Christian: Evangelist

	What is a Christian?  As we discussed last time, a Christian is a prophet.  This does not imply any supernatural messages or the ability to foretell the future.  It simply means that he or she speaks for God.  As always, a prophet must be careful to not speak his or her own ideas.  As prophets, Christians must speak the word of God.  In addition to being a prophet, a Christian is also an evangelist.  Although our language has chosen to use the Old English word for "gospel" and the Greek word for "evangelist," the two are basically the same.  So "evangelist" literally means "one who preaches the Gospel."  An evangelist is a "gospelizer."  By the way, the word, "gospel," means "good news."  This makes an evangelist the one who spreads the good news.
	The Christian is in good company as an evangelist.
	"And the Scripture," we read in Galatians 3:8, "foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, {saying}, 'All the nations shall be blessed in you.'"
	Through the Scripture, God preaches the Gospel beforehand to Abraham.  God is an evangelist.
	"And it came about on one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel," Luke 20:1 describes, "that the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted {Him}."
	Jesus preaches the Gospel.  He is an evangelist.
	"Therefore," Acts 8:4 records, "those who had been scattered went about preaching the word."
	The first century Christians preach the Word.  They are evangelists.  So the Christian is in good company as an evangelist.  What, though, is involved in spreading the Gospel?  We should recognize, first of all, that there are enemies to evangelization.
	"From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake," Paul says in Romans 11:28.
	Paul knows all about these enemies.  He encounters Jewish opposition to his teaching nearly everywhere he goes.
	The Gospel has enemies.  We must also recognize that there are other so-called "gospels" out there.
	"I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ," Paul observes in Galatians 1:6-7, "for a different gospel; which is {really} not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ."
	The Gospel has enemies.  There are those who spread what they claim to be other gospels.  And the Gospel can be rejected.
	"However," Paul states in Romans 10:16, "they did not all heed the glad tidings; for Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed our report?'"
	The Gospel has enemies.  There are those who spread other so-called "gospels."  The Gospel can be rejected.  And the Gospel can be hidden or veiled.
	"And even if our gospel is veiled," Paul comments in 2 Corinthians 4:3, "it is veiled to those who are perishing."
	The Gospel has enemies.  There are those who spread other so-called "gospels."  The Gospel can be rejected.  The Gospel can be hidden or veiled.  But this is only one side of the coin.  The Gospel is light.
	"In whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving," Paul  continues in 2 Corinthians 4:4, "that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."
	The Gospel is light.  And the Gospel is truth.
	"But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour," Paul claims in Galatians 2:5, "so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you."
	The Gospel is light.  The Gospel is truth.  The Gospel also begets new Christians.
	"For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ," we read  in 1 Corinthians 4:15, "yet {you would} not {have} many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel."
	The Gospel is light.  The Gospel is truth.  The Gospel begets.  And the Gospel goes on to mature and establish.
	"Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ," Paul writes in Romans 16:25, "according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past."

	The Gospel has enemies.  There are those who spread other so-called "gospels."  The Gospel can be rejected.  And the Gospel can be hidden or veiled. On the positive side, though, the Gospel is light.  The Gospel is truth.  The Gospel begets.  And the Gospel goes on to mature and establish.  Now that we know this about the Gospel, we should give some thought to how Christians should act as evangelists.  First of all, a Christian should not be ashamed of the Gospel.
	"For I am not ashamed of the gospel," Paul asserts in Romans 1:16, "for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
	The Christian must not be ashamed of the Gospel.  After all, the Gospel is the power of God for salvation.  Neither should the Christian be ashamed of anything suffered for the sake of the Gospel.
	"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord," Paul urges in 2 Timothy 1:8-12, "or of me His prisoner; but join with {me} in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.  For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day."
	The Christian must not be ashamed of the Gospel or of anything suffered because of the Gospel.  Instead, the Christian should recognize the spreading of the Gospel as a solemn charge. It is a solemn charge which includes a warning about false teaching.
	"I solemnly charge {you}," we find in 2 Timothy 4:1-5, "in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season {and} out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but {wanting} to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths.  But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."
	What is a Christian?  A Christian is an evangelist, one who spreads the Gospel.
	As an evangelist, the Christian must recognize that the Gospel has enemies.  There are those who spread other so-called "gospels."  The Gospel can be rejected.  And the Gospel can be hidden or veiled. On the other hand, the Gospel is light.  The Gospel is truth.  The Gospel begets.  And the Gospel goes on to mature and establish.  A Christian should not be ashamed of the Gospel or of anything suffered because of the Gospel.  And the evangelist is fulfilling a solemn charge.  Paul helps the Christian by describing the Gospel in 1 Corinthians chapter 15.
	"Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you," he explains in verses 1-4, "which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,"
	What's so great about this Gospel?  Why should Christians dedicate themselves to sharing it with the world?  There will come a day when the Gospel will mean everything to everyone.
	"Now if Christ is preached," Paul goes on in 1 Corinthians 15:12-24, "that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.  Moreover we are even found {to be} false witnesses of God, because we witnessed against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.  For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.  But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.  For since by a man {came} death, by a man also {came} the resurrection of the dead.  For as in  Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.  But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then {comes} the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power."
	When that day comes, we had better be holding on to the truth of the Gospel.  Because only the truth will set us free. 

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission."