Friday, January 4, 2019

The Evangelist's Job

Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. - Acts 8:4

The early church suffered persecution for proclaiming Jesus Christ had risen from the dead and was the Savior of the world. This led to their being scattered throughout Israel. They fled for their safety from Jerusalem. Then they huddled in homes with fear until the danger past. Not! The gospel continued to be proclaimed with boldness. The question is: By whom? The answer—by everyone!
The only way to impact a world with the radical message of Jesus Christ is when every believer is committed to the cause. “Isn’t that the job of the evangelist?” some may ask. Yes, evangelists should call people to turn to Jesus Christ for salvation. But their job is much, much more! The evangelist is to equip all Christ’s followers to evangelize, as we read in Ephesians 4:11: “And He gave some as . . . evangelists . . . for the equipping of the saints for the work of service.” Their job is to model, train, and inspire all the saints to sincerely care enough about unbelievers so that they share Christ with them in word and deed. They should inspire all the saints to live exemplary lives where Jesus Christ is seen in their marriages, friendships, at work, and at home.
Evangelism is much more than a message; it’s revealing Jesus Christ alive in us! In my opinion, the evangelist has failed if he or she does all the evangelizing. Furthermore, evangelism is much more than learning a gospel presentation and going out to share it with others. It is developing a heart of compassion for those who don’t know Christ yet, praying fervently for them to be saved, and sincerely caring about them. The lost are not to be viewed as our projects! God, help all of us today to have Your compassion for unbelievers.

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