Acts 4:13-22

Evangelism is not telling others how to become a Christian.  Becoming a Christian is not complicated, and it does not need much explaining.  The church spends too much effort on telling people how to become a Christian, and not near enough on helping people understand why they should want to be a Christian.  Peter and John were evangelists.  The totality of their mission was to speak and act so that others would want what they had.  They had a relationship with Christ, and were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Part of their evangelistic effort consisted of doing good works.  Most people want to be part of something bigger than them; they want to make a difference.  That is what keeps organizations like Goodwill, Scouts, Red Cross and the Peace Core operational.  The good works of the church are unique because they are empowered by God’s love and committed in the name of Jesus.  When a church does not look outward with a desire to minister to the needs of others, it is not the church.

A second part of their effort was to witness to the things they had seen and heard.  They told about what they had personally seen Jesus do.  They told about what they had personally experienced in their own lives.  Their witness was not hypothetical; they based their witness in reality.  They did not talk about the difference God might make; they shared the difference God had made and was making in their lives and others.

Evangelism is more than telling people who Jesus is and what he did 2000 years ago.  People need to know what he is doing today. God is still working, and the name of Jesus still saves.  We have seen it, and we have experienced it.  When people hear what God is doing, they want Him to do it for them.  They want the peace and joy that we have in Christ.  We know God is still working wonders.  Evangelism is telling people about it; many will believe.