We see teachings like the purpose-driven life, the prayer of Jabez, the shack, your best life now, a gospel that says that Jesus died only for a pre-selected few, and a gospel that promises a “better” life if you join a certain congregation or give to a certain ministry. We see church structures that resemble worldly business organizations that have layers of “top-down” management or structures that resist any type of leadership having many opinions and no direction.

To the spiritual, it is layers and layers of confusion designed by the spirit of religion to keep the body of Christ from its real mission, Going!

(Mat 28:19-20 NKJV) “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, {20} “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

We must stay focused. Let’s review the fundamental issues that keep us from getting to mission. We must see the obstacles, see them as obstacles, repent from the obstacles, and then remove the obstacles. Finally, we start and continue in the biblical direction for which we were intended so that we can accomplish His work.

Doctrine made Simple

Doctrine is our system of belief regarding Christianity. Where do our beliefs originate? Are they born out of our church affiliation, our parents, our favorite author, or are they simple ideas that we have created over time to justify our way of living?

Let’s keep it simple. A Christian’s doctrine should be born out of the Bible and the Spirit’s witness i.e. (John 4:24 NKJV) “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Where then can we locate the basic Christian doctrine in the Bible? In short, the sixth chapter of the Book of Hebrews provides the building blocks of the Christian faith.

(Heb 6:1-2 NKJV) Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, {2} of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. The Lord was adamant that those who were sent out did so two by two. In the same way, we see the three “pairs” of Christian doctrine. Repentance and Faith work together to produce a believer forgiven of sin, crucified with Christ, and Risen with Him. Then, we see baptisms and the laying on of hands where the progressive work of baptism works in the believer but also he is expected to produce fruit becoming the baptizer. Lastly, faith, hope, and love are undergirded as the Spirit would emphasize the reality of the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

Continually working through these doctrines keeps the believer on solid ground not straying with strange teachings.

(Heb 13:8-9 NKJV) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. {9} Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. Once believers are feeding on the right spiritual food, they grow up into mature believers ready to do the will of God.(Eph 4:14-15 NKJV) that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, {15} but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ.

Why Structure Matters

Did you ever wonder where our current church practices originate? Are they biblical constructions or men’s inventions? Some to think on: Meeting at a building, sitting and listening to a speaker, elevating the five-fold ministry to “higher” callings, praying the sinner’s prayer, having a democratic form of church government; having a “pyramid” or hierarchal form of church government, and providing an event-based form of Christian living. These are just some forms of church structure that keep the body of Christ from Going!

The first three centuries of Christianity happened in believer’s homes. From that point forward, the church was forever changed through the hands of Constantine and the papal reign. Protestants may have broken from the “Catholic” faith, but they kept the church structure which continues to impede the mission of the church even today. Some have ventured from the norm but often were unable to sustain the biblical model. John Wesley charged out the doors of the Church of England and was disdained for his acts. Wesley’s class meetings stirred believers to not only live holy or set apart for the Lord but made them witnesses to all the earth. Yet, though a great effort, Methodism has dwindled to another denomination with weak doctrine and weaker believers. Neither denominationalism or non-denominationalism is the answer, Christianity is the only solution.

Suppose then we have corrected our doctrine and our structure according to Biblical standards. What then should we expect when it comes to our great commission of making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them.

The New Testament Mission: from Baptized to the Baptizer

There’s no other mission. There is only one. Go and make disciples. This commission is to all disciples. He equips us by giving us His Holy Spirit. The Book of Acts tells us why we were given the Holy Spirit:

(Acts 1:8 NKJV) “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The Holy Spirit came and is present to witness through us. Not to perform as some exotic dancer on a stage providing sensual satisfaction for a few bucks. God Forbid! The Holy Spirit has come for outside the four walls of the Christian hideout called the church building or the house church for that fact. Any meeting without the mission of witness will morph from encouragement to entertainment to extinction. We must go!

Where is the urgency to tell others what the Lord has done? Where is the manifestation of the Spirit? In the book of First Corinthians, the twelfth chapter, the Apostle Paul instructs us regarding the gifts of the Spirit. The expectation should be that all are given a manifestation of the Spirit. Whether on the street or in the store, He may desire to manifest Himself through you to others.

(1 Cor 12:7 NKJV) But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:We must expect and prepare to manifest the Spirit as He wills. Are we prepared? Are we willing? What may happen? You may see either a plucking up or a planting. The Book of Jeremiah gives us insight into what may transpire:

(Jer 1:6-10 NKJV) Then said I: “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” {7} But the LORD said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. {8} Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the LORD. {9} Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. {10} See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.” When the Lord sends us out, we may be found rooting out, pulling down, destroying, throwing down, building, or planting. It is a diverse work. Isn’t a peculiar thing to see four out of the six actions in Jeremiah’s call seem to be destructive rather than constructive? Many people today have wrong belief systems and exist in non-biblical structures. The Spirit of God seeks to gently extract the person from the problem. We are the ones that He desires to perform the extraction.

Are we not all commissioned to be the watchmen of the souls of men? Do our hearts hurt for those not experiencing the grace of God in doctrine or body life? Ezekiel was addressed in a stern way. This warning is our warning. We are all watchmen!

(Ezek 33:2-6 NKJV) “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, {3} ‘when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, {4} ‘then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. {5} ‘He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. {6} ‘But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.” We may say, “ well that call is only for the fivefold ministry.” The full time ministers of the Gospel. Another lie! We are all “full time” ministers i.e. witnesses for Christ. There’s no delineation. Believers may have different functions in the body but no one is exempted from the commission to go. Case in point, what is the difference between Jesus’ disciples in Matthew Chapter ten first one and His apostles in verse two. Is not that they were called? We are all disciples and are all apostles because we are all called? No exclusions, no exemptions. (Mat 10:1-2 NKJV) And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and allkinds of disease. {2} Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:” … Okay! So we are convinced that we must go. But what should be happening? Well, the Spirit of God will manifest Himself to those around us. The intent is that He will guide everyone into the Truth. He bears witness of Christ. He has a convicting work. The apostle John pens this in his Gospel:(John 14:17 NKJV) “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. (John 16:13 NKJV) “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come (John 15:26-27 NKJV) “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. {27} “And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning. (John 16:8-11 NKJV) “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: {9} “of sin, because they do not believe in Me; {10} “of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; {11} “of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.As you can tell, this is a sobering and daunting task. Yet, the Holy Spirit promises the joy of doing the Father’s will through it all. It is the commission of the Gospel to all believers.

Remember, right the doctrine, right the structure, and ready the witness. The Holy Spirit will manifest Christ’s glory through you and I.

All believers have a calling and a grace given according the measure of Christ’s gift.

(Eph 4:4-7 NKJV) There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; {5} one Lord, one faith, one baptism; {6} one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. {7} But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. In Christ, the mission is Go!

Russell White
October 29, 2009

“In addition to collecting taxes, the Church also accepted gifts of all kinds from individuals who wanted special favors or wanted to be certain of a place in heaven. These gifts included land, flocks, crops, and even serfs. This allowed the Church to become very powerful, and it often used this power to influence kings to do as it wanted.”

Due to the caste system, called the feudal system, most common people and all serfs could not read.  The ignorance of the people and the greed of all who had understanding allowed the Roman Catholic entity to thrive.  Selling God to the highest bidders and assuring people if they say certain prayers and pay the church they will go to heaven.

The modern apostate church still sells God to the highest bidder and teaches that if you say the sinner’s prayer and be a good little pew-sitter and pay your tithe, surely you will go to heaven.  And, if you really want to support and be a champion of their ministry they’ll even send a miracle healing cloth or anointing oil that will wipe away your sufferings and send you straight into a life of ease and prosperity.  And even better, that life is in the here and now not the obscure beyond.

The common people of today live under a sort of chosen ignorance.  People don’t challenge what they’re taught, not because they are illiterate, but because they choose to be devoid of understanding.  Not wanting to upset the delicate balance of their greed-driven humanistic theology.  Unfortunately what Karl Marx said is too true, “Religion is the opiate of the masses.”  People must drug themselves to sleep with religion so that they can live their lives without sacrifice and feel that they are going to heaven. 

Today’s apostasy is a dual force where the powers that be and the common man unite in their endeavor to maintain their lifestyle of greed and complaisance.  A monster of epic proportions that is blasphemously called the body of Christ.  In this endeavor there is an updated caste system of the “Super-Christian” and the “Pew-Sitter”.  The elite clergy
and their inner circle of faithful tithers/yes men and the other guys who sit on the pew listening to an inspirational, if not mildly challenging at best, sermon to feel that they have done their duty to God.

II Thessalonians 2:9-12

At a recent house church conference, before a panel discussion was about to begin, I whispered to Les Buford that I bet the first question was going to be: “how do we handle the children?” Sure enough, it was. This, in my opinion, is the number one question asked by those contemplating doing house church. It is a tremendous stumbling block. But it shouldn’t be.

This issue will examine three things: one, the differing philosophies or mindsets that the institutional and house church have toward children and the church; two, practical issues that arise; and three, the advantage to children of the church in the home.

“Jesus never, ever said: ‘Suffer the little children to be packed away in the nursery.’ Can you imagine the children being led to Children’s Church during the Sermon on the Mount?”

In the very first issue of NRR, I asked the question: “What do you do for the children?” I am ashamed to say that the first draft of that issue read: “What do you do WITH the children.” I had subconsciously succumbed to the philosophy or mindset of much of the institutional church: children are a problem, they interfere with the almighty “service,” where important, paid professionals in robes or coats and ties give important speeches, and where serious, quiet, and holy listeners sit deathly still in pews. So, the question becomes, what do we do WITH the children while we are doing the important things in the “service”?

Neither Jesus, nor the apostles, ever worried about what to do WITH the children. Jesus never, ever said: “Suffer the little children to be packed away in the nursery.” Can you imagine the children being led to Children’s Church during the Sermon on the Mount?

The Scripture doesn’t say much, if anything, on handling children when believers gathered. But I can’t imagine that the believers back then didn’t have children. I imagine nothing was ever said, because the early Christians didn’t make such a big deal about the issue. The churches were in the home, families lived in homes, children lived in families, and therefore, children met with the church in the home. And despite the Scriptural silence on kids and church, I can guarantee one thing: there weren’t any Sunday Schools and Children’s Churches.

Doug Carty of High Point, N.C. (along with many others) makes this point: “If Sunday Schools are essential adjuncts to church life, why is the Bible silent on this subject?…His building plan, the Bible, is complete in every detail. Where is the Christian who would deny that the Bible is a perfect blueprint? Interestingly, there is not even a hint of Sunday Schools in God’s blueprint.” Doug goes on to point out that Sunday Schools were not even originated to teach Bible stories or Christian morality, but were started in nineteenth-century England to give poor children of mill and mine laborers a chance to read and write. So who had primary responsibility for training children before the appearance of Sunday Schools? The family. I think it is the contention of most house churches that the family still has the primary responsibility for the instruction and nurturing of Christian children. That may be the reason most home churches (just like the biblical NT church) don’t have Sunday Schools. And this really is a barrier to Christians who contemplate leaving the institutional church for the home church. It is amazing how many Christians worry about the spiritual welfare of their kids to the point that the parents will poison themselves to death on the corrupt religiosity of the institutional church, just so long as there’s a good youth program. I am convinced that many institutional churches realize this, and capitalize on it by providing jam-up “youth ministries,” in order to keep their “tithe-payers” from leaving. (Of course, I realize that often there are other, sincere motives involved, too.)

Although it is the family’s primary duty to raise children up in the Lord, it does not follow that the home church should be uninterested in their welfare. Quite the contrary. If kids see their parents’ church as a drag, they’ll tend to think Jesus is a drag, too. In the next section we will discuss practical ways for the home church to make children know that the church belongs to them as well as their parents.

“Relax – there’s going to be more noise and interruption in the house church. People with children need to quit feeling guilty about it.”

In discussing practical ways to integrate children into the life of the home church, we must understand off the bat that if parents bring the traditional mindset of the institutional church into the house church, nothing will work for the kids. The system church has the mentality of juvenile segregation: push them out into the Sunday School wing, so everything can be Holy and Quiet. This, of course, is unbiblical. How quiet do you think the kids were during the Sermon on the Mount? The system church is liturgically rigid in its “order of service,” and kids, being as unprogrammed and unpredictable as they are, can never fit within that rigidity. So: the first practical thing to do in the church in the home is to relax– there’s going to be more noise and interruption in the house church. People with children need to quit feeling guilty about it, and people without children need to exercise more tolerance than they would in the institutional church.

ONE MILLION DOLLAR REWARD!!

For Scriptural Evidence of:

• Sunday Schools
• Children’s Churches
• youth ministries

The second practical thing to do is to develop close relationships between each parent, and between each parent and child. This is possible in the home church, as it is not possible in the organized church. With close relationships, when little Johnny is about to flush the cherry bomb down the toilet, an adult not Johnny’s parent can firmly request that the little hellion extinguish the wick, without fear of alienating little Johnny, or little Johnny’s mom. Close relationships are extremely important.

The third practical thing that should be done is to find creative, workable ways to involve the kids in the meeting with the adults. Where did the idea come from that the meeting (or the church) belongs exclusively to the adults? I know of one house church in which the children are generally musically gifted. The young folks play guitars, violins and flutes, and feel free to lead out in song or music. Other home churches encourage kids to share testimonies, or to recite memorized Scripture, or to ask for prayer requests. My particular home church one meeting had the teen-age young people lead the service with Scripture and music. The meeting was entirely different–it gave us variety, and helped the young people join in. During another service in my home church, one of the sisters conducted a “Sunday-School lesson” for the young children with the adults present. The adults were forced to adapt to a young child’s viewpoint (something that all adults should do periodically). And the kids got to have fun with their parents as they learned the spiritual lesson being taught.

The fourth practical thing I would suggest is not to be hidebound by “house-church theology.” Sure, we don’t believe in Sunday Schools, but the world’s not going to end if someone has something special for the kids, if he or she takes them aside in another room once in a while. And we don’t believe in pacifying the kids with entertainment to keep them out of our hair, but there’s nothing wrong with showing them a video once in a while (even, heaven forfend, if the video is a Bugs Bunny cartoon, and not spiritual).

A fifth practical suggestion that one house-churcher has suggested is for each meeting home to have announced house rules, so that children and parents might not inadvertently harm anything.

A sixth practical suggestion is to tolerate fussing infants as much as you can, but if they get too loud, make sure the parents understand that the baby should be taken out of the meeting until he cools off. If a parent doesn’t do this, the parent should be communicated with. Remember, relationships are important.

My seventh, and last, practical suggestion, is to never let the meeting become boring–neither for the children, nor for the adults. If the meeting is dead or too long for the adults, imagine what it’s like for the kids! Their attention span is probably about half of ours. We need to constantly put ourselves in the shoes of our brothers and sister–and our kids are, in the body of Christ, our brothers and sisters. Let’s prefer them in love.

We finish these thoughts on children and the house church by presenting the manifest advantages of the home church for young folks. We should not look upon children as an obstacle to getting folks into the house church. We should look at the advantages of the house church for kids, and point these advantages out to potential house church converts.

One big advantage of the home church for young people is that the youth get to see their parents in loving, supportive relationships with one another. They get to see their parents open their hearts to God in a real, personal, non-religious, un-phony fashion.

Another tremendous advantage is that the kids are not given second-class status in the church: they are not segregated, put out of sight, out of mind in nurseries, Sunday Schools and youth ministries.

One of the biggest advantages, in my view, is the close relations that develop between adults and children of other adults. In my home church, I constantly pray for the children involved. There are only six couples in the church, and only fourteen children. It’s very easy to find out what’s going on in the kids’ lives, and easy to pray for them daily, individually, by name. I submit to you that this doesn’t happen too often in the mega-church.

First, modern evangelism starts from a wrong premise believing that the “Great Commission” is for us to make converts. What the Great Commission actually tells us to do is make DISCIPLES; there is a huge difference. While I believe that people have need of conversion, I am at odds with modern evangelism as to how we arrive at conversion. The modern evangelist opts for the quick fix of the “sinner’s prayer” instead of the relational work of making disciples. I have likened modern evangelism to fornication because it attempts to birth children with no commitment. The modern evangelist drives his campaign with the motto of “winning souls”, while those who obey the Great Commission are armed with the thought of “making disciples”. There is a huge difference. This leads us to the second error of modern evangelism.

The second error is “the sinner’s prayer”. The false hope imparted to multitudes that by praying a prayer you are saved has aborted the work of the Holy Spirit in many. Some even go further in this error by saying that the prayer has sealed your eternal security eliminating any need for repentance.

In Luke 24:47, Jesus said that “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations…” Our proclamation of the gospel MUST include repentance. Many view this as “works” or even a negative message while the Bible teaches that it is “…the kindness of God that leads us to repent.” When preachers claim that you can be forgiven without repentance they abort the work of the Spirit in that potential disciple. Instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to bring that person through the cross where they pass from death to life, they are left bound in their sins with false assurance. Why do so many guard this sacred cow when the failure speaks for itself? This style of easy believism is populating their “churches” with goats!

Third error is that of using the church itself for evangelism. One “pastor” recently told his church, “the whole reason that we set this stage this morning is for sinners to come to Jesus.” This couldn’t be further from the truth. The church is not a hospital for sinners it is the body of Christ, the redeemed of the Lord.

The modern church growth movement has built an evangelism that teaches pastors to lower the bar in the church so the sinner will feel welcomed. So the pastor gears his church service to be “sensitive to the seeker”. While sinners feel welcomed in these events God does not!!!

Modern evangelism uses crowds as the ultimate litmus test for godliness, if it’s growing it must be God, they say, but even cancer grows. Most of these so called “churches” cannot meet even the definition of the word “church” which means, the called out assembly. The church is called out of the world and sin. We are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers.

Look at the contrast of found in I Corinthians 14:23-25, “If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.” This does not sound “seeker sensitive” to me. Quite the opposite, it seems that for an unlearned unbeliever to come into an assembly of the church was an exception not the rule! I believe that the use of the church as the means of evangelism is the vilest error of modern evangelism!!!

The Biblical Evangelist

The New Testament includes the “Evangelist” as part of the five-fold ministry, (Ephesians 4:11). However, the only insight to the methods of a New Testament evangelist is Philip the Evangelist. We first hear of Philip in Acts 6:5 when he was elected as one of the first deacons. This is confirmed in Acts 21:8-9, where he is called “Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven…” Now that we have established that this is the same guy let’s look at the insights to his motus operandi found in Acts chapter 8.

In verses 1-4 we find that after the martyrdom of Stephen the church was “scattered abroad”. This is one of the most significant events in church history. From the day of Pentecost the church was dividing it’s time between the temple and the house (Acts 2:41-47). One of the greatest challenges for those of us who have a religious upbringing is to disassociate with our religion. We were raised to identify God with a building or a system of rituals and are addicted to this. God scattered the church in Acts 8 and it never returned to the buildings until 317 A.D. Some say that persecution was the only reason to leave the temple but I believe that the persecution was God’s judgment to move the church into the houses where it belonged! It is my prayer that the church would return to church in the house as an act of obedience instead of reacting to God’s judgment.

Also in verse 4 we see that the main result of the scattering was that they went everywhere preaching the word. As long as we keep the word locked up behind the four walls of our modern temples we will not see the power of proclamation.

In verses 5-8, we get our first insights to Philip the evangelist in action. He went to Samaria, a place that the Jews despised, but Philip being Greek was not bound by prejudice.

“He preached Christ unto them”. This style of preaching takes the Old Testament and proves that Jesus is the Christ. This powerful preaching style is necessary to shift those who are stuck in religious traditions.

Signs and wonders followed the Word causing citywide joy. Miracles and deliverances must be part of our evangelism. I heard one preacher say that signs and wonders are the calling card of Christians. The kingdom of heaven in not in word but in power!!!

Verses 9-13 show us why the evangelists must have the apostles to verify his work. The baptism of Simon the sorcerer shows the inability of the evangelist to properly discern the body of Christ. The evangelist and the pastor gifts in particular have a strong desire to gather. This can be a great asset or a great liability. If the apostles and prophets are not brought in to discern, those guys have a tendency to baptize the devil! This is why pastors and evangelists who are working out of position doing the apostle and prophet’s work create a mess in the church.

Notice also in verse 12, Philip uses two more preaching methods. He preached the things concerning the kingdom of God. Without a doubt the central theme of Jesus’ preaching was the message of the kingdom of God. Once we establish that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God we must preach His Lordship!!! The King of the kingdom ruling in the hearts of His subjects is the message of the kingdom with repentance as the bottom line (Matthew 3:2 and 4:17). The next thing that he preached was the name of Jesus Christ. When Peter and John healed the man at the gate beautiful in Acts 3 they used this miracle as an opportunity to exalt the name of Jesus. In verse 16 they said, “And His name through faith in His name has made this man strong…” In Philippians 2:5-11 the apostle Paul says that Jesus was given the name above every name and this would cause every knee to bow and every tongue to confess the Lordship of Jesus!!!

All of our attempts at evangelism should incorporate the three modes of preaching that Philip used 1) Preach Christ, 2) Preach the kingdom of God, 3) Preach the name of Jesus.

The next thing that we should see that the evangelist did was in Acts 8:12 he baptized the believers. As I stated earlier in this writing the modern evangelist has reduced salvation to a “sinner’s prayer”. The true Christian “altar call” IS baptism!!! Baptism takes commitment and effort on all parties involved. It moves us past an emotional response to something that requires thought. It’s messy and humbling. Baptism publicly tells everyone that I have passed from death to life. I no longer live for me but for Jesus. I am now a citizen of the kingdom of God and a loyal subject to King Jesus!!! If we want biblical results we MUST use biblical methods!!!

The next thing we should study in the work of the evangelist is in Acts 8:14-17; the apostles were brought in to confirm the salvations and baptize those converts in the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 2:19-22 (key vs.20) we find that the Church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Jesus Himself is the foundation not the apostles and prophets. For too long the Church has been built by pastors and evangelists without apostolic and prophetic foundations. Philip the evangelist baptized Simon, Peter the apostle judged him!!! If we are tired of complaining about the money grubbing preachers that have found their home in the modern churches all we have to do is invite the apostles and prophets back in, they will root out Simon every time!!!

The evangelist’s work is not complete until he brings the apostles and prophets in to prove and confirm the work so that every soul is baptized in the Holy Spirit. In the wake of true evangelism a church should be planted. The house church must be recognized by and related to the apostles in that region.

In verse 25 we see that the apostles preached in many villages of the Samaritans. This is true to the apostolic pattern of church planting. We will study this at the end of this paper.

Verses 26-40 reveal yet another fascinating aspect of the evangelist’s ministry. He was equally at home preaching to the entire city creating a revival or preaching to one Ethiopian eunuch. One or one thousand is irrelevant the passion is in the message of the gospel not the size of the crowd!!!

True to the pattern of the biblical evangelist he took an Old Testament verse (Isaiah 53), and preached Christ to the eunuch. When the eunuch believed that Jesus was the Christ the Son of God the evangelist baptized him.

Acts chapter eight is the only insight to a biblical evangelist. However, we see the apostles working in an evangelistic pattern throughout the book of Acts. I believe that Jesus taught the true pattern of evangelism that guided Philip the evangelist and all of the apostles. Next I want to examine Jesus’ model of evangelism that He taught to His disciples.

Evangelism Jesus’ Way

In Matthew 9:36-38 and 10:1-15; Jesus taught His disciples how to evangelize, this is our first step to restoring true evangelism to the apostolic wineskin.

Matthew 9:36-38 reveals several keys that set the stage for evangelism. First, “He was moved with compassion” because “they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” The motive of Jesus’ evangelism began with compassion on sheep without a shepherd. He did not send them a message, a writing, or a CD, He sent them a SHEPHERD. The last thing He told the apostle Peter was to “feed My sheep”.

Next Jesus says, “The harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few.” Jesus perceived that scattered sheep were an opportunity for harvest. The dilemma was that there were not enough shepherds to get the work done.

The final point here is to “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest.” I believe that every person who prays this prayer immediately becomes a volunteer to be sent into the harvest. In other words if you pray “Lord send laborers into the harvest”, I believe you will hear Him say, “O.K. YOU GO!!!” The word “apostle” means “to send or sent” the essence of our commission is to “Go”. I believe that one of the errors of modern evangelism begins by trying to get people to come when we are commanded to go!!! God will send you out from where you are being fed to go feed others. You will become the next shepherd of the sheep.

In Matthew 10:1-15 Jesus reveals His plan to evangelize. In verse one, He called His twelve disciples. Evangelism starts by calling disciples (learners). Next, He gave them power over devils and disease. When Jesus ascended He commanded His followers to “wait for the promise of the Father.” Then He told them “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Modern evangelism requires no power because it is a mental ascent to God that requires no proof of change. Deliverance and healing cause the former things to pass away and all things to become new.

In verse two we see the second key to evangelism. In verse one He called His twelve “disciples” to himself and empowered them. In verse two it says, “The names of the twelve APOSTLES are these…” They went from disciple to apostle in one verse. It is vital to understand that Jesus expects those He calls as disciples to grow up to become apostles!!! Most of the church world remains in a state of perpetual infancy believing that the reason we are here is to drink the milk of being “preached to” every Sunday. True disciples will eventually leave the teacher to perform what they have been taught. This reveals another error of the church world and modern evangelism. Most believe that what I have just described is only meant for a certain few chosen vessels that have a special calling on their lives. This fosters the lie that in the church there is clergy and laity. If the harvest is depending on sending laborers it is vital that the entire church be made of disciples that are going to be apostolically sent into the harvest!!!

The third thing that we see is after identifying the twelve He tells them where not to go first then where to go. ALL EVANGELISM BEGINS AT JERUSALEM!!! We are first sent to those who are bound in RELIGION, which is the worst darkness we can be in.

Fourth we are given THE message “the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. The message is simple the kingdom of heaven is within your reach. Repent, change the way you think and act because The King of the kingdom wants to rule your heart.

Fifth, “freely you have received, freely give.” The entire enterprise of church work is hinged on this statement. WE MUST GIVE WHAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN!!! Teach faithful men who will teach faithful men. IF you have been healed, go heal someone. If you have been set free from a devil, go set someone else free. If you have been raised from the dead, go raise someone from the dead. After you are converted strengthen the brethren. God will use you the most in the areas that you have been converted in.

Sixth, make no provisions for yourself the workman is worthy of his meat.

Now we get to the intricate parts of the “how to” of evangelism. When you come into a city or town enquire who in it is worthy and stay with that person or group. Not everyone is ready for the gospel. We need to look for those who are ready to receive the gospel of peace. Luke 10:6 calls this person “the son of peace”. This literally means one who is seeking peace. We should constantly be on the look out for this person. They may be seeking peace in the vilest forms of sins but they are soft to the message of the gospel, look for this person.

Verse 12, “When you come into a house”, we need to enter a house, that is, a circle of family and friends that are linked by relationships. DO NOT TRY TO TAKE THIS PERSON OUT OF THE HOUSE AND BACK TO YOUR CHURCH, TAKE THE CHURCH TO THIS PERSONS HOUSE!!! I said everything in this article to make this point. Jesus’ brand of evangelism apostolically sends people to plant churches. Church planting is the form of evangelism that Jesus taught, we must change our thinking of church as a “building” to the church as “people”. We must change our thinking that an apostle is some superman of faith; an apostle is an obedient disciple that is doing the work. Yes there is a “five-fold” ministry that trains the work for the work of ministry. Yes there are those who are especially gifted. But none of this excuses anyone from being what the church is called to be you might not be “an apostle” but surely you can work apostolically.

Apostolic Evangelism

Finally I want to show you how the apostles operated in this pattern of evangelism. In the book of Titus 1:4-7a, we find evidence that even Paul himself used this pattern.

In verse four He calls Titus “mine own son after the common faith”. The father-son relationship between Paul and Titus is plainly displayed here. This is both revealing and indicting because while it reveals the relational aspect of apostolic ministry it indicts the modern church of lacking this trait. The modern churches have opted rather for professional training while placing little or no value on relational discipleship. This has created a hireling mentality in the churches.

In verse five Paul reveals how the work was done. The reason he put Titus on the Isle of Crete was two-fold, order and ordination. The apostolic works to bring order in the churches. When the church is “wanting” or “lacking” the apostolic makes sure it is supplied. The second part of Titus’ purpose was to “ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.” This gives us great insight into the work of church planting evangelism. Titus was appointed as an elder in the Isle of Crete; he was then promoted to a Bishop over the entire Isle of Crete, which boasted of one hundred cities. Titus had successfully served as an elder of a house church and now was to see that house churches would be planted in the entire region. His new job was to identify, equip, and ordain elders in every city of Crete. This was organic relationship building that set a qualified disciple in as a house church pastor. Just think about it an elder in every city training disciples and planting churches that were connected relationally by a Bishop and an Apostle.

Conclusion

While there is much more I could elaborate on I hope that you are getting the picture. Away with the futile efforts of modern evangelism that is filling the churches with goats. Let’s return to the Biblical pattern of church planting evangelism that Jesus taught His disciples and was practiced by His apostles. The harvest is ready for those who will operate in the Biblical pattern.

Brother Teryl

One of the most interesting subjects throughout history has been the subject of the church. How many times has the subject of church come up between you and another person? Maybe you have been asked to go to church by a family member, friend or co-worker. The Greek word used for church in this statement is ekklesia, which means the called out assembly. We will get back to the word church and it’s meaning a little later in this paper, but first let’s look at what Jesus said He would do. I will build My church. The word build here is the Greek word “oikodomeo”, which means to build a house or erect a building from a foundation. Scripture has a lot to say about foundation. When building a structure such as a house or a building you must start with a solid foundation. For a structure to be strong and able to withstand the forces of nature such as wind, rain, earthquakes, etc., it must have a solid foundation.

BUILDING THE TRUE FOUNDATION:
The largest denomination in the world today, the Roman Catholic Church, has taught that the foundation that Jesus was referring to in these passages was Peter. This is why they claim that Peter was the first pope of the church and through the succession of the pope we would get the true foundation of the church. The thought was because Jesus was leaving, He was appointing Peter (giving him the keys) to be the representative of Christ on the earth. He would be the Vicar of Christ, as the Pope is commonly called today. Was Jesus referring to Peter, whose name means stone or rock, as the foundation of the church or was he referring to the revelation that Peter had when he told Jesus that He was the Christ the Son of the living God? Was he to be the lone representative of Christ and the figure head or CEO of the Christian church? Throughout the history of religion, we see religious structures being built on a man and his teachings. Buddhism was founded on the teachings of Buddha. Islam was found on the teaching of Mohammad etc. etc. I think we can get a clear picture that even before the Roman Catholic Church would make a claim that the church was to be ruled and built upon a man (Peter), there were major religions that had the same ideas. In the early formation of building the church, Paul, while addressing the church that was in Corinth had this to say about the foundation of the church. (1 Cor 3:11) For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. Why would he have to make such a statement? Should this have been clear to those in the church from the beginning? Because remember that in building a structure the most important part to having a strong building is the foundation. Paul was addressing the church of Corinth that had begun to lay a wrong foundation in their church. And what was the wrong foundation? In 1 Cor 1:10-11 he addresses the issue of contentions. What was the root of these contentions? The church was beginning to split up into different camps or factions that were started by following one man above another. Each of you say that I am of Apollos or I am of Cephas (Peter was called Cephas by Jesus in Jn 1:42), or I am of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul. Of course we know the answer to this would be no. Not one of the people in the groups were baptized in the name of Paul or in anybody else’s name but Jesus Christ. The question I would ask the reader is the same one Paul asked. Is Christ divided? As we look at the church today, some 2000 years later, we would have to say yes. But was it supposed to be this way? If we look at what was happening in the church today and the Corinthian church today, we can get a clear understanding of why Paul would make such a statement. He was bringing them back to the true foundation. Jesus Christ is the True Foundation and not individual men who say they follow Jesus Christ. All over the world today in every denomination people are following a man or men that say they follow Jesus Christ. Now there is nothing wrong with having leaders in the church. This would also be error. But to have someone other than Jesus Christ as The Foundation is totally wrong. This is why the church is in the mess it’s in today. In the rest of the verse leading up to Ch 3 we see that Paul would reiterate what is the true foundation. It is Christ crucified. Going back to the beginning verse in Mt 16, we see that the statement Peter made was that Jesus was the Christ, the son of the living God. What did the meaning of Peter saying that Jesus was the Christ have to do with anything? Well, if you look up the meaning of Christ, you will see that it means Anointed One. The term in the Old Testament for anointed one was Messiah. What was the anointed one going to do for his people? Was He to set up an earthly kingdom and be the king of an earthly Israel? No, He would be the head of a Spiritual kingdom and He was anointed or chosen to die for the sins of His people. Christ would be crucified. Peter could not see this and Jesus had to rebuke him and called him Satan for trying to question Him. The crucifixion has always been misunderstood by carnal man. Jesus pointed out to Peter that he was only mindful or had his mind on the things that pertain to man. This is the same accusation that Paul had for the Corinthian church. 1 Cor. 3:1-4 Paul states that they were behaving like mere men and carnal.

HOW IS THE FOUNDATION LAID?

In verse 5 of Chapter 3, Paul begins to explain who he and the other men were in the church. He states that the men that he mentioned including himself were ministers through whom the Corinthians believed. “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither is he who plants anything, nor he who waters, but God that gives the increase”. So we see that men are ministers by which men believe. One plants the seed of the crucified Christ, another waters the seed, but God gives the increase. Also the ministers are nothing but vessels and God is the one who is to be the preeminent One. How different is this from today, where men are given the preeminence through using Gods name? In verse 10 we Paul states “that according to the grace (gift) that God has given me. As a wise master builder I have laid the foundation and another builds on it. How was the foundation laid? It was laid when Paul preached Christ crucified to them and they believed. In Heb 6: 1-2 the writer of Hebrews who most believe was Paul, states Therefore leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and faith toward God.” Here we see that there were elementary principles or teachings of Christ in the early church and the foundation of these principles was repentance from dead works and faith towards God. To repent means to change the way you think thus changing the way you live or act. What were they to repent from? “Dead works” or works that lead to death. We well know that works that lead to death is sin. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Theses works can be religious in nature in terms of the Jews who were doing a lot of religious works but it wasn’t producing the life of God. The Gentiles had their own works of religion and sins that lead to death. So what was the response of the Gentiles to Paul’s preaching? Well according to the scripture, it was to repent from their dead works and believe or put their faith in God’s remedy for those dead works, Jesus crucified. Notice the foundation was not laid by someone joining a “church” through membership or by attending a set of meetings. The foundation was laid through the preached word and people responding to that word by repentance and faith. Notice also that there were no mention of altar calls, the sinners prayer, crusades, etc. Another example of laying foundation in found in Lk.6:46-49. The verses state “But why do you call Me Lord and do not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to me and hears my sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like. He is like a man who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. When the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” Jesus likens a man who builds his foundation (of his house being his life) on the rock by hearing and doing the sayings of Jesus. He also likens a man who does not lay a foundation but builds his house on the earth. The way he does not lay a foundation is by hearing the words of Jesus and not doing what He said. What sayings was Jesus referring to? Well in the previous verses beginning in verse 20 and ending in verse 45. You ought to take a minute right now and read these verses. It may sound like the first time you have ever heard these verses. What about the sayings of Jesus in Mt Ch 5 thru Ch 7. Is hearing and obeying these scriptures in your foundation. What about the Christians that you know? Are hearing and obeying these scriptures in the foundation of their lives? If not, then I would ask this simple question: Are you part of the church that Jesus is building or are you a part of the church that man is building? What type of foundation are you built on? Is it Jesus Christ or is it on a man or mans teaching about Jesus Christ? One last scripture on foundation is found in 2 Tim 2:19. “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: The Lord knows who are His and let everyone who names the name of Jesus depart from iniquity”. Do you have this foundation in your life? Does the Lord (a Lord is someone whom you hear their saying and obey them see previous verses mentioned) know you? In Mt 7:23 Jesus on the great judgment day proclaims “depart from me you workers of iniquity I never knew you”. Notice he called them workers of iniquity. These people had a very religious house (did things in his name) but did not have a proper foundation so all they built (did) would be burned with the fire of God’s judgment. Jesus’ words in Lk 6:49 would come true in their case. Great is the ruination of their house. Don’t get confused from the three instances I mentioned about foundation. To have Jesus Christ as your true foundation you must first hear the message of His crucifixion, repent from your dead works (sins) and put your faith in Jesus Christ. He also must become Lord of Your life and you must hear and obey His voice and His words. The understanding of this should be clear enough but how clouded has man made the way for thousands upon thousands of people in the world.

TWO GREATEST COMMANDMENTS:

In Mt 22:37-39 the question was asked of Jesus by one of the religious people of His day, Master which is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said unto Him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. In the answer Jesus gave to the Pharisee, love is the common action word used. The two recipients of this love are God and neighbor. The Greek word used for love here is agape or the God kind of love. In Jn 15 9-13, Jesus would teach His disciples that to love Him truly was to keep and follow His commands. He then would give them the commandment “to love one another as I have loved you”. What confusion would be overturned if the church would simply follow these two commandments and quit following our traditions, philosophies and man made doctrines. Ch. 13 of 1 Corinthians Paul would give a clear writing as to what true love was. What a great foundation the church would have if love for God and love for our neighbor was what we built our life upon. What a difference the church could make in this world if love for God and love for our neighbor was our motive for doing anything we do.

LIVING STONES:

Now that we know what the true foundation is,we now must see what is to be built on this foundation. The first part of building a house is to lay the foundation, then comes the structure that is to be built on it. What type of church or house is Jesus building? Well according to the scripture the house consists of people from every tribe tongue and nation. In Eph 2: 19-22 Paul writes Now therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Paul describes the church of God as a building of people that are fitted and knit together. That assembly of people that are together would be the dwelling place of God. How clear this should have been to the Jews who had heard the stories of Solomon’ temple and of how God’s presence would fill the temple. Now God through the death burial and resurrection of His Son was bringing together Gentiles and Jews (See previous verse in Eph Ch 2) alike to be a building, not made of bricks, mortar and clay but a building made up of people who love God with all their hearts soul and mind and their neighbors as themselves. I like the word together here. It speaks of relationships with one another. We are called to be together and not split apart. As I mentioned in the previous part of this writing, The Catholic Church has put Peter as the stone or rock that the church was to be built upon. Lets see what Peter (Stone) had to say about stones in his writings. In 1 Pet 2: 4-5 Peter would write: Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. According to Peter, Jesus Christ is the one chosen by God as the precious stone. Precious here means the most honorable or the one to whom the most honor is due. Again, He is the rock or foundation of the church. He then would address the ones that who were following Him at that time. He called them living stones that are being built up to be a spiritual house. Peter was explaining the revelation of each person, like himself, being stones by which Jesus would build His church. The emphasis here is on the people and nothing is said about the building where those people met. If you search the New Testament, beginning in Acts, you will not find buildings (other than the people) being emphasized. Peter was so clearly pointing out what Paul would teach in Eph. 2. Peter, as well as all other believers, would be called stones and we would all be used as holy priests to offer up Spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. We as living stones are being built together to be a house for God to dwell in. This doesn’t just mean you and those you are presently going to church with, but the whole church of Jesus Christ all over the world. What a vast difference in what the scripture envisioned as the church and what we have today as the church.