What comes to mind when you hear that someone is called an "evangelist"? Perhaps you think of a big meeting where people come to listen to a famous preacher, such as Billy Graham or Greg Laurie, proclaim the gospel and then invite people to receive Jesus through a ritual of coming forward or raising their hands to announce their intentions to follow Jesus.
Or maybe you're thinking of a preacher who visits churches for "revivals" that look like a smaller version of the big meeting evangelistic events. Others have heard evangelists out on the street shouting to get people's attention and hopefully draw a crowd to hear the gospel proclaimed. Still, others think of a quiet soft-spoken person who came alongside them at some point to gently explain who Jesus is and how to have a relationship with him.
Other evangelists use Facebook or TikTok to share the gospel through stories. Some evangelists have radio shows and some make evangelistic movies. Some evangelists work as missionaries in a cross-cultural setting to bring the gospel to an unreached group of people.
There are a lot of different types of evangelists.
In the Bible the apostle Paul tells Timothy to "do the work of an evangelist..." (2 Timothy 4:5). The word translated as evangelist is εὐαγγελιστοῦ (euaggelistori). This is someone who delivers good news. In a sense we're all called to be evangelists—looking for and eager to share the good news of Jesus with everyone we can.
There are, however, some people who seem to be extraordinarily effective at sharing the gospel with people. It's as though God has given them a special gift for doing this. Indeed, in Ephesians 4:11 the apostle says that Christ gave the church some people to be "...apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers..."
Sometimes it's hard to distinguish between an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher. And how one evangelizes can look different in different contexts. I love the story of Philip in Acts 8:26-40. He's on the road in the middle of nowhere and the Holy Spirit tells him to approach a chariot carrying a government official. Philip shares the good news of Jesus with the man and then he baptizes him. Suddenly, the Spirit whisks Philip away and he finds himself in a different place, where he continues his evangelistic ministry through preaching. In one setting Philip is doing a one-on-one presentation of the gospel; then in the next setting, he is preaching. Very inspiring!
We're all called to do evangelism but some people, such as Philip, have a special calling. Even though we want to be supportive of those with these special callings, in this course we want to focus on equipping ordinary people to do the work of evangelism. You don't have to be gifted or a super Christian (if there is such a thing!) before God uses you as an evangelist.
For this assignment, send me an email explaining how you think you might be able to reach people with the gospel. Is your vision to share the story of Jesus with a few friends or neighbors as you're drinking tea together? Or has God planted a vision for reaching children or youth with the gospel? Or maybe you'd like to be involved in some type of social media, radio, or sports evangelism. Or perhaps God is giving you a vision for reaching people through large meetings.
The email can be short or long. I want to hear what you're thinking and why.
This assignment is worth up to 25 points.
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