3 Ways Early Christians Were Intentional about Sharing the Gospel
Early Christians Were Intentional in Evangelism
The New Testament shows that early Christians were consistent in sharing the good news with individuals and households, as well as proclaiming the gospel in public squares and through the written word. These believers were intentional in utilizing natural relationships with the people that God brought into their lives for evangelistic opportunities.
One of the best illustrations of the one-on-one method of bringing people to Jesus can be found in the first chapter of the Gospel of John. One day John the Baptist pointed two of his disciples to Jesus as the Lamb of God, and both began to follow Jesus (John 1:36–37). One of John’s former disciples was named Andrew, and he immediately went to find his brother Peter and personally brought him to Jesus (John 1:40–42). The next day, Jesus called Philip to follow him as a disciple, and then Philip found Nathaniel, who met Jesus and accepted him as the Messiah (John 1:43–51).
This personal approach was not a one-time phenomenon but rather an ongoing pattern in the lives of Andrew and Philip. When Greek men in Jerusalem asked to see Jesus, it was Andrew and Philip who introduced them to the Lord (John 12:21–22). When five thousand people were hungry, it was Andrew who brought a little boy and his lunch to Jesus, with miraculous results (John 6:8–14). Finding himself alone in Samaria, Philip had no hesitation in approaching a man in a chariot to explain the good news about Jesus Christ (Acts 8:26–40). These are just a few of the innumerable examples of individual encounters throughout the history of the church, and they show how every Christian needs to be prepared for personal conversations to introduce another person to Jesus Christ.
Written by scholars from various Christian universities, these essays explore evangelism, discipleship, and apologetics to help educators and students understand the importance of sharing the gospel in every generation.
The New Testament church also recognized the value of evangelism in households. In the first century, some believers already were married when they accepted Christ. Paul instructed them to stay in their marriages, if possible, because there was hope that the unbelieving spouse would be saved (1 Cor. 7:10–16). Peter also recognized that the conduct of a respectful and pure wife could be a powerful witness for saving her husband (1 Pet. 3:1–2). In the same way, the home was a strategic evangelistic opportunity for raising children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Even slaves could witness to unbelieving masters through sincere service, and Christian masters could represent Christ to unbelieving bond servants (Eph. 6:5–9). In other words, the earliest church understood extended households (or any long-term relationships) as opportunities to express the love of God and share the gospel.
The earliest church was also committed to the public proclamation of the gospel, and some Christians are still called to such open air and street evangelism to this day. The New Testament records many examples of believers preaching publicly in synagogues and marketplaces (e.g., Acts 2:14–40; 9:20; 13:13–43; 17:19–34). While not every Christian is called to such public proclamation, every believer can encourage pastors to include the gospel regularly in expository sermons.
Early Christians also composed literature to broadcast the teachings of Jesus and persuade people to believe. Many examples abound in the letters of Paul, as well as the four Gospels. John wrote that the purpose of his Gospel was to inform and persuade: “These [things] are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). Today the Internet has exploded the opportunities to write and publish the reasons for the hope that Christians have in Christ, with gentleness and respect. In fact, when choosing evangelistic methods, the answer for many Christians should be “all of the above.”
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Early Christians Were Intentional in Apologetics
The earliest Christians did not just proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ; they also provided apologetics to support the gospel. In this sense, the word apologetic means “a reasoned defense” (not to be confused with the English word apology or saying “I’m sorry”). Peter wrote, “Always be prepared to make a defense [apologia] to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Pet. 3:15).
The earliest Christians understood the culture and beliefs of their audiences and shaped their messages about Jesus to attract the most receptive listeners. For example, Stephen found himself in front of a Jewish council composed of elders and scribes and began his speech with an account of the history of Israel to tell them about Jesus Christ (Acts 7:1–60). Peter, on the day of Pentecost, spoke to Jews from all over the world and used Old Testament prophets to point to Jesus (Acts 2:14–40). Paul went into the synagogue in Thessalonica, and “on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures” (Acts 17:2). Later, in Ephesus, Paul secured the “Hall of Tyrannus,” where he reasoned daily with Gentiles for two years until all the residents “heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:9–10).
Evangelism coupled with apologetics was a key part of Paul’s intentional outreach. When he arrived in Athens, Paul encountered Epicurean and Stoic philosophers and reasoned “in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there” (Acts 17:17). To better identify with his Gentile audience, he intentionally quoted pagan poets instead of Jewish Scriptures (Acts 17:17–34). Paul summed up his strategy of personal apologetics:
I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. . . . To those outside the law I became as one outside the law. . . . To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. (1 Cor. 9:19–22)
One of the easiest apologetic explanations for the hope within a believer is to give a personal testimony of encountering Jesus, and examples of this abound in the New Testament. When Paul spoke to a king named Agrippa about his faith, he began by describing his life before he encountered Jesus when he was a strictly religious man filled with raging fury (Acts 26:1–12). Paul next described meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus. Though Paul’s eyes were blinded by a bright light, in his heart he understood the gospel message for the first time (Acts 26:13–18). Paul’s final statement was to describe his life after becoming an obedient follower of Jesus Christ (Acts 26:19–23).
I especially appreciate Paul’s example and would encourage all believers to think in advance about dividing their personal testimony into the same three parts: What was your life like before Jesus? What was it like for you to encounter Jesus and understand the gospel for the first time? What has your life been like since you were forgiven and have peace with God? In any personal testimony, remember to use simple words and avoid “Christianese” or technical religious jargon. It is also helpful to be able to deliver a testimony in exactly one minute for impatient listeners (a stopwatch for testimony training has been used on my campus), and about five minutes for someone who has a greater interest in your story.
Even to the end of the age, we can share the good news with confidence as we remember that Jesus has promised to be with us.
Early Christians Were Intentional in Perseverance
The New Testament church knew the heart of Jesus Christ and the eternal tragedy of being lost, and this motivated them to persevere in sharing the gospel even in hostile situations. When Paul was saved, “immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God’ ” (Acts 9:20), and he felt a joyful obligation to preach the good news to Gentiles (Rom. 1:14–15). Stephen walked through the history of Israel to proclaim Jesus even as his audience prepared to kill him (Acts 7:2–60).
The author of Hebrews describes the experience of some believers in the earliest church who “suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy” (Heb. 11:36–38). Despite this tribulation, persecution in the church only led to more opportunities for evangelism as “those who were scattered went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4).
The earliest believers were not surprised by persecution for sharing the gospel in a world hostile to God, and their confidence flowed from Jesus’s final statement in the Great Commission, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). Christians today should not be dismayed by a hostile culture but rather should expect increasing persecution from proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. Even to the end of the age, we can share the good news with confidence as we remember that Jesus has promised to be with us.
This article is by David Kotter and is adapted from Confident Witness: Evangelism and Apologetics for the 21st Century, edited by David Dockery.
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