Doing the work of an evangelist....without actually being one....

John the Baptist was a powerful evangelist, ministering to the multitudes, rebuking the sins of the people, and urging them towards repentance as he prepared the way for the coming of the Lord.  He was, both figuratively and literally, “…the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord!”  Perhaps such vociferous evangelism seems to be beyond your power to emulate.  Does the thought of standing before crowds and preaching the gospel seem a little intimidating to you?  Well if it does, you can relax.  We are not all called to stand before multitudes and proclaim the coming of the Lord…  but we are all called to do the share the truth we have received. 

In II Timothy 4:5 Paul exhorted his young friend to “…do the work of an evangelist…”  So, what does that mean for us today, and what examples can we find in the scripture that show us how to do this work, aside from shouting from the roof tops or out in the wilderness?  John chapter 1:29-51 give us some awesome examples. 

In John 1:29, when John declares “Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” a couple of his disciples became very curious, and decided to follow Jesus to see what he was all about, they very quickly came to the conclusion that this was, indeed, the Messiah.  Instead of keeping this information to themselves, or tucking it away for future consideration, they immediately found someone to share the information with.  It is believed that one of these two men who first followed Jesus was John, the author of this gospel, but the other is clearly identified as Andrew.  After meeting Jesus, the first thing Andrew did was find his brother, and tell him about the discovery.  Verse 41 tells us that “He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus…”

 

This behavior was repeated a few verses later when, after having met Jesus, Philip also has to find someone to tell; vs 45-46 tells us that “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 

The pattern is simple:  meet Jesus, go find someone with whom you have an existing relationship and who has not met Jesus, tell them what you have found, and invite them to come and see for themselves- No shouting in the wilderness necessary!