Each One Reach One
A
by William Mundt
n abbreviated history of missions is this: Peter wrote, “Be prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). And believers were prepared to make a defence. And they did. Believers considered it an honour and a privilege to talk about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and the difference Christ made in their lives. Initially, mission was a lot of “each one reach one.” Christians talked about their faith with relatives, friends, employers (even slaves witnessed to their masters), and acquaintances so much that pagans complained. Celsus, an outspoken critic, objected to Christian craftsmen sharing their faith while at work in private homes, as if they knew better than the head of the house what was true. When severe persecution scattered all but the apostles, “those who were scattered went about preaching the Word” (Acts 8:4). Christian evangelism was unique in this way. Milton Rudnick, former president at Concordia Lutheran Seminary in Edmonton, provides insights in his 1984 book Speaking the Gospel Through the Ages. “From the very beginning,” he writes, “people who encountered Jesus
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THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN | January/February 2022
were moved to tell others about Him.” The most important method of evangelism was personal conversation. As Peter said, “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:19). As the church grew, evangelism became more organized. Public preaching became a standard and effective outreach. Prospective Christians were invited to attend worship (at least portions of the service). Great preachers attracted even non-Christians. Literature was used extensively. Apologetic writings defended the faith against false accusations. Evangelistic tracts pleaded with readers, Rudnick says, to “accept Christ as a superior alternative.” The impulse to share was reinforced by the command to share. Jesus sent out not only the Twelve but other disciples too (Luke 10). After His resurrection, the command to tell was emphatically stressed (Matthew 28:19-20). Initially, the strategy seems to have been “tell everyone.” “In a way,” Rudnick notes, “the evangelizing of the Roman world just happened as Christians shared their faith wherever they happened to be.” There was more to it than just that, of course: mission trips were planned, workers commissioned and sent out, letters (epistles) written and circulated,
