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Christ’s command is clear: We are to witness for him to the most distant part of the earth. Powerful clergymen tried to stop the first apostles, but these had to answer "We cannot stop speaking about the things we have seen and heard." They had just seen Christ raised from death, they had seen him rise up into the sky to heaven. Then the holy spirit had been poured out on them. This spirit like tongues of fire had given them power to speak boldly in many languages about the magnificent things of God. The wonderful news of salvation was like a 'fire in their bones' which they simply could not suppress. From that day forward they used every reasonable and appropriate means to spread this glorious truth to all mankind. They spoke before crowds gathered in market squares, they ran alongside chariots going down the road, they knocked on doors, they sat down with people in their homes, they sought out people gathered by a river's edge, they wrote letters. If they had had telephones, radio or internet, they would have used them. —Acts 1:8, 4:5-20, 2:1-11, Jeremiah 20:9.

Acts 1:8:
You will receive power when the holy spirit arrives upon you, and you will be witnesses of me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the most distant part of the earth.
Acts 4:5-20: (edited for length)
The next day there took place in Jerusalem the gathering together of their rulers and older men and scribes . . . and they stood them in their midst and began to inquire: "By what power or in whose name did you do this [miracle]?" 8 Then Peter, filled with holy spirit, said to them: "Rulers of the people and older men, if we are this day being examined, on the basis of a good deed to an ailing man, as to by whom this man has been made well, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you impaled but whom God raised up from the dead, by this one does this man stand here sound in front of you. . . . 12 there is no salvation in anyone else, for there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved." 13 Now when they saw the outspokenness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were men unlettered and ordinary, they got to wondering. And they began to recognize about them that they used to be with Jesus; 14 and as they were looking at the man that had been cured standing with them, they had nothing to say in rebuttal. 15 So they commanded them to go outside the Sanhedrin hall, and they began consulting with one another, 16 saying: "What shall we do with these men? Because, for a fact, a noteworthy sign has occurred through them, one manifest to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. 17 Nevertheless, in order that it may not be spread abroad further among the people, let us tell them with threats not to speak anymore upon the basis of this name to any man at all." 18 With that they called them and charged them, nowhere to make any utterance or to teach upon the basis of the name of Jesus. 19 But in reply Peter and John said to them: "Whether it is righteous in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, judge for yourselves. 20 But as for us, we cannot stop speaking about the things we have seen and heard.""
Acts 2:1-11:
Now while the day of the [festival of] Pentecost was in progress they were all together at the same place, 2 and suddenly there occurred from heaven a noise like a rushing stiff breeze, and it filled the whole house in which they were sitting. 3 And tongues as if of fire appeared and were distributed about, one upon each one of them, 4 and they all were filled with holy spirit and started to speak with different tongues, just as the spirit was giving to them to speak. 5 As it was, there were dwelling in Jerusalem reverent Jews from every nation on earth. 6 So when this sound occurred, a crowd gathered and were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Indeed, they were astonished and began to wonder and say: "See here, all these who are speaking are Galileans, are they not? 8 And yet how is it we are hearing, each one of us, his own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, and Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and the [district of] Asia, 10 and Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya, which is toward Cyrene, and sojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our tongues about the magnificent things of God."
Jeremiah 20:9 — I said: "I am not going to make mention of him, and I shall speak no more in his name." And in my heart it proved to be like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I got tired of holding in, and I was unable to endure it."

Acts 5:42 — Every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus.
Acts 20:20, 21 — I did not hold back from telling you anything good for you, nor from teaching you publicly and from house to house. I thoroughly bore witness both to Jews and to Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.

Should preaching house-to-house be the primary method used today because it was the early Christians’ signature method? Actually, house-to-house is mentioned only twice in the entire account of their activity (Acts 5:42; 20:20, 21), both times with an alternate method also named. So it does not seem to have been viewed as the overwhelmingly dominant method at the time; other methods receive more prominence in the accounts. Of course, serious conversation is easier in a person's comfortable home, away from the interference and distraction of public places. So initially contacting people at their houses is reasonable, if they would only stay home enough. Unfortunately, today neighborhoods are often up to 90% empty during the daytime (and a nighttime knock on the door is unlikely to be well received). Surely the early Christians would not have blindly emphasized methods that became ineffective. They would have continued door-to-door insofar as it worked, but they would have also sought out other ways to reach people.

For centuries Christians have used the printing press to spread the word. A page can continue to "speak" long after the person who left it is gone; it can be consulted many times, pondered over, studied. It cannot, however, respond to all questions the reader may have, so it cannot replace personal contact. More recently, many have used radio to project their voice earthwide, and then TV to add visual communication. These have their place, but they are not ideal ways to witness. Public media are subject to control first by government, which "owns" the channels, and by private owners of the hardware, who may censor at will. They are also very expensive and scheduled very tightly. The Internet now bypasses some of those limitations. In the "blogosphere" any wild and crazy (and sane and reasonable) viewpoint can be published from any basement or kitchen table. Christians are rightly interested in the possibilities.

Any method can be used badly. Christians want to "preach the word, be at it urgently" but at the same time they want to 'do all things for God's glory, and not be stumbling others.' —2 Timothy 4:2, 1 Corinthians 10:31-33. Here are some things to be careful of when publishing on the internet:

First, anyone who writes has to beware of copyright law. In a free country, you can comment on and develop other's views freely, which includes quoting them as needed. 'Fair Use' statutes permit excerpting for educational purposes. But you cannot republish another's substantial work without permission, even if you attribute it to them properly. The perversity of the law is that if they allow you to do that without protest, they may lose forever their control over that work. Even if you have done it without their knowledge, this places their rights at some risk. They have to act when they learn of it, if only to establish that you now have permission. Under those circumstances, would they extend that favor? (Of course, God holds the copyright over His word, and grants his people full rights to publish it anywhere. Modern translators cannot hold it hostage just because they produced a fresh wording of it.) So if you wish to give witness to your faith by website, be aware that you must write your own copy. This site follows that rule.

Second, anyone who writes wishes to be read. So do your best. Study the art, learn to spell, understand grammar. Hopefully you have some natural talent too. And if God is pleased, he will help. Above all, be humble. If you would do it for attention, don't. It isn't about you.

The internet also allows for interactivity. Some have tried witnessing by chat or debating by forum. That is not much different from conversing with a person face-to-face (in a very public place), except for one thing: in person, you could read the situation more accurately. Online, some have been caught up in lengthy and fruitless discussion with spiritual perverts whose aim is at least to waste your time, or even worse, to corrupt your heart. So realize that online is usually not a good way to witness (at length) to strangers one-on-one. For that reason, this site does not engage in prolonged email exchanges. We will respond to a sincere comment or suggestion, and give a brief answer to a thoughtful question. Beyond that we refer the visitor to other sources of help.

If you like this online book, we hope you will recommend it to others. You may also print out any part of it for yourself and for persons close to you. Of course, include a note as to where you got it. If you add any commentary, make what is yours clearly distinct. There are no plans to print a bound version at this time; if you wish to publish it contact us first. ©1993-present by Stan Jones.

About the author: After doing a Google on "Stan Jones" I thought it prudent to add this disclaimer: No, I am not the blue senator in Montana; I do not write mystery books in Alaska; I have no Ph.D and haven't written any books other than Finding the Purpose of Life; I haven't written any music. I do not appear at all on the first 25 pages (I quit looking at that point) Google serves up on that name (which is OK by me). I am just a blue-collar workman in rural Alabama with about 40 years of experience teaching the Bible at the layman's level. I read the scholarly arguments, but believe the Bible is best understood (and taught) simply. One does not have to be a sophisticate or an expert in dead languages to understand it correctly, provided one is careful, reasonable and humble before God.