Evangelism? Did the apostles teach it?
 

Did Paul explicitly teach believers to evangelize in the epistles?

Re: Evangelism? Did the apostles teach it?
 

No, I think Paul taught believers to evangelize everywhere.

Re: Evangelism? Did the apostles teach it?
 

:smack


How did Paul teach believers to evangelize everywhere? What scriptures from the epistles would you quote to show that Paul taught this?

Re: Evangelism? Did the apostles teach it?
 

Did you like that? I was rather proud of myself for that!:lol

Re: Evangelism? Did the apostles teach it?
 

It was cute, but a little annoying!

I'm in the process of trying to make a major hermeneutical point and you poked fun at my grammar! Get serious for a moment, please! :thwak

Re: Evangelism? Did the apostles teach it?
 

Let's back up one step. Did Jesus command us to evangelize?

Re: Evangelism? Did the apostles teach it?
 

Of course he did, but I'm focusing on the epistles ONLY! (You know the "didactic" part of the NT. Some folks think there is no "didactism" in the narrative portions of scripture, like the gospels and Acts. So they interpret those sections of the NT differently than they do others.)


Are we given instructions by the apostles to evangelize?

Re: Evangelism? Did the apostles teach it?
 

I think what we call "evangelism" today as a compartmentalized, strategic effort to go out at a set time and tell others about Jesus is not what it considered evangelism in the NT.

The Acts accounts tell us in story form one of the purposes of the Spirit baptism was to be a witness of Jesus. I know that Timothy was exhorted to "do the work of an evangelist." But I think the idea of sharing the Gospel, the Hope, having an answer for every man.... this was a fundamental and organic part of what made up being a Jesus follower. There is no Christianity without sharing. It's inevitable. Going to the highways and byways. When we realize how incredible grace is, it's an obvious conclusion.

That said, I think you point to a great question. I'll stand by and watch the thread develop.

Re: Evangelism? Did the apostles teach it?
 

Do the apostles teach us to baptize in the epistles?

We know that Jesus said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Did the apostles fail in their duty to teach these things (in the epistles)..."all things that I have commanded you"? Wouldn't baptism be one of these things? Why didn't the apostles systematically teach baptism in the epistles? Why are the epistles relatively silent on the command of the Lord to evangelize? Were the apostles neglectful in teaching some of the commands of the Lord? Where is the direct teaching on baptism and evangelism in the epistles? John was very direct on teaching the Lord's new commandment to "Love one another" but what about the other commands of the Lord?

Re: Evangelism? Did the apostles teach it?
 

The problem is the mind set that everything that the apostles taught are contained in the few letters to the churches and individuals included in what we like to call the New Testament. We have a good idea of some of the things Paul taught – by his limited responses to problems within the churches he established, but that did he teach when he was spending weeks or even years with them – and what did the rest of the apostles teach?

Well, if they were true apostles, each and every one of them taught in full compliance to the following instruction of Jesus:

17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach [or make disciples of, to instruct] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost 20 Teaching [in the same broad application as dao "to learn"] them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway [even] unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:17-20, KJV

There are only two conclusions: (1) All of the disciples (including the apostles) of Jesus who received these words either obeyed, or (2) some disciples did not obey. However, as there is no recorded deviation, it might be ‘assumed’ that at least the apostles obeyed and taught what Jesus taught them.

The definitive summation of the Apostles Doctrine is the doctrines concerning the kingdom of God/heaven, as taught by Jesus Christ, and the requirement of all future disciples of Jesus to observe all the commandments given by Jesus to his disciples during His ministry on earth. Of course, there remain some teaching of Jesus that are not directly conveyed to the entire body of Christ, at least in the written word. Some of these doctrines included an explanation of what Jesus revealed to the disciples concerning all of the O.T. scriptures that spoke of Him, and the visions of Paul, that he could not share.

Rule of thumb: The apostles taught all the teachings of Christ, plus they taught that all are to observe every commandment given by Jesus – as the minimum requirements for every true disciple of the Lord, as was the custom in Israel between all religious masters and their disciples.

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Added note:

If one does not know, understand and put into practice the teachings of Jesus, and obey His commandments, then one is not a 'true disciple' of Jesus (or His appointed apostles/disciples) and is, by definition, a teacher of false doctrines. Now, that can get a bit weighty on the self-justified.