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290 ♦ Rtle Writers'Theology Chapter Nine D Evangelism
It was at first a small group consisting of eleven apostles and the seventy others whom Jesus commissioned to carry on His work and bring the gospel to the whole world (Acts 1:1-8) (Luke 10:1-16). However, very soon the
cause was embraced by a host of believers (Acts 2:47; 5:42; 6:5-8; 10:34- 48;ll:19-26 etc.). Evangelism is the primary task of the Church. (See Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20; I Corinthians 9:16; Romans 1:14-16.)
The Gospel is good news (Luke 2:10; 4:18-19; Isaiah 61:1-4; I Corinthians 15:1; n Corinthians 11:1; Galatians 1:8,11-12); it is proclamation (Romans 16:25-27;ICorinthians2:1-4;Htus1:3;UTimothy4:1^;anditisawitness. A
passage of great significance is Luke24:48, whereJesus commissions the dis ciples to be His witnesses "of these things." It is the identification of Jesus as Messiah, the fulfillment of all the scriptures: His suffering and death. His
resurrection, and the proclamation of repentance and remission of sins through faith in His Name. They were to bear witness, beginning at Jerusalem, and then to all nations (Luke 24:44-48).
The power to equip them for this task is promised them in the ne)^t verse, Luke24:49. ThiscommissioningandempoweringisspelledoutintheOpen ing of Acts: "you shall be my witnesses" is matched by "you shall receive powerwhentheHolySpiritiscomeuponyou"(Acts1:8). Itwasquiteclear that God's gift of His Spirit was intended not to make the apostolic Church
comfortable, but to make them witnesses. The task of evangelism is a very essential requirement of the Church. (See Matthew 9:36-38; I Corinthians 16:1; n Corinthians 11:8-9; Acts 13:2-4; Romans 10:15; III John 7-8.)
E Discipleship
The torch of evangelism must be continually passed on from place to plaee and generation to generation. In Christ's prayer to His Father to pre serve His apostles, we read, "... I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them;... As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world...Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word" (John 17:8, 18, 20). No doubt the sending of laborers into the harvest (Matthew 9:37-38; Romans 10:14-15; Acts 1:2-5), and the making of disciples
were two of Christ's main concerns (Matthew 28:20; Matthew 7:21-27; John 8:31-32). InfollowingthefootstepsofJesus,itwasnotdifferentwithPaulin his mission fields (I Corinthians 4:15-17; Acts 20:20-28), and in his pastoral epistles to his young disciples (I Timothy 6:3-5; 4:11-12; II Timothy 2:1-2; 3:10-11; Thus 1:4-5).