Robed as Evangelists (Sharing Your Faith)
Despite the specifications of our individual purpose and calling; beyond our everyday titles and credentials; before we dress ourselves in the morning and set out to accomplish the day's activities, we have been robed first and foremost as evangelists. In fact, every God-given gift we bear and every holy passion within us finds its root in the soil of evangelism. Why? Because God is missional in character and expression; His heart, indeed His very name reflects His purpose and promise to redeem (Exodus 34:6-7).
Unfortunately, missions and evangelism are often overlooked as the business of a designated department within the church or as the concern of those who hold the title of ‘Evangelist' and the position of ‘Missionary'. But the fact of the matter is that the gospel has been given to each of us as a reproductive mechanism with which we are meant to produce fruit, for there is power in the gospel. In fact, it is the resuscitation device that shocks the heart back to life and resurrects that which was dead. Paul understood this in Romans 1:16 when he said, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel (good news) of Christ, for it is God's power working unto salvation [for deliverance from eternal death] to everyone who believes." So it is that as the recipients of the gospel, we have also been enlisted as the sharers of the gospel.
Much like the early apostles, we who engage in evangelism must be willing to reach people at the point of their need, acknowledging that they and their context do matter to Christ. It is also important to grasp the fact that one of the
greater aspects of evangelism is engaging in spiritual warfare and by so doing, actively counteract the principalities of darkness that wrestle against the souls of men and women. Evangelism then can be accomplished in the 21st century world when we as evangelists become aggressive in our prayer lives, align ourselves with the will and Spirit of God, go back to the basics while contextualizing the gospel message, and reach outside of tradition and social boundaries to find the lost and bring them home to Christ. Finally, it is important to note that the immediate contexts in which you live, work, and study are not by accident, your life is an altar and your abilities are your chosen tools for evangelism.
Evangelism is not a thing of the past; it is the substance and the fruit of your fellowship with God. Hence, you have been robed as an evangelist. God's hand has smeared you with the anointing to share the Gospel - the good news and "the power of God unto salvation" - with those who are lost.
Scripture of the Day: "Though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." - (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).