lan Warner
The gift of evangelism is the one spiritual gift everyone knows is needed and everyone wants to see happen but no one wants to do it themselves. Sort of like being waste management in the modern world. Everyone wants it to be done but no one wants to be the one to do it. In Matthew 28, Jesus calls us to Go and make disciples of all nations. How can this be done without the evangelist? To know how to use the gift of evangelism, you must first come to grips with how important it is. The biblical mission cannot be filled without it, in the same we that we need apostles, shepherds, teachers, and prophets.
Evangelism gets a negative wrap. Too many people it’s going out and being annoying as you never stop talking about Jesus. That is the wrong way to think about it. Someone gifted in evangelism is gifted in helping people to see how the Gospel meets our every need. The person who is lonely can find comfort in Jesus. The person who is restless can find peace in Jesus. Our Lord and Savior have the ability to meet our every need. We try and run to sex, drugs, work, money and so many other things to make us feel whole. The reality is that all we need is him. He is enough!
Every Christian Has the Gift
This is disappointing news for many Christians who want to see others do the work of evangelism. Go to any church and you will see people so excited to see their church growing, new people giving their life to Christ, and getting baptized. What you don’t see are people who are ready to get off of the bench and get in the game. If you believe in Christ it means you talk to non-Christians about Jesus.
Everyone has a gift but it’s to varying degrees. Every Christian can teach others about the Bible but again, it’s to varying degrees that these gifts are expressed. You may not have the gift as much as that one person you know in the church who brings a new person every week and that is ok. You still have a part to play and you can probably reach people that no one else can.
Think about the number of people who want to know God more through the study of scripture. This is fantastic but how many people read through scriptures specifically with the lens of telling other people about it? A lot of people want to be filled but not as many people want to go and fill others with the truth of who Jesus is.
Build The Body With The Gift of Evangelism
The gift of evangelism builds the body because it helps people to know how to talk about who Jesus is. Churches need evangelists to stop things from becoming stagnant and becoming a church that only looks inward. An inward church is concerned about how is disciplining them. We all need to get filled up, I have had pastors take the time to pour a lot into me. But it’s a shame if I don’t take what I learn and go and pour that into others.
If you want to use your gift of evangelism in your church body, help and encourage others to share their faith. Help them to see the opportunities to share the Gospel in all of the places where they spend time. Help people to see that they know enough but they need to be willing to open their mouths and speak.
Romans 10:14-15
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Encourage People to Use Your Words and Share Their Stories
A lot of people want to focus on only building relationships but it’s not enough. That is only one side of the equation. Relationships will get people to listen but it will not close the sale if you don’t open your mouth about what God has to offer them. Everyone has a friend they are really close with but they never talk about Jesus. Why is that? Most of the time it’s because you have given up.
One of the easiest ways to use the gift of evangelism is to think more about transformation in Christ than just talking about scripture. Sometimes you may not know the verse or where in the Bible something is. But what you never forget is how Jesus changed your heart from being a lover of sin to being a lover of righteousness.
Your story is not really your story anyway. Your story belongs to God because you were purchased with a price. Your salvation costs Jesus his life. He had to take on the full wrath of God so that you could be saved. You went from being completely dead in the flesh to have the light of God in you. That is an amazing story that is worth telling.
Excite People About the Possibilities
Evangelists can get a congregation excited about who you could be sharing the Gospel with. Maybe some refugees live around your church. Or maybe there is a population that is in need of the gospel that you have not reached yet. The evangelist sees those who have not been reached and get people excited about what the church will look like with them.
The great commission is something that most Christians know but they know it so well it can become easy to just gloss by it and keep it moving in life. The great commission should get everyone in the church excited. It’s not about being a global missionary. You should be excited about being a local missionary right where you live.
Don’t Just Love It When Someone Else is Doing It
Like I said earlier, every Christian is an evangelist. If you are actively wanting to use this gift, then help others to see that it’s not for the select few in the congregation. Everyone needs to get on it and it’s not ok to just wait around for others to do it. Look at this from a parenting standpoint. Most people know and agree that mothers are warmer and have an attachment with babies much quicker but this does not mean dads have no role.
The same is true with evangelism. It’s easy to feel like there is no role for some people. Maybe they are too shy, too in-depth, not in-depth enough with theology or they just don’t have the communication spark. Guess what, God is the one who changes hearts and converts. We have to be faithful and bring the word!
There is a Massive Need to Bring Clarity to The Gospel Today
One of the saddest things about the Gospel today is the fact that so many people have no idea what it is. But they think they know! They think they understand what the Gospel is but they are really just confused. If you don’t believe me go and ask someone to tell you what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is and you will be shocked by the answers. Yet people who have never picked up a bible in their life will tell you that The Bible is this or that and they have never read it!
Bring clarity to the Gospel.
- Who is God?
- Who are we?
- What did God do?
- How do we respond to what God did?
Get people to be able to answer these four questions. We have to know God’s amazing character. Then we need to understand our nature is to Sin because of Adam. But the story does not end there. God loves us so much that he sent his only son Jesus Christ to die for us on the Cross in our place. He died the death we deserved. How do we respond to this amazing news? We repent and confess that Jesus is Lord.
Make this clear for people. If people are going to reject the Gospel they need to understand what they are rejecting. They should not go away thinking they reject that the bible is sexist. When people reject the word of God they are rejecting something much larger. They are rejecting God’s plan for salvation for this world.
Pray For The Gift and Opportunities to Use It
When the Gospels say ask and it will be given, people often misuse this scripture to pray for things God has not promised. God is not going to just send you a million dollars because you prayed for it. But if you pray for the gift of evangelism to increase for his Glory he will give it to you. Why would he not give you something that is promised to us as Christians? If you are asking for it to build his kingdom and glorify his name it will be yours.
People in the church will pray for a new pastor, healing, and all sorts of things but forget to pray for some of the things we have been called to do but don’t do. Make it a regular part of your prayer life to pray for the gift of evangelism for yourself and others in your congregation.
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