How the Church is to Multiply

While edification is for the purpose of growing the church spiritually, evangelism is how the church grows numerically. How can the church evangelize?

Obviously, to evangelize, the church must be preaching and teaching the gospel. But there are some factors that influence the response of those hearing the gospel.

People who see that a church really cares about people and are not just after numbers are more likely to listen to those who preach on the behalf of that church. You can see in Acts 6 that as a result of the church really taking care of its widows and the continued preaching of the apostles many of the priests believed.

Also people need to see that we are living what we preach. 2 Corinthians 10:10-11 shows us that Paul thought his living what he preached should have an impact on those listening. Why should anyone listen to us if we are all talk and no action?

The way the gospel is presented is also important. People must see that it is not our own wisdom that we are presenting, but the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:17). That is the only way to ensure that they are truly converted to Christ. Mzwandile Gazu preaches on the local radio station in Eshowe, South Africa, and many people have told him, “I’ve never heard anyone speak like you do. You always use the Bible for what you have to say.” People notice when we speak from ourselves and when we speak from the word of God.

We must be bold in our presentation of the gospel (2 Corinthians 3:12). If we are afraid of persecution, then who will believe us? We must never back down from the truth that is found in the word of God.

Colossians 4:6 tells us that we need to be careful how we say things, so that whoever is listening to us will be able to accept the truth. If we are abrasive in our presentation of the gospel, most people will just shut off their minds. They already know that you are on one side of the argument and they are on the other and you are not about to convince them otherwise. They should understand when you think they are wrong, but they also need to understand that you care about them, not just winning the argument.

Titus 2:8 says that we need to make sure that our words are right. We don’t need to be reckless in what we say and give an opening for those who are against us. This means that we really need to study so that we know what we are talking about. Anyone who is teaching (which should be anyone who has been a Christian for a while Hebrews 5:12) should know what they are talking about. WBS emphasizes to potential teachers that they don’t need to know the Bible to teach with WBS since they are given the answers to the course that they are grading. I don’t think that is right. If you are teaching something you don’t know, how do you know you are teaching the truth? All Christians need to get busy studying their Bibles and be able to teach others.