The difference in evangelism between a missionary team and the local believers they leave behind

This is part of a series of posts on effective entry strategies in the modern American landscape. I am writing this series as a work in progress, not as an answer that I have found. In some instances, I may not even agree with myself, but I have found that writing out thoughts helps me arrive at answers that I do agree with, both Biblically and personally. I would love constructive feedback so we can grow together to better engage lost people with the Gospel. To follow this conversation, be sure to subscribe to this blog. You can click here to view all blog posts in this series.

You can find dozens of books, articles, and podcasts about taking Jesus’ and Paul’s missionary methods and applying them to modern-day missions. What I want to look at is how Paul specifically called the local churches to continue to be a witness to the people and places in proximity to them. (Grab a Bible if you are not familiar with these passages… and to fact check me.)

2 Corinthians 5:17-21: This is a classic passage about who we are in Christ Jesus. Remember, he was telling the Corinthian church this… a church with some major issues. He does use the plural ‘we’ and ‘us’ throughout the passage, so he is extending the job of ambassadorship and reconciliation to the Corinthians.

Romans 15:17-24: Paul claims that he has “fully preached the Gospel of Christ” from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum. We know he didn’t actually share the Gospel with each person in that huge swath of the Roman Empire, and we also know that not every person became a follower of Jesus. He claims that there is “no further place” for him to work in that region, and he sets his sights on Spain. Did he expect all local believers to join him? Hardly. There is a clear implication that they would remain in their cities and regions as an ongoing witness for Christ.

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12: Paul set the example for the Thessalonian church by coming in hot. He boldly declared the Gospel and as such was only in Thessalonica a short time before he had to go to the next village because of persecution. But even with that example, what does he ask the Thessalonians to do? “Lead a quiet life, attend to your own business, work with your hands.” And why does he command this? “So that you will behave properly toward outsiders.” This definitely sounds like ‘slow’ evangelism. But in context, the Gospel had already been loudly and quickly proclaimed in the city. The spoken Gospel message would be best supplemented by a life that lined up with the message. That same type of instruction is repeated in 2 Thessalonians 3:11-15. It was a big deal that the Thessalonians’ lives lined up with the teaching about Jesus. At the same time, Paul commends the church of Thessalonica for the “word of the Lord ringing out” from them. So this was not a silent witness, but it was a witness that would be present in their home community and therefore it was important that their lives lined up with the message.

Philippians 1:12-14: Paul is using his time of imprisonment to make the Gospel known among his guards. But he makes a note in verse 14 that is interesting: He said that most of the believers there in Rome have been more courageous to speak the word of God. The praise and implied directive is toward everyday believers making the word of God known where they are, with the people they know, and doing so courageously and without fear. Also, it does imply that some believers did not grow in boldness.

Colossians 4:2-6: Paul challenges the Colossians to have wisdom as they are around outsiders. He says they should make the most of every opportunity. He says their speech should be gracious, and intriguing. He puts the responsibility for a good conversation on the believer. We should know how to respond to each person.

Here’s how would I rewrite Colossians 4:5-6: “Act wisely towards lost people. You need to make the most of every opportunity with them. Your speech should be gracious and kind, as well as appealing and intriguing. You should think about how you will respond to each person you meet to better share the mystery of Christ.”

If we look at Acts, the ongoing norm of everyday believers seems to be speaking the word of God boldly

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Acts 8:4 tells us that those who were scattered after the martyrdom of Stephen preached the word wherever they went. We know that these were everyday believers. Did they all of a sudden start their bold witness? Or, more likely, they already had a bold witness and it continued after they were pushed out of Jerusalem. This is connected to Acts 11:19-20. The planting of the Antioch church happened because of the everyday believers who shared the message of Jesus with Jews (and eventually Gentiles) wherever they went. Again, did they start doing this after persecution drove them away? Or more likely was it already a pattern of their lives?

Interestingly, Paul does not include much in the way of evangelism in his qualifications for overseers and deacons. Some of the character qualities he lists would make someone a better witness (being hospitable and respectable, for example), but there is no qualification given along the lines of: “They need to be sharing the word regularly.” Was it assumed that they were doing so?

In conclusion, the only argument I can make for ‘slow evangelism’ from these texts is based on reading only a portion of the letters to the Thessalonians. If we take the letters as a whole, they seem to be speaking about making sure our lives line up with our message.

Personally, the phrase that sticks with me from all of these passages is “Make the most of every opportunity.” Am I doing that?

What sticks out to you as you consider these Scriptures?