Description

Definition
This is the ability to communicate your message effectively to others so they can respond and embrace it. It includes looking for opportunities to form relationships with prospects and communicating openly about your message. A Christian evangelist’s responsibility is to present the gospel to nonbelievers in a meaningful way so they become believers in Jesus. The Greek word used in the New Testament for evangelist means one who announces good news, and the word translated “gospel” literally means “good news.”
As Jesus was about to ascend into Heaven, He told His disciples they would receive power to evangelize the world. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Ephesians shows another perspective of an evangelist’s role. “It was he who gave some . . . to be evangelists . . . to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-13).
These verses make God’s intent very clear. While all believers must be ready to do so, it is your role as an evangelist to serve as a witness–similar to a legal witness in court–to tell others what you have experienced and seen God do. You begin in your immediate environment (Jerusalem), then reach out to the surrounding areas (Judea and Samaria), and maybe eventually throughout the world. Notice that your ability to do this effectively is dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit working in you. While this is true of all the spiritual gifts, it is particularly important to you as an evangelist.
It is also clear from these verses that your responsibility to an individual does not end once they become a believer. Make sure the new Christian becomes a disciple so they can grow in the Lord and learn to serve. If you are unable to do this, introduce them to someone who can.
As an evangelist, you are a natural salesman. You have a great interest in talking with those who need what you have and you want to find them and deliver it to them. As a Christian evangelist, you are very effective at spreading the message of Jesus Christ to nonbelievers so they can respond in faith and become disciples. As a salesman/evangelist, it is your job to make not only a sale but also a satisfied customer. An initial decision is not enough; your job does not end until the person accepts ownership for and becomes committed to your message.
While you are extremely people-oriented, you may not form close or long-term relationships with people because your main focus is getting them to accept your message. You welcome opportunities to talk with people, even strangers, about what you value, whether it is your faith, your cause, or your product. You are very interested in persuading others to accept what you promote. When talking with others, you are comfortable, optimistic, and genuine. You are alert to their needs because you believe you have the answer to them. You love having people’s attention because you need it to present your message. When talking to them, you can be full of enthusiasm because your zeal and excitement compel you to act.
Typical Characteristics
● Speak optimistically and persuasively; enjoy talking with people.
● Talk openly and comfortably with strangers about what you are promoting.
● Alert to people’s needs and how you can meet those needs.

Tendencies
● General Orientation: very extroverted. You genuinely love people and love talking with them.
● Perspective: very positive. You have the answer everyone needs, and it will change their lives.
● Priorities:
● People. The more, the better.
● Production-oriented, possibly. You need to see frequent results and are willing to make personal sacrifice to gain another convert.
● Issue Perception: objective. You probably are objective, since your message is the answer to people’s needs. Whatever their circumstances or objections, your goal is for them to accept your message. While you may be very personable and friendly, your primary interest is winning people’s acceptance of your message. Your attraction to people and sensitivity to their needs may cause you to be a little subjective, but your primary concern is getting them to benefit from your message.
● Orderliness: flexible. Because you are so intent on your goal of winning converts, you likely will change methods and tools very quickly. You work spontaneously, adapting to the circumstances. However, you may be reluctant to lay your message aside and accept a new one.

Misunderstandings
Because you are so people-oriented, friendly, and talkative, people may think you want to be close friends, while you are simply enjoying being with them. On the other hand because your interest is in persuading people, others may think you only want to score another victory, though you genuinely want to help them.

Vocations and Roles
Sales, marketing, and Christian evangelist.

Perversions

Self-Centeredness
(Perverts your aptitude by focusing it on you, emphasizing the pleasure or fulfillment it gives you.)
Your function in life is persuading people and your fulfillment comes from convincing them to accept your message. As a result, you could easily become more interested in the number of your conquests than helping people embrace the gospel of Jesus.

Extremes
(Perverts by exaggerating, taking your characteristics and tendencies to extremes.)
In the extreme, your desire to persuade can make you frustrated or angry if the person doesn’t accept your message or product. As a Christian, you may be critical of other believers who are not witnessing or appear uninterested in reaching the lost. You consider evangelism everyone’s responsibility.

Control
(Self-centeredness makes you want to be in control, and you struggle for control in a way that is unique to your character.)
Your greatest strength is your ability to persuade. When conflict occurs, you will likely consider it your responsibility to convince the other person and will use every trick you know to manipulate them and win them over.

Redemption

Putting on Important Traits
Certain godly character traits are especially important to you as an evangelist. Consciously developing the following traits will help you spread your message in a way that helps others accept it.

● Humility (Considers self relatively unimportant compared to others; prevents using abilities for one’s own satisfaction.) Though you may always enjoy being with people and talking with them about your faith, cause, or product, that pleasure cannot be what motivates you.
● Agape (Considers others’ welfare, needs, interests, and desires more important than your own; motivates you to act for others’ benefit regardless of personal impact.) Agape will motivate you to present your message for other people’s benefit and honor their free will by allowing them to decide whether to accept what you offer.
● Kindness (Appropriate, mild, and pleasant behavior toward others; expressed in actions that meet another person’s need or desire.) This prevents you from manipulating people to make them accept your offer. Instead, your mild and pleasant behavior expresses your desire to meet their needs.
● Faith or faithfulness (Firm conviction regarding something for which there is no proof; action based on such conviction.) Faith is an essential part of your presentation. If someone does not have faith in your message, they will not accept it and if you do not have faith in its ability to meet their need, you will not offer it. Therefore, it is essential that you have faith and impart it to others. This likely is your strongest trait.
● Perseverance (Patient endurance.) Most people have a natural sales resistance and may strongly reject your efforts at first. So you must be persistent, adapting your presentation as needed, until they know enough to decide. If their decision is to reject your message, then you must choose between persevering and honoring their free will. This decision must be based on the leading of the Holy Spirit, not your own stubbornness or desires.
● Zeal (Intense eagerness to experience a desired result; intense emotion that compels action.) Your zeal will not only motivate you to spread your message, it will also be contagious and encourage others to accept what you have to offer.

Repentance, Renewing Your Mind
(The changes you need to make in the way you think, including your attitudes, standards, priorities, and perspective.)
People need what you offer, and you serve them by helping them identify their need and embrace the solution. You must view your role as presenting your message in a manner that imparts faith and provides the information people need to make a quality decision. Their long-term satisfaction depends on receiving necessary support, and you serve them by guaranteeing they will receive it. As a Christian, you serve both the Lord and every unbeliever you encounter by giving them the good news of His kingdom, which is the only solution to their greatest need. Your responsibility is to deliver the message, not win converts, so you must consider yourself a messenger, not a messiah.

Denying and Humbling Yourself
(Rejecting your own desires and self-interests. Refusing to be motivated by desire for recognition or credit for the results.)
Your natural, self-centered desire is to make sales or win converts, but this is not your role. You must reject the desire to add another success story to your portfolio or make a higher commission. Do your best to persuade the person, and then let them decide. Resist the temptation to do whatever is necessary to close the sale.

Taking up Your Cross
(Accepting that which has potential for great harm, threatens to break you down, or reveals your inadequacies.)
Because your role is spreading the Good News, you have a personal interest in having others accept your message. You must realize that God gave people free will, the ability and responsibility for making their own decisions. Their rejection of your message may affect you adversely, but you must accept their decision as God does. You also must be prepared for abuse if someone becomes hostile in response to your message.

Following Jesus
(How you uniquely imitate Jesus by doing what He would in your situation.)
Jesus was the primary evangelist/salesman on earth for God’s kingdom. He presented the Good News with authority, demonstrated its power, and asked people to make a commitment. Then He let them make their own choice.

Becoming Like a Child
(Accepting what God gives you, believing what He tells you, trusting Him to take care of you, and simply doing what He says.)
When you are presenting your message to someone, God alone knows what they need to see and hear to persuade them. So you must learn to trust what you sense intuitively because that is how God most frequently directs you.