I was preparing for a Bible study and came across Acts 19:8-10,
8 He entered the synagogue and for three months spoke out boldly and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 When some stubbornly refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way before the congregation, he left them, taking the disciples with him, and argued daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.[a] 10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.
Acts 19:8-10 (NRSVue)
Here, Paul’s persistence stands out. When he’s not accepted at the synagogue, he finds a different venue and continues to teach. His teaching method here is described as “arguing” (NRSVue), but other translations can be “reasoning” (ESV) or “persuading” (LSB). On this, the ESV Study Bible writes that “Witnessing for Christ was a matter of patient persuasion.” The text places Paul at the hall of Tyrannus, persuading daily for two years. Some manuscripts add that this occurred during the typical afternoon break hours (11am-4pm). So, in a modern context, Paul may have used his lunch break every day for two years to witness and teach the disciples at Ephesus. The end result, according to the text, is that the word of the Lord was spread across all of the Asian Province.
When it comes to evangelism, we can be drawn to the grandeur of unbelievable miracles leading to conversions by the hundreds. The events at Pentecost are great, but there is another side to evangelism that doesn’t include the big miracles and the overnight conversions. Patience and perseverance are also marks of good evangelism. This is reinforced by Paul’s words to Timothy,
24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, 25 correcting opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth 26 and that they may escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.[a]
2 Timothy 2:24-26 (NRSVue)
So, I would encourage the Christian evangelist to be patient and to trust God. In the end, it is God who grants repentance and helps the listener escape from the snare of the devil. The fact that the work is not done by us, also means that the glory does not belong to us. And this should bring us comfort and encouragement.
I first wrote this as a series of posts on X.