Preach the Gospel!

It seems fitting to take a brief break from 1 Samuel. As a church, we are deeply and firmly committed to preaching through Scripture, in particular, books of the Bible. We believe it is vitally important to bury ourselves in the study of God’s Word, and that the best way to do that is usually through a systematic and contextually driven exposition of books of the Bible. However, sometimes it is good to pause and take a thematic approach to this exposition of Scripture…and then we’ll repent afterwords.

Just kidding!

This morning, finding ourselves at a fit pause point in 1 Samuel, and coinciding with the return to school, we’re going to take a brief hiatus and get back to some basics of what it means to be a healthy church. What should mark us if we are to be thought of as healthy? We’re going to borrow from and rely on David Black’s book Seven Marks of a New Testament Church, partly because it’s good and understandable, and partly because it’s simply a dive into the implications of Acts 2:37-47.

Would you stand with me as we read together from God’s Word this morning.

Acts 2 does and doesn’t drop us in the middle of the church story. There’s a…prologue…if you will. These are the first four books of the NT, what we call the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These books present to us Jesus. He is the One who was promised after Adam and Eve’s sin, the One who was proclaimed and promised by prophets and priests, to paupers and kings. He came confronting the self-righteous Pharisees while also comforting the over-burdened and broken of His day. The message was one of hope, typically summed up by perhaps the most famous verse in all of Scripture: John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Near the end of each of these books we find a statement calling Jesus’ followers to share this wonderful hope with others.

Mark 16:15 ESV

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Luke 24:47–48 ESV

and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

John 20:21 ESV

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

And finally, the one commonly called THE Great Commission:

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

As we parachute into Acts 2 this morning, Peter is doing just that: preaching the Good News about Jesus. And, he didn’t just wake up that morning and decide to do it. He was where Jesus had told him to be. Before Jesus returned to God the Father’s side, He’d told the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait, and that the Holy Spirit would come upon them, and that they’d be His witness all over the earth. We see that in Acts 1:8. And it’s this Spirit-filled proclamation of the good news of Jesus that was fundamental to both the foundation and formation of the early church.

Notice the text in Acts 2:37–41 “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”

Anything striking about that? How about the part where 3,000 souls were added?! Now, I don’t think this teaches us that we should expect 3,000 people to give their lives to Jesus every time we share the gospel, but I do think that we should understand that Jesus is “eager to add new members” to His body. It’s with this assurance that we can find the courage to share. As the early church went out, they found no shortage of people who needed the love of Christ to be poured into their sin-sick hearts, and they made the most of those opportunities.

So this obviously means that our Sunday preaching should be a gospel presentation, only, ever, and always, right? Well, in the words of Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend!” First, let’s firm up this idea of “preaching” from a biblical standpoint. Typically, we think of preaching as the thing that I’m doing right now, standing in front of a congregation mostly consisting of professing believers and sharing a thirty-minute sermon. And, as we know, it should be alliterated with equal time given to interpretation of the text, illustration of the text, and application of the text. Large and in part, we relegate preaching to the role of a pastor, usually disregarding how an evangelist might fit into the context at all.

But when we examine preaching in the New Testament, this idea is actually quite foreign. Instead, preaching takes place in the evangelistic context, and it is the lost — not saved — who are the ones being instructed. That’s what Peter was doing here in Acts 2, and we find it elsewhere throughout Acts as well.

Second, it would probably be beneficial then to ask, “Well, what is the role of a pastor if he isn’t also the preacher?!” Well, glad you asked. First, consider:

Ephesians 4:11 ESV

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,

That last phrase, “shepherds and teachers,” or shepherd-teacher, is actually connected intentionally. Then also we find this in 1 Tim.3:

1 Timothy 3:2 ESV

Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

So, if we want to retain the emphasis of the New Testament, we should be cautious about applying the term “preaching” to the role of the pastor/shepherd, especially when he stands before the body of believers to instruct and edify. Point blank — preaching isn’t the sole or primary task of the pastor. Instead, every believer had a deep sense of urgency regarding the good news of Jesus, and they saw it as their aim in life to make Jesus known to others.

So, what is evangelism, and what does it look like in the 21st century? Let’s look to the Scripture, and it seems that there are several characteristics that will help us understand preaching the gospel.

It Makes Much of Jesus

It’s not a system, and it’s not a method. Let me think about all the systems and methods I’ve learned in some form or fashion…there’s FAITH Evangelism, The NET, Becoming a Contagious Christian, Share Jesus Without Fear, tract blitzes, evangelism bracelets, EE: Evangelism Explosion. The most recent push was “Who’s Your One?” and the Circle method. I thought evange-cubes were really cool until I heard people joking about getting “cubed” by the Christians. But, is it really so complicated? D.T. Niles once said:

“Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.”

I like it. It’s simple. Captures the essence. But, it’s hard to do anything with that. In a similar vein, David Black says:

“Evangelism…is simply bringing people face to face with a [Jesus].”

Does it, or should I say, will it be necessary to include the key aspects of salvation? First, that we are sinners. Second, that we deserve punishment because of our sin, which is rebellion to God. Third, that Jesus suffered that punishment for us when He died on the cross. Fourth, that Jesus was raised three days later that all who place their faith in Jesus would have eternal life. And finally, that all who surrender to Jesus as Lord will be saved? Yes, it will eventually get to that.

But, that message should not be foreign or difficult for us. It is the core of who we are as believers, the key message and truths that have now shaped our lives as followers of Jesus. The larger task really should be finding those intersections in life where we have an opportunity to make much of Jesus and His plan of rescue to others. It could be over a meal where you invite your neighbors over. It could be a lunch at work with a co-worker who wonders why you face life with relative hope and joy. It could be a conversation with your kid about they find it so hard to obey mom or dad.

It Depends on the Spirit

In his book God the Evangelist, David Wells that it’s the Holy Spirit who initiates, motivates, and empowers evangelism. And you know what, when you trace out the book of Acts, you find this truth playing out. As a matter of fact, Jesus told His disciples, “Don’t do anything until the Spirit comes.” But when He does come, whoa boy!

Acts 1:8 ESV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

This is exactly what plays out on the first day of outreach — Pentecost. The Spirit comes and the people are saved. It happens again in chapters 13-14 when the Spirit stirs the hearts of Antiochan believers to share the gospel in Asia Minor. You see the Spirit directing Paul’s steps on his missionary journeys to very specific regions. The early church was totally dependent upon the Holy Spirit. Sadly, we often relegate the Spirit to the red-headed step child of the Triune God, scared of His power because we’ve seen a misuse or abuse of the name before.

This should give us pause. What do we know of the Spirit’s presence and power today? Are we not more dependent on our methods and education than we are His power? Here’s the beauty of 1st-century evangelism:

You didn’t need the right method, just a sensitive heart.

But again, we’ve relegated the Spirit nearly to a best-to-be-avoided aspect of our relationship with Jesus, when the church in Acts couldn’t live without it. Listen to what A.W. Tozer said about the Spirit’s role in sharing the good news of Jesus:

The church began in power, moved in power, and moved just as long as she had power. When she no longer had power, she dug in for safety. But her blessings were like manna. When they tried to keep it overnight, it bred worms and stank. So we have had monasticism, scholasticism, institutionalism — all indicative of one thing: absence of spiritual power.

Black, David Alan. Seven Marks of a New Testament Church: A Guide for Christians of All Ages (Function). Kindle Edition.

Further, remember that even Jesus Himself was commissioned by the Holy Spirit, and He didn’t begin His ministry until this happened. And, as it was with Jesus, so God desires it to be for us. If we will let Him, the Spirit will come and bear witness to Jesus through us.

It Applies to us All

Nowhere did Jesus entrust His good news to ministers alone. Every disciple was expected to join in the work of evangelism, of preaching the gospel.

At LABC, our simple way of thinking about this is:

From the neighborhoods to the nations.

Let’s just hit the neighborhoods this morning. Have you ever thought about the fact that God has strategically placed you where He has placed you that you might be salt and light in this world? He’s given you the job you have, the neighbors you have, the friendships you have, the interactions you have, the family you’ve been entrusted with, all of it is God’s strategic and sovereign placement of one of His ambassadors…you…to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father” (Mt.5:16).

When we do these good works, rooted in godly love, it helps others take another step toward Jesus, and isn’t that a big part of what evangelism is all about?

It is Concerned with Others’ Needs

Sadly, the modern church often disconnects sharing Jesus from meeting needs. Why do tend to divorce the two? They should form an intricately woven tapestry. John Stott, in Balanced Christianity, had this to say:

It is true that the risen Lord Jesus left his church a Great Commission to preach, to evangelise, and to make disciples. And this commission is still binding upon the church. But the commission does not supersede the commandment, as if ‘you shall love your neighbour’ were now replaced by ‘you shall preach the gospel’. Nor does it re-interpret neighbor-love in exclusively evangelistic terms. Instead, it enriches the commandment to love our neighbor by adding to it a new and Christian dimension, namely the duty to make Christ known to him.

Black, David Alan. Seven Marks of a New Testament Church: A Guide for Christians of All Ages (Function). Kindle Edition.

So, coming back to the Book of Acts. We know that throughout it all, the Spirit is using the people of God to establish the body of Christ, the church. As we’re reading, we get to Acts 11:26 (“and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.”) That word Christian means what? It means “Little Christ” or “Christ-like.” It’s a clue to the character…to the nature of these early Christians. They lived like Jesus, which necessarily meant they loved as He loved. The proclaimed and they cared.

A key component of your evangelism in every day life will be your commitment to love others. We cannot separate the two. You can’t cuss out your neighbor and then turn around and be like, “But Jesus loves you and so do I!” If you are going to preach the gospel in the in’s and out’s of life, which we are all called to do, then your “Jesus loves you” has to be attached to tangible actions that say, “And so do I.”

When we do, it follows the example Jesus Himself set forth:

Matthew 9:35 ESV

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.

It Involves Follow-up

Peter does more than just preach in Acts 2. Notice what the Scripture goes on to say:

Acts 2:41–42 ESV

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

At the end of the day, evangelism…sharing Jesus with others…helping others take one more step closer to Jesus…isn’t actually the end goal, it isn’t actually the command of the Great Commission. That command is to make disciples. The early church realized that the people needed fellowship and instruction. So, they built the church on it, as well as prayer and breaking bread.

We’ll pause right here, because we’ll spend time fleshing that out over the next few weeks. As for now, our call is clear: the church, that is, individually as members of the church, each and every one of us, we must be active in helping people get closer to Jesus. Some of us will plant. Some of us will water. The Lord will ensure our success as we are dependent upon His Spirit. And, He will get all the glory.

My final question is this: who has God placed in your life that you can help bring face-to-face with Jesus, that you can help take one more step closer to Jesus?