Bringing In The Sheaves

If we follow that line of reasoning we must declare that Jesus had no right to preach; he had no right to teach the twelve, and He had no right to send them out as apostles. And the apostles had no right to try to win converts. None of them, including Jesus, were members of the Jewish hierarchy. None were ordain priests or missionaries or evangelists. And all were sometimes ridiculed, chased out of towns, and even killed.

To answer the question of whose job evangelism is, turn to Acts 8:1 and 4 and starting with the second paragraph of verse one read with me

“On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria”.

Now skip down to verse 4. “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”

Note that it says “All except the Apostles were scattered. Also note that it says in verse 4 that "Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went." Those were lay people that were preaching the word wherever they went. Not Pastors or deacons or special missionaries. LAY PEOPLE. The ordinary people. They went out and preached. The result of all those lay people preaching, coupled with the missionary work of the Apostles, was that by the end of the second Century AD Christianity had spread across all of the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea and beyond. Even the Roman emperor, Constantine, became a convert.

Brothers and Sisters, we too can go out and preach – just as the Great Commission commands us to do. We don’t need to go out and stand on street corners; we can just seize the opportunities that will certainly come our way. We can talk to our friends at work during breaks, we can witness to our doctor or dentist, and don’t overlook our own families.

The second greatest commandment is that we should love our neighbors as ourselves, and in John 15: 13, Jesus said “ Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

We have the joy of knowing the lord; shouldn’t we share that joy with those we love? How can we truthfully say we love our neighbors, but never tell them about the salvation that comes through faith in Jesus. How can we not tell them of our joy of knowing that no matter what happens to us in this life, it’s of little importance compared to the joy that awaits us in that place of joy unspeakable – that place where there’s no more sickness or dying or mourning or pain, but only eternal life and joy.

You may say, “We are only ordinary people. We don’t know how to preach or evangelize. What can we do?” You can watch for opportunities to talk to people about Jesus and what He has done for you. If you like you can even stand outside a store in the shopping center and talk to people as they pass by.

Brothers and sisters, if we say we love our neighbors, but then never tell them about the Lord, is that not the same as saying to them, “I love you, but go to hell.”

Jason Duncan, pastor of the Gallatin Church of Christ near Nashville, Tennessee told this story in one of his sermons.