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 new life in Christ, and they joined in spreading the news about Christ.
A few centuries later something strange began to happen. The excitement and joy of sharing the gospel gradually diminished and over the next several centuries the church became institutionalized. That change would have far reaching affects in both the East and the West for over one and a half millennia. Invisible barriers grew between believers and unbelievers, and lead to the privatization of faith, which inhibited Christians from effectively spreading the gospel.
By the mid to late 20th century, instead of growing by new birth, many churches grew by attracting Christians from other churches, resulting in the further decline of the spread of the gospel. What took the place of explosive growth in earlier centuries was a reshuffling of the Christian community. And the lost people? Well sadly, they were lost in the shuffle.
The New Testament is replete with passages showing 1st century Christians frequently telling others about Christ. They knew this was critical if the gospel was to spread throughout the world. Here are a few of the passages:
“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.” Jesus, in Matthew 28
“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.” Jesus, in Acts 1
Now those who were scattered went about speaking the Word to others. Acts 4
“…I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” Paul, in 1 Corinthians 9
“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.” Paul, in Ephesians 6
“And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.” Peter, in 1 Peter 3
This had always been the way in which Jesus’ kingdom would spread, His church would grow, and He would restore humankind and the world to Himself! That’s why He said in John 4 that now, “the fields are ripe or white for harvest.” And then Jesus shows this is so, when the entire town of Sychar believes Him!
After Christ’s Resurrection and Pentecost we should have seen in every generation since, 100’s of 1,000’s of people coming to Christ. Imagine what kind of world it would be now if the majority of Christians in every generation for the last 500 years had talked to others about Christ!
Jesus’ resurrection and the giving of the Holy Spirit had set the stage for this to be the norm, so that it could 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
So why, throughout the centuries, were so few telling others about Him? What caused this phenomenon? Why were so many Christians, who wanted lost people to know God, having such a hard time talking about Him? They were comfortable talking about church ministries, programs, praise bands, youth groups, Sunday School classes, and doctrine; they talked about the plight of the world, the loss of morality, suffering, but they rarely talked about Jesus – the main Person Christians had talked about for the first two centuries!
These are the most crucial questions of our time, the answers to which have power to transform churches as we now know them, and bring whole nations back into Christ’s family.
While, along the centuries, there are numerous inhibitors, 2 major barriers today deter 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.
Consider this: What if what Jesus said in John 4 is true — that the fields of lost souls today 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 and in a way that ‘connected’ with where they were at in life?
On a flight from Seattle I began talking with a lady sitting 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.
After that flight I came across John 4 – the fields of humankind are ready to be harvested, and I began wondering: If those folks around us were listening to 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?
To restore the rapid spread of the gospel by God’s children, Breaking the Barriers has committed the next 5 years to:
1. Pinpoint today’s barriers that inhibit un-believers from coming to Christ, by engaging in numerous conversations with lost people, and…
2. Find effective ways that connect the gospel with their hearts in culturally relevant ways
At the same time we need to…
3. Break through barriers that inhibit Christians, by training them to know what to say and how to say it
For decades I’ve conversed with scores of lost people, building relationships here in West Michigan and other cities. I’m part of a prayer letter where the parents of 75 lost young people in our community (and there are 100’s more), are heartbroken that their adult child/children have left the faith. In addition, a church plant in Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii, has asked for their church to be trained on how to reach lost people on their island, many of whom live in poverty.
I’ve shared the gospel on planes, in coffee shops and restaurants, in state parks, 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 realize that many of the lost are hungry for the gospel and don’t know it. Christians need to learn how to communicate the gospel in winsome ways, to their neighbors, acquaintances and random people God brings across their path. They’ll need to train and disciple new believers, and prepare them to bring the gospel to others, setting as a goal the discipling of1 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 we’ve been called to. But in Christ, everything He commands and intends for this world is possible, including the rescue of those still lost.
For the rapid spread of His gospel,
Mart Novak
Executive Director