The holy spirit continued to bless the churchs evangelism and discipleship. It furnishes a challenging example for southern baptists and for all contemporary christians. Evangelism in the book of acts the church of christ in the book of acts was an evangelist church. Without a doubt, one of the greatest preachers this world has ever known was the apostle paul. But notice that this preparation came in the context of community. It is the purpose of this essay to identify and explore twelve principles, methods, or ideas found in the book of acts that relate to the carrying out of gospel proclamation. A great look at the biblical mandate to train the saints for the work of evangelism. It drew the circle of compassion large enough to include every person and every kind of person. As we study acts 812 we will learn how people come to christ and are changed through conversion.
Many of the ideas come from out of the salt shaker and into the world by pippet and becoming a contagious christian by bill hybels. How to bring in the harvest a biblical strategy luke 10. Evangelistic preaching and the book of acts gordon college faculty. For the purposes of this survey, the word evangelism will be defined as a sharing of the gospel facts. There is a conjunction between three elements as the gospel goes forth. Christians have often assumed that evangelism means verbally sharing the. Our evangelism needs to follow the example of 1 noah in obedience, 2 david in faith, 3 the prophets in. In addition, there are topical studies on issues such as spiritual leadership, gods redemptive plan, and old testament character studies. The book of acts tells the story of the beginning of the church of jesus christ. A lthough there are many evangelism tools and resources available today to assist us in our ministries, there is no better resource than scripture. Rod dempsey the purpose of this project is to map out a strategy of evangelism applied to richmond korean central presbyterian church. The book of acts the early disciples efforts to evangelize.
The most probable explanation for leaving the reader in suspense is that the outcome of pauls appeal had not yet been decided when the book was being written. The socalled missionary journeys really described the process of setting up a. A brief history of evangelism in the christian church. For assurance of our own salvation, we can compare our own conversion experience with those in acts. Second, in acts chapter 27 verses 21 through 26, luke described pauls actions onboard ship in ways. We read of the evangelistic methods and message of the early apostles and preachers 3. Explain how to be saved and persuade the person to be saved. The preaching of the gospel of jesus and his kingdom b. Back to outline evangelism and discipleship relationship between evangelism and disciples. The book of acts tells us how his church began in jerusalem and spread to the ends of the earth.
This book is a compilation of ideas and strategies from evangelism professors in southern baptist seminaries. The lost are those people who do not believe in jesus christ as lord and savior. Evangelism in acts is the communication of the good news of jesus christ through verbal proclamation and lifestyle witness, with the intent of leading a person or group to salvation in christ. Eight principles of new testament evangelism lausanne. As we have seen, peters sermon on the day of pentecost expanded the church from about 120 people to over 3,000 people. The methods of the first century are basic to effective evangelism today.
Pauls missionary strategy, simply described, was a strategy of households. Lets look first at the rhetorical strategy of the book of acts. Jesus said, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. In acts 1 and 2 we see that jesus prepared both the understandings and the whole lives of his disciples before he sent them out. The prophet joseph smith described the apostles calling in the following manner. But the book of acts offers us some principles, methods, and ideas to consider as we carry out our mission work. Indeed, paul is scarcely ever found without companions. The preparation of the leaders of the jerusalem church for the gentile mission 11. May 02, 2016 i realize the book is entitled great commission great compassion, but to claim the great commission is everything the new testament says about evangelism, mission, church planting, and cultural engagement is to overlook the ministry model used successfully by paul in acts and illustrated in the epistles. The response to peters message was the 3,000 who believed. Presently paul and his party came to philippi, a strategic location. This study covers topics such as preparing your life for evangelism, presenting the gospel, persuading and leading people to faith, and strategies for outreach.
The book of acts is a vital link between the gospels and the epistles. This comprehensive handbook on evangelism shows how appropriate strategies and personal preparation of both head and heart empower the christian to lead people to accept christ and prepare for his soon return. Philip met the eunuch who was reading from the old testament book of. Evangelism in the book of acts new testament church growth is fascinating and all too foreign to our modern church experience.
I thought this was simple enough and most students caught on that i. Paul followed up with the new believers through visits, letters and messengers. The book of acts is the only historical record of the birth and early days following christs establishing his church. Rainer green valley baptist church birmingham, al 35226 wth the exception of m. Commentary on the book of acts bible study lessons. And today the life blood of the church is evangelism.
Evangelistic strategies on the campus cannot be separated from discipleship and sending. Without this historical record, little would be known about the expansion of the church. Church were concerned with what occurred in the lives of people after they came to faith. Christians are advised to wear the full armor of god eph. Hence such words as pastor, evangelist, minister, overseer, father of the flock a.
As we look at acts 17 we will learn how to answer objections and how to make a case for the truth of christianity. A chronological survey of the book of acts makes pauls empha. Greens evangelism in the early church,l the subjects of evangelism and church growth in the book of acts have been unaccountably neglected in recent years. A need for approval lies behind all efforts of evangelism. Rapid evangelism resulting in the establishment of local churches. We will discuss the biblical model of evangelism as outlined in the book of acts and develop strategic plans based on this model. We know that paul and his associates arrived in rome in a. The methods of the first century are basic to effective evangelism. It was a great journey through this really interesting book. I realize the book is entitled great commission great compassion, but to claim the great commission is everything the new testament says about evangelism, mission, church planting, and cultural engagement is to overlook the ministry model used. The first time i taught through the book of acts in a college class, i asked the students to write an essay describing pauls missionary strategy, with illustrations from the book of acts. Pauls corporate evangelism in the book of acts 191 missionary with a large number of associates. This workshop will also discuss the prophetic revelations of the apostles about the end times and incorporate these concepts into our evangelism strategies.
Strategy and method the first time i taught through the book of acts in a college class, i asked the students to write an essay describing pauls missionary strategy, with illustrations from the book of acts. Evangelism outlines 2 the power of one conversion personal evangelism bear valley bible institute at denver taught by. In the book of acts, god blessed the apostles by giving them converts almost every time they preached the gospel. We just finished our series on the book of acts and it was awesome. Here is a basic gospel outline to shape our presentation of christ. The evangelism we find in the book of acts, at its mature level, ruled no one out. Evangelism and discipleship also occur within ones own culture, so not all evangelism and discipleship falls within the context of missions. While doctrines remain fixed, the methods or procedures do not. Without ignoring the importance of theology, this book is filled with suggestions and practices for doing evangelism. For a disciple to understand the necessity of seeing evangelism as a process i. And this kind of blessing continued throughout the book of acts. A study of effective strategies for evangelism applied to richmond korean central presbyterian church kon tae kim liberty baptist theological seminary mentor. Evangelistic strategies eric swanson continued on page 2 a rtic l e.
To prove this point, let us take a quick look at church growth in the book of acts, with a special view to the church in jerusalem. The two evangelistic models we see in the book of acts are peters proclamation message to godfearing jews acts 2. Speak to their specific issues to show how jesus meets their needs. Dec 11, 2009 pauls church planting principles using the book of acts introduction the working of the holy spirit and the expansion of gods kingdom from jerusalem, judea, and samaria and to the ends of earth called for a radical transformation not just in apostle pauls life but to the direction of mission as a whole. Church growth in the book of acts a church of christ can and will grow spiritually and numerically when it is faithful to the word of god. Finally, in acts 1819 we will learn about different strategies and means for sharing our faith with others. May 25, 2016 this book is a compilation of ideas and strategies from evangelism professors in southern baptist seminaries. The book of acts ends abruptly with pauls imprisonment in rome. How did the church grow so quickly and effectively in the book of acts. Putting the evangelism of acts into practice derek prime on. Lukes first two verses are, therefore, extremely significant. Many of the ideas come from out of the salt shaker and into the world by pippet and becoming a. He has written numerous articles and a widely acclaimed commentary on acts in the new american commentary.
Content includes book studies on luke, ephesians, thessalonians, james, 1 samuel, john, and acts. Is it merely that we live in a generation of hard hearted and stiffnecked people, or are there strategies or methods that we are failing to follow. Our exploration of these issues should provide us with a way to understand, appreciate, and live by his authoritative teachings in our own day. But reading the book of acts, one finds that paul used many methods to share. Sep 01, 2005 this study covers topics such as preparing your life for evangelism, presenting the gospel, persuading and leading people to faith, and strategies for outreach. Choose the number of leader and participant guides needed below. Evangelism and discipleship are the processes by which mission work is accomplished. The authors primary purpose was to give a detailed account. To cover the subject of evangelism in the book of acts is a tall order for a brief article. Principles of evangelism from the book of acts truthonlybible.
If someone else can be convinced, that will show us that we are on the right path. This method is not as effective now as it once was because there is a greater. Whereas missions and church planting tended to occupy center stage in the study of the book of acts, and discipleship was often overshadowed. Paul beheld the urban centers as evangelistic strategy for reaching the surrounding. I think this is a great book of the bible for men to read through because it is mostly stories of ordinary people trying to live out their faith. Our evangelism needs to follow the example of 1 noah in. A simple reading of the book of acts and the epistles reveals that the new believers were gathered together in new churches.
We immediatelyfacedawallofoppositionaswequicklydiscovered. The ascended christ now continues his ministry in the world through his church. Satan has his subjects in supernatural blindness 2 cor. You dont have to agree with all of it to benefit from it. Cross cultural ministry compounds the normal problems of evangelism, increasing possible misunderstanding. There are at least two reasons why we should concern ourselves with pauls methods of evangelism. Acts 8 records the significant evangelization to nonjewish people, telling us that philip preached christ to the people of samaria, many of whom believed and were baptized. So, some think that the best title for acts would be the ministry of the ascended christ through his church. The two evangelistic models we see in the book of acts are peters.
Luke records many examples of conversion in the book of acts e. Wayne burger during the civil war in this country a young woman learned the truth and obeyed the gospel. Mar 29, 2010 jim ayars, pastor of the ventura seventhday adventist church, talks about his approach to evangelism that draws its emphasis from the book of acts. Jun 29, 2008 we just finished our series on the book of acts and it was awesome. The attempt to convince someone of anything is a mark of insecurity. May the six types of evangelism i have described from acts help. Many well meaning christians believe if they faithfully and consistently preach the gospel every day they will get results but. Doc mission in the book of the acts of the apostles. The perspective crusade mission evangelism i evangelism in perspective with other churches evangelism is not competitive with the other ministries. An examination of the approaches of jesus and the apostolic church to evangelizing their world included at least eight principles. The power of the holy spirit to perform signs and wonders to confirm the preaching of the word c.
Though there are numerous books on mission strategies and evangelism and many. The thrilling account of the firstcentury disciples spreading the good news of salvation through the resurrected savior begins with the day of pentecost acts 2 and concludes with paul preaching the gospel in rome acts 28. We immediatelyfacedawall of oppositionaswequicklydiscovered. Presenting gods last warning message to a doomed world is the highest, greatest work ever given to human beings. Jim ayars, pastor of the ventura seventhday adventist church, talks about his approach to evangelism that draws its emphasis from the book of. In this lesson we have looked at the rhetorical strategies luke used in the book of acts, the content of his work, and the appropriate first steps to take toward the modern application of his teachings. The spiritempowered discipleship in acts yan chai liberty baptist theological seminary mentor. A study of effective strategies for evangelism applied to. Evangelism by the book will both motivate and equip you to become effective in evangelism and discipleship. What did evangelism under the direct, miraculous, guidance of the holy spirit look like and how did it differ from what we see and do today. Primarily it could be observed in the book of acts the story of christs first. Frank schmitt discipleship study had unavoidably been focused on the gospels, and rightfully so. In a discussion of earlychristian evangelism, david lim gives the following definition. Outline studies in the book of the acts of the apostles.
Inner city evangelism and outreach tools, techniques, and. Eight principles of new testament evangelism lausanne world. This evangelism is revivalbased with emotional pressure for a decision. Acts begins with jesus teaching the apostles about the kingdom of god outside jerusalem, and ends, about thirty years later, with paul teaching gentile christians about the kingdom of god in rome. A brief history of evangelism in the christian church synodwide convocation on evangelism, wisconsin lutheran college, milwaukee, wisconsin, august 1517, 1978 by richard d. Relationship between evangelism and discipleship evangelism is proclaiming the good news of jesus christ to the lost. Examples of evangelism sermon outline by kevin cauley giving biblical examples of evangelism in action. Ravi ravindra, the wisdom of patanjalis yoga sutras. Ludlowthe book of acts was written by luke after his gospel as the second. Polhill is the james buchanan harrison professor of new testament interpretation at the southern baptist theological seminary. A study on evangelism core group study guide by the chi alpha staff at uva this study is a study on evangelism we will focus on the what, why, and how of evangelism.
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