Jesus Left his Mark

Most believers will agree that Jesus is our model evangelist. He is the preacher par excellence; but do they know that the best study of evangelism available is the study of his ministry?

Our Lord Jesus was supremely wise in how he dealt with each person, being gentle with the meek and firm with the proud. He ministered with healings and resurrections to children, youth, adults, and the elderly. In addition, Jesus used vivid, well-illustrated parables to make his message easy to understand.

There are so many passages that show us how Jesus preached the Gospel, that there’s simply not enough space in one book to contain them. Just a simple exposition of how he dealt with Nicodemus in John 3 compared to how he dealt with the Samaritan woman in John 4 would take many lessons.

That’s why instead of explaining Jesus’ evangelism, we’ll expose his disciples’ commitment to evangelism. We can demonstrate more effectively Jesus’ passion for evangelism by studying the ministries of Peter, Paul, John, and Philip. Why? Because Jesus’ passion for evangelism was so strong that it was contagious! His disciples caught his evangelistic fever. They learned of his love for souls.

Transmitting Passion

Speaking of Jesus’ transmission of evangelistic fervor to the apostles, the Scriptures tell us:

… and there they continued to preach the Gospel (Acts 14:7; NASB).

After they had preached the Gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch (Acts 14:21; NASB).

So, the apostles just “kept on keeping on.” They wouldn’t stop evangelizing. The Scriptures also say:

… [the apostles said] We… preach the Gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a Living God… (Acts 14:15; NASB)

… we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the Gospel to them (Acts 16:10; NASB).

And, Jesus’ special apostle Paul, the one whom he would show how much he had to suffer for Jesus’ name, made these comments:

… God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the Gospel of his Son, is my witness… (Romans 1:9; NASB)

… for my part, I am eager to preach the Gospel to you also who are in Rome (Romans 1:15; NASB).

… I aspired to preach the Gospel not where Christ was already named… (Romans 15:20; NASB)

Power Evangelism

So, the apostles received Jesus’ passion for evangelism. He transmitted it to them—a true love of souls and for the salvation of souls. The apostles allowed themselves to be influenced by the Lord Jesus and carried on his evangelistic ministry after he ascended to Heaven. The proof of a great ministry is its ability to live on in the hearts of those who knew its founder. Jesus left an impact that has transformed the World. The Greek and Roman gods of old are no more.

But here’s something else you need to know: A true evangelist is a person anointed with power. Just like Jesus, the Twelve Apostles, Phillip, and Paul; a modern-day evangelist will possess power. They will exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit, often by performing healings and signs. God gives gifts to evangelists, special gifts like deliverance (casting out demons), miracles, and the power to resurrect the Dead. God, in his wisdom, gives these gifts to an evangelist so that he might more readily convince people of their message. In other words, the evangelist’s power confirms the veracity of the Gospel.

… in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I [Paul] have fully preached the Gospel of Christ (Romans 15:19; NASB).

And they [the Twelve] went out and proclaimed everywhere, while the Lord was working together with them and confirming the message through the accompanying signs (Mark 16:20; LEB).

Jesus Equips

Jesus never sent out anyone to preach without first equipping that person with the corresponding gifts. Are you equipped with power to preach? You’ll need it if you’re an evangelist.

You’ll only be successful with what is known as “power evangelism.” But don’t worry. The Holy Spirit will give you gifts if he sends you. His job is to equip us.

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him, and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness… These Twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Heal the sick, raise the Dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons’ (Matthew 10:1, 5, 8).

… the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of him to every city and place where he himself was going to come. And he was saying to them, “… heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God has come near to you’” (Luke 10:1, 9; NASB).

Signs and Wonders

Even after Christ’s ascension, when apostles were on their own, the most salient characteristic of a true evangelistic ministry was signs and wonders. Consider the ministry of Phillip the evangelist, described here:

Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed… (Acts 8:5-7; NASB)

Power in evangelism is just as necessary for an evangelist today as it was in the times of the Philip. Again, the reason is this: God confirms the message being preached through miraculous power. 

Do you have the message? Do you have the true Gospel—the one that originated with Jesus which he passed on to his Apostles? If so, and you’re legitimately sent by the Lord Jesus, then he will equip you with power to be his evangelist. Jesus believes that his message must be properly packaged.

Paul put it this way:

… my speech and my preaching were not with the persuasiveness of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and power, in order that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:4-5; LEB).

Deflect Glory / Direct Glory

And when a group of Greeks decided to give glory to Paul and Silas for the miracles they performed, Paul and Silas responded by rebuking the people, rejecting the praise, and directing them to God.

In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, ‘Stand up on your feet!’ At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, ‘The gods have come down to us in human form!’ Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: ‘Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you Good News, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the Living God, who made the heavens and the Earth and the sea and everything in them’ (Acts 14:8-15).

Not Faith in Us

Our job is not to lead people towards faith in us, but to lead people to faith in God. Jesus aimed at that same goal. He pointed people to God. He strove to direct people’s trust in God, and one big way he did that was by performing supernatural signs and miracles. The masses of people who observed his ministry were supposed to put their faith in the God who anointed Jesus with power.

He went to Nazareth… the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me…’ (Luke 4:16-18)

People were supposed to look at Jesus’ ministry and to see that God did miracles through Jesus. In other words, when Jesus healed and performed miracles, it was God’s power working through Jesus and not any power that Jesus had of his own.

… listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know (Acts 2:22).

One day Jesus was teaching… and the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat… [Jesus] said to the paralyzed man, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God (Luke 5:17-18; 24-26).

Faith in God

Did you notice how the effect of Jesus’ ministry of healing was that people praised God? Yes, they praised God because God had given authority to a man who was just like them. God had anointed Jesus of Nazareth with power, and that filled people with joy! If God could work wonders through Jesus, then he could work wonders in them too—that was their thought.

… [Jesus] said to the paralyzed man, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home.’ Then the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man (Matthew 9:6-8).

You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of all the things that he did… God raised him up on the third day… (Acts 10:38, 40; NASB)

God wanted the people who saw Jesus to draw the conclusion that the power Jesus manifested was a demonstration God was with him. From that conclusion, they were supposed to put their faith in Jesus’ message. Why? Because it clearly had God’s backing.

Now, we have to apply the same principles to ourselves. Firstly, if someone is ministering in the power of God, then we should give them a good hearing. Secondly, we should be acting in the power of God. We want people to know that the Gospel we preach is from Heaven. Our goal is to have people put their trust in God, so we manifest the power of God.

Nicodemus… came to Jesus at night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him’ (John 3:1-2).

Not Faith in Jesus

Let’s get back to basics! This is not advanced. It’s fundamental. It’s the most basic doctrine that exists. It’s on the same level as repentance, baptisms, the resurrection, and the judgment. The Bible calls it the foundation of faith in God (Hebrews 6:1). Have you put your faith in God?

Do you understand what the Father has done for you; or do you only profess faith in Jesus? If you do, then recalibrate. You’re not doing what Jesus wanted.

Jesus cried out and said, ‘The one who believes in me does not believe in me, but in the one who sent me’ (John 12:44; LEB).

Through him [Jesus] you believe in God, who raised him from the Dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God (1 Peter 1:21).