Acts: Everyone Heard (19:9,10)

“All who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” –Acts 19:10

This is an amazing verse, especially for those reading the book of Acts in the context of its missional instruction. How did everyone living in the province of Asia in Paul’s day hear the Gospel? What methods did the missionaries (Paul and his associates) use?

 

It might be helpful to think first of all about the methods that they did not use. They did not do door to door. They did not do tract distribution, gospel distribution, or the Jesus film. They held no evangelistic rallies or revivals. Paul was a tent-maker, but there is no mention of him holding tent meetings.

 

What Paul did do was meet regularly (daily) with his disciples and those who were interested and taught them his message. He started with the twelve disciples of John he had encountered and the followers he had raised teaching in the synagogue for three months. In all probability this was not a huge group of people. It was certainly not every Jew and Greek in the province of Asia.

 

The way the massage of the Gospel reached every person in the region through mere teaching was that Paul did not teach as most people think of teaching today. It was no theoretical class. The message of the Gospel is life changing and Paul’s teaching compelled people into action. This was obedience discipleship. The students practiced what they learned. As a result the message spread from city to city and household to household.

 

Not everyone accepted the Gospel through this ministry, though many did. This became a center of Christianity for its day. However many did become Christians, the Bible tells us that everyone had a chance to hear.