History
After Christ’s resurrection and Pentecost, churches that were planted by the apostles were initially made up of Jews who had come to believe in Jesus. As news about Christ spread by the apostles and new Jewish believers, scores of pagans throughout the Mediterranean world found a new life in Christ. They were overwhelmed by the power of the gospel to change their lives and give them new hope. They spread the news about Christ wherever they went, and were passionate to do so!
A few centuries later something strange began to happen. The excitement and joy of sharing the news about Jesus slowly subsided, and for the next several centuries the church became institutionalized. That change had a profound affect on what we know as the ‘church’ today. Invisible barriers grew between believers and unbelievers, eventually leading to the privatization of faith, which inhibited Christians from communicating the gospel to others.
By the mid to late 20th century, instead of growing by new birth, churches grew by attracting Christians from other churches, resulting the decline of the spread of the gospel. What took the place of the explosive growth in earlier centuries ended up as a reshuffling of the Christian community. And the lost people? Sadly, they were lost in the shuffle.
The New Testament is replete with passages that show the 1st century Christians were frequently telling others about Christ, knowing that it was critical if the gospel was to spread throughout the world. Here are a few:
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28.19 – 20
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1.8
Now those who were scattered went about speaking the Word to others. Acts 4.8
“Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.” Ephesians 6.19 – 20
And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 1 Peter 3
This is what Jesus intended all along. That’s why He said in John 4 that now, “the fields are ripe or white for harvest.” And then Jesus illustrated it by the entire town of Sychar believing in Him!
After Christ’s Resurrection and Pentecost we should have seen in every generation, 1,000’s, then 10’s and 100’s of 1,000’s of people coming to Christ! Imagine what kind of world it would now be if the majority of Christians in every generation for the last 200 years had talked to people about Christ!
Jesus’ resurrection and the giving of the Holy Spirit had set the stage for this to be the norm, so that it might be said:
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know Me,
from the least of them to the greatest. Hebrews 8.11
Why, throughout the generations, were few coming to Christ, in comparison to the population? Why were so few telling others about Him? There had to be a correlation. But what was it? What caused this phenomenon? Why were so many Christians, who wanted lost people to know God, having a hard time talking about Him? They talk about the churches’ ministries, programs, praise bands, youth groups, Sunday School classes, and doctrine; they talk about the plight of the world, the loss of morality, and suffering, but they rarely talked about Jesus – the main Person Christians had talked about for the first two centuries!
These are now the most crucial questions of our time, the answers to which have power to transform the church as we now know it, and bring whole nations to Christ.
While there are several inhibitors, 2 major barriers today undermine the rapid spread of the gospel:
There are longstanding spiritual, cultural, and intellectual habits or traditions among most Christians that have become barriers, keeping them from talking freely about Christ. And…
There is an overlapping, but different set of spiritual, cultural, and intellectual barriers in the minds of non-Christians, keeping them from hearing, understanding, and trusting Christ.
What if what Jesus said in John 4 is true: that the fields of lost souls really are ripe for harvest? What if countless people would come to Christ if they heard the gospel in their own cultural language, at their own intellectual level, and in a way that touched the core of their heart and soul, and the Spirit opened their eyes? What if we just had to ‘start’ the conversation, and relay the gospel in its simplicity?
On a flight from Seattle I began talking with the lady next to me. I asked her a few questions about her life; she asked about mine. Over the next while we began talking about Jesus. The people in the row in front and behind us became quiet – they had started to listen to our conversation.
Sometime after that flight I came across John 4 – that the fields of mankind are ready to be harvested, and began to wonder: If those 4 – 6 people around us on that flight were listening in on our conversation, how many others in the world want to hear the story about Christ in a way that would answer their deepest longings and questions, and make sense of their lives – Who am I? Why am I here? What is my meaning and purpose in life?
In an effort to restore the rapid spread of the gospel by God’s children, Breaking the Barriers has committed the next 5 years to:
1. Pinpoint what barriers inhibit un-believers today, by engaging in conversations with numerous lost people, to understand why they think the way they do, and find spiritual pathways into their lives that will free them to joyfully come to Christ.
At the same time, we want to…
2. Break through barriers inhibiting Christians and train them how to naturally and winsomely dialogue with people about who Jesus really is, point them to Christ, and, by God’s grace, disciple and train them in their new faith.
For decades I’ve felt compelled to converse with lost people. I’ve built relationships with unbelievers here in West Michigan and other cities. As of today, there are 75 lost young people in our area alone, whose parents are heartbroken that their adult child/children left the faith. In addition, a church plant in Lihue, Kuai, Hawaii, has asked for their church body to be trained on how to reach the lost people on the island, many whom live in poverty.
I’ve shared the gospel on planes, in coffee shops and restaurants and state parks, in pubs in north Florida, and on the beaches of Okaloosa Island.
Our ultimate goal is for every Christian in the country and around the world to learn how to communicate the gospel naturally, fearlessly, lovingly to their neighbors, acquaintances, and the random people God brings across their path. Then train and disciple them, in order to prepare new believers to bring the gospel to others, discipling 1 person a year, for the rest of their lives. If 60,000 people did this for 15 years, every person in the world would hear the gospel!
This is the impossible task that we’ve committed to, believing that in Christ all things are possible, and that this is what Jesus intended, for every generation and every follower!
For the rapid spread of His gospel,
Mart Novak
Executive Director