Series: Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gift
#13: The Gifts of Spiritual Roles – Evangelist/Evangelism
Mark 1:16-18, Acts 1:1-2,6-8, and 1 Peter 3:15b (NIV)
By John Gill ~ September 3, 2023

You are in a hospital room where your father is dying. The family has gathered, and watches as dad slips little by little into unconsciousness. Everyone knows the end is near - that every breath could be his last. The family hovers close to the bed, watching his every move, listening to his every faltering breath. Suddenly he opens his eyes and calls out your name. He mouths something, whispering it. He tries again… you can't quite make it out. A third time, more urgently this time, - his eyes are intense. You lean over, place your ear over his mouth… You so desperately want to know his “final word” to you. ----

Final words. When someone is about to leave us, wouldn't we want to know the final word they had for us? Wouldn't we remember and treasure their words? If they made a request of us, wouldn't we try our best to do what they ask?

In our scripture this morning, Jesus gives us a final word. His “last will and testament,” you might say. A final request. In Matthew’s gospel… “Go and make disciples.” In Mark's gospel… “Go and preach the good news.” In Luke's gospel and Book of Acts… “You will be my witnesses.” In John's gospel… “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

You see, the final word to us from Christ is “EVANGELISM.” Yet, for the most part, we pay little attention!

Evangelism is the very heart of the mission that Christ gave the church. It’s not something we can take-or-leave – it is not optional. “Go ye into all the world and make disciples” is “The Great Commission,” not “The Great Suggestion. If we are not engaged in the business of evangelism, then we are neglecting our Commission as followers of Christ. To be a “Christian” is to be involved in evangelism.

Yet, most of the church today is not doing very well at fulfilling the Great Commission. The problem today is that churches on the opposite ends of the theological spectrum hold extreme positions when it comes to the subject of evangelism - and both of those positions are biblically inaccurate.

1. On one extreme are churches, like the United Methodist Church, that have tended to ignore evangelism, for the most part.

For many mainline churches, evangelism has been seen as a dirty word. In the 1960s, 70s, and 80s of the 20th century, you rarely heard the word - and when you did, it was almost always in a negative context. And for good reason. Many people have been turned-off by stereotypes of “Evangelism”: pushy in-your-face types who shove religion down people's throats; unwanted visitors who knock on your door; someone on a street corner pushing a tract into your hands; TV evangelists whose “good news” sounds more like “bad news, who yell and condemn you, and then ask for your money; or politically zealous “Christians” on either the left or the right who tell you how to vote if you don’t want to go to hell. It's no wonder many people, even Christians, have rejected the notion of evangelism.

Since we don't want to be lumped in with all those other groups, we in the United Methodist Church have tended to leave “Winning Souls” two others, like the Baptists, the Assemblies of God, non-denominational mega churches, and TV preachers. It should come as no surprise to us, then, that the UMC has had declining membership for decades. Evangelism is the only way the church can grow. If you don't win new believers, what do you expect? For a denomination or congregation to reject evangelism, or to leave it to others, is an institutional death sentence - and that is well deserved.

Thank goodness in the last 20 or 30 years, United Methodism has finally begun to recover the evangelistic fervor that sparked a revival in England in the 18th century, and made the Methodist Church in America the most successful denomination of the 19th century! Yet even with this new interest in evangelism, growth has been difficult. American

society has shifted away from the expectation that practicing a faith is required in order to be a good citizen. More and more young people are growing up in essentially “pagan” homes – where their parents, and even grandparents, claim no religion. The unchurched are turned-off by what passes as “The Christian Faith” in popular culture, as they see reports of widespread pedophilia in the Roman Catholic Church and holier-than-thou hypocrisy in the evangelical protestant churches, and want nothing to do with us. And now, the schism taking place in our denomination this year is certainly not helping our churches grow.

That being said, as we near the end of this year when the legislative window will be closing for churches to disaffiliate, we are starting to see hopeful signs that the Holy Spirit is beginning to breathe new life into churches as they start focusing on evangelism with renewed vitality. Time will tell. The long history of the Church has been made up of cycles of decline and revival. Many are sensing that God is doing a new thing – that we are on the cusp of a movement of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray that we at Tomoka will be part of that wave of new life!

2. So, on one extreme, some churches ignore evangelism. On the other extreme are churches that demand that every member of their church be an evangelist.

There are some traditions that insists that, in order to be a good member, you must prove it by winning others to Christ. They drill their people in the four spiritual laws and send them out with a script to get faith commitments from family, friends, and neighbors. Now don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with the four spiritual laws – I wish every United Methodist could recite them.

The problem lies in the expectation that every person in a church MUST be successful at getting faith commitments, as if we were keeping score. In those churches, there are multitudes of people who are made to feel guilty if they cannot evangelize effectively, or are not successful at getting faith commitments. These churches also fail the biblical model of evangelism. Yes, they get commitments, and that's good. But they, often at the same time, cause people to feel guilty for failing God by not meeting their “evangelism quota.”

The biblical model of evangelism lies somewhere in between the two extremes. You see, God DOES call the church to evangelism. But God does NOT call ALL Christians to be evangelists, anymore than he calls all to be teachers, or apostles, or prophets, or to speak in tongues. As scripture says, “to each is given the manifestation of the spirit for the common good.”

You'll remember that, when speaking about the spiritual gifts, Paul uses the illustration of the human body with its many members and parts. Evangelism is absolutely vital to the life of the church, it is the way life is passed from one generation of Christians to the next. In the human body, you might compare it to the reproductive system. But the body isn't only made-up of reproductive organs. As important as it is, the reproductive system cannot stand alone - it relies on all the other systems and organs to function the way it should. The gift of the evangelist is vital, yes. But it is only one of many vital organs and systems in the body - only one part of what it means to be “the church.”

So, don't let anyone make you feel guilty if you don't have the gift of evangelism. Your gifts may lie elsewhere.

Evangelism isn't the only function of the church, but it is the most urgent mandate. It is too important a task to be left only to the evangelists among us. It will take all of us working together to win the world for Christ and to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission.

For that reason, Christ has divided his church into two groups, each having a role to play in the church's mission of evangelism. We are either called to be “witnesses,” or to be “evangelists.”

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are all called to be prepared to witness to our faith. First Peter 3:15 says this, “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Like our commissioning for evangelism, this instruction is also not optional. In this passage Peter is not speaking only to those

with the gift of evangelism. Every believer must be ready at all times to share the witness of our testimony, and we must look for opportunities to share it. To witness simply means telling someone else what God has done for you – and then letting them know that, what God has done for YOU, he can do for THEM.

This should be second nature to us. No four spiritual laws Required. No plan of salvation to memorize. No theological degree required. No biblical knowledge needed. Simply, telling your story of why you've placed your faith in Christ. You don't have to convince them of anything. No one can argue with your story. But your story can make them want to know more. If we have had an authentic encounter with Christ, each of us should be able to put that into words.

As Christians, we know we should be sharing our faith story. But do we? Do you? Do I? Are we “prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope that we have?” If not, Why not? Is it that we don't know how to share? Or maybe that we just don't look for opportunities to share? Or, could it be that we don't have a testimony to share?

If I were to call on you right now, would you be “prepared to give an answer?” What would you say?

So, Jesus expects all his people to be his witnesses. Yet the Spirit also gifts some of us with the gift of the evangelist.

As I said, witnessing is simply telling what God has done for you. Evangelism is leading others to a confession of faith. Both are important. Here is a good definition of the evangelist: “The gift to share the good news of salvation with unbelievers in such a way that they become Jesus’ disciples, and responsible members of the body of Christ.” In other words, evangelists are “fishers of people.”

Who are those called to be fishers of people? And what are their qualities?

1. Those gifted with evangelism may be pastors or laypersons: they may be men or women: they may have a public platform and ministry Or practice their gift privately.

2. Those with the gift of evangelism have an urgent desire to share the gospel because they know it is a matter of eternal life and death.

3. They are intentional about praying for and reaching out to those who are unsaved and need a relationship with Jesus.

4. For those with this gift, explaining the plan of salvation comes naturally, although it can be refined by practice.

5. And finally, true evangelists have a successful track record of winning souls for Jesus.

So how do you know if you have this gift? Pastor Rick Yohn of the evangelical free church in Fresno, California would ask those in his congregation who are wondering if they may have the Spiritual Gift of Evangelism these two questions: First, “Do you have a strong desire to share your faith with others?” And second, “Are you seeing results?”

The gift of the evangelist is one of the more showy gifts. In God’s plan for evangelism in the church, the “evangelist” may seem to be more important than those called to be “witnesses” to their faith. Those who don't have this gift may feel badly. But as I said, don't feel guilty if you aren't gifted in evangelism. You have been called to serve in other ways.

But, just because you don't have the gift of evangelism, that is no excuse for not witnessing to your faith. God has given each of us a role to play in evangelism, and he will hold us accountable. It takes both witnesses and evangelists to win people to Christ.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that on my spiritual gift inventory, I scored shockingly low in “pastor.” I must confess to you this morning that my score for “evangelist” was even lower! When Jesus said, “I will make you fishers of people,”S he must not have been talking to me! Evangelism is not my gift. But thank the Lord, it doesn't have to be!" Why? Because God has given that gift to some of you! Those of us called to witness, and those gifted for evangelism act as a team in fishing for people.

In thinking about the relationship between “witness” and “evangelist,” it occurred to me that fishing was a pretty good metaphor. Not the “fishing with nets” that was common in the Bible, but today's method using a rod and reel. I am a terrible fisherman. I seldom catch anything when I go out to fish. And, if I am lucky enough to catch anything, that is because I went with a person who knows how to fish - Someone who literally put the right pole into my hands, provided me with the proper bait, and took me to the right spot on the lake where the fish can be found. The very few times I have attempted to fish by myself, usually the problem was – I was using the wrong bait. Without the right bait, you can fish all day and not catch anything. Believe me, I know! You need bait that will be attractive to the fish and make them want to bite.

In our analogy - if the evangelist is the “fisherman,” those of us who witness to our faith are the “bait.” There have been studies of church growth that indicate that 75% of people who visit a church come because of a friend or a relative. They are willing to try out the Christian faith and our church – Why? Because of their relationship with a friend or relative - someone they know, trust, and admire who was willing, as Peter wrote, “to witness to the hope that is theirs,” by their lives and their words.

You see, unbelievers don't have a clue as to what Christianity is all about. All they know is that, what they see in you and me, they want for themselves. They are attracted to the bait. Is your life attractive enough to unbelievers that they will want to have what you have?

But bait alone can't bring in the fish. It takes a skillful fisherman to hook the fish and reel in the catch. That is the role of those with the gift of the evangelist. To catch fish, the fisherman needs good bait, and bait needs a good fisherman.

Just as he called the first disciples, Christ calls each of us to be “fishers of persons.” He needs both good bait and good fishermen. He needs witnesses not afraid to tell their story – and – he needs evangelists dedicated to exercising their gift. In other words, Jesus needs every one of us if we are to be faithful in fulfilling His dying wish!

Yes, the parting words of those who are leaving this life are most precious – they are words we had better not ignore. So, this morning, as we lean forward to listen intently to what Jesus might whisper in our ear, we hear him say to each of us, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of persons.”

Or perhaps, he simply is saying,

“Friends, - it's time to fish, or cut bait!

© 2023 by John B. Gill, III