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3 Ways Early Christians Were Deliberate About Sharing the Gospel

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3 Ways Early Christians Were Deliberate About Sharing the Gospel

Early Christians Were Intentional in Evangelism

The New Testament shows that early Christians were consistent in sharing the good news with individuals and households, as well as preaching the gospel in public places and in writing. These believers were intentional about using natural relationships with the people God brought into their lives for evangelistic opportunities.

One of the best examples of the literal method of bringing people to Jesus can be found in the first chapter of John’s Gospel. One day, John the Baptist showed his two disciples that Jesus was the Lamb of God, and they both began to follow Jesus (John 1:36-37). One of John’s former disciples was named Andrew, and he immediately went to find his brother Peter and brought him personally to Jesus (John 1:40-42). The next day, Jesus called Philip to follow him as his disciple, and then Philip found Nathaniel, who met Jesus and accepted him as the Messiah (John 1:43-51).

This personal approach was not a one-off phenomenon but an ongoing pattern in Andrew and Philip’s lives. When the Greeks in Jerusalem wanted to see Jesus, it was Andrew and Philip who introduced them to the Lord (John 12:21-22). When five thousand people were hungry, it was Andrew who brought a little child and his lunch to Jesus, which produced miraculous results (John 6:8-14). Finding himself alone in Samaria, Philip had no hesitation in approaching a man in his chariot to explain the good news about Jesus Christ (Acts 8:26-40). These are just a few examples of countless individual encounters throughout the history of the church and show how every Christian must be prepared for personal conversations to introduce another person to Jesus Christ.

Confident Witness

David S. Dockery


Written by scholars from several Christian universities, these articles explore evangelism, discipleship, and apologetics to help educators and students understand the importance of sharing the gospel in every generation.

The New Testament church also recognized the value of evangelism in homes. Some first-century believers were already married when they accepted Christ. Paul instructed them to maintain their marriage if possible because there was hope that the unbelieving spouse would be saved (1 Corinthians 7:10-16). Peter also recognized that the action of a dutiful and pure wife could be a powerful witness to save her husband (1 Pet. 3:1–2). Likewise, the home was a strategic evangelistic opportunity to raise children “under the discipline and training of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Even slaves could bear witness to their unbelieving masters through sincere service, and Christian masters could represent Christ to their unbelieving slave servants (Eph. 6:5–9). In other words, the early church understood extended families (or any long-term relationship) as opportunities to express God’s love and share the gospel.

The earliest church was also dedicated to the public preaching of the gospel, and some Christians are still called to this form of open-air and street evangelism to this day. The New Testament records many examples of believers preaching publicly in synagogues and marketplaces (e.g., Acts 2:14–40; 9:20; 13:13–43; 17:19–34). Although not every Christian is called to this type of public preaching, every believer can encourage pastors to regularly include the gospel in expository sermons.

Early Christians also wrote publications to broadcast Jesus’ teachings and persuade people to believe. There are many examples in Paul’s letters, as well as in the four Gospels. John wrote that the purpose of his Gospel was to inform and persuade: “These things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” ( John 20:31 ). The Internet today has exploded with opportunities for Christians to write and publish with kindness and respect the reasons for their hope in Christ. In fact, for many Christians when choosing evangelistic methods the answer should be “all of the above.”

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Early Christians Were Deliberate on Defense

The early Christians not only preached the good news of Jesus Christ; they also apologized for promoting the gospel. In this sense, the word apology means “reasoned defence” (not to be confused with the English word apology or saying “I’m sorry”). Peter wrote: “Always be ready to defend (apologize) to anyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you; yet do this with kindness and respect” (1 Pet. 3:15).

The early Christians understood the culture and beliefs of their listeners and shaped their message about Jesus to appeal to the most receptive listeners. For example, Stephen found himself before a Jewish council of elders and scribes, and began his speech by telling the history of Israel to tell them about Jesus Christ (Acts 7:1-60). Peter spoke to Jews around the world on the day of Pentecost and used the Old Testament prophets to point to Jesus (Acts 2:14-40). Paul went to the synagogue in Thessalonica and “reasoned with them from the Scriptures for three Sabbaths” (Acts 17:2). Paul then secured the “Hall of Tyrannus” in Ephesus, where for two years he argued daily with the Gentiles until all the inhabitants “heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:9-10) .

Evangelism and apologetics were an important part of Paul’s intentional support. When Paul arrived in Athens, he encountered Epicurean and Stoic philosophers and reasoned “daily in the marketplace with those who were there” (Acts 17:17). To better identify with his non-Jewish audience, he deliberately quoted pagan poets rather than Jewish Scripture (Acts 17:17-34). Paul summarized his personal apology strategy as follows:

To earn more, I made myself everyone’s servant. In order to win the Jews, I became like a Jew in the eyes of the Jews. . . . To those outside the law, I became like someone outside the law. . . . I became weak to the weak so that I might win over the weak. I became everything to everyone so that I could save some by any means necessary. (1 Corinthians 9:19–22)

One of the easiest apologetic explanations of the hope in a believer is to give a personal testimony of an encounter with Jesus, and examples of this abound in the New Testament. When Paul spoke to a king named Agrippa about his faith, he began by describing his life before he encountered Jesus, when he was a strictly religious man filled with violent anger (Acts 26:1-12). Paul later described meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus. Although Paul was blinded by a bright light, he first understood the gospel message in his heart (Acts 26:13–18). Paul’s final statement was about his life after becoming an obedient follower of Jesus Christ (Acts 26:19–23).

I particularly appreciate Paul’s example and encourage all believers to think ahead about dividing their personal testimonies into the same three parts: What was your life like before Jesus? What was it like for you to encounter Jesus for the first time and understand the gospel? What has your life been like since you were forgiven and reconciled to God? Remember to use simple words and avoid “Christian” or technical religious jargon in any personal statement. It is also helpful to be able to deliver a deposition in exactly one minute for impatient listeners (a stopwatch is used for deposition training on my campus) and in about five minutes for someone more interested in your story.

Because we remember that Jesus promised to be with us, we can share the good news with confidence, even to the end of the age.

Early Christians Were Conscious of Perseverance

The New Testament church knew the heart of Jesus Christ and the eternal tragedy of being lost, and this motivated them to persist in sharing the gospel even in hostile situations. When Paul was saved, he “immediately proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God'” (Acts 9:20) and felt a joyful obligation to preach the good news to the Gentiles (Romans 1:14–15). Stephen studied the history of Israel to proclaim Jesus even as his listeners prepared to kill him (Acts 7:2-60).

The writer of Hebrews describes how some believers in the early church “were subjected to mockery, scourges, even chains and prisons.” They were stoned, cut in two, and killed with the sword. The poor, the suffering, and the mistreated walked around in sheepskins and goatskins; the world was not worthy of these things” (Hebrews 11:36-38). Despite this adversity, persecution in the church led to more opportunities for evangelism; for “those who were scattered continued to preach the word” (Acts 8:4).

The early believers were not surprised by the persecution they received for sharing the gospel in a world hostile to God, and their confidence stemmed from Jesus’ final declaration on the Great Commission: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20) . Christians today should not be appalled by a hostile culture, but rather expect increasing persecution as we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because we remember that Jesus promised to be with us, we can share the good news with confidence, even to the end of the age.

This article is by David Kotter and adapted from: The Confident Witness: Evangelism and Advocacy for the 21st CenturyEdited by David Dockery.

David Kotter (Ph.D., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is dean of the School of Theology at Colorado Christian University and senior research fellow at the Institute on Faith, Work, and the Economy. He has contributed to six books, as well as numerous journal articles and book reviews. He co-founded the Faith and Work Project to educate future pastors in the principles of economics and finance. Kotter is a member of Applewood Baptist Church in Colorado.

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