48And you are witnesses of these things. [simple_tooltip content=’45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,
47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 And you are witnesses of these things.’](Luke 24:45-48)[/simple_tooltip]
One of the great mistakes of the modern church is thinking that evangelism is something done within the four walls of the church building. Acts 8:1-4 makes it apparent that evangelism was not done by the pastor or clergy but by believers who went everywhere preaching the Word.
There are several methods of evangelism mentioned in the Scriptures:
1. House-to-house evangelism: “And in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ” (Acts 5:42).
2. Personal, one-on-one evangelism: Philip ministered to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-38), Paul to Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:7), Jesus to Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the thief on the cross, and others. There are about thirty-five such instances recorded in the Gospels alone.
3. Evangelism to large crowds: Peter ministered to the crowds in Jerusalem at Pentecost (Acts 2) and Paul at Lystra (Acts 14:8-18).
4. Evangelism to entire cities: “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them” (Acts 8:5).
5. Public debate and preaching: Paul disputed in synagogues and market places (Acts 16:17); Peter and John preached in the temple (Acts 3:11-26); Paul declared, “And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shown you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20:20-21).
6. Tract evangelism: The first tract evangelism with ink and pen are the Gospels. In his Gospel, John stated, “These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.” (John 20:31).
Today, be wise in the way you speak and act with unbelievers. Make the most of every opportunity.
