Personal Evangelism

Acts 8:4-5   
    We’ve been talking about personal evangelism for a couple of weeks now. I’ve been really encouraged by the congregations willingness to be more involved in home bible studies. I came across an old phrase that I think sums up people’s approach to personal evangelism for the past several decades. “That’s not MY job: This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.” When it comes to personal evangelism this is absolutely the case. It is unequivocally every Christian’s (Everybody) to do it. Acts 2:42-47 we see that going from house to house strengthening the saints was a collective endeavor. Paul tells the Ephesian elders he had taught them publicly and “from house to house” (Acts 20:20). In Acts 8, the church in Jerusalem was scattered after the public execution of Stephen, and Saul was ravaging the church. Luke tells us that “those who had been scattered went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). It’s not only preachers like Paul, but everyday Christian’s like Aquila and Priscilla who correct false doctrine privately (Acts 18:24-28). When we start to believe that evangelism is not the goal of every Christian, just remember the great commission (Matt. 28:18-20). I love you all!

In His service,
Steven Hugley