extending emergency relief, running elementary schools, providing medical support to the rural destitute, baptizing new believers and establishing churches.

We desire to reach the entire rural population of the 68,000 villages of Bangladesh, sharing the salvation story of a great Savior who is calling us to follow him. Jesus said, "Come, follow me" (Matthew 4:19).

John Biswas

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## Gone Fishing in Africa

Our churches in in Africa are alive with excitement. We follow Jesus so he can make us fishers of people in his time and at his pleasure.

### Grasping opportunities

We are learning to take the opportunities that God places before us. Stepping out in faith is becoming part of our Christ-nature. It is amazing to see how unexpected opportunities come our way, and that we can use such occasions in his service.

An example of this took place in the nation of Benin. Atsu Dravie, area pastor for Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso, told me of a challenge God presented to our congregation in Cotonou. "A group of Christians had become disenchanted with their local pastors' alleged immoral activities, and they contacted our church to ask if we would pastor them. Now some of them are attending our weekly Saturday services and in addition we have provided weekly Sunday services to meet their needs." The challenge is that our group in Cotonou is pastored by an unordained pastoral team. Yet God was opening a door, and without any qualms they walked through it.

Also from Benin, Arthur Adjibodou, pastor in Porto Novo, sent me this report of an evangelistic effort. "In December we declared an open day and encouraged members to invite guests. The theme was Christ Is the Answer. Eighteen new people turned up, and have continued to attend with us ever since."

In remote parts of Zambia, groups and individuals have sought contact with us, but our funds are limited. Out of the blue, an Australian member offered to sponsor a pastoral tour of the area. Kalengule Kaoma, regional pastor for Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe, accepted the offer. Midway through his trip, he informed me that during the first three weeks of May he baptized 47 people. Thanks be to God!

Similar stories abound. In Zimbabwe, despite tensions, God is working with our fellowship. Pastor Ken Clark and his wife, Jeanette, began a Bible study five months ago in the farming community of Marondera. In South Africa, church planting opportunities have opened to us, and we have begun new services in various locations.

In western Kenya more new groups have contacted Pastor John Amadala. That area seems to be growing, and we don't have the resources, yet still God brings people to us, and Mr. Amadala and his wife, Jennipher, just can't turn God's loved ones away. They step out in faith time after time.

### Leadership conferences

We need to let God prepare us for the harvest. Our leaders need to learn how to evaluate opportunities, to operate within the freedom of accountability, to be well-versed in sound doctrine, to be filled with wisdom so they can help feed the flock: to be prepared to become fishers of people.

With the growth God is giving us, the recognition and training of leaders becomes a vital focus. Our church needs to be equipped with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and to be given resources through teaching and information. At our regional conferences we address such issues. We also stress the need to make sure that a leader's relationship with Jesus is where it should be, as only then can we begin to be effectively used by him.

For example, about 40 leading men and women from Ghana assembled in Accra for a three-day workshop on the theme of Preparing to be Fishers of People. Discussions revolved around the importance of understanding and following Jesus. Similar workshops either are planned or have already taken place in other parts of Africa.

Many of the national leadership teams run their own local conferences. The Cameroon ministers, led by national Pastor Jean-Jacques Ndoudoumou, organized their first national congress, with a concentration primarily on evangelism. They organized and funded the event by themselves. This shows the kind of confidence that is beginning to be felt in many places.

One of our strengths is the ongoing training of our ordained and nonordained leaders through mentoring and conferences. This is a resource we can share, so we have opened our ministerial conferences to ministers and leaders of other fellowships and non-affiliated groups.

Whenever a group expresses interest in us, we invite the leaders of that group whether or not we have visited the group. This approach has begun to bear fruit. I addressed the Hour of Revival Gospel Church in Tsakane near Johannesburg. Their pastor, David Mathebula, decided to attend our conference in June.

### Prayer concerns

The leader of our group in Burundi wrote that most of the members are in government-controlled regroupment camps. Conditions are deplorable, with much hunger, malnutrition and disease. The leader's daughter-in-law died in one of the camps, leaving three young children for the extended family to take care of. Please pray that God will comfort not only our friends but also all who are trapped in these unbearable conditions. We also have contacts in similar situations in other parts of Africa.

There have been many areas of concern all over the continent, and the members appreciate the prayers of our worldwide fellowship, especially for Christians in the Congo, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, Sudan, Uganda, Nigeria and for other countries where either political strife or environmental disasters dominate the news headlines.

Another prayer request concerns communication. Mail is generally unreliable, but in most countries we have established at least one e-mail connection, thus allowing vital flock feeding and leadership mentoring material to get through.

We lack Internet connections in a few areas, and I would appreciate your prayers that a connection can be established. Please pray in this regard for Kinshasa (in the Congo), Uganda, the Seychelles, Swaziland, Reunion, Tanzania, Malawi, Angola and Mozambique.

Please also pray that we will be bold enough to go through the doors God opens to us. It is clear that God is giving our fellowship many opportunities in Africa, and often we lack the personnel, physical and financial resources to respond in a timely way. Nevertheless it is amazing what God can accomplish with what we have. So we walk in faith, always.

### Thanks

It is difficult to know where to stop when writing about how God is using our fellowship in Africa. Truly Jesus is making us into Fishers of People. Thank you for your intercession for and support of all of us in this area of the world. It is clear that often we get by "on the wings of a prayer"! Above all, thanks be to God for the wonderful opportunities he provides for us in the service of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Ghanaian fishermen [Photos by James Henderson]

 **  
GHANA—** Emmanuel and Monica Sobgo take notes at April conference

 **  
PRAISE AND WORSHIP—** Atsu Dravie (front) and Arthur Adjibodou sing praises.

**WESTERN KENYA—** John Amadala

Ken and Jeanette Clark of Zimbabwe

WEST AFRICAN CONFERENCE—Small group discussion.

James Henderson

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## Not Putting Your Gift in Storage

"Being ordained gave me a sense of responsibility that I felt I could not put in storage. I had something to do for the Lord," said Kenga Ndiso, nonsalaried pastor for the coastal region of Kenya. He was referring to how he felt after his ordination almost two years ago. He lived in an area that was too far for regular visits from our regional pastor in Nairobi, so we decided to ordain him to help serve, even though only five members lived in the area.

Kenga had a vision to evangelize in the areas where the few members lived, and also to target young people in those areas. "Where there was a presence, I tried to plant a church," he noted. He now pastors three small congregations and two house churches with a combined attendance of 68.

It used to be that we had to wait for a congregation first and then a minister. In conferences, festivals and visits, Kenga and his wife, Mildred, impressed people with their deep conversion and with their zeal for Jesus Christ. It became clear that they had ministerial potential but no church.

We felt sure God would bless their ministry, and he did. Slowly but surely the church grew. God used us to plant a minister, then churches were planted, and God has continued to give the increase.

Kenga and Mildred have motivated their churches in various self-help projects, including market gardening and planting trees for timber. His aim of targeting youths has paid off. Almost half of the members in the churches in his region are in their late teens or early 20s. He plans to have three evangelistic campaigns in the church areas this year, and I know he would appreciate your prayers and enthusiasm.

The example of Kenga Ndiso is inspiring—mainly because it shows how God takes ordinary people and through them produces much fruit for his kingdom. Sometimes we overcomplicate things when it comes to God. Kenga's experience supports the theory that God is the actual author of the K.I.S.S. principle—Keep It Simple _______ (there are so many variations for what comes after Simple that I'll let you choose the one you like best).

 **  
Evangelizing pastor—** Coastal leaders with Kenga and Mildred Ndiso on far right.

 **  
Church sign—** Sign pointing to Tezo church near Malindi, Kenya.

 **  
Evangelism of young people—** The Malindi youth choir. [Photos by James Henderson]

James Henderson

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##   
About the Authors

The authors, at the time of writing, were employees of Grace Communion International. Joseph Tkach is president of the denomination, as was his father. Neil Earle pastored a GCI church in Glendora, CA. Jeffrey Broadnax is a GCI pastor in Ohio. Ted Johnston works with Church Administration. Jonathan Stepp was a pastor in Tennessee. J. Michael Feazell was vice-president of Grace Communion International. Michael Morrison is the Dean of Faculty at Grace Communion Seminary and is the editor of this volume. Randal Dick was the missions coordinator for the denomination. James Henderson was the mission developer in Africa; he is now the national director in the United Kingdom. John Biswas is director of the Bengali Evangelical Association.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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##  About the Publisher...

Grace Communion International is a Christian denomination with about 50,000 members, worshiping in about 900 congregations in almost 100 nations and territories. We began in 1934 and our main office is in North Carolina. In the United States, we are members of the National Association of Evangelicals and similar organizations in other nations. We welcome you to visit our website at www.gci.org.

If you want to know more about the gospel of Jesus Christ, we offer help. First, we offer weekly worship services in hundreds of congregations worldwide. Perhaps you'd like to visit us. A typical worship service includes songs of praise, a message based on the Bible, and opportunity to meet people who have found Jesus Christ to be the answer to their spiritual quest. We try to be friendly, but without putting you on the spot. We do not expect visitors to give offerings—there's no obligation. You are a guest.

To find a congregation, write to one of our offices, phone us or visit our website. If we do not have a congregation near you, we encourage you to find another Christian church that teaches the gospel of grace.

We also offer personal counsel. If you have questions about the Bible, salvation or Christian living, we are happy to talk. If you want to discuss faith, baptism or other matters, a pastor near you can discuss these on the phone or set up an appointment for a longer discussion. We are convinced that Jesus offers what people need most, and we are happy to share the good news of what he has done for all humanity. We like to help people find new life in Christ, and to grow in that life. Come and see why we believe it's the best news there could be!

Our work is funded by members of the church who donate part of their income to support the gospel. Jesus told his disciples to share the good news, and that is what we strive to do in our literature, in our worship services, and in our day-to-day lives.

If this e-book has helped you and you want to pay some expenses, all donations are gratefully welcomed, and in several nations, are tax-deductible. If you can't afford to give anything, don't worry about it. It is our gift to you. To make a donation online, go to www.gci.org/participate/donate.

Thank you for letting us share what we value most — Jesus Christ. The good news is too good to keep it to ourselves.

See our website for hundreds of articles, locations of our churches, addresses in various nations, audio and video messages, and much more.

Grace Communion International  
3129 Whitehall Park Dr.

Charlotte, NC 28273-3335

1-800-423-4444

www.gci.org

### You're Included...

We talk with leading Trinitarian theologians about the good news that God loves you, wants you, and includes you in Jesus Christ. Most programs are about 28 minutes long. Our guests have included:

Ray Anderson, Fuller Theological Seminary

Douglas A. Campbell, Duke Divinity School

Elmer Colyer, U. of Dubuque Theological Seminary

Gordon Fee, Regent College

Trevor Hart, University of St. Andrews

George Hunsinger, Princeton Theological Seminary

Jeff McSwain, Reality Ministries

Paul Louis Metzger, Multnomah University

Paul Molnar, St. John's University

Cherith Fee Nordling, Antioch Leadership Network

Andrew Root, Luther Seminary

Alan Torrance, University of St. Andrews

Robert T. Walker, Edinburgh University

N.T. Wright, University of St. Andrews

William P. Young, author of _The Shack_

Programs are available free for viewing and downloading at www.youreincluded.org.

### Speaking of Life...

Dr. Joseph Tkach, president of Grace Communion International, comments each week, giving a biblical perspective on how we live in the light of God's love. Most programs are about three minutes long – available in video, audio, and text. Go to www.speakingoflife.org.

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##

Grace Communion Seminary

Ministry based on the life and love of the Father, Son, and Spirit.

Grace Communion Seminary serves the needs of people engaged in Christian service who want to grow deeper in relationship with our Triune God and to be able to more effectively serve in the church.

Why study at Grace Communion Seminary?

 Worship: to love God with all your mind.

 Service: to help others apply truth to life.

 Practical: a balanced range of useful topics for ministry.

 Trinitarian theology: a survey of theology with the merits of a Trinitarian perspective. We begin with the question, "Who is God?" Then, "Who are we in relationship to God?" In this context, "How then do we serve?"

 Part-time study: designed to help people who are already serving in local congregations. There is no need to leave your current ministry. Full-time students are also welcome.

 Flexibility: your choice of master's level continuing education courses or pursuit of a degree: Master of Pastoral Studies or Master of Theological Studies.

 Affordable, accredited study: Everything can be done online.

For more information, go to www.gcs.edu. Grace Communion Seminary is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, www.deac.org. The Accrediting Commission is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency.

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## Ambassador College of Christian Ministry

Want to better understand God's Word? Want to know the Triune God more deeply? Want to share more joyously in the life of the Father, Son and Spirit? Want to be better equipped to serve others?

Among the many resources that Grace Communion International offers are the training and learning opportunities provided by ACCM. This quality, well-structured Christian Ministry curriculum has the advantage of being very practical and flexible. Students may study at their own pace, without having to leave home to undertake full-time study.

This denominationally recognized program is available for both credit and audit study. At minimum cost, this online Diploma program will help students gain important insights and training in effective ministry service. Students will also enjoy a rich resource for personal study that will enhance their understanding and relationship with the Triune God.

Diploma of Christian Ministry classes provide an excellent introductory course for new and lay pastors. Pastor General Dr. Joseph Tkach said, "We believe we have achieved the goal of designing Christian ministry training that is practical, accessible, interesting, and doctrinally and theologically mature and sound. This program provides an ideal foundation for effective Christian ministry."

For more information, go to www.ambascol.org

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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