A Mature Congregation Evangelizes

by Doug Edwards
Christian Expositor Journal
Winter 2005 Quarterly

As we continue to develop the theme of building a mature congregation, we now come to the importance of evangelism. Keep in mind that evangelism was the mission of Jesus, and so it becomes our mission as well.

Even a casual glance at the Bible reminds us of the importance of evangelism in God's scheme of redemption. The prophets of old foretell the preaching of the gospel. Isaiah writes, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor" (Isaiah 61:l). It is significant that Jesus reads this very passage to the audience assembled at the synagogue in Nazareth, His home town. Then, like a bombshell, Jesus announces this passage finds its fulfillment in Him (Luke. 4:16-21). Isaiah would also write, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings the good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns' " (Isaiah 52:7). Paul quotes this passage in Romans 10:15 and applies it to the evangelism of the church.

During His ministry Jesus constantly stresses the importance of evangelism. He tells a crowd that wants Him to remain with them, "I must preach the kingdom of God in other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent" (Luke. 4:43). Shortly before His crucifixion He tells Zacchaeus, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke. 19:l0). Sometimes Jesus even commissions certain ones to evangelize (Matthew 10:5-15; 28:19-20; Luke 10:1-12).

Jesus makes a remarkable statement about the effects of the gospel when He says, "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!" (Luke. 12:49). There is something explosive about evangelism. It causes a fire wherever it goes. There is a similar thought found in Matthew 10:34 where Jesus says, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I do not come to bring peace but a sword." The gospel stirs up people, bringing joy and happiness, but sometimes it brings remorse and anger. Do you know why? The gospel is God's power unto salvation (Romans 1:16). The world does not like the gospel because it exposes its sins. The gospel and sin are like water and oil, they do not mix well.

Evangelism is so important because it is the only answer to a world languishing in sin. Do you remember the old-fashioned wrist watches and alarm clocks that, if not constantly rewound, would gradually run down? Our world is much like that watch, especially here in America. There are signs that the American culture, which started with a great respect for the Bible, is running down. Pornography, greed, humanism, and a general decline in family morals are commonplace. Paul rightly describes our world when he says, "Evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:13). The solution to our world's problems is this: "Preach the word.” (2 Timothy 4:2).

The example of the early church also stresses the importance of evangelism as emphasized in the epistles. Acts is also a wonderful book because it gives us examples of churches and evangelism in the infancy of Christianity. There are many principles from these books that help mature churches evangelize. We must carefully study these examples and then devise plans whereby we can follow their lead. We will notice four such principles from these books in remaining part of this articles.

We Evangelize in Our Assemblies We live in a time when large numbers of non-Christians do not regularly frequent our assemblies or gospel meetings. That fact, however, does not mean the pulpit is no longer a wonderful tool in evangelism. The teaching in our assemblies can present to Christians the glory of the gospel and our need to better understand it and share it with others. On those occasions when non-Christians do visit our assemblies, we can take advantage of the situation and share the good news of Jesus with them. Notice what Paul says when unbelievers visit our assemblies.

“But if all prophesy; and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.” (1 Corinthians 14:24-25).

We Evangelize in Our Communities Most Christians are familiar with the exciting words of Acts 2 and the establishment of the church in Jerusalem. But have you ever followed its progress after it's establish-ment? If you will study the church after its creation and chapter eight, you will see the Christians busy evangelizing their communities. In chapter three, Peter and John take advantage of healing a lame man at the temple in order to preach the gospel to a crowd gathered there. After they are told by the Sanhedrin not to preach, Peter and John, "...daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ" (Acts 5:42).

Even in the middle of problems, the Jerusalem church finds a way to evangelize it's community. Acts 6 tells us about an incident involving inequality in the daily distribution of goods to the Grecian widows. The apostles summon the people together and tell them to select seven faithful men who could care for this problem while they continued in prayer and preaching. The multitude agrees to this plan, which allow the apostles to continue preaching in the community. Consequently, the Bible says, "Then the word of spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem" (Acts 6:7). Stephen, one of the seven, also takes the gospel to the Synagogue of the freedmen (Acts 6:9-l0), an effort that eventually costs him his life.

Whether planned or spontaneous, these opportunities were moments in which Christians continually preached in their neighborhoods. Likewise, mature congregations will work hard to preach the gospel within their communities. We can never stop trying to evangelize our neighborhoods. We may think that no one listens or cares, but we can never stop trying.

We Evangelize the World In Acts 13:2, the Holy Spirit tells the prophets and teachers at the Antioch congrega-tion to "separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Thus begins the exciting story of one church's efforts to evangelize the world. From this congregation Paul would begin three preaching trips (commonly called "missionary journeys”) throughout the known world of his day At the conclusion of these trips, Paul would return and make a report to the brethren (Acts 1426-28; 18:22-23). Evidently, these brethren took seriously the Lord's charge to preach the gospel to the world (Mark 16:15).

This congregation teaches us a very important principle about world evangelism: We personally may not be able to go to far away places, but we can help by sending those who can. In doing so, we share in the work. The Christians at the newly established church in Philippi could not leave their homes and take the gospel around the world, but they could send their support to Paul who could do such a work. Paul appreciates their generosity and desire to help the work and tells them, "Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities" (Philippians 4:15-16).

Mature congregations also take seriously the Great Commission. They know that souls across the ocean are just as important as those in their own backyards. They are willing to help support these foreign evangelistic works even if they cannot send someone from their own congregation. Some congregations may not be able to financially send a man and his family overseas, but they can contribute to a portion of his support. That certainly is commendable. The apostle John discusses those who help faithful brethren on their journeys (such as preachers going overseas to do evangelistic work) by saying "that we may become fellow workers for the truth" (3 John 8).

We Evangelize As Individuals
When Opportunities Arise We may think that evangelism only takes place in organized efforts by the church, but sometimes opportunities come along spontaneously when we, as individuals, can spread the gospel. Just as Jesus teaches the Samaritan woman by the well (John 4), so we can teach individuals whenever we have the chance. When Saul succeeds in bringing a terrible persecution upon the church, many of the disciples flee Jerusalem for their lives. What is interesting is what these disciples do as they scatter. Luke says, "Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word" (Acts 8:4). They do not have to wait for an organized evangelistic effort by the church to share their faith with unbelievers. In fact, the church at Antioch owes its beginnings to some of these scattered Christians who brought the gospel to them (Acts 11:19-21).

Aquila and Priscilla are also examples of those who share their faith as individuals. While living in Ephesus, they encounter a man named Apollos, who is "an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures" (Acts 18:24). His knowledge of God's Word is partial, however, because he knows only of the baptism of John. Verse 26 tells us that when this fine Christian couple heard him "they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately."

Personal evangelism is such an important weapon in the church's arsenal. It is the Lord's will that all of us, to some degree, be evangelistic. I fully recognize that we all do not have the same talents. Some do not have the ability to talk to large numbers of people. The Bible, itself, even prohibits some from teaching at different times, such as women teaching in the church assembly or in public venues (1 Corinthians 14:34-35; 1 Timothy 211-12). But we can all in private situations, on occasions, share our faith in a simple way. Jesus does not expect us to out-argue a Bible scholar. Nor does He expect us to parse a present active indicative verb in the Greek. He does expect us to tell others what He has done for us. He tells the healed demon-possessed man, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you" (Mark 5:19). Surely we can all do that.

Closing What happens when a congregation ceases to evangelize? There are at least two possible consequences. Fist, a congregation that fails to evangelize will eventually die. Common sense tells us that if new Christians are not added to a congregation, within a few years that congregation will cease to exist. The second possible consequence to not evangelizing is closely related to the first: a congregation may cease the practice of evangelism, but evolve into a social organization and continue to exist. Such a change, however, actually leaves the church as dead. A sobering question to end on is this: Why are there no congregations today in Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth, and other similar places?