The Church and Community Evangelism

GOLDEN TEXT: “Therefore said He unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that. He would send forth laborers into His harvest.” —Luke 10:2

MARK 5:18-20

THE expression, “community evangelism,” as used in the caption to this lesson, is evidently designed to distinguish the local work of Christians from what is referred to in denominational circles generally as “foreign missions.” Certainly every consecrated child of God should let his light shine in the community in which he lives. This personal witness work to friends, relatives, and fellow-workers is a very vital and essential part of every Christian’s life.

Jesus’ instructions to the man who had been possessed of devils and was delivered, are very interesting and revealing. This was an extreme case, and the man’s lot was a pitiful one. When delivered by Jesus it was but natural that the man should want to remain in the company of his benefactor. But Jesus “suffered him not.” Instead he “saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.”—vs. 19

With many who, through the truth, come to a knowledge of God’s grace, and the marvelous provisions made for them in the divine plan, the first impulse may well be the desire to remain with the Lord in meditation and prayer. This is good, but we all learn that divine grace brings responsibility, the responsibility of telling our’ friends far and near “what great things the Lord hath done for us.”

LUKE 10:1, 2

IN ADDITION to the twelve apostles who were co-laborers with Jesus, he employed the service of seventy others, sometimes referred to as evangelists. These were to go up and down the country visiting “every city and place, whither he himself would come.” This would appear to be more than “community evangelism,” for it embraced the entire country of Palestine

In addition to sending out these seventy workers, Jesus asked them to pray that more laborers might become available, for, as he said, the harvest was truly great, and the laborers few. We gather from this that as any of these seventy found those who accepted their message concerning Jesus being the Christ, they were to urge these to carry the message to still others. Those truly consecrated to the Lord will always rejoice to see others engage in the service.

Palestine was not a large country, and when we consider that Jesus, his twelve apostles, and the other seventy carried on such an active ministry, it would appear that the people of the land were given every opportunity to hear and to believe. However, as we know, the visible results at the time were small. So it has always been in the case of those who have proclaimed the true Gospel of the kingdom.

ACTS 5:42

THE Gospel of Christ was no more popular among the people after the death and resurrection of Jesus than it was before, with the result that the witnesses of Jesus were almost continuously confronted with opposition. There were however, times when they enjoyed a measure of liberty. This was the case after “Gamaliel, a doctor of the law,” ruled that the disciples should be let alone, with the explanation that if “this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to naught: but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it.”—Acts 5:34

The disciples took advantage of this favorable ruling, “and daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” This simply means that wherever hearing ears were found they faithfully proclaimed the message. They bore witness in the temple if opportunity offered, but to them every humble home of the interested was a temple in which they delighted to proclaim the glad tidings.

I THESSALONIANS 1:6-10

IN WRITING to the brethren at Thessalonica Paul referred to their “work of faith,” their “labor of love,” and their “patience of hope.” (ch. 1:3) “Ye became followers of us,” he wrote, “and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit: so that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.”

Seemingly the “community” in which these faithful saints bore witness to the truth was a sizable one, for, Paul continues, “Not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not speak anything.” Truly the brethren of this ecclesia were faithful evangelists.

QUESTIONS

Do the Scriptures limit the territory in which Christians may bear witness to the truth?

Explain the lesson brought to us by Jesus in Luke 10:1,2.

What circumstances gave the disciples freedom of expression as indicated in Acts 5:42?

In what manner did the brethren of Thessalonica serve as “ensamples”?

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