Resolved: Supernatural phenomena as the primary method of evangelization is God's intention for the

ï¿½My opponent is certainly well qualified to answer this debate challenge. ï¿½I look forward to an intriguing exchange. 1. The Great Commission The Great Commission was Jesus's final message to his disciples. ï¿½After three years of "school," the Great Commission was the "commencement address" for the "graduates" of Jesus's three and one half ministry years on Earth. ï¿½ The following is the Great ï¿½Commission in the Gospel settings: Matthew 28:18-20 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Mark 16:15-16 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Luke 24:46-48 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things. John doesn't give us a Great Commission account similar to the above accounts; however, the following could pass for an individualized version of Jesus's final command: John 21:15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. The Mark account places the element of ï¿½urgency to the commission: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. " (16:16) Conclusion: ï¿½ 1) Evangelizing the world is high on God's priority list, if not TOP of the list. 2) There is an urgency to carry out this commission, as souls will be damned otherwise. 2. The Prerequisite to the Great Commission Although there was urgency in the Great Commission, Jesus's immediate command for his disciples following his departure was not to begin sharing the Gospel, nor to study the scriptures to prepare to share the Gospel. ï¿½The following was his command to them: Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. This was His command IMMEDIATELY following the Great Commission in Luke. ï¿½ This command was the ending of the Gospel account and the beginning of the Book of Acts: Acts 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. Conclusion: Although there is an urgency to evangelize; Jesus's prerequisite to evangelism was "wait[ing]" or "tarry[ing]" for the Promise from the Father, the "endue[ment] with power from on high. "ï¿½ What was this "power from on high" to which Jesus referred? ï¿½The best way to answer to this question is to read the account of what happened following their period of waiting: Acts 2:1-8 1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? What was the result of this miracle? It opened an opportunity for Peter to preach the Gospel, and: Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Then in the very next chapter, Acts 3:1-8 1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; 3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. 4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. 5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. 6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. 7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. What was the result of this miracle? First, another opportunity to share the gospel, and: Acts 4:4 Howbeit, many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand. Throughout the Book of Acts, there was a pattern: 1) The disciples tarried in prayer 2) Supernatural phenomena occurred 3) The phenomena opened the door for the sharing of the Gospel 4) Large numbers of souls were added to the Church. ï¿½ Of course, there may be slight variation on this pattern; but, most, if not all of the accounts of evangelism in the Early Church as recorded in the New Testament followed most of the steps of this pattern and involved supernatural phenomena. ï¿½I included the first two examples of evangelism via supernatural phenomena from the Book of Acts. ï¿½I could continue posting examples from Acts; however, we have a character limit. 3. A key element for the Great Commission Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Acts 16:30-31 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. Faith is an essential element in salvation; so producing faith is necessary to carrying out the Great Commission. ï¿½Paul tells us how faith should be produced: ï¿½ï¿½1 Corinthians 2:4-5 4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. As I mentioned in reference to the enduement of power, in the context of the New Testament "demonstration of the Spirit" and "power of God" are associated with supernatural phenomena. ï¿½ This is my contention: Enticing words of man's wisdom is not enough to produce faith. ï¿½(Try this method with an Atheist and you will not get far). ï¿½A Church that operates in demonstration of the Spirit with supernatural signs following believers is necessary to producing faith that will stand up to persecution and martyrdom and that will reach the morally declining American society. ï¿½Supernatural phenomena should not be a doctrine that Christians believe; they should be the modus operandi of the Church. ï¿½Supernatural phenomena as the primary method of evangelization is God's intention for the Church.