BLOG 11/16/14. EVANGELISTS: CONTAGIOUS CHRISTIANS
When Paul gives us the clue as to the equipping and formation of the church, he says that there are four necessary dimensions (and therefore ‘gifts’) that the ascended Lord gives to his church, and into which all are be equipped if they are to be part of the church’s life and witness in the world. As I wrote in the last Blog, there isn’t any such category as clergy, but there are those four gifts, and Paul doesn’t spell out anything other than that they are necessary components of equipping. Those four components are, then, critical elements in Bob Henderson’s alternative narrative for the church here in the twenty-first century. I did my ‘spin’ or interpretation of the teaching-shepherd last time … now let me now work on evangelist.
Use that word: ‘evangelist’, and what comes to the minds of most of us are the giant figures in the church’s story who were known at evangelists: Billy Graham, Dwight L. Moody, John and Charles Wesley—or go to Latin America, or Africa, or China and you will find other huge figures gifted in heralding the Christian faith. We should be profoundly thankful for such gifted folk. But … the reality is, and always has been, that the real work of evangelism is not accomplished by such larger-than-life public figures, … but by ordinary and modest and authentic followers of Christ who are contagious with their embrace of Jesus Christ, and are the demonstration of that same message to those with whom they have daily contact. That is why the Christian community is to see to it that all of Christ’s people are equipped to engage in their daily calling to be working heart of Christ’s mission to the world.
We are not talking here about zealous church folk hustling evangelistic propositions to their unsuspecting contacts, but rather by those who are the walking, talking authentic products of their new humanity in Christ. Yes, to be sure, each needs to be quite conversant with the life and teachings of Jesus, and quite personally convinced of him and converted to him. Each needs to be in awe of God’s love and extravagant purpose in Christ to rescue us from our guilt and meaninglessness and hopelessness and wasted lives. All of God’s people really need to cultivate the skill of listening carefully to their daily contacts, and of entering into conversation with them. This gift is not formed by hanging out in church meetings, but by our immersion in the daily life of our neighborhoods. We are to be those incarnations of the love of God wherever we may be.
New Testament scriptures say in several places that our ordinary lives should be such expressions of God’s new creation … that those observing us will see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16), or that in a somewhat hostile setting our lives and conduct will be so respectful, of such imperishable beauty, our good behavior that when anyone asks for a reason for our hope, what ‘makes us tick,’ that we will be prepared to respond with a thoughtful, gentle and respectful answer (I Peter 3 in loc.).
The carrying out of the mission of God in the world is basically a movement of authentic new humanity men and women who are absolutely consumed with the love of God in Christ. They are also free from the fear of death so that they can be very bold—but their behavior must demonstrate the message. Nobody is looking for ‘religious hacks’ hustling membership in their church. But they are looking for some center, some authority, some hope, some creative source. What they don’t know is that they are actually looking for Jesus.
It is interesting that at the end of the Letter to the Ephesians, that Paul spells out the daily ‘armor of God’ that we all are to wear, and among the seven pieces of this armor are that we are to put on our feet “the readiness of the gospel of peace.” We’re to be ready to share such an awesome message of reconciliation with God. Then we are to take the sword of the Spirit, which is the spoken word of God. That makes us all daily evangelists. And … the armor includes our praying always, because the work of the evangelist is always impossible in merely human terms.
