One of the major callings of God is the call of an evangelist. An evangelist has a special mission to reach out to the world and tell people about Jesus. The evangelist has an intense love for the lost, and God uses them to proclaim the gospel. The power of an evangelist comes from God. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit empowers the evangelist to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, so the evangelist operates in the spiritual realm. Evangelism is not done through intellect or human wisdom. Although evangelist is a specific call, all Christians are called to evangelize on some level.
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” (1 Peter 3:15). God will place all of his children in positions where he wants them to tell the unsaved about Jesus. This is not limited to the evangelist. Although you may have another calling, God will use you to evangelize the lost. There are important points that you should remember when telling others about Jesus; only the Holy Spirit can bring the lost to Christ, just because your message was rejected does not mean that something was not accomplished, and the ultimate message must be the gospel.
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44). The only way that a person can come to God is if they are drawn by the Holy Spirit. God uses his children as vessels, but the power to save is found only in God. It is a mistake to believe that you, the Christian witness, is the one who is doing the saving. If you have this mindset, you can actually stifle the flow of God’s Spirit. We witness to others with an attitude of submission to God’s Spirit. We listen for his voice, follow his guidance, and step back and allow his power to flow through us. What if the person does not listen to the gospel?
First of all, we need to understand that most people will reject the gospel. “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). The Bible tells us that most people will not be saved. We need to understand this when we witness to others so that we do not become discouraged when we face vigorous rejection. However, sometimes our witnessing actually starts a person on the path to salvation. “I have plannted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth: but God that giveth the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). Many times our preaching the gospel plants seeds into the spirit of a person. At a later time, another believer will come along and water that seed. And as we see, it is God who will bring about regeneration. The last point concerns our ultimate message to the unsaved.
“God loves you and has a plan for your life.” This is a true message, but it is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many people attempt to be sort of “seeker friendly” when they tell others about Christ because they do not want to offend them. However, this is not effective in leading anyone to Christ. If you are using any message that is not the gospel, as the gospel, you are actually proclaiming a false gospel. And a false gospel cannot bring anyone to salvation. The Apostle Paul has defined the gospel. “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain, For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The gospel message is centered on Jesus and it speaks of his death, burial, and resurrection. It also speaks of sin. Christ died for our sins, yes sins. Sin has become a 4 letter word for the seeker friendly evangelist. However, we must tell people that sin is their problem, but Christ is the solution. You cannot offer people an antidote without telling them about the condition. Seeker friendly evangelists create what is called false converts, people who respond to the evangelist’s message but not to God. We do not have to go full blast about the unbeliever being a sinner, but we must address the issue of sin if we are preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Be wise when you are sharing the Gospel.
God will require all of his children to be a witness of Christ. We must have an understanding of the gospel and our role in the salvation process. We tell people about Jesus, and we rely on God’s power to back up our words. The Holy Spirit will bring about spiritual regeneration in his time. Our duty is to be true to the gospel and to trust in the love and power of God.
Grace and Faith Ministries 