~ Evangelism Is Something I Do ~
Myth ~ Evangelism is something that I do myself. God expects me to save souls.
Reality ~ First we must recognize that according to Scripture evangelism is a spiritual gift. Second, Scripture tells us that all Christians should be a witness for Christ. A witness is only responsible for telling what they know first-hand. A good witness does not need in-depth theology. It is interesting that many people have no trouble witnessing to their co-workers the morning after attending a great sports or music event. Finally, the saving of souls is God’s responsibility – our responsibility is to be obedient to Scripture and the Holy Spirit’s direction in our lives.
We are God’s people. But evangelism is God’s work of which if we are obedient we may play a part.
Scripture
~ The New Testament contains a total of three
references to evangelism. Good hermeneutic (Biblical interpretation) principles
need to be used rather than accepting what has often been taught. Look at the
three references and what they clearly tell us.
Evangelism ~ The first reference to an evangelist in the Word
of God is in Acts 21:8, where we read: “Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea
and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven.” Notice the
clear use of the word as a title, similar to the way in which one today might
say “Billy Graham the evangelist.” Incidentally, Philip—the evangelist is to be
distinguished from Philip—the apostle.
The second reference is in Ephesians 4:11, dealing with spiritual gifts in the
church: “It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to
be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers.” The context clearly
speaks for itself.
The third time the word evangelist is used in the Word of God is in 2 Timothy
4:5, where we read Paul's charge to Timothy: “But you, keep your head in all
situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties
of your ministry.” Here we see the term used as a specific instruction to a
specific individual. “Do the work of an evangelist” again connotes a specific
type of calling. How Christians exercise the gift of evangelism may vary. Some
may conduct mass crusades while others are skilled in one-to-one evangelistic
efforts.
The word “evangelist” appears in Scripture in only three locations. It seems
clear from these references that not all Christians are called to be
evangelists and therefore are not necessarily commanded to do the work of an
evangelist (or to feel guilty about not doing so).
Witness ~ “You [all Christians] will receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes on you [all Christians]; and you [all Christians] will be
My witnesses” (Acts 1:8). All Christians are His witnesses whether they intend
to be or not! In other words, you cannot change God’s character—but you can
sure damage His reputation!
Throughout the Bible all saints are repeatedly exhorted to be witnesses, and by
implication all are exhorted to speak forth. But as we have seen, there is a
difference between witnessing and evangelizing. There are many places in
Scripture where witnessing is a clear command to all Christians
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.
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