Are all Christians expected to evangelise?
Have you ever seen someone evangelise and thought “I wish I could do that *like them*?”
I have a friend who walks through town talking to anybody and everybody Jesus. Whether that's at the checkouts in Tesco, to an employee in a store or even going out of his way to stop people in the streets. For ages, I wished I could be like that: “a natural evangelist”! But one thing I’ve grown to learn is that God doesn’t want to be a replica of someone else. He’s made us all so different and He works through our unique personalities and characteristics to evangelise. There is no fixed mould - evangelism comes in all shapes and sizes. The primary responsibility is to share God’s Word, telling people simply and clearly about the message of Christ and salvation.
What is an evangelist?
In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Apostle Paul describes how Christ gives to some the gift of being evangelists (and to others, he gives the gift of being apostles, prophets, pastors and teachers, all for the building up of Christ’s body – Ephesians 4:7-12). This shows us that some people are specially gifted and called to be evangelists. God chooses how He distributes His gifts across His church (1 Corinthians 12:11).
My friend would describe himself as an evangelist. He has a burden and a desire for people that don’t know Christ. He finds it easy to talk to them and share the message with them, praying with them. It’s admirable.
Who can evangelise?
Whilst some people have the gift of being an evangelist, as Christians, we are all called to evangelise. Apostle Paul told his son in the ministry, "Do the work of an evangelist" (2 Tim 4:5), implying that whilst he might not be an evangelist, he should work as though he was.
Jesus Himself left his disciples (and subsequently, us) with the Great Commission “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations... teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you..” (Matt 28:19).
The good news is that the infinite God of love came down and gave His life for us as sinners, reconciling all who would believe back to Himself forever (John 3:16).
Your voice matters
There is no blueprint for evangelism exactly, you have to approach it like Nike and just do it. Some people will have a natural inclination towards a more open, direct, and public evangelism such as street evangelism and talking to strangers, whilst others will prefer to cultivate friendships and rapport with people before diving in and sharing the gospel, none is necessarily better than the other. The main thing is that Christ is preached.
There are some people in this world who are waiting for you to share the Gospel with them, who may never meet another Christian and are in desperate need to hear about our Saviour. Please don’t believe the lie that you aren’t ‘good’ at evangelism or that it’s reserved for extroverts or outgoing, bubbly people. Evangelism is a command for all of those who follow Christ. Don’t underplay its importance in your life. Use your voice to share the good news about Jesus. God will help you as you do so!
