A Good Evangelism Goal

Paul's outreach efforts in the first-century city of Ephesus yielded remarkable results, yet Luke did not record these results as a headcount of total converts. He described instead the scope of the surrounding population which had heard the gospel, regardless of how many had believed. Over the course of three years, thousands of people from diverse backgrounds had "heard the word of the Lord Jesus" as a result of Paul's teaching ministry there (Acts 19:10; 20:31). From this one location, the truth about Jesus had reached the ears of people throughout the region of Asia Minor, which was geographically equivalent to the majority of modern Turkey. Altogether, this region included notable cities such as: Colossae, Laodicea, Hierapolis, Philadelphia, Sardis, Smyrna, Thyatira, Pergamum, Troas, Assos, Mitylene, and Miletus.

Luke did not record these results as a headcount of total converts.

To accomplish this feat, Paul did not personally speak to the people in all of these cities and outlying areas himself. The city of Ephesus served as a significant hub for commerce and trade, and especially for religious tourism. It was, in fact, one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire. People traveled there to visit the Temple of Diana, one of the seven man-made wonders of the ancient world. This perpetual stream of coming and going exposed many people to the teaching of Paul, as he spoke at first in a Jewish synagogue for at least three months (Acts 19:8), followed by two years of ministry from a public lecture hall (Acts 19:9-10). As people heard the truth about Jesus from Paul, they would have carried this news back home with them by word of mouth. It also appears that some of Paul's affiliates planted churches during this time in the cities of Colosse, Laodicea, and Hierapolis, each situated in or around the nearby Lycus River Valley. Whatever the case, Paul's outreach efforts expanded far beyond his local teaching hub so that people throughout the region "heard the word of the Lord."Have you or your church evaluated your outreach strategy this way? If not, I encourage you to do so.

• First ask yourself, "To what region may I / we reasonably spread the word of the Lord?" What is your Asia Minor?
• Then ask yourself, "How can I / we take steps towards exposing as many people as possible to the gospel message throughout that region?" What is your synagogue and public lecture hall and what is your church planting strategy?

At Faith Baptist Church, we have identified our "region" as the Queens Borough of New York City, stating our mission in this way:

To demonstrate our love for God in the Queens Borough, leading people of all ages to become joyful followers of Jesus.

To accomplish this mission, we have provided training and encouragement for our members to be witnesses for Jesus - at work, at home, at school, and in whatever other venues God places them throughout our borough. We have also launched a street fair evangelism booth, which we set up for entire Saturdays at street fairs in outlying Queens communities. Furthermore, we have assisted area church plants in our borough, such as Grace Baptist Church (Forest Hills), Bible Baptist Church (Jackson Heights), and Calvary Life Baptist Church (Glendale). We have a long way to go, but these are steps in the right direction as we pray and labor at Faith Baptist Church so that all those who live in the Queens Borough will "hear the Word of the Lord." May God enable us to that end, and may he do the same for you and your church as well!