Skip to main contentHistorical Examples — Evangelism
203 illustrations
The Grave in the Garden Becomes a Prophet of Resurrection
In Palestine, the Passover coincided with harvest's first fruits—*aparche*—ready for Temple presentation.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4Universalhistorical fact as foundation of faithnature as witness to redemption
Alexander Maclaren239 words
Paul's Humble Posture: Preacher as Fellow Receiver
He does not stand above his audience as one who possesses the message of salvation and dispenses it downward.
Acts 13:26-39
The Able Minister: Natural Gifts and Spiritual Qualifications
An able minister requires two foundational elements: natural endowments and spiritual qualities.
2 Corinthians 1:6Universalministerial calling
Calling Upon the Lord's Name: Nature, Condition, and Scope
First, its nature: deliverance FROM the guilt of sin, the power of sin, and the punishment of sin; deliverance TO acceptance with God, conquest of evil, and Heaven itself.
Acts 1:21Universalcalling upon God
Follow Me: The Master's Call to Imitation and Service
The Victorian expositor understood this command as operating on five essential dimensions.
Matthew 4:19Universalfollowing Christ as Teacher and Example
Christ Cannot Be Hidden: The Paradox of Humble Power
Christ was the reputed son of a village carpenter, a poor despised Nazarene—yet His fame spread abroad.
Mark 5:24Universalthe hiddenness and revelation of Christ
The Christian's Inescapable Obligation to Proclaim
The commission 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature' was not spoken to the eleven apostles alone, but to all generations of Christ's Church.
1 Corinthians 9:16-17
The Church as Christ's Body: Presence, Mind, and Instrument
True Christians manifest Christ's personal *presence* among men.
1 Corinthians 10:27Universalecclesiology
Scattered Coals: Unnamed Men Who Changed Church History
These unnamed men, bearing no vision, no command from Jerusalem, no precedent to guide them—only truth in their minds and the impulses of Christ's love in their hearts—solved the question that had vexed the apostles: whether salvation belonged to Gentiles.
Christ's Departure as the Disciples' Greatest Gain
They possessed nothing—no influence, no numbers, no world support.
John 16:7-8
Is the Lord's Hand Shortened? God's Challenge to Faith
God's purpose is explicit: "God hath sent His Son into the world, that the world through Him might be saved." Yet formidable obstacles obscure this gracious design.
Leviticus 10:23
The Beggar's Healing: Proof of Jesus' Power
For that indeed a notable miracle hath been done ...
Acts 3:16Universaldivine power manifest in weakness
The Apostolic Power: Four Pillars of Resurrection Witness
The authority of their testimony rested on four unmistakable foundations.
Acts 3:33Universaltestimony and evidence
The King of Glory Demands Entry at Heaven's Gate
This ancient custom illuminates Psalm 24:8—"Who is this King of glory?
Psalms 24:8UniversalChrist's sovereignty
The Word of the Cross Speaks for Itself
Paul renounced the "wisdom of words" because human eloquence veils the gospel's truth.
1 Corinthians 1:18Universalthe sufficiency of Christ
The Baptist's Magnificent Self-Suppression Points Disciples Away
His words, 'Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world!' are prophecy's swan-song, its final *Eureka!* uttered as it dies.
John 1:37-39
The Martyr's Fire Lights Others to Martyrdom
Among those who reverently buried the martyr were devout men—not disciples, but Hellenistic Jews, perhaps from the very synagogue whose members had disputed with Stephen and dragged him before the council.
Acts 8:1-17
An Apparent Stumbling-Block Becomes Proof of Truth
Thirty years later, when Jesus began His ministry, the wonder seemed utterly forgotten.
Luke 2:8-20
Gallio's Fatal Blindness to History's True Power
As Maclaren observes, this Roman official embodied the practical man's contempt for mere ideas, the statesman's faith in visible force and authority alone.
Acts 18:14-15
Christ's Division: When Faith Separates Families
Because all members share identical stakes in eternity.
Matthew 10:35Universalcost of faith
Gamaliel's Pragmatism: When Enemies of Enemies Become Unlikely Allies
His counsel to leave the apostles unmolested was not born from sympathy with Christian truth, but from a shrewd political calculus: the Pharisees and Sadducees were locked in bitter theological combat over the resurrection, and these Galileans preaching *anastasis* (resurrection)...
Baptism Without Repentance: The Viper's False Security
They streamed into the wilderness seeking baptism as a *talisman*, a magical protection against coming judgment.
Luke 3:144
John's Desert Ministry: Why the Crowds Sought the Baptist
The Pharisees came, bound by scrupulous external observance and self-satisfied pride.
Mark 1:6Universalauthenticity versus hypocrisy
Appreciation as the Elevating Force in Human Nature
You cannot bring forth the best in someone if you do not believe the best exists within him.
Matthew 9:11Universaldignity of the despised
Universal
authentic witness
rhetorical humility
Alexander Maclaren249 words
spiritual qualifications
spiritual desperation
imitation of Jesus's sacrificial purpose
authentic virtue versus ostentation
Universal
obligation and grace
joy in service
Alexander Maclaren253 words
incarnational presence
Acts 11:20-21
Universal
unknown faithfulness
providential history
Alexander Maclaren239 words
Universal
apparent loss as spiritual gain
the Holy Spirit's empowering presence
Alexander Maclaren246 words
Universal
God's power and purpose
human doubt versus divine sufficiency
persecution advancing the Gospel
apostolic authority
universal dominion of Christ
rejecting human eloquence for divine truth
Universal
self-suppression in service
faithful decrease
Alexander Maclaren230 words
Universal
persecution as providence
witnessing through martyrdom
Alexander Maclaren238 words
Universal
divine authenticity
humble truth
Alexander Maclaren234 words
Universal
the power of spiritual truth over temporal authority
human blindness to God's purposes
Alexander Maclaren234 words
divided households
Acts 5:38-39Universalprovidence working through human limitationworldly prudence versus spiritual discernment
Alexander Maclaren233 words
Universal
false security in external religion
repentance as prerequisite for grace
Alexander Maclaren228 words
the power of spiritual integrity
transformative love