How is evangelism to take place in our day?

[IsaiahA]

"Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matt 28:16-20 RSV)

When did the disciples, including the apostle Paul , complete making "disciples of all nations"? Scripture tells us -

It was to be accomplished prior to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD :

"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come. (Matt 24:14 RSV)

It had happened when Paul wrote both Romans and Colossians:

"...provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister." (Col 1:23 RSV)

"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world." (Rom 1:8 RSV)

What about the work and office of "evangelist"? The word is found only 3 times in the NT -

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;" (Eph 4:11 KJV)

?? Do the evangelists get grouped with the extra-ordinary offices like apostles and prophets which cease with the apostolic age, or do they continue in the church as pastors and teachers? I believe the office of evangelist was a temporary office, but the work was to be carried on as follows -

Paul writes to Timothy in one of the pastoral epistles -

"But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." (2Tim 4:5 KJV)

What if the church stuck to observing what was commanded by Jesus, maybe things would be going better. Bringing the world into the Christian assembly pollutes and adulterates. Maybe we need to abide by a principle from the OT -

You must diligently observe everything that I command you; do not add to it or take anything from it. (Deut 12:32 NRSV)

 

[Roughsoul1991]

"Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matt 28:16-20 RSV)

When did the disciples, including the apostle Paul , complete making "disciples of all nations"? Scripture tells us -

It was to be accomplished prior to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD :

"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come. (Matt 24:14 RSV)

It had happened when Paul wrote both Romans and Colossians:

"...provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister." (Col 1:23 RSV)

"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world." (Rom 1:8 RSV)

What about the work and office of "evangelist"? The word is found only 3 times in the NT -

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;" (Eph 4:11 KJV)

?? Do the evangelists get grouped with the extra-ordinary offices like apostles and prophets which cease with the apostolic age, or do they continue in the church as pastors and teachers? I believe the office of evangelist was a temporary office, but the work was to be carried on as follows -

Paul writes to Timothy in one of the pastoral epistles -

"But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." (2Tim 4:5 KJV)

What if the church stuck to observing what was commanded by Jesus, maybe things would be going better. Bringing the world into the Christian assembly pollutes and adulterates. Maybe we need to abide by a principle from the OT -

You must diligently observe everything that I command you; do not add to it or take anything from it. (Deut 12:32 NRSV)

Bringing the world into the Christian assembly pollutes and adulterates.

What do you mean by this?

 

[Bruce_Leiter]

"Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matt 28:16-20 RSV)

When did the disciples, including the apostle Paul , complete making "disciples of all nations"? Scripture tells us -

It was to be accomplished prior to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD :

"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come. (Matt 24:14 RSV)

It had happened when Paul wrote both Romans and Colossians:

"...provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister." (Col 1:23 RSV)

"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world." (Rom 1:8 RSV)

What about the work and office of "evangelist"? The word is found only 3 times in the NT -

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;" (Eph 4:11 KJV)

?? Do the evangelists get grouped with the extra-ordinary offices like apostles and prophets which cease with the apostolic age, or do they continue in the church as pastors and teachers? I believe the office of evangelist was a temporary office, but the work was to be carried on as follows -

Paul writes to Timothy in one of the pastoral epistles -

"But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." (2Tim 4:5 KJV)

What if the church stuck to observing what was commanded by Jesus, maybe things would be going better. Bringing the world into the Christian assembly pollutes and adulterates. Maybe we need to abide by a principle from the OT -

You must diligently observe everything that I command you; do not add to it or take anything from it. (Deut 12:32 NRSV)

We are all called to be witnesses of what God has done in our lives, but there is also a spiritual gift of evangelism, which enables a person to lead people to believe in Jesus. Witnesses can also do that, but the special gift enables certain Christians to be evangelists. Some pastors have it; others don't.

 

[John146]

"Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matt 28:16-20 RSV)

When did the disciples, including the apostle Paul , complete making "disciples of all nations"? Scripture tells us -

It was to be accomplished prior to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD :

"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come. (Matt 24:14 RSV)

It had happened when Paul wrote both Romans and Colossians:

"...provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister." (Col 1:23 RSV)

"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world." (Rom 1:8 RSV)

What about the work and office of "evangelist"? The word is found only 3 times in the NT -

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;" (Eph 4:11 KJV)

?? Do the evangelists get grouped with the extra-ordinary offices like apostles and prophets which cease with the apostolic age, or do they continue in the church as pastors and teachers? I believe the office of evangelist was a temporary office, but the work was to be carried on as follows -

Paul writes to Timothy in one of the pastoral epistles -

"But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." (2Tim 4:5 KJV)

What if the church stuck to observing what was commanded by Jesus, maybe things would be going better. Bringing the world into the Christian assembly pollutes and adulterates. Maybe we need to abide by a principle from the OT -

You must diligently observe everything that I command you; do not add to it or take anything from it. (Deut 12:32 NRSV)

Publicly and privately...

Acts20
20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house,
21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

[mustaphadrink]

?? Do the evangelists get grouped with the extra-ordinary offices like apostles and prophets which cease with the apostolic age, or do they continue in the church as pastors and teachers? I believe the office of evangelist was a temporary office, but the work was to be carried on as follows -

What gave you the idea the ministries of apostles and prophets ceased with the apostolic age?

 

[mustaphadrink]

Witnesses can also do that, but the special gift enables certain Christians to be evangelists. Some pastors have it; others don't.

A bit confusing. You say that a special gift enables certain Christians to be evangelists and then say some pastors have it.

If you are an evangelist, you are not a pastor. if you are a shepherd (pastor), you are not an evangelist.

In most churches today they are run by the pastor which is not scriptural, and in most churches today the so-called pastor is expected to be all five ministries which is not scriptual.

 

[mustaphadrink]

One of the easiest and simplest means of evangelism is one explained by Ed Silvoso in his book "That None Should Perish" and this is where home groups come to the fore.

The home group produces a leaflet that offers to pray for any need they have and puts one in each letter box in the street. They emphsise that if they ask for prayer, they will not be asked to attend any church meeting.

it has proved to be a very effective means of evangelizing as people don't want to attend a church meeting but they are happy to receive prayer. The outcome, however, is that people are impressed by two things. One is the care shown by the home group and praying for them changes their situation.

AS a result, they do start to attend church meetings.

 

[IsaiahA]

What do you mean by this?

Introducing the world into the assemblies of Jesus Christ means adding things men think is good, rather than what God has commanded. The faith of Jesus Christ is being peddled in this day as in a used car salesmen pitch, or Amway. If it is not commanded to be observed in the assembly in worship, it is worldliness.

"When the LORD your God has cut off before you the nations whom you are about to enter to dispossess them, when you have dispossessed them and live in their land, take care that you are not snared into imitating them, after they have been destroyed before you: do not inquire concerning their gods, saying, “How did these nations worship their gods? I also want to do the same.” You must not do the same for the LORD your God, because every abhorrent thing that the LORD hates they have done for their gods. They would even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. You must diligently observe everything that I command you; do not add to it or take anything from it." (Deut 12:29-32 NRSV) It is Old Covenant, true, but the principle holds today.

"...and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt 28:20 NRSV)

What Jesus commanded is not merely the 'red letter' texts, but the writings in the epistles, as Jesus instructed the apostles.

"I have applied all this to myself and Apol′los for your benefit, brethren, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another." (1Cor 4:6 RSV)

We are not told to observe what God commanded, PLUS everything our religious whims may think could be helpful! I see the first day of the week, the Lord's Day, celebrated as the one day after six days of work, but nowhere is an annual Easter or Christmas found in the New Covenant. You can add musical instruments to that list and how music has degenerated into the garbage found in churches today, that seems obvious. Where are Sunday Schools found in the New Covenant, where the women get a foothold in teaching in the assembly? There are the spring and fall revival meetings that are not to be found in the New Covenant and that humanism is interpreted to be of the Christian faith. The foolish quibble that the New Covenant does not mention church buildings, air conditioning, electic lighting, driving to arrive at the meeting place, that is as the Westminster Confession reads:

"The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit or traditions of men. (2 Tim. 3:15–17, Gal. 1:8–9, 2 Thess. 2:2) Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word: (John 6:45, 1 Cor 2:9–12) and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the Church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature, and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed. (1 Cor. 11:13–14, 1 Cor. 14:26, 40)"

Every single thing in the worship and teachings of the New Covenant assemblies of Jesus Christ that is not commanded by Jesus, is worldliness and pollutes the church!

 

[IsaiahA]

What gave you the idea the ministries of apostles and prophets ceased with the apostolic age?

"And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zeb′edee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And preach as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying, give without pay." (Matt 10:1-8 RSV)

That ceased after the apostolic age and the claims today of raising dead are plainly lies.

"The signs of a true apostle were performed among you in all patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works." (2Cor 12:12 RSV)

When the signs of a true apostle ceased, the apostolic age came to a close. The biblical miracles were meant to authenticate God's messenger and the message. The NT was completed and then miracles were no longer needed.

"And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Eli′jah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Eli′jah took the child, and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and delivered him to his mother; and Eli′jah said, 'See, your son lives.' And the woman said to Eli′jah, 'Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.'” (1Kgs 17:22-24 RSV)

The purpose of miracles was seen as early as with Moses, Ex. 4:1ff; and the claims of miracles today are nothing but lying wonders. The false claims by Roman Catholics, Pentecostalists and Charismatics to the extra-ordinary gifts in operation today are clear proof that the true biblical miracles have ceased. The general public in NT times could not deny the miracles because they were performed right in front of their faces, not off in some foreign land.

 

[AnxiousWidower]

The biblical miracles were meant to authenticate God's messenger and the message. The NT was completed and then miracles were no longer needed.

I'm sorry, my brother, but I have to disagree. The Apostle Paul would have been shocked by this belief. To him, the gospel was not fully shared if there were no miracles. In the Greek of Romans 15:19, there is no word for preaching. What Paul effectively said is he executed the gospel BY doing miracles. So, when he mentions preaching in verse 20, it is clear this includes God providing signs and wonders. In fact, I would argue he gives precedence to the miracles over the proclamation: first the miracles, then the message because the miracles are the context for it. It would also be very peculiar to think that Jesus, in Matthew 28:20, was not including the command given to his disciples in Matthew 10:7 is clearly not something the text itself supports.

Not only does Scripture not support this position, but Church history and the current experience of most of the global Church—even the Church in the West—testifies against any claim that miracles have ceased or that that God no longer attests the gospel message by them. Professor Craig Keener has provided some fantastic, scholarly resources to that effect. Here's a link to a video covering some of that material in brief, and including medically documented dead raisings:

Lest you think I'm naïve or uninformed, please know that I am a widower and a seminary graduate. I have ministered to people and seen nothing happen (as was the case for the disciples in Matthew 17:14–19, Mark 9:14–28, and Luke 9:37–42, which clearly demonstrated nothing about the will of God) and I have ministered and seen healing happen. I prayed for my late wife's healing and then for her raising. Neither occurred. Which of these experiences should I based my theology on? I say neither. Instead, I have to trust the broad counsel of Scripture and not cherry pick verses that meet my experience. Jesus commands his disciples to "heal the sick." He gives no exclusions. Are we disciples, or are we not?

 

[HeIsHere]

Bringing the world into the Christian assembly pollutes and adulterates. Maybe we need to abide by a principle from the OT -

Yes, we see the evidence.

 

[ResidentAlien]

Here's a link to a video covering some of that material in brief, and including medically documented dead raisings:

Seriously, you listen to Craig Keener? In that video he calls Heidi Baker "credible." She's one of the least credible people I can think of. Just because people have a bunch of letters after their names we're supposed to believe them? That guy Keener seems about as reliable as a bad tooth. It's clear to me he's jumped on the miracle bandwagon to sell books. If popular opinion shifts tomorrow to belief in green cheese direct from the moon that's what he'll write books about.

You'll never produce proof of someone being raised from the dead because no such thing has happened in modern times. Lots of stories; more and more stories. If someone actually had the power to raise the dead they'd have to go into hiding because of the attention they'd get; but you don't see that, you see people talking a big game but actually delivering nothing.

 

[AnxiousWidower]

Seriously, you listen to Craig Keener? In that video he calls Heidi Baker "credible." She's one of the least credible people I can think of. Just because people have a bunch of letters after their names we're supposed to believe them? That guy Keener seems about as reliable as a bad tooth. It's clear to me he's jumped on the miracle bandwagon to sell books. If popular opinion shifts tomorrow to belief in green cheese direct from the moon that's what he'll write books about.

You'll never produce proof of someone being raised from the dead because no such thing has happened in modern times. Lots of stories; more and more stories. If someone actually had the power to raise the dead they'd have to go into hiding because of the attention they'd get; but you don't see that, you see people talking a big game but actually delivering nothing.

Sadly, it doesn't seem like you actually care about proof as you reject it a priori. Apparently, what makes someone credible in your opinion is that they agree with you. This is very sad. You are missing out on much of what the Kingdom of God is about, and the gospel Jesus preached was the gospel of the Kingdom. Worse than that, though, you're not living the life of a disciple. Jesus said his fully trained disciples would be like him (Luke 6:40), and in John 14:12 he says anyone who believes in him will do what he did. Jesus said "anyone," but you disagree and you point to your own experience as a defense of that. In practice, you elevate your own experience and opinion above the teaching of Jesus. As I said, it's very sad my brother. Do you not think you ought to humbly ask the Lord's forgiveness and ask him to make it apparent to you if you have erred?

 

[ResidentAlien]

Sadly, it doesn't seem like you actually care about proof as you reject it a priori. Apparently, what makes someone credible in your opinion is that they agree with you. This is very sad. You are missing out on much of what the Kingdom of God is about, and the gospel Jesus preached was the gospel of the Kingdom. Worse than that, though, you're not living the life of a disciple. Jesus said his fully trained disciples would be like him (Luke 6:40), and in John 14:12 he says anyone who believes in him will do what he did. Jesus said "anyone," but you disagree and you point to your own experience as a defense of that. In practice, you elevate your own experience and opinion above the teaching of Jesus. As I said, it's very sad my brother. Do you not think you ought to humbly ask the Lord's forgiveness and ask him to make it apparent to you if you have erred?

No, I'm willing to entertain any and all proof; not stories, proof. I'll tell you what's truly sad, that's con artists and liars posing as Christians.

 

[IsaiahA]

I'm sorry, my brother, but I have to disagree. The Apostle Paul would have been shocked by this belief. To him, the gospel was not fully shared if there were no miracles. In the Greek of Romans 15:19, there is no word for preaching. What Paul effectively said is he executed the gospel BY doing miracles. ...

Rom 15:19 in context -

"For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has wrought through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that from Jerusalem and as far round as Illyr′icum I have fully preached [πληρόω pleroo] the gospel of Christ, thus making it my ambition to preach[εὐαγγελίζω euaggelizo] the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on another man’s foundation, but as it is written, 'They shall see who have never been told of him, and they shall understand who have never heard of him.'” (Rom 15:18-21 RSV)

The "power and signs" were part of what won the obedience of the Gentiles to believe the gospel preached. The "power and signs" is what gave Paul credibility with them. That is what confirmed the gospel message, not "execute" the gospel.

The "preached" in v19 is made clear by "to preach" in v20.

Paul told us what his gospel was -

"Now I would remind you, brethren, in what terms I preached to you the gospel, which you received, in which you stand, by which you are saved, if you hold it fast—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed." (1Cor 15:1-11 RSV)

Paul does not make the signs and wonders what presents or "executes the gospel", it is the preaching. No miracles are mentioned by Paul here.

The signs and wonders are as Paul wrote in the following, authenticating himself:

"I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these superlative apostles, even though I am nothing. The signs of a true apostle were performed among you in all patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!" (2Cor 12:11-13 RSV)

Paul is defending "signs of a true apostle" his ministry against others claiming to the office who were claiming superiority. The purpose of the miracles is so clear in the NT -

"And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen." (Mark 16:20 RSV)
compared with
"how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will." (Heb 2:3-4 RSV)

Those claims of miracles by Pentecostals and Charismatics are so bogus it is shocking anyone would believe them!

Keener may be a "Bapticostal", NOT A BAPTIST, attending Asbury as well as an Assembly of God school therefore I'd not have the slightest interest in what he says. When it comes to the claims of miracles, I'll trust B. B. Warfield above any other theologian. He wrote an entire book on it and it's online:

"Counterfeit Miracles"
https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/warfield/Counterfeit Miracles - B. B. Warfield.pdf

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

Publicly and privately...

Acts20
20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house,
21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

From house to house

 

[IsaiahA]

I'm sorry, my brother, but I have to disagree. The Apostle Paul would have been shocked by this belief. To him, the gospel was not fully shared if there were no miracles. In the Greek of Romans 15:19, there is no word for preaching. What Paul effectively said is he executed the gospel BY doing miracles.

I confess was stunned yesterday, by your claim to a seminary education and then to make the absurd statement about Rom. 15:19 writing, "The Apostle Paul would have been shocked by this belief. To him, the gospel was not fully shared if there were no miracles. In the Greek of Romans 15:19, there is no word for preaching. What Paul effectively said is he executed the gospel BY doing miracles. So, when he mentions preaching in verse 20, it is clear this includes God providing signs and wonders. In fact, I would argue he gives precedence to the miracles over the proclamation". If this is what you were taught in that seminary, you should go back and have your tuition refunded to you! The miracles did not "execute" the gospel, they confirmed and authenticated the gospel and Paul the messenger.

"When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they met a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet, named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God. But the magician Elymas (for that is the translation of his name) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now listen—the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind for a while, unable to see the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he went about groping for someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord." (Acts 13:6-12, NRSV)

"The same thing occurred in Iconium, where Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace by granting signs and wonders to be done through them." (Acts 14:1-3, NRSV)

"In Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet and had never walked, for he had been crippled from birth. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. And Paul, looking at him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And the man sprang up and began to walk. When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” (Acts 14:8-11, NRSV)

John Gill commenting on Rom. 15:18 -

"to make the Gentiles obedient; ... to the faith of the Gospel, and the doctrines of it; not barely by hearing it, and notionally assenting to it, but by embracing it heartily, and professing it publicly and sincerely; and to him as a King, by owning him as such, and as theirs; and by subjecting to his ordinances, and obeying his commands in faith and fear, and from love to him: the means whereby these persons were brought to the obedience of Christ, and of faith, are

by word and deed; or "deeds", as the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions read: by the former is meant, the word of the Gospel and the preaching of it, being sent unto them, and coming with power, and not as the word of man, but as the word of God; and by the latter, either the labour of the apostle, the pains he took, the hardships he endured, in ministering: the Gospel to them; or his agreeable life and conversation, which were a means of recommending the word, and of engaging an attention to it; or rather the miraculous works and mighty deeds which were wrought by the apostle, in confirmation of the doctrine he preached, as it seems to be explained in Ro 15:19."

John Gill begins comments on Rom. 15:19 -

"Through mighty signs and wonders, ... Or "in", or "through the power of signs and wonders", as the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions render the words. These carrying along with them evidence and conviction of the truth of what was delivered, wrought wonderfully and powerfully on the minds of the Gentiles to embrace the Gospel, and submit to the ordinances of it; though all would have been insufficient, had it not been for what follows,
by the power of the Spirit of God: ...

The phrase in v19 NRSV " fully proclaimed the good news" translates the Greek "πληρόω pleroo" and the following lexicons give the definition for its occurrence in this verse:

BDAG - "bring (the preaching of) the gospel to completion by proclaiming it in the most remote areas Ro 15:19"

Thayer's - "Here belongs also πληροῦν τό εὐαγγέλιον, to cause to be everywhere known, acknowledged, embraced (A.V. I have fully preached), Rom 15:19; in the same sense τόν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ, Col 1:25."

 

[IsaiahA]

Among those things which have been added to the NT commands for worship or duties of Christians in the family sphere are the following; pertaining to musical instruments, Sunday Schools and Christians sending their children to the godless government schools to be indoctrinate with Marxism and things even worse. It is a huge topic so I gave some links for those wishing to explore more.

"Unaccompanied vocal music continued to be the norm in Christian worship for centuries. Then, in about the 10th or 12th century, Western Christians began to use the organ in the liturgy. (The organ had been used in processions and possibly as a call to worship centuries earlier, but it seems to have made its way only slowly into the actual liturgy.) By the 15th century, organ music was widely accepted in the Roman Catholic West, though it never caught on the Orthodox East. The Coptic and Ethiopian churches, by contrast, have their own musical traditions, which make use of ancient percussion instruments."
https://www.christianitytoday.com/h...-churches-start-using-instrumental-music.html

A history of musical instruments in the church -
https://purelypresbyterian.com/2019/09/16/the-history-of-instrumental-music-in-the-church/

Another article about the introduction of musical instruments in the Christian worship after centuries of a ban on musical instruments -
https://www.christianstudylibrary.org/article/musical-instruments-worship

Matthew Henry on 1 Chron. 15:16ff -
"This way of praising God by musical instruments had not hitherto been in use. But David, being a prophet, instituted it by divine direction, and added it to the other carnal ordinances of that dispensation, as the apostle calls them, Heb. ix. 10. The New Testament keeps up singing of psalms, but has not appointed church-music."

About Sunday schools -
https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/2008/august/when-did-sunday-schools-start.html

Overview of Robert Lewis Dabney on government education:
https://teachdiligently.com/articles/rl-dabney-devastating-critique-of-secular-education

Reading Robert L Dabney directly on government schools, p215 -
https://archive.org/details/DiscussionsOfRobertLewisDabneyVol.4Secular/page/n215/mode/2up

Dabney devotes several chapters to the topic of government schools.

 

[mustaphadrink]

That ceased after the apostolic age and the claims today of raising dead are plainly lies.

Sorry mate but it is you who is believing lies. Apart from the fact you have no evidence whatsoever, I have just read a book that details the miracles happening all over the world from Azuza St. until now.

A couple of years ago our church was told of a young man in a coma who would never walk again. We went and prayed for him and three weeks later he walked out of hospital.

 

[mustaphadrink]

Where are Sunday Schools found in the New Covenant,

They come under the heading of evangelism. They started in the UK by the churches at the turn of the 19th century. Sunday schools were not religious things. They were run to enable children who did not go to school to learn to read and write. Their text book was the Bible. So they leant to read and write and learnt the Bible.

What is wrong with that?