A new commandment I give you: love one another.
As I have loved you, so must you love one another.
All men will know that you are my disciples
if you love one another (John 14:34,35).I when I am lifted up from the earth,
will draw all men to myself (John 12:32).
All elders are not pastors and teachers; some will be evangelists. An evangelist is a person who specialises in preaching the gospel. They go out from the Church into the world to preach the gospel and draw people in. At the same time, they will lead and train others in evangelism. Philip is one person in the New Testament who exercised this ministry. Luke describes him as "the evangelist" (Acts 21:8).
There are three criteria for selecting a person for this ministry. First, they must be a Christian who is demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit in their life. They will also have a good understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. An evangelist must be able to answer the questions that are raised by enquirers. Finally, they must have demonstrated that they are able to proclaim the gospel successfully. The main sign that a person is being called to be an evangelist is that many people are being won for Christ by their testimony.
An evangelist will be an outgoing person who feels at home in the hurly-burly of the marketplace and the public square. They will take the gospel into any place where people are meeting; into the taverns and onto the streets. The true evangelist is always aggressive; not waiting for sinners to come to them, but going to any place where they gather. Their greatest joy is to see a large crowd listening to the gospel message.
A deep love for the lost will motivate all their actions. They will often weep for those who refuse to accept the gospel. Their love will be obvious to all who hear their words. Signs and wonders will often accompany their preaching, as a visible demonstration of Gods love for those who are in bondage to the devil.
Yet there will be a toughness about the character of an evangelist. They will not be intimidated by brawling crowds or anti-christian authorities. Their zeal for the gospel is such that they will not be deterred, even if the authorities forbid the proclamation of the gospel (Acts 5:27,28,40-42). They will often act in a prophetic way when confronting rulers who obstruct the gospel. A good example of this is Stephen, who under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gave a stern warning to the Jewish authorities who had arrested him for preaching (Acts 7).
An evangelist will not be frightened to confront sin, and will boldly warn of its consequences. In contrast, pastors who are gentler by nature, usually preach a softer gospel. This kind of gospel tends to produce soft Christians, who are not truly converted.
The church has not been very good at accommodating evangelists. Most have had to work outside the church in para-church organisations. Those who have found a place in the church have usually been forced to become pastors. In this role, they may win many converts, but they do not have the pastoral abilities needed to disciple them. Evangelists who pastor churches tend to use the methods of evangelism. They care for their people by preaching at them, because this is the gift they have. In depth-ministry is often done at the front of the church after an "altar call". This kind of ministry tends to produce thrill-seeking Christians, who are dependent on their pastors. The result is big churches with immature people.
Evangelists should be freed from their pastoral duties, and sent out into the world. This is where preaching with sign and wonders belongs. They should be freed to develop the full potential of their ministry. And every Church should have at least one evangelist who can go out into the world and preach the gospel, and teach others to do the same.
Not every Christian is called to be an evangelist, but all are commanded to be witnesses. Every believer must be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks them to give the reason for the hope that they have. As a Christian goes about their daily life, they should bear witness to Jesus at every opportunity. Every believer must be a witness.
Two Keys
There are two keys to evangelism in the modern age.
Community
The first key to evangelism in the modern world is "community". One of the greatest problems in the modern world is loneliness. People are looking for real community with others. This is a gift of the gospel that the church has to offer.
The church as a whole must be a witness for Jesus. Jesus by his death on the cross has restored the relationship between God and man. He also broke down the barrier that sin raises between men. This means that a group of believers living in peace and unity is a good testimony to what Jesus has done. Because of this, Jesus commanded that his disciples should love each other.
A church must be a group of believers who are bound together by love for each other. And this love must be worked out in their daily loves. Their commitment to each other must be expressed in practical ways. Their lifestyle should give visible evidence that they have been reconciled by Jesus.
The people of the world are entitled to look at a church to see if its members do love each other. If Christian love is being expressed in a visible way, then Jesus is exalted. And the love that unites the church will draw people to Jesus.
This is very important at the present time. Because modern society is dominated by institutions, it has become very impersonal. There is a high degree of social mobility, but this prevents stable relationships from developing. Even family life is breaking down. The result is that modern society is characterised by loneliness and personal insecurity. It has failed to fulfil the basic human need for deep and permanent relationships.
And the church is not meeting this need either. The life of the modern church consists of activities and projects carried out in church buildings. Personal needs are met by committees and specialised personnel, and not within the relationships of a community. In fact, very few relationships are formed as a result of commitment to a church. Friends may often meet at a church, but they usually became friends elsewhere.
The church has also become very impersonal. It has ceased to be a community, and has become an institution. Consequently, people are not attracted by the church. Their lives are already dominated by institutions, so they do not want to be part of another one. They do not want to be a cog in another machine. Instead, they want to be accepted as people, and develop meaningful relationships with others. They are looking for community, but they are not finding it in the church.
If the church is to be relevant in the modern world, it must get back to the New Testament model. It must become a community; a group of people who care for each other within strong and stable relationships. A church like this would be a powerful witness in the modern world. It would be really attractive to those who are crushed by the impersonality of modern society.
The best witness to the modern world is not an individual who can tell what Jesus has done for him. It is a group of believers who show by their love, that Jesus has made them one. They give visible proof of his reconciling power. In a world that is hungry for true love, they are a sign that Jesus really is the answer.
This need for community is greatest in the cities, as modern patterns of urbanisation have broken down traditional community relationships. The corner store, which was once a place where people met, has been replaced by the supermarket. While the supermarket is cheap and efficient, it is very impersonal. Children go off to large schools a long way from their homes, and only a few parents have much control over the way the school is run. The local policeman has been replaced by a roving patrol car, based at the central police station. Local landlords have been replaced by the faceless housing corporation.
Even the churches are moving out in a move to large efficient centralised churches. The result of all this is that city dwellers have very little contact with their neighbours. They have no sense of belonging to a community. Only the breweries have understood this replaced "booze barns" with Cafe Bars. The church is still building spiritual "booze barns" when the real need is for spiritual cafes.
The breakdown of community in the city has caused many social problems, giving the city a bad name. But this does not have to be the case. In Revelation 21, the expression, "city of God" is used for the perfect church. It is possible to have a holy city. Nearly half of the world's population is now living in cities. The population of the world's largest cities is growing very rapidly. In view of this, we need to make our cities into places that are good to live in. We urgently need the Holy City.
More on this theme at Relationships and Community.
Healing
The second key to evangelism is healing. The greatest problem for the modern world that cannot be solved by wealth and technology is sickness. Many sick people are desperate for healing from sickness. This is a gift that the church has to give.
For more on healing evangelism, see Healing of Sickness.