Preachers Study Notes 1993
On the day of Pentecost the apostles were filled with the Spirit and they were able to speak in tongues, perform miracles, and by these things draw the people together so they could teach them. In the early days of the church, others were able to use the gifts given to proclaim the Word of God to the lost. Today, we do not have the use of these gifts, but we believe there are examples and patterns that we can follow that will enable us to be effective in evangelizing the world. We would like to consider a few of these.
The church was established to save the world; to redeem the world through Jesus Christ its Savior. One of the things that really stands out about God in relation to the human race is His love, interest, concern, and earnest care for His making us in His image and providing every need we have for our physical body. In Genesis 1:26, 28, we find,
- “And God said, ‘Let us make man in Our image, according to our likeness: let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth’ . . . Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
After man had sinned against God, God made plans for man’s redemption and when the time was come He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die for the sins of man. God cared when His Son was dying and looked up to Him and said, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46b).
The intense interest and concern that God has for lost souls must be shared by His family, the church. It is only through the church and its teachings that the sinner can be converted and turn his life from darkness to light. The church would cease to exist if it were not for the preaching of the gospel The saved are added to the church after their past sins are forgiven by having been baptized for the remission of Sins: Acts 2:38-47.
It seems that oft times members think that the church is only for the purpose of coming together on the first day of the week to worship. This is certainly the duty of every Christian, but it is also the duty of every Christian to be engaged in working to save lost souls. Some seem to be satisfied if they come together on the first day of the week and sing songs, pray, have the teaching, eat the Lord’s Supper, and give of their means. This is absolutely essential, but it is just as essential that we realize that God expects us to help save lost mankind. Should the members be asked why we have schools, doctors, hospitals, policemen, fire departments, etc., they could tell us immediately the purpose. If we ask them why the church exists, will they tell us it was to save souls? We must realize that the duty and responsibility of the church in the first century was to evangelize the world. The same is true in the twentieth century. Those that nailed Jesus to the cross later made him the center of their lives and went everywhere preaching the gospel.
I. Great Preparation Was Made For Evangelizing The World.
- A. Luke 24:47 — “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”
B. Acts 1:4 — “And being assembled with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, which, He said, you have heard from Me.”
C. Acts 1 :8 — “But you shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
- 1. What do we need to do for this effort?
2. How are we going to do it?
3. Who is willing to do this work?
4. When is the proper time to start?
5. Are we going to follow through with the work?
6. What will the cost be; can we finance it?
II. Prayer Is Very Essential In Evangelism
- A. Luke 6:12-16 —— Before Jesus chose His apostles for their great work He continued in prayer all night. “And it came to pass in those days, that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself: and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles” (vv. 12-13).
B. Acts 1:12-14 —The apostles in waiting for the power from on high continued in prayer. “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, an with His brethren” (v. 14).
C. Acts 1:24 — Judas had betrayed the Lord and hanged himself. There was a need for a replacement for him. They chose two men who met the qualifications of an apostle, but they felt the need for the help of the Lord in choosing which one was the right choice. They asked the Lord’s help verse 24: “And they prayed, and said, You, O Lord, who knows the hearts of all, show which of these two You hast chosen.”
D. Acts 2:42 — Three thousand had been baptized and the Scripture says, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
E. Acts 4:23-31 — After Peter and John had healed the man that lay lame at the gate, the rulers charged them not to teach or speak in the name of Jesus. They told the rulers they could only speak the things they had seen and heard. They let them go and when they came to their brethren and told them what had happened they raised their voices to God in prayer and asked Him to behold their threatening and grant His servants boldness to preach the Word. The church should, as a group, pray more for the success of the gospel.
Acts 2:4-8 — “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” We do not have this gift today so if the language could be learned it would be a great help. Speaking in tongues is speaking in a language. Notice these two verses: “Now when this was sound occured, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. . . And how is it that we hear each in our own language, in which we were born?” (Acts 2:6, 8). It would be a tremendous help to evangelism to be able to communicate with the people without an interpreter.
IV. Evangelism Would Be More Effective If There Were No Murmuring Or Dissension.
“Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews, by the Hellenists because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution . . . “ (Acts 6:1-7). The apostles had them choose seven men whom they could appoint over this matter. It pleased the multitude and they chose the seven. In verse 6 it says, “Whom they set before the apostles: and when they prayed, they laid their hands on them.” Notice in verse 7 how this helped:
- (1) The Word of God increased;
(2) the number the disciples increased;
(3) a great company of priests were obedient to the faith.
May we learn how valuable a soul is and precious in God’s sight and put aside personal feelings, pride, jealousy, murmuring, and other things that will hurt a work. Let us not have power struggles but work together by planting and watering and God will give the increase. Let us have the attitude of the Apostle Paul of those that would oppose us. “Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife; and some also of goodwill: the former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains: but the latter one out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice” (Philippians 1:15-18)
V. Work To Convert Influential People
We learned in Acts 6:7 that a great company of priests were obedient to the gospel. The conversion of the priests was proof of the power of the gospel. We want to convert anyone, but for the work to progress the members must have influence. There must be members that are able to lead and to build the church up.
God saw in Saul of Tarsus an influential person as recorded in Acts 9:1-18. In Acts 22:3, “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus, of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers law, and was zealous toward God, as you all are today” Saul, who later is referred to as Paul, was a zealous person and was familiar with the Jewish religion and customs. This was a tremendous aid in teaching the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
Apollos was an influential man. His conversion is recorded in Acts 18:24-28. He was a Jew and eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures, was instructed in the way of the Lord; was fervent in the spirit, he spoke and taught diligently the things of the Lord knowing only the baptism of John. When Aquilla and Priscilla heard him, they expounded to him the way of the Lord more perfectly. The result is stated in Acts 18:28 — “For he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.”
The primary concern of the early Christians was to get the gospel out to as many as possible, as quickly as possible. The growth of the church was recognized by those who opposed its growth, for when they arrested the apostles they said in Acts 5:28 — “Saying, did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And, look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood on us!”
Christian friend, in the area of your congregation do the people even know you are there? Has the gospel been offered to them in meetings, tracts, radio, television, personal contacts, etc.? Does your light shine brightly?
VI. Qualified Men Should Be In Charge And Stay With New Work
“And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles” (Acts 8:1).
No doubt, at this time the apostles were needed in Jerusalem and others went everywhere preaching the word. No doubt, they had prepared themselves and were ready to teach others also. After this, when new areas received the gospel, capable men stayed with the work.
Too many times mission meetings have been conducted in an area where there is not a church and no one is there that can teach or lead. Often times some brother goes in on Sunday and conducts the service and often times someone different goes in on each Sunday during the month. As a result, the church usually does not grow and does not spread the gospel as they are required to do by the scriptures. Paul always sent someone who was capable in the work to do a task. Paul was interested in the affairs of the church in Thessalonica so he sent Timothy. 1 Thessalonians 3:1-2 says: “Therefore when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone; and sent Timothy, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to encourage you concerning your faith.” Notice, Paul did not send Timothy because he would not miss him; not because he had no regard for him; but because he knew Timothy could help them with his preaching and teaching and his daily work.
VII. It Is A Duty Of All Christians To Be Involved In Evangelism.
In Acts 2:44, all that believed were together, and in verse 46, “They continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart.” In Acts 4:32, the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul. As a result of their being together and working together, we read in Acts 5:14, “And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.” Evangelism is a natural outgrowth of one’s love for the Lord and for those who are lost.
A combination of motives usually causes a person to do what he should do. We should all be moved by a sense of duty. We should feel a sense of self-satisfaction. Some may feel prestige. But the real key is the motive of love for lost souls.
Most members want evangelism, but many are not willing to actively engage in the work. They are not willing to make the sacrifices necessary in the work. Some will say we are “active and alive,” but do they really understand what it means to be active and alive? The question is: “Are the activities accomplishing the work of Christ and evangelizing?” It is not just action that we need, but action controlled by God’s Word. Often times a church’s activities are centered around social events. Too much of the activity amounts to nothing as far as souls being saved. Only the Word of God will save people. Anything else that draws people to God is not God’s plan. In John 6:44-45, Jesus said, “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘and they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.” Let us remember that the devil is active --- but he is far from pleasing God.
Are we willing to face the truth of the matter and admit that we have not evangelized at home or abroad as we should have? Are we willing to admit that we could have plenty of preachers if we would support them and stand behind them? Many have had to take on jobs. May we awake and see that they are taken care of . Are we willing to admit that we could have the finances to support them and the work if we really had our hearts set to evangelize? Are we willing to sacrifice time, money, and even ourselves, so that lost souls may hear the gospel?
Many in our brotherhood will not attend gospel meetings or other services besides Lord s day morning I am afraid they only attend Lord s day service because they are afraid not to. May we realize that the only way people will ever receive the truth is for those who have it to go to them and teach them.
We should not be ashamed of the gospel. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes; for the Jew first, and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16 ). The early teachers and preachers pointed out to the people where they were wrong. We, in a spirit of love and concern, should point our their error. Let us notice some Scriptures:
“Men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did through Him in your midst, as you your-selves also know: Him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death” (Acts 2:22-23).
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has may this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).
“The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus; whom you delivered up, and denied in the presence of Pilate, when He was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you; And killed the Prince of life, whom God has raised from the dead; of which we are witnesses” (Acts 3:13-15).
“Let it be known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole” (Acts 4:10)
“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you murdered by hanging on a tree” (Acts 5:30)
“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart, and ears! You always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just one, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers: who have received the law by the direction of angels, and have not kept it” (Acts 7:51-53).
May the Lord help us to arise and spread His gospel to lost souls everywhere.
10520 N. McKinley, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73114
E-mail Dennis at BibleTruthsToU@gmail.com or call or text 253-396-0290
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