The Zealous Evangelists

“And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”
Acts 5:42

     The early church did not lack in zeal.  In fact they started off with a zeal that seemed never to die.  Acts 2:37-47 shows us a picture of believers zealously living faithfully every day.  They were believers who heard, believed, repented, confessed, and were baptized. This number grew rapidly and unimaginably fast as time progressed.  How could this be? They were just a bunch of people apart of some religious group. Right, Or did they have something we miss? I do know this; they predated any divisions or denominations so it’s worth paying attention to. I don’t know about you but I want to be a part of believers that lived in such a manner to earn the name Christians (Acts 11:26).  I know one thing they had zeal to spread the word. 

      The apostles preached even after being beaten and commanded not to preach Jesus Christ. They rejoiced for being worthy to suffer the shame for His name.  Then they continued on preaching and teaching daily, in the temple and in homes, Jesus as the Christ (Acts 5:40-42). The apostles weren’t the only ones preaching the word.  In fact when great persecution arose against the 5,000+ believers there in Jerusalem and scattered them, the apostles stayed behind. The believers were the ones who preached the word every where they went (Acts 8:4). They didn’t shy away from it even if it meant prison, being forced from their homes, being lacerated, being chained and being stripped of their freedoms. They did it anyway. What zeal! What Passion! What Faith!

       Culture, status, government and religious views did not cause them to think twice. If you wanted to listen they would speak. If you didn’t want to listen they would speak. The word was brought with zeal to everyone everywhere in hopes the some would listen and believe.  We see that those who were scattered in Acts 8:1-4 went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. They preached the word to the point to where there was a need for Saul/Paul to be there. There was also enough there for them to assemble and teach a great many people (Acts 11:19-26).

     We see Philip teach the Ethiopian eunuch of great authority and who had charge over the treasury of the Queen Candace of the Ethiopians (Acts 8:26-39). Philip’s teaching was the same as what was being taught by all the others (Acts 8:35-39). We know this by the response of the Ethiopian and the actions taken in obedience.  They weren’t gender proud. Women were taught, Lydia and her house hold were baptized (Acts 16:11-15). A Philippian jailer was saved along with all his family (Acts 16:25-34). Aquila and Priscilla explained the way of God more accurately to Apollos (Acts 18:24-28). Some disciples who had only had the baptism of repentance of John were baptized into Christ (Acts 19:1-5). This shows that a baptism of repentance does not work.  One must be baptized into the name of Jesus Christ.  This correlates with Matt. 28:18-20.  Even Paul spoke boldly to dignitaries and government officials so that they may become like him (Acts 26:29). Paul preached as he had been commanded by Christ (Acts 26:19-23). The word and body transcended all worldly things even culture and social structures. There was only one teaching and one body (1 Cor. 12:12-14; Eph. 4:1-6).  They all had the same zeal.

     They had a zeal that could not be matched.  It was a zeal that was fueled by understanding. They understood that there was no other name by which we must be saved (Acts 4:11-12). Those believers knew that if they didn’t preach the word then who could believe (Rom. 10:14-17). They were highly aware that the commission was just as much a command as every other command.  Just like every other command of Christ they pursued its observance with zealousness. Why were they so zealous in evangelism in Acts 8:1-4?

     They understood the threefold commission (Matt. 28:18-20). That Christ had all authority in heaven and on earth.  They obeyed that authority. So when Christ said go therefore and make disciples of all nations they went. When He said baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit they did.  When He said do this teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded they did it.  Christ said and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age. Why, because they did what He commanded. They understood it so well because they had seen and experienced it firsthand (Acts 2).  Matt. 28:18-20 shows that there was no break in Christ’s thought and it must all be done in unity. Every disciple had to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and observe all the things Christ commanded. The early church not only understood the threefold commission, they knew the implications of it. They were saved because the apostles obeyed and spread the word.  They knew the Mark 16:15-16 was no laughing matter.  That every creature was going to hear the word. The ones who believed and are baptized will be saved and the ones who didn’t believe would be condemned.

“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned””
Mark 16:15-16

    
     It was a life and death mater.  There was no argument over whether or not a believer needed to be baptized. They knew it to be so.  Also they didn’t argue with the fact that the word was repentance and remissions of sins being preached to all nations.  They believed Christ was the Son of God.  They believe He suffered, died, and rose for them.

“Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.”
Luke 24:46-48

     We see this preaching happen for the first time there in Acts 2 on the first day of the week during Pentecost. Three thousand were added that day (Acts 2:37-41).  What was the first thing those believers do? They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine or teaching, fellowship [See “Fellowship or Relationship”] , in the breaking of bread, and prayers.  There is that zeal!  What so important about Acts 2:37-47? They were observing everything Christ commanded; the apostle’s teachings. The apostles only taught what they had learned. They had only learned from Christ, His commands (Acts 1:15-26). They continued to teach them and we continue to learn from them today (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  They never stopped. Why should we?

 

    From 12 men obeying and preaching came thousands of Christians. No matter how small or how big we are to be about the work of the Lord. We are to be zealously evangelistic. A simple motivation is what happens to those who do not believe and are not baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to receive the forgiveness of sins. They can’t live faithfully. They don’t have faith (Heb. 10:17). The church didn’t argue about the word. Everyone preached the same thing and abided in the same word. The word was set, so was doctrine, not to be tampered with.  No one desired to tamper with it except for personal gain. The early church was focused on souls. [See "Let go and Let God!"]

       Are you evangelistically zealous? (Acts 8:1-4;5:42) Though they were being tormented, though their bodies were being lacerated, though their freedoms were being taken away, though their lives were endangered, though they were forced to leave their property, they still "went everywhere preaching the word" (Acts 8:4). They took the great commission (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47) seriously. They took the word of God seriously (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Do you take them both seriously? Does the body where you assemble? Are you evangelistically zealous? Is the body? What needs to change? What can you change?