The Best Witness

Introduction

1 Corinthians 2:1–5 KJV 1900

1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

1 Corinthians 4:18–20 KJV 1900

18 Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. 19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

Pray - Be Seated

Body

Amongst Christians there is perhaps no more emotionally charged word than “outreach”.

We have as Pentecostals, traditional methods of outreach, all with varying levels of success

Door knocking

Passing out tracks

Saturday morning outreach

Lifestyle evangelism

But what’s the Biblical model?

The Ministry of Jesus Christ

Mark 1:21–28 KJV 1900

21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. 28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

Pretty much every miracle performed by Jesus was also done in the Old Testament except this

We see records of the dead being raised in the O.T.

We see healings in the O.T.

We see supernatural provision in the O.T.

What we never see in the O.T. is a demon being cast out of someone. This is exclusive to the N.T.

Jesus’ evangelism method

He went into the synagogue to teach

He taught with authority

He cast out an unclean spirit

Immediately His fame spread

Matthew 4:23–25 KJV 1900

23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. 25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

Here everything is the same except now:

He’s preaching the gospel of the kingdom

He’s not only casting out devils, but healing all manner of sickness and disease

They’re bringing people to Him.

Now great multitudes of people are following Him.

Matthew 8:14–16 KJV 1900

14 And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. 15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. 16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:

Again, they brought to Him those that were possessed with devils and those that were sick

He cast out every devil, and He healed all that were sick.

Jesus Commissions the Twelve

Matthew 10:1 KJV 1900

1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

The first things Jesus does, even before He sends them out to preach, is to give them power against unclean spirits, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

Matthew 10:5–8 KJV 1900

5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Their preaching was to include healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead, and casting out devils.

Mark 6:7 KJV 1900

7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;

Again, even before they are sent out to preach Jesus gives them power over unclean spirits

Mark 6:12–13 KJV 1900

12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent. 13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

Their preaching included casting out devils, and healing the sick.

Luke 9:1–2 KJV 1900

1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

Before Jesus sends them out, He gives them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases

His commission was two-fold:

Preach the kingdom of God

Heal the sick

Luke 9:6 KJV 1900

6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.

The disciples fulfilled the commission they received. Preaching and healing!

Jesus Commissions the Seventy

Luke 10:1 KJV 1900

1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

Luke 10:9 KJV 1900

9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

Luke 10:17–20 KJV 1900

17 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

When Jesus commissions the seventy, He tells them first to heal the sick, then preach the kingdom of God.

Their testimony to Jesus is that even the devils were subject to them through His Name.

So the seventy were also given power over devils and given power to heal sickness and disease.

Jesus explains that the expected end of this is salvation, not simply a healing or a deliverance. These are, not A means to an end, but THE means to and end.

Scripture Text:

It was in the mind of Paul that God would confirm His word.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume 1 Corinthians 4:17–21

He lets them know what would follow upon his coming to them: I will know, not the speech of those that are puffed up, but the power, v. 19. He would bring the great pretenders among them to a trial, would know what they were, not by their rhetoric or philosophy, but by the authority and efficacy of what they taught, whether they could confirm it by miraculous operations, and whether it was accompanied with divine influences and saving effects on the minds of men. For, adds he, the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. It is not set up, nor propagated, nor established, in the hearts of men, by plausible reasonings nor florid discourses, but by the external power of the Holy Spirit in miraculous operations at first, and the powerful influence of divine truth on the minds and manners of men.

Conclusion

Let me cut to the chase:

God’s prescribed method of evangelism is a miraculous combination of casting out devils, healing all manner of sickness and disease, and preaching the kingdom of God.

We’re not yet seeing that in our church.

That means, first and foremost, I’m wrong. My ministry is not presently producing this kind of fruit.

That means also, no one’s ministry in our church is producing this kind of fruit.

I believe with all my heart God is calling us back to a first century witness.

Like Topeka Kansas, I believe we need to seek God until this is restored to us.

I want this to be a priority for us. That God would use each and every one of us to regularly identify and cast out devils, to heal regularly all manner of sickness and disease.

That the fame of what God is doing here would spread so great that they would bring the sick and the possessed here for healing and deliverance.