St. Luke’s Department

Evangelism

Acts Chapter 1 – Chapter 28

John the Baptist went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. Prophet Isaiah presented as a voice shouting in the wilderness that people should prepare the way for the LORD’s coming; clear the road and remove all obstacles so that everyone will see our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When the crowds of people came to John for baptism, he called them brood of snakes and asked about who warned you to flee the coming wrath of God. John asked them to prove by the way they live that they have repented of your sins and turned to God. They should not just say to each other that they were safe because they are descendants of Abraham - To John the Baptist that means nothing because, God can create children of Abraham from stones; the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire (Luke 3:3-9).
Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Reports about Jesus spread quickly through out the whole region. He taught regularly in synagogues and was praised by everyone. When Jesus came to His boyhood home of Nazareth, He went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the page where it was written that The Spirit of the LORD is upon Him, for the LORD has anointed Him to bring Good News to the poor. The LORD has sent Him to proclaim that captives will be released, the blind will see, the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come. Jesus rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked intently at Him. Then Jesus began to speak to them – informing them that the Scripture they had just heard has been fulfilled this very day. Everyone spoke well of Jesus and were amazed by the gracious words that came from His lips. They were surprised and wondered how possible Joseph’s Son could speak so well. (Luke 4:14-22).
Jesus taught every Sabbath day in the synagogue at Capernaum - a town in Galilee (Luke 4:31).
The Good News about Jesus spread through every village in the entire region of Galilee. (Luke 4:37).
Jesus went out to an isolated place early the next morning. Jesus said that He must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that was why He was sent. So, He continued to travel throughout Judea, preaching in synagogues. (Luke 4:42-44).
On a particular day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, large crowds of people pressed in on Him to listen to the Word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, left by fishermen who were washing their nets. Jesus stepped into one of the boats owned by Simon, to push it out into the water. Jesus sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. (Luke 5:1-3).
When Jesus had finished speaking, He told Simon to go out where it is deeper and let down his nets to catch some fish. Surprised, Simon Peter remarked that they worked hard all night and didn’t catch any fish; however, since You say so, he would let the nets down again. This time as they obeyed Jesus, their nets were so full of fish that they began to tear. They began shouting for help as both boats were filled with fish and were on the verge of sinking. When Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus in appreciation of the fishing miracle. Peter was so overwhelmed by the large number of fish they caught when they obeyed Jesus that he confessed that he was a sinful man; their fishing partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus told Simon Peter not to be afraid, that as from now on he will be fishing for people. As soon as they landed on the shore, they left everything and followed Jesus. (Luke 5:4-11).
Jesus went up on a mountain and prayed to God all night. In the morning He called His disciples together and chose twelve of them to be apostles. The names of the chosen apostles are: Simon (whom he named Peter), Andrew (Peter’s brother), James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (who was called the zealot), Judas (son of James), and Judas Iscariot (who betrayed him later).
When Jesus and His disciples came down from the mountain, they stood with on a large, level area. Jesus was surrounded by many of His followers and by the crowds. People came from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and from many other places as Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear Jesus and to be healed of their diseases. Everyone in the crowd tried to touch Him, because healing power went out from Him, and He healed everyone. (Luke 6:12-19).
Jesus began touring towns and villages, preaching the Good News about the Kingdom of God. Jesus took His twelve disciples with Him; some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases followed Him. Among the women were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons, Joanna, the wife of Chuza - Herod’s business manager, Susanna, and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples. (Luke 8:1-3).

Jesus remarked that if any of you wants to be His follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Him; if you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for His sake, you will save it. Jesus asked about your benefit if you gain the whole world but yourself is lost or destroyed. If anyone is ashamed of Jesus and His message, Jesus will be ashamed of that person when He returns in His glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. Jesus informs us that some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God. (Luke 9:23-27).

The Lord now chose seventy-two disciples and sent them in pairs to all the towns and places He planned to visit. Jesus told them that the harvest is plenty, but the workers are few. They should pray to the Lord who oversees the harvest and ask Him to send more workers into His fields. Jesus alerted the sent disciples that they should remember that He is sending them out as lambs among wolves. Jesus told them to heal the sick and tell them that the Kingdom of God is near you now. (Luke 10:1-11).

Jesus was walking ahead of His disciples as He was going to Jerusalem. When He came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany He sent two of His disciples ahead into a village; He told the two disciples that as they enter the village they would see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. He told them to untie the donkey and bring it to Him; if anyone asks, them why they are untying the colt they should say that the Lord needs it. the two disciples went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said, and sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them why they were untying the colt. The disciples simply replied that the Lord needs it. They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for Him to ride on. Jesus rode the colt along the way to Jerusalem and the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of Him. His followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen Jesus do. The crowd were praising Jesus – proclaiming blessings on the King Jesus who comes in the Name of the LORD, peace and glory heaven. (Luke 19:28-38).

Jesus said that you must not allow anyone to mislead you because, many will come in His name, claiming to be the Messiah; never believe them. You must not panic when you hear of wars and insurrections. Such events must take place first - before the end. Jesus alerted us that before the end, nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, famines and plagues in many lands; there will also be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven. There will be a time of great persecution and people of God will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and they will stand trial before kings and governors because they are His followers. This will be your opportunity to make Jesus known to everyone. You should not worry in advance about how to answer the charges against you - for Jesus will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute. Even those closest to you – such as your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends - will betray and even kill you. Everyone will hate you because you belong to Jesus. However, not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm, your soul will be saved. (Luke 21:8-19).

Review Questions

Describe how John the Baptist presented the Good News to the Jews.
Review how Jesus presented the Good News to His personalized Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and Ends of the Earth in the Gospel of Luke
Illuminate the following as presented in the Gospel of Luke: end-time events, and qualifications that make a person a follower of Jesus
Explain your understanding of Luke 9:23-27.
Elaborate on the following: “People will come from all over the world - from east, west, north, and south, and enter the Kingdom of God.”
Explain your understanding of the status of children in the definition of the Kingdom of God.
Discuss Luke’s presentation of the disciples’ outreach activities.