A Place Called There

A Place Called “There”

“And there they preached the gospel.”

Acts 14:7

Beyond the Open Door

The early preachers of the gospel looked for open doors of opportunity.  These doors permitted them to preach the gospel so they took advantage of them by walking through them.  In Acts 14:27; we read that a door of faith was opened unto the Gentiles.  Paul mentioned a great door that was opened to him in 1 Cor. 16:9.  Again in 2 Cor. 2:12 he speaks of a door that was opened to him, by the Lord, to preach the gospel. 

In Revelation 3:8 the Lord promised the church at Philadelphia, “...I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it…”   

Their burning desire to spread the truth into the whole world is summed up by Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:16:

“For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of:  for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”

“To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”     (1 Cor. 9:22) 

Their vision for world evangelism caused them to be sensitive to open doors of opportunity all around them.  They preached the gospel anywhere that a door was opened to them.

They were not just content to have the truth and pride themselves in being separated from the world.  They also wanted to touch the world like Jesus did. 

One songwriter wrote:

“How can we reach a world we never touch?

How can we show them Christ, if we never show them love?

Just to say we care will never be enough.

How can we reach a world we never touch?”  (Carouthers) 

We can touch the world by fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:36).

Margaret Calhoun in her book, Evangelism suggests five commands of the Great Commission.

1.  Go                                                                  Mark 16:15

2.  Preach                                        Mark 16:15

3.  Teach all nations                      Matthew 28:19

4.  Baptize                                                          Matthew 28:19

5.  Observe all things Matthew 28:20

In this lesson we will look at the various places in the Book of Acts where the commands of the Great Commission were obeyed.

Mass Evangelism 

This is evangelism to a large group usually in the form of a crusade.

·         Acts 2:14-41                               Peter

Personal Evangelism

This is evangelism by one person to one person or a small group.

Jesus Himself began His ministry as a personal evangelist when He won Andrew.  He also closed His ministry with being a personal evangelist as He won the thief on the cross.       This took place just minutes before His death. (Luke 23:43)

Personal Witnessing in the Book of Acts can be seen in Acts 2:46-47; 5:42; 20:20; Acts 8:26-40 (Ethiopian Eunuch); 16:14-15 (Lydia); 16:25-34 (Jailer); 18:24-26 (Apollos).

House to House Evangelism

·         Acts 10                    Peter and Cornelius’                                                              Household

·         Acts 5:42

Prayer Meeting Evangelism

·         Acts 3                      Peter and John

·         Acts 16:14-15          Lydia

Temple (Church Services)

·         Acts 5:20-21; 25, 28-29

City Evangelism            

·         Acts 8:5, 8; 18:10; 14:21-22 Cities are important because many people go to the city to look for work and to further their education.  They return back to their villages from time to time and can take the gospel back with them.  Cities must be reached because this is where most of the people are.

Rev. J. R. Richardson in his seminar entitled “Waking the Giant” stated that we must “train men to meet the challenge of a new day ...  Tribal village evangelism is needed in many areas however…more and more of the population is no longer villages but larger metropolitan cities.  How will we meet the challenge?  If we are going to reach the people, we will have to go where they are.”

School Evangelism

·         Acts 19:9-10 School of one Tyranus. Schools are the crossroads of evangelism.  Students come from all over to attend and return back to their homes.  The result of Paul’s preaching and teaching yielded all of Asia hearing the gospel.

Prison Ministry

·         Acts 16:25-33

Preached in Available Places of Worship

·         Acts 14:1

Radio/Publishing Evangelism

·         Acts 13:49

Power Evangelism

·         Acts 14:7-11

·         Acts 3

·         Acts 19:9-12            The gospel is first proclaimed verbally and then the power of God is demonstrated through the gifts of the Spirit resulting in healings, miracles, deliverance, etc.

Ladies Meetings Evangelism

·         Acts 16:13

Village Evangelism

·         Acts 8:25                 There are millions of unreached villages around the world whose people have never heard of the name of Jesus.

One missionary went into a village and asked a shopkeeper if he knew Jesus.  After thinking a moment the old man replied,  “Sir I’ve lived in this village all of my life and I know everyone that lives here.                                               

There is no one by that name in this village.  If you go to the next village, perhaps you can find the person you are looking for there.”

Wherever people are, they must be reached with the life changing and saving gospel of Jesus Christ.

“...they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.”  Acts 8:4