Evangelism is not a task that God does Himself. Rather, He sovereignly chooses to accomplish this work through His children. Of course, if God saw fit, He could use the stones to bear witness to the truth of the gospel (Matthew 3:9). He could use animals (Numbers 22:28) or angels (Luke 2:8-15). But He has chosen to use us, weak and sinful as we are, for this eternally significant work. Why is this?

    One reason is that all the glory for the results of men and women responding to the gospel might go to God alone. Paul states in 2 Corinthians 4:7, "But we have this treasure [the knowledge of the glory of God in the fact of Christ] in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves."

     Paul writes elsewhere, "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?" (2 Corinthians 2:14-17). Paul adds, "Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of the new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Corinthians 3:5,6).

     A biblical philosophy of evangelism must take note of the truth that God uses people to effect spiritual change with eternal results in the lives of others. With all our sin and weakness we still count. He can and does make flesh and blood people adequate for His service. This truth should cause us to respond with both humble gratitude and a sense of healthy responsibility. It should cause us to ask, "If God uses people toward His eternal ends, what kind of person does He use?"

     A popular Bible teacher was once asked, "Why doesn't God use me any more than He does?" His answer was, "God is using you as much as He can." Indeed, the New Testament has much to say about the issue of our usability for the work of God. God uses not just anybody (though I'm sure He could if He wanted to), but the one who is usable. Thus, the issue is, are we usable for Him?

     Is there a general profile of a "usable person"? I believe there is. However, I want to make clear that this is not a list of criteria to check off, and if you pass the test, you are "usable;" and if you don't, forget it. We are continually growing in all facets of our Christian experience. No one can boast that he has "arrived" in anyone area of his spiritual development. Ultimately it is only God's grace that enables us to be usable.

     It is clear, however, that to accomplish His redemptive purposes, God uses people who exhibit certain spiritual and character qualities. Our lives, therefore, should reflect a willingness to trust God to make us useful as "fishers of men" by producing these qualities in our lives through the power of His Holy Spirit.

 Availability

     Evangelism is not only for "specialists." True, the New Testament speaks of those with the gift of evangelism (Ephesians 4:11) who, as a result, are called specifically to a personal ministry that will emphasize evangelism. Philip is one example (Acts 21:8). But we must not conclude that the work of evangelism is reserved only for these spiritually gifted few. The fact that God graces His church with certain spiritual gifts, such as serving, teaching, leading, giving and showing mercy (Romans 12:7,8) does not limit activity in these areas to the exclusive ranks of those endowed with those particular gifts.

     The Bible stresses that all Christians are to be involved in each of these areas, even though some will lead the way by exercising their particular spiritual gifts. The fact that I do not have the gift of giving does not exempt me from being a wise steward of my possessions and talents. In like manner, the fact that I do not have the gift of evangelism does not exempt me from the wise stewardship of my time, talents and treasure in the work of sharing the good news.

     Consider the example of Timothy. He was a relatively young man when he assumed leadership of the church at Ephesus. Although He had been through many frontline experiences with Paul on his second missionary journey (Acts 16:1ff), Timothy was still by nature a timid person. "The general picture of his [Timothy] character, seen chiefly from the Corinthian letters and the Pastorals, is of an affectionate and loyal companion of Paul who lacked forcefulness of character and was self-conscious about his youthfulness."1 Timothy's spiritual gift was more likely that of pastor-teacher rather than evangelism. In fact, we probably would not find two men further apart on the personality scale than Paul and Timothy. Paul was aggressive, not minding a confrontation and willing to take the initiative in meeting people. Timothy, on the other hand, probably would have preferred to stick to a close circle of friends and avoid confrontation and conflict. He did not fit the stereotype picture of a person likely to be involved in evangelism. Nevertheless, Paul wrote to him, "But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (2 Timothy 4:5). Paul reminded him, "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God" (2 Timothy 1:7,8).

     The lack of the gift of evangelism and the fact that I do not possess the outgoing personality usually associated with having this spiritual gift are no reason to remove myself from availability to "do the work of an evangelist."

 The Professional Syndrome

     A football game has been described as an event where 22 men greatly in need of rest are cheered on by 80,000 greatly in need of exercise. I guess it will always remain a general rule of life that 80 percent of the work will be done by 20 percent of the people. There are those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who return to their seats from the concession stand to ask, "What happened?" The church's experience in taking the gospel to the world is much like a football game, for the American church is experiencing a spectator glut and a participant vacuum.

     Evangelism was not meant to be a spiritual spectator sport with only a certain few experts doing the work while the rest of us cheer them on or go about other business. But there is a strong temptation to assign to the professionals the work that rightly belongs to us all.

 Some "Every-Member" Reminders

     Remember that Jesus' first call to discipleship was the call to become fishers of men (Mark 1:17). To be a first-century follower of Jesus meant to be involved in His mandate to take His message to the world. The twelve were commissioned to do this (Mark 3:14), the seventy were sent out to evangelize (Luke 10:1-16), and the entire church's destiny was wrapped up in being a witness of the gospel to their homes, their cities, their nations and the entire world (Acts 1:8). Acts 8:1-4 recounts the first great persecution of the church in Jerusalem: “And they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles....Therefore, those who were scattered went about preaching the word." (Acts 8:1,4, emphasis added). Note that the professionals, if we could call them that, were left in Jerusalem, while the rest, the ordinary rank and file, "went about preaching the word." Those with the most experience, the ones trained by Jesus Himself, were not expected by the rest of the church to be the only ones doing evangelism. The average member of the First Church of Jerusalem obviously took it on himself to be available for the task of preaching the good news. Michael Green writes, "One of the most striking features in evangelism in the early days was the people who engaged in it. Communicating the faith was not regarded as the preserve of the very zealous or of the officially designated evangelist. Evangelism was the perrogative and the duty of every church member."2

     God uses the man or woman whose life is characterized by a spirit of availability. Are you willing to let God use you to have an eternal impact on another by the sharing of the gospel? No matter what your spiritual giftedness or personality type or level of spiritual maturity is, God wants to use you as His "ambassador for Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

 In the Spirit's Power

     If evangelism is a task that the New Testament assigns to all believers, then it would make sense that the personal equipping necessary to fulfill the task is also made available by God to all believers. Remember Paul says, "Our adequacy from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Corinthians 3:5,6).

     Affirmation VII of the International Conference for Itinerant Evangelists in Amsterdam reads: "We need and desire to be filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit as we bear witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because God alone can turn sinners from their sin and bring them to everlasting life."3 We must appreciate the fact that the work of evangelism; is an exercise in spiritual warfare. Men and women are in the grip of the enemy's kingdom, and a great spiritual battle is even at this moment raging over the souls of men. Paul says, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses" (2 Corinthians 10:3,4). The spiritual weapons of our warfare are prayer (Ephesians 6:18) and "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17), described by the author of Hebrews as "living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword" (Hebrews 4:12).

     It follows, then, that if evangelism is an exercise in spiritual warfare, requiring spiritual weapons, the messenger must also be spiritually equipped by God.

     Thus, it is not surprising to find that Stephen, the first recorded Christian martyr, was "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 6:5). He was a man full of grace and power and was performing great wonders and signs among the people (Acts 6:8). His eloquent witness to the Jewish leaders was grounded in the fact of his spiritual vitality.

     New Testament evangelism was accomplished by men and women who were spiritually in tune with their Lord and, therefore, ready at any moment to be used by God in the work of being witnesses to the gospel. We may not all be used in the radical way that Stephen was but witnessing opportunities are there for the one who is spiritually prepared to make the most of them (Colossians 4:5,6). Ephesians 5:18 commands us to be "filled with the Spirit." We are to walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7). Our attitude of availability needs to be in the context of our being filled with the Spirit, for we must be equipped with God's power through the Holy Spirit in order to engage in spiritual battle.

     Understanding and applying the ministry of the Holy Spirit to our lives is the crucial ingredient for successful personal and corporate evangelism. It is impossible to understand the vitality and tenacity of the first-century church's witness without understanding its power source.

     It is an amazing fact that after three years of walking with Jesus, seeing Him perform miracles, being trained by Him in evangelism and actually doing the work of evangelism (Matthew 10, Luke 10), the disciples still did not have what was required to be effective witnesses for Jesus. Indeed, we find the disciples a scattered band of defeated followers of Jesus after His crucifixion.

     What was it that took Peter from denying His Lord before a slave girl to speaking boldly of Jesus to a large and potentially hostile crowd only two months later? The Holy Spirit – Peter's supernatural power source.

    Luke 24:44-49 recounts Jesus' resurrection appearance to His disciples. As He commanded them to take the message of "repentance for forgiveness of sins to all nations," He also told them, "And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in that city until you are clothed with power from on high."

    The disciples were entrusted with no ordinary message, and their task was of no ordinary dimension. They, therefore, required a superordinary power. "The promise of My Father" that Jesus spoke of is His Holy Spirit. He alone could equip them individually and corporately to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. As He promised, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit is the witnessing Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit is to be prepared for witness and thrust into the work of bearing witness to Christ. The Day of Pentecost marked the endowment of the church with this new power for witness. This is the reason that Peter was able to take a bold stand and present the first evangelistic sermon, bringing a great harvest of souls (Acts 2:14-41).

     The Book of Acts is not so much the acts of the apostles but the acts of the Holy Spirit through the apostles. As J. B. Phillips has noted. "No one can read this book without being convinced that there is someone here at work besides mere human beings. Perhaps because of their very simplicity, perhaps because of their readiness to believe, to obey, to give, to suffer, and if need be to die, the Spirit of God found what He must always be seeking – a fellowship of men and women so united in love and faith, that He can work in them and through them with the minimum effort or hindrance.”4

    The progress of the gospel is linked inseparably to the lips of men and women whose hearts were filled with the Spirit and in communion with Him who promised His presence to ensure the success of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:20). As J. B. Phillips states in his introduction to Letters to Young Churches, "The great difference between present day Christianity and that of which we read in these letters is that to us it is primarily a performance, to them it was a real experience. We are apt to reduce the Christian religion to a code, or at best, a rule of heart and life. To these men it is quite plainly the invasion of their lives by a new quality of life altogether. They do not hesitate to describe this as Christ living in them.”5 The usable messenger is not only available, but is also filled with the Holy Spirit.

 A Wartime Mentality

     The person who is available and filled with the Spirit finds himself thrust into the midst of a spiritual battle. The first-century Christians had a keen sense of the need to maintain a wartime mentality.

     Paul wrote, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). It is not surprising that the gospel met obstacles at every turn. It was not carried along smoothly paved roads with supernatural ease, but on the backs of flesh-and-blood men and women who persevered and sacrificed under the most difficult of circumstances.

     J. B. Phillips comments, "Many Christians today talk about the 'difficulties of our times' as though we should have to wait for better ones before the Christian religion can take root. It is heartening to remember that this faith took root and flourished amazingly in conditions that would have killed anything less vital in a matter of weeks."6

     Consider the fact that a crucified Messiah was a scandal to the first-century mind. Paul, recognizing this, wrote, "but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Gentiles foolishness" (1 Corinthians 1:23, emphasis added). The very mention of the cross and resurrection of Christ as "good news of salvation" was, by the prevailing cultural standards, the stuff of "idle babblers" (Acts 17:18). It was equivalent to a 20th-century proclamation that "we gladly worship our leader who, by the way, was put to death as a common criminal in the gas chamber, but still lives today." This was absurd to the "thinking" first-century person. Thus, the Christian of that day faced the serious prospect of having the gospel relegated to a position of cultural and intellectual inferiority.

     The Christian recipients of Peter's first letter, who resided in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, had to deal with incredible misunderstanding on the part of their pagan neighbors as they claimed the name Christian and proclaimed the gospel. They were accused of practicing incest probably because they called one another "brothers and sisters in Christ." They were accused of being cannibals because they practiced communion, which was "eating the body and blood of Christ." They were accused of treason because they followed one who claimed to be a king, in the face of Caesar's claim to exclusive political authority. Ironically, they were also rejected by the immoral pagan for being too moral, having an ethical standard impossible to live up to.7

     Michael Green sums up the context in which first-century evangelism was practiced: "Evangelism was a task involving social odium, political danger, the charge of treachery to the gods and state, the insinuation of horrible crimes and calculated opposition from a combination of sources more powerful, perhaps, than at any time since."8

     In contrast to the experience of the first-century church, we live in an age where commitment, sacrifice and perseverance are considered outdated, quaint, or irrelevant character traits. Jim Elliot observed, "We are so utterly ordinary, so commonplace, while we profess to know a Power the 20th century does not reckon with. But we are 'harmless' and therefore unharmed. We are spiritual pacifists, non-militants, conscientious objectors in this battle to the death with principalities and powers in high places.”9

     A friend of mine shared that in cleaning out his grandmother's attic, he came across 40 pounds of packaged white sugar. It had been there since World War II, when sugar was rationed. Instead of putting up with the inconvenience and sacrificing for the cause of war, this woman hoarded sugar. She obviously lacked the spirit of self-sacrifice that reflects a wartime mentality.

     Noting this dearth of wartime mentality in American Evangelicalism, Jim Elliot wrote, "I do not understand why I have never seen in America what missionaries write of – that sense of swords being drawn, the smell of war with demon powers." He added that our warfare is merely a "sham fight with shadows, a cold war of weary words."10

     I often find myself lacking a wartime mentality, dominated by the concerns of comfort, convenience and social convention. I have to admit that I am prone to sacrifice as little as I must and to live as indifferently as I dare. So as not to put myself out on the limb where I have to trust God, or expose myself to potential discomfort, I find myself trying to predict who might or might not be interested in the gospel. Instead of initiating conversations with anyone who will listen, I try to make sure that any evangelism I do will be immune from criticism and the possibility of discomfort.

     We have much to learn from the wartime mentality of the first-century church. As J. B. Phillips states, "These early Christians were on fire with the conviction that they had become, through Christ, literally sons of God; they were pioneers of a new humanity, founder of a new Kingdom. They still speak to us across the centuries. Perhaps if we believed what they believed, we might achieve what they achieved."11 Let us pray with Jim Elliot, "O that God would make us dangerous!”12 As 19th-century American preacher Phillips Brooks states, "O, do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men! Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle.”13 The usable evangelist must be available, he must be Spirit-filled and he must possess a wartime mentality.

 Commitment to Integrity

     The New Testament posits an intimate link between the messenger and message in the success of evangelism. It is assumed that the life and character of the one bearing witness to the truth and life-changing power of the gospel will always be a crucial factor in the success of the evangelistic enterprise.

    There must be congruence between the high ethical and spiritual quality of the gospel message and the life of the ones delivering it. The gospel message is the "gospel of God" (Romans 1:1). Its source and author is the Holy One, the Lord of heaven and earth. As such, it is a message of ultimate truth and purity. The messenger's character and conduct must never contradict, but rather must harmonize with, the character of the one who gave us that message and who sends us to speak it as His personal ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20). God's gospel must travel along paths that bear witness to, not violate the purity and truth of, the gospel. Anything less would bring the confusion of a mixed message to the onlooking, unbelieving world and great dishonor to the name of God.

 Integrity in Action

     Peter and Paul recognized that it was impossible to do the work of an evangelist without living a life that was consistent and honoring to both the message and the Lord who gave it. There is one overwhelming reason for this.

     All humans have an innate sense of the truth being congruent with the practice of high moral and ethical standards. Even sinful, fallen men insist on this. At first glance it seems incredible that a moral-ethical issue could have been a serious stumbling block to the immoral, pagan population of Peter's day. But we find Peter's reading audience "slandered as evil doers" and, therefore, needing to counteract this charge by "keeping their behavior excellent" (1 Peter 2:12). In Peter's mind, nothing less than the progress of the gospel was at stake. Even the morally deficient pagan population could demand, "If you have the truth and expect us to believe it, your lives had better not be open to moral criticism." As immoral as they already were, they still insisted on a link between truth and the purity of life of those committed to this truth.

     A friend of mine learned this lesson the hard way. He was scheduled to give an evangelistic talk to a group of college students one evening. That afternoon he played a game of "pick up" basketball at the college gym. Unfortunately, in the heat of the game he became involved in a shoving match with one of the players. Nothing came of it, but that evening as he was addressing the college group, his eyes fell on this same student in the crowd. As the student saw who was to speak, he got up and left the room. This student obviously presumed that a witness to the truth should be above a shoving match on the basketball court.

     Paul's ministry came under almost constant criticism from his opponents on moral and ethical grounds. Because of this, he was willing to go the extra mile in exhibiting the qualities of integrity and honesty in his evangelistic ministry.

     Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:2, "Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God" (New International Version). Some say that integrity means doing the right thing when no one is watching. But Paul knew that he always had God as his audience. God was his witness (2 Thessalonians 2:5).

     One must understand the first-century context in which Paul preached. "So many wandering charlatans made their way about the Roman world, peddling their religious or philosophical nostrums, that it was necessary for the apostles to emphasize the purity of their motives and procedure by contrast with these."14 Those men made their living as touring speakers. They were self-proclaimed authorities on various topics, usually areas of current religious or philosophical interest. These professional philosophers were masters at "tickling the ears" of their audiences. Their goal was to gather a following and earn public recognition, not to mention economic profits. The first-century churches that Paul visited and later wrote to were all too familiar with these men. Vanity, opportunism and self-seeking motives typified their persuasive efforts as they toured the ancient world looking to peddle their verbal wares.

    Paul had to deal with the fact that at first glance the traveling evangelist looked like a run-of-the-mill traveling philosopher. Paul went out of his way to make sure that he would be set apart from them in both character and ethical conduct.

     Paul understood the truth that even though God had vested in him the authority of an apostle and the rank of ambassador, a crucial commodity of the evangelist was his personal integrity. Indeed, the New Testament concept of spiritual authority is never divorced from integrity of character. "Bible scholars point out that the New Testament concept of authority as expressed in the Greek word exousia does not have the connotation of jurisdiction over the lives of others. Rather, it is the authority of truth, the authority of wisdom and experience which can be evidenced in a leader who is held up as a special example, who can commend himself to 'every man's conscience in the sight of God.’ "15

     Paul addressed this issue head-on in 2 Corinthians 3:1-3: “Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter, written in your hearts, known and read by all men being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts."

     As Paul explains to the church at Thessalonica, "You are witnesses and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory" (1 Thessalonians 2:10-12). Paul recognized that the power of persuasion, not the power of position, was the legitimate avenue by which his spiritual authority was to be expressed. This distinction is grounded in the recognition of our humble state as sinners saved by grace. D. T. Niles put it well: "Evangelism is witness. It is one beggar telling another beggar where to get food. The Christian does not offer out of his bounty. He has no bounty. He is simply a guest at his master's table and, as evangelist, he calls others, too.”16

    Paul's clearest defense of his motives comes in 1 Thessalonians 2:3-6: "For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God who tests our hearts. You know that we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed – God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else" (New International Version).

     Paul states here that he is not guilty of four shortcomings. The first shortcoming is error: The messenger's motives may be correct, but his message is dead wrong and thus inherently misleading to the audience.

     The second shortcoming is impure motives: Even though a message may be correct, the messenger's motives may not necessarily be above-board. They may be tainted by greed, selfishness or, as alluded to here, sexual impurity.

     The third shortcoming is deceit or trickery: Here both the message and motives are wrong. Whereas the person in error may not realize his error, the one practicing deceit knows full well the error of his message, but still presents it to the audience. He is out to deceive them into accepting the message as true, even though he knows it is not, and into accepting the messenger as having pure motives, even though they are impure. The word for deceit also can be translated "guile," "pointing us to cunning craft: It properly signified catching fish with a bait, and hence came to mean any crafty design for deceiving or catching."17

     The last shortcoming is pleasing men by flattery. Paul argued that his ministry was devoid of both impure motives and message error. In fact, God Himself had searched his heart and found it worthy of the stewardship of the gospel.

     Because of this transparency before God, he had nothing to hide from men, and nothing to gain by tricking them. Paul was not out to build a personal following, or to make money, or to fulfill any selfish motive whatsoever. His goal was simply to please God and pursue the eternal benefit of his audience.

     Thus, Paul did not have to resort to flattery to say nice things for selfish motives. Paul was not out to win his audience for his own benefit and thus careful to hide the presence of a greedy heart. Paul could be himself because there was nothing to hide. He knew the gospel had the power to attract a hearing, hold an audience and bring the assurance of full conviction (1 Thessalonians 1:5) of its saving power. Thus, the Christian communicator never need resort to flattery to gain a hearing.

Summary

     The Christian message spread by the first-century church was distinct in large part because the messengers were distinct. The first-century evangelists were men and women who stood apart in their availability, spiritual power, commitment to a wartime mentality, and in their lives of integrity. Of these evangelists, Michael Green writes; "The simple directness of this wandering preacher, accepting no fees and content to get temporary accommodation where he could, a man utterly convinced of the truth of his message, must have been unusual among the open air preachers."18 I might add, such men and women are just as unusual today.