True Christians Evangelize! — Aaron Clark

The Spirit’s Power for Worldwide Witness

Acts chapter 1, verse 8. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Just for a moment, imagine that you were a very rich person and that you owned a factory, a very large factory.

And as a matter of fact, you owned it recently because you purchased it. Because you had this great sum of money and your great desire was to produce a quality, the world's best quality shoe factory. And you wanted everyone in the world to have a copy or a pair of these shoes.

And you were so zealous about it. So you hired a bunch of people to run this factory that you had just recently purchased. And you picked them out, you hand-picked these people. And you very finely looked over their resume and you brought them in and you gave them, you spent time with them, teaching them how to sell these shoes, how to make these shoes.

But your main goal, you told them, is look, I want you to get a pair of these shoes on every foot of a person in America. I believe in these shoes. However, you had to be called away on a trip. And you had to go a long distance.

And you said, look, I'm going to come back and I don't know when I'm going to come back, but I'm going to come back, but I want you to sell these shoes. They say, okay, yes, sir, we'll sell these shoes.

Well, you go away and then you leave them in front of all your assets and you hire managers and you appoint a chief one to look over the factory to sell the goods. And you come back some years later. And you ask them, you say, so how's it going?

Tell me about it. Show me the reports. I've been gone for a long time. I want to know how are things going. And they say, well, great. Yeah, we're so glad you're back. Let us show you around and show you what we've been doing.

So they take you over and they show you this great big area with a great movie screen. Say, this is where we do our training. This is a great big screen. This is so that people can come in here and be comfortable.

See these nicely padded seats. They're really comfortable. And look, we got air conditioner in the place and this is where we do our training. You say, wow, that's great. That's great. Well, tell me about how many shoes have you sold?

Well, they say, well, let's show you this place. We'll talk about that. So they take you to the next room. And what's in the next room is a great arcade. You say, well, this is for the workers. So, you know, that their kids can play.

And at this arcade, you know, they have a great time. Everything is free. You don't got to put any coins in. They have a great time here. As a matter of fact, there's laser tag. So you can you can take the little pretend guns and the kids can go around and they can zap one another and things like that.

OK, all right, well, this must have cost a lot of money. Oh, don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. OK, so you go to the next place and you say, but I want to know, you know, you're walking with your executives.

I really want to know how many shoes that we've sold. And they say, well, we want to tell you some more things. But you notice that they're starting to stutter and you keep on asking how many shoes have you sold?

But they're stuttering, they're stuttering. And when you're talking to them, they say, well, we want to tell you something. And we know you'll be happy about this. We have a lot of people that we've taught here of the people you've hired.

And I tell you what, our people who work here, they know better about shoes than anybody in the whole world. Man, we give them good exposition of the shoes. Man, they know about the sole. They know about the padding.

They know the insides and out. They know the beginning. They know the genesis of the shoes. They know the revelation of the shoe, man. They know from A to Z, everything about shoes. We got custom designed shoes.

We got low end shoes, high grade shoes. And you say, look, I want to know how many shoes that you've sold or else you're fired if you don't tell me right now. And they say, you know, really, we haven't sold any shoes.

Can I see the hands of you that would say, I need to fire these people? How many of you would fire these people? They've squandered your millions. You've given them all these tools and these abilities to be able to do this.

And yet they haven't sold a single shoe. They've taught about the shoe. They've gave great facilities for the shoe. But yet their main business, they're really just educating the people who work there.

And yet they haven't sold any shoes. They've got people who are interested in the shoes, but they haven't sold any shoes. Their main business has not been to go out and get the shoes sold. And unfortunately, this is a parable of the church at large today.

The Church’s Failure to Obey the Great Commission

The church today, and don't let your hand be a witness against yourself. The church today has failed its job, by and large, in evangelism. The church has not, and I speak in America primarily, has not lived up to its command of Christ to obey the Great Commission.

And I just want to tell you here, I'm not going to pull any punches on this. You know, I've come here not to be a soft-peddling, fence-straddling, one of these cream-puffed pie preachers. I've come here to tell people the Word of God.

And we're excited, we're zealous to win souls. Because this is what the Bible says will happen. If you have the Spirit, you will be a witness to Christ. It's just going to happen. So, this is what has happened.

Christ has given us the gifts. He's given some evangelists to bless the church, to teach them how to evangelize. He's given them pastors. He's given them all these things. And yet, what do they do? They create big mega-churches and great areas for kids to be entertained.

And all these things. This is what they do. They create, you know, these big cineplexes to entertain people. But they haven't sold any shoes. They're not creating genuine converts. What are they doing?

They're creating people who are interested in Jesus. They have good feelings about Jesus. Jesus is their friend. But they're not creating sold-out followers of Christ. And this is an issue for today.

Scripture’s Purpose and the First Evangelism Point

Go to 2 Timothy 3 .16, if you would, please. And I want to start out with this text. Because we have to ask ourselves, why did the Holy Spirit inspire Acts 1 .8? Why did He want us to know that when the Spirit comes, we'll receive power?

Well, Acts 3 .16, I mean, sorry, 2 Timothy 3 .16 tells us, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. And it's profitable for what? For doctrine? For reproof? For correction? For instruction in righteousness?

That the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. So, why did God give us Acts 1 .8? He gave it, it's profitable to us. It's not just the history of the church. This is stuff that we can learn.

It says, God gave us Acts 1 .8 for doctrine. For reproof. For correction. For instruction in righteousness. That every Christian may be complete. Thoroughly equipped for every good work. This is why God has given us this.

So, don't read Acts 1 .8 and say, yeah, that's the history of the church, you know, and that was that time, but God gave us that. Well, for what? Just so you can know the beginnings, just to know? That's not the way God does things.

God does nothing that's superfluous. That means God doesn't do anything that is unneeded, that is more than we need. The Bible speaks with an economy of words. And every word, every jot and tittle is important for us to study.

So, my first point is this. We're going to have three points. The first point is all true Christians evangelize because all true Christians have the Holy Spirit. My second point is all Christians witness not just the apostles or clergy.

Third point is if you do not witness, you are not a true Christian. If you do not evangelize, you are not a true Christian. And there is a fourth point. If your church does not witness, you go to a dead church.

If your church is not evangelistic, you go to a non-church. You go to a dead church. So, point one, all true Christians evangelize because they have the Holy Spirit. And we're going to talk about this and we're going to deal with it at some length because this is a huge issue.

Many Reformed Baptists, Presbyterians, people with sound doctrinal statements, you know, they say, oh yeah, we should evangelize. But when it comes down to when the rubber meets the road, they do not evangelize.

And that is monstrous that they don't do that. They're failures. We're not here just to teach people about the shoes, right? About the insides and outs. We're not here just to teach people about the soul, the beginnings, the genesis of it, the ending of it.

It's not what it's primarily about. Oh yes, you know, Aaron, but we preach exposition. You know, we exegete the passage and we rip it apart and stuff like that. But you don't win any souls. You're a whitewashed tomb, right?

Oh, we got good doctrine. We look good on the outside. Yeah, we got the 1689. We got the Westminster. We, you know, we practice church discipline sometimes. However, do you win souls? When's the last time you won souls?

Well, you know what I do. I stand in the pulpit and that's when I evangelize. Well, that's not going. He says, go. You get out. Get off your rear end and go, go make disciples. Right? That's what we're called to do.

All Christians Possess the Holy Spirit

Go to 1st Corinthians 12, if you would. Because we're going to deal with this. Because in Acts, it says you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Right? You'll receive power when you have the Holy Spirit.

So the question we asked is, do all Christians have the Holy Spirit? 1st Corinthians 12. Well, you know, the charismatic person says, the Pentecostal. Well, you know, what you do, you have to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, you see.

You know, you can be a Christian. Yeah, yeah. But you don't receive power until you're baptized in the Holy Spirit. All right. 1st Corinthians 12, 13. For by one Spirit, we were all baptized. Just some Christians?

No, it says we all were baptized into one body. Whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free. And all have been made to drink into one Spirit. So all Christians have been baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Not all Christians. We don't speak tongues today. Because tongues were assigned to the Jews. To the unbelieving Jews that God was going out to the nations. This is what that tongues was for. It's clear.

For by one Spirit, we were, past tense, all baptized into one body. Whether Jew or Greek, whether slave or free. All have been made to drink of one Spirit. 1st Corinthians 2, 14. And I want to challenge you to write these down, to jot these down.

Because you need to get this locked down in your mind. That evangelism, going out and witnessing to people. Telling them about Christ. Telling them about the resurrection. Is essential to what the Christian mission is.

This topic gets me so fired up. Because I interact with pastors and reformed Baptists. We're reformed. All that is, is creedalism. If you have a creed, but you yourself are not living it out. That's just creedalism.

You know, you empty up, you go into your life. You're a whitewashed tomb. On the inside, you're stinking and filled with rottenness. 2nd Corinthians 2, 14. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God.

For they are foolishness to him. Nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. All Christians have the Holy Spirit. Because man cannot even become a Christian without the Spirit of God.

Coming to make him to be born again. What am I saying? It manifests that all Christians have the Holy Spirit. And have received the Holy Spirit. Why? Because you can't even become a Christian without the Holy Spirit.

God has to open your eyes. Because you're dead in sins and trespasses, as Ephesians 2 says. You can't be risen from the dead without the Spirit. You can't even understand. You can't even receive the things of God without the Spirit.

Because they are spiritually discerned. It says in verse 15, but he who is spiritual. In Greek, literally a spirit man. A spirit man. How do you be a spirit man without a spirit? If you're void of the Spirit.

If you don't have the Holy Spirit, how are you spiritual? You're not. You don't have a spirit unless it's a demon. But he who is spiritual, literally a spiritual man, appraises all things. Yet he himself is appraised by no one.

All Christians have the Holy Spirit. Because if you don't, you're not a Christian. Romans 8 verse 9. Go to Romans 8 verse 9. So somebody says, you know, the reason you're not empowered, you see, is because you don't have the Holy Spirit.

He's not abiding with you. You know, he's not really on you. Well, if you don't have the Holy Spirit, you're not a Christian at all. Romans 8 verse 9. But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.

Now, if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. If you do not have the Holy Spirit, you are not a Christian. If you don't have the fruits of the Spirit in your life, you are not a Christian.

If you do not witness as a result of having the Holy Spirit, it's manifest that you are not a Christian. What do I mean by witness? I mean evangelizing. I mean going, making disciples. That's what I mean.

Faith, Living Water, and the Holy Spirit

John 7 37. All Christians are believers. If you go there, John 7 37. All Christians are believers. Therefore, all Christians have the Holy Spirit. So if you turn to John 7, Jesus says this. He says. On the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. If you believe in Christ, you have the Holy Spirit. You can't even believe in Christ without the Holy Spirit.

It takes the Spirit of God to open your eyes. So therefore, look what it says. He who believes in me. You can't be a Christian without believing in Christ. As the Scripture says, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.

Oh, I know it's the Spirit. Verse 39. But he spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in him would receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. So we see this.

That Acts 1 -8, what happened in Acts chapter 2, at Pentecost, was referring to this. This is Acts 1 -8 when he's talking about you'll receive power to be my witnesses when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.

And the fulfillment of that in Acts chapter 2 is what Jesus was speaking about right here. But notice he says, if anyone thirsts, anyone, anyone who believes on Christ with a repentant belief receives the Holy Spirit.

All of them. Every Christian. So therefore, every Christian is a witness. It's amazing, though, how people will deny this. So we want to lay this foundation. And this is what we're doing. 1 Corinthians 6 -19.

The Christian Body as the Spirit’s Temple

Go to 1 Corinthians 6 -19 if you would. Every Christian's body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6 -19. Paul's saying, or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own.

Therefore, every Christian's body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Understand that? The Holy Spirit is within them. He says, well, someone says, you know, in Acts 19, it shows that there were people who were disciples, and yet they didn't have the Holy Spirit.

Well, let's look at that, because that comes up. Someone says that, and they refer to Acts 19. What they're referring to is verse 2. It says, and it happened, in Acts 19, verse 1, and it happened while Apollos was at Corinth that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus and finding some disciples.

He said to them, did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? They said to him, we have not as much heard whether there is a Holy Spirit. And he said to them, and to what then were you baptized?

So they said, well, in the John's baptism. Well, then Paul said to them, John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on him who would come after him.

That is on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

What about that? See, there you go. They had disciples who didn't have the Holy Spirit. What do you say to that? Well, what does a disciple mean? Well, a disciple is a following learner. Obviously, this text is not saying that they were a following learner of Jesus.

They didn't even really know about Jesus. Paul had to explain to them about Jesus. They only knew about John. So when it says disciple, you have to read in what context that is in. Remember the ways that rabbis would do things.

That a rabbi would bring someone along. More than likely, they were someone who had to be well-off, a well-off young man, and they pretty much became their slave. That they would come to them with a goal to be like that rabbi.

Well, they were disciples of John. And remember, John didn't even know that Jesus was the Messiah in his entire ministry. It wasn't until God revealed it to him that the one with the Spirit would come upon and rest upon him.

This would be the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, right? Well, can someone be saved apart from a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? Can they? Hello? No! The emphasis, if you look at this passage, of what Paul is teaching to the disciples is that Jesus was the Messiah that John was foretelling of.

He was saying, Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, is the Messiah! He's risen from the dead! This is the one that John was pointing to. It was Jesus! That's the Messiah! Look, that's clearly the emphasis.

But once they understood that, then they were saved! They received the Holy Spirit, right? The context must determine what words mean. You can't just say, well, disciple means disciple of Jesus in every context.

These fellas didn't know who Jesus was. He had to explain to them that Jesus was the Messiah. Here, disciples does clearly not mean disciples of Jesus because they didn't even know about Jesus. So they received the Holy Spirit when they understood about Christ.

Well, well, well, says the mocker. He says, well, maybe in that instance I can understand what you're saying, but, you know, in Acts 8, you forgot about this one, because in Acts 8, verse 4 through 17, the Samaritans believed Philip and they were water baptized.

But it took Peter and John coming to lay hands on them in order for them to receive the Holy Spirit. I got you there, see? That's just it. See, there goes your cessationist mindset. There it goes, see?

One verse and I blew away the cessationists. Well, let's go look at that. Let's go to Acts 8. So we're dealing with right here in Acts 8, verse 4, with people objecting to say that not all Christians have or are baptized in the Holy Spirit.

So let's look at that. Acts 8, verse 4. He says, therefore those who are scattered, well, let's just go down to verse 14. When the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

For as yet, he had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. But if you go back to verse 5, it says, then Philip went down to the city of Samaria.

This is Philip down there preaching and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes, with one accord, heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voices, came out of many who were possessed.

And many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city. But there was a certain man called Simon, and it goes about Simon the magician. But the point here is, I want you to see, is that these people believed what Philip said and were baptized in the name of Jesus.

The other fellas, in the passage we just looked at, in Acts 19, were baptized in John's, a baptism of repentance. Because John was saying that the Messiah is coming, the Christ, and you must repent. Be ready for his coming.

Turn from your sins. And that's what Christ is saying today. I am here saying to you, you must turn from your sin, turn from your false religion, turn from your apathy, and Christ will come. Christ has already come, but you turn to him in salvation.

Without repentance, there's no salvation. If they wouldn't have repented, they wouldn't have had Christ. Well, if you see here in Acts, these people apparently heeded the things that were said by Philip.

They were baptized in the name of Jesus. Yet the people in Acts 19 were not baptized in the name of Jesus. They had to be told who Jesus was. But you can't be saved if you don't know who Jesus is. Well, this is a different kind of scenario.

Remember here, the only time that they had seen evidence of someone being saved was when? Pentecost, right? When they all received the Holy Spirit. The people in the upper room. We're not really sure how many were up in the upper room.

People say 120 from chapter 1, but it doesn't explicitly say that those are the same people that were there. It could have just been the 12. Well, it says here that in Acts 8, you see that, well, yes, maybe in some instance I can understand what you're saying.

But in Acts 8, 14, the Samaritans believe that this is what the scoffers are saying. So, what about them? Why is it that the people in Acts 8 believe that they didn't have the Holy Spirit? OK. A portion of this may also be applied, by the way, to the last scenario in Acts 14.

So, keep this principle. Because they're similar, but not exactly the same situation. But let's listen to what Matthew Henry said, OK? Matthew Henry was a Puritan preacher. He lived in the 1700s. So, just, you know, you're listening to me, but I want you to listen to someone older and well-known, OK?

There was none of them, quote, and this is what Henry is saying, there was none of them endued with this gift of tongues, which seemed then to have been the most usual, immediate effect of the pouring out of the Spirit.

This was both an imminent sign to those, as we can see that he's referencing chapter 10 of Acts, where the Gentiles believed, and that's how Peter knew they'd received the Holy Spirit, right? Because they gave him the same gift as then.

He said, this was both an imminent sign to those who believed, that believed not, and of excellent service to those that did. This and other such gifts they had not, only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and so engaged in him, and interested in him, which was necessary to salvation, and in this they had joy and satisfaction, though they could not speak with tongues.

End of quote. But we also must understand that what kind of literature we're reading, what kind of literature is the book of Acts? Historical narratives. It's telling about the formation of the church.

So not everything is going to be the same. It's all good for training, reproof, training in righteousness, right? That we may be complete, but when you read back in Exodus, do you think that the Red Sea is going to part every time you walk up to an ocean?

No. So you can't say that everything that happened here is exactly how it's going to be in our day. So keep that in mind. You have to understand that Acts is not a didactical epistle. What's the word didactic mean?

Well, it means from the Oxford Dictionary, intended to teach particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive. That's Romans. That's Ephesians. That's Philippians. But the book of Acts is a historical narrative.

Well, Acts is not always something that's meant to be interpreted as normative. Not everything in Acts is normative. Do we expect when the giving happens for people to drop dead like Ananias and Sapphira?

No. So not everything in Acts is normative. When's the last time you've seen that? You've never seen it. And they haven't either. They've never seen someone rise from the dead. Benny Hinn's never seen someone rise from the dead.

Jesse Duplantis is a liar. He's never went to heaven. And he ain't going there next when he dies. He's going to go to his own place, though, like Judas. So we can't, first of all, expect that everything is going to be normal like we see in the book of Acts.

But by the very nature of the word miracle, like I said a few weeks ago, it can't be normative. Miracle is something extraordinary. Extraordinary. It's not ordinary. If it were ordinary, it wouldn't be a miracle.

It'd be ordinary. So speaking in a foreign language, which is what tongues is, is a miracle. When you don't know the language, when you've never heard of it. If you stand up, you start speaking Russian, you never knew Russian, and another guy over there knows Russian, that's a miracle.

For you to have a knowledge, a detailed knowledge, of another language, people take years to learn a language. And yet you have knowledge right away to Russian, to German. That's a miracle. It's not a miracle, though, for someone to stand up and say, sha-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba.

Anybody can do that. That's normative. My little two-year-old does it all day. I can tell you it's normative. Such as things as Paul being bit by a snake and living through it, being a poisonous snake.

Some wackos up in Tennessee, they try those kind of things. Snake handlers. Once in a while you hear about them on TV and they drop over dead for poisoning. You've got Peter rising the girl from the dead.

It's not normative. If it's so normative, why doesn't Benny Hinn go down to every hospital and rise people from the dead? Let me offer some reasons, then, for why this occurred. But John Wolbert and Roy Zook, some very good exegetes, not great on everything, but very astute, comes to many things in the Word of God, gives a few reasons.

One reason. Peter and John's prayer for bestowing of the Holy Spirit and their laying on of hands, resulting in the coming of the Spirit, confirmed Philip's ministry among the Samaritans. This authenticated this new work to the Jerusalem apostles.

Reason two. Also, this confirmed Philip's ministry to the Samaritans. This message Philip had preached was validated by the coming of the Spirit. A mark of the coming kingdom. You know, a mark of the coming kingdom would be this.

In Jeremiah 31 -31. Ezekiel 36 -23. Joel 2 -28. This was all a mark of the coming kingdom. Point three. Reason three. Perhaps the most important aspect of God withholding the Spirit until apostolic representatives came from the Jerusalem church was to prevent schisms.

Because of the natural propensity of division between the Jews and Samaritans, it was essential for Peter and John to welcome the Samaritan believers officially into the church. The contrast between John's attitude here and Luke 9 -52 is significant.

You know, when they said let us call down fire out of heaven, right? But now here, it's something different. So just think for a moment. Put yourself in the early church. How were you to know? Remember, the apostles had a special position.

They were actually with Christ. They lived with Christ. They ate with Christ. And now, they are the official representatives of Christ. They are His messengers. Apostles sent ones. They saw the risen Christ.

That's why there are no more apostles today, Mr. Charismatic. There are no more apostles. Have you seen Christ? Did you live with Christ? Were you approved by the twelve? No. Well, you're not an apostle.

Listen. So you're in that day. Put yourself in those positions. You're in the day where the church is being formed. And you take your first missionary journey. Jesus said, go to Samaria. Some of you, you go to Samaria.

But this great thing just happened where everyone was baptized in the Holy Spirit and it was seen that people were immersed in the Holy Spirit. So, what is it that happened then? Well, they had to, as a sign of apostolic approval, go down to pretty much pass along the Holy Spirit.

That was a medium for that at that particular time. But once the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit through an apostolic approval, there was no longer a need for them to do that again. They've already said, yes, stamp of approval.

Samaritans approved. Same thing with Paul. Gentiles, God-fearers, and Acts 19 approved. So remember, Acts is a transitional period. Transitioning from God primarily dealing with Israel. Though He was not dealing with other people.

Nineveh, right? Other things. He condemns Egypt. There's lots of woes to other Gentile nations included in the Old Testament. Just take a concordance to look up the word nations. And see what God says even to the prophet to the other nations.

What did He tell Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1? I have made you a prophet unto the nations. So God did not leave them without a witness. However, this is a transitional period from God dealing with Israel to the church.

Not forsaking Israel, but turning the bright light, so to speak, onto the church. So here was an apostolic approval of that. Now to the second point. So after we've seen that all Christians have the Holy Spirit, it's clear you can't believe without the Holy Spirit.

You can't understand without the Holy Spirit. As I speak now, you think in order for you to understand what I'm saying, you have to have the Holy Spirit. You can give intellectual assent and put 1 plus 1 together and get 2.

But you cannot have a saving knowledge of Christ unless the Holy Spirit first comes to open your eyes. It's impossible. That's why every person who we evangelize to first has to be awakened by the Holy Spirit in order for them to believe.

You can't believe unless God the Holy Spirit enables you to believe. So therefore, all Christians have the Holy Spirit. And as Jesus said, you know, it explains in that context, the Spirit was not yet given, but anyone who does believe in him receives the Spirit.

And he was specifically referencing Acts 1 .8, prophesying what would happen, and Acts 2 in Pentecost. So anyone, point two, all Christians witness, not just the apostles or churchmen, clergy, preachers, people who stand up at a pulpit, not just them.

Ordinary Disciples Are Sent to Evangelize

Let's go to before the church was formed. In Luke 9. Let's go to Luke 9 with me, please. In Luke 9, Jesus is there and he's speaking. And he sends out what? Verse 1. And he charged the twelve disciples.

Now, listen to this. He said, well, you know, only evangelists are called to be ministers. Well, wait a minute. I mean, only evangelists are called to evangelize. Not a regular person. I'm just a regular Christian.

I'm not called to go out and tell people about their sin, to turn from their sin. That's a gift for an evangelist. When was Luke 9? Before or after the church? Ephesians 4 .12 said evangelists were given to the church.

Right? This is before the church. So they weren't evangelists. But yet he sends them out to go preach. And they do. Say, OK, well, you know, that was the twelve. Not regular disciples are not called to go out to preach.