The Gospel accounts of Jesus’ evangelistic ministry are the single source used by Dr. Coleman in this volume. Jesus’ plan while He walked the earth was the focused mission of the salvation of the world. In order to do this He had a plan that He would choose a few men in whom He would invest His time. Over the course of three years, He would teach these men the principles which would lead to worldwide salvation of multitudes. The principles which governed Jesus’ teaching to the disciples were: 1) Selection; 2) Association; 3) Consecration; 4) Impartation; 5) Demonstration; 6) Delegation; 7) Supervision; and 8) Reproduction. On these eight principles, God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, realized His grand purpose to redeem for Himself “persons from every nation, tribe, people, and language. . .”3 …show more content…
Coleman as being the evangelistic strategy used by Jesus, the Master. All of the eight principles are valuable and useful in the task of evangelism.
Selection
The first principle in Jesus’ evangelism plan was selection. The objective of his plan and purpose was to teach a small group of twelve men. These men would in turn bear witness of His life on earth and continue His work by reaching the multitude. The men chosen by Jesus were not scribes and Pharisees. They were uneducated men with good hearts. Most importantly, they were teachable. Jesus selected a group small enough so that His work among them would be effective. “[T]he more concentrated the size of the group being taught, the greater the opportunity for effective instruction.”4 The strength of the principle of selection lies in the number of people selected. Jesus was able to mold and shape the character of these men by giving focused and concentrated attention to them. Their personalities were changed from “compulsive, temperamental, and easily offended”5 to deliberate, patient, and loving apostles of the