Posted on 01/12/2017 11:15:46 AM PST by Gamecock
“There arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. . . . Those who were scattered went about preaching the word” - Acts 8:1–8
Fulfilling Christ’s command to preach the gospel to all nations and make disciples of all peoples (Matt. 28:18–20; Mark 16:15) is an enormous task, and it requires the contributions of all believers to the effort. In fact, as we look at the earliest history of Christianity, we find that even lay Christians, those who have not been ordained to a specific office in the church, have been instrumental in the spread of the gospel. Consider today’s passage, which tells us that after Stephen was stoned, persecution broke out against the Jerusalem church. Consequently, the early Christian community, except for the Apostles, was scattered (Acts 8:1b; see 7:54–60). But something remarkable happened as they fled Jerusalem. “Those who were scattered went about preaching the word” (v. 4). Persecution caused the gospel message to begin spreading in earnest, and the rest of the book of Acts explains how both Apostles and lay believers such as Priscilla took the gospel beyond Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. From the very beginning of the church, laypeople have been instrumental in the spread of the gospel.
The book of Acts indicates that the Apostles and other Christians followed a two-step process in reaching the world for Christ. Generally, it seems that they preached a basic gospel message with a simple outline focused on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (see Acts 17:1–3, for example). This core gospel message, sometimes called the kerygma, or “proclamation,” did not contain everything Jesus taught His disciples but only the basics of salvation. After people believed the kerygma, however, the Apostles would remain for some time and give further in-depth teaching in God’s Word. Acts 19:1–10, for instance, tells us that Paul spent two years in Ephesus instructing people in “the word of the Lord.” Discipleship followed evangelism.
Not every Christian has the same evangelistic gifts. However, all believers can learn the basic kerygma—the holiness of God and what we deserve for our sin, the atonement, and the resurrection of Christ—so that they can be ready to share it with others. Many people find programs developed to help Christians know and share the basic gospel message, such as Evangelism Explosion, to be helpful in this regard. Moreover, all believers can also take part in the work of discipleship. They can support the church’s teaching ministry and come alongside other believers who are less knowledgeable in the faith and help guide them in knowing God’s Word.
Coram Deo
From time to time, we should all stop and consider how we are playing our part in evangelizing and discipling the nations. Are we well equipped with the basic gospel so that we can share it, or do we need to follow a program to prepare ourselves for evangelism? Are we contributing money and time to our local church and Christian ministries that instruct people in God’s Word? Are we discipling people who could benefit from our wisdom?
Passages for Further Study
Psalm 86: Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.
Luke 10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, e‘Peace be to this house!’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, fit will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, h‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 i‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, kit will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
Acts 13:13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 wThe God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, m‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel qa Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before his coming, John had proclaimed ta baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’ 26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, o“ ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’ 34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “ ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ 35 Therefore he says also in another psalm, s“ ‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ 36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: 41 b“ ‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’ ” 42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. 44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, p“ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” 48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 2:1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out sour freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.
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A subject you might want to address?
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Kitty song:
"Mousie, mousie love dem mousie;
Bite they little heads off,
and nibble on they tiny feet."
Ah, wrong thread. I got confused.
You have Freepmail ... a mouse hunt!
Got it. I just finished a no-win wrangle with Sears, hollering them down for their particular stupidity, too big a problem top tell about. I just have to rest and bait a couple more traps with peanut butter and bacon grease, now that I’m finally back home..
(Writing this from my machine loaded with Ubuntu Studio 15)
Yes, get them saved and God will straighten their doctrine out.
But since the natural man cannot understand spiritual truth because it is spiritually discerned, NO ONE is ever capable of getting their doctrine right before getting saved or in order to get saved.
I have long known this to be a profound truth, but have only been able to express it by saying that it is only after we receive the Holy Spirit that we begin to understand the whole picture. But my explanation tended to confuse the hearer because he could not really understand who the Holy Spirit is before experiencing His filling.
I love your explanation. It makes a whole lot more sense. Thank you met Mom!
Thank you!
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