Ministry 101Isampula

One of the great mistakes of the modern church is to think that evangelism is something done only within the four walls of the church building. Acts 8:1–4 makes it apparent that evangelism was not done by the pastor or clergy but by believers that went everywhere preaching the Word (Acts 8:4).

The following are some methods of evangelism mentioned in Scripture:   

1. House-to-house evangelism—“...and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ” (Acts 5:42).   
2. Personal one-on-one evangelism—Philip ministered to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26–38); Paul to Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:7); Jesus to Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the thief on the cross, and others. There are around 35 such instances recorded in the Gospels alone.   
3. Evangelism to large crowds—Peter ministered to the crowds in Jerusalem at Pentecost (Acts 2), and Paul ministered at Lystra (Acts 14:8–18).   
4. Evangelism to entire cities—“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them” (Acts 8:5).   
5. Public debate and preaching—Paul disputed in synagogues and market places (Acts 16:17); Peter and John preached in the temple (Acts 3:11–26); Paul declared, “And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:20–21).   
6. Tract evangelism—Tract evangelism with ink and pen started through the Gospels. John stated in his Gospel: “These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name” (Jn. 20:31).

Christians are to be wise in the way they act and speak to unbelievers. They are to make the most of every opportunity. Christians’ speech should be gracious with answers that meet the needs of each person they encounter.