>Essentials for Evangelists

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“EVANGELIST, n. A bearer of good tidings, particularly (in a religious sense) such as assure us of our own salvation and the damnation of our neighbors.”- Bible Dictionary

There are some essentials for every evangelist.  Each person who seeks to carry the Good News throughout this world, whether on a street corner or in a small corner of the world like developing countries, must do some basic things.

Message: The evangelist has to have a message.  The calling of the evangelist may entail the Lord illuminating the message for the evangelist, but the bare essential is that the evangelist have a message of the saving grace of Jesus Christ through his work of redemption on the cross.  Your message should be delivered with confidence and competence.  You should know the Word and know that you know that you have been called to preach and proclaim the Word.

Method:  Some share the Word via verbal expression with a Bible and a bullhorn, while others blog and write lessons or strategies for churches, missionaries and shelters.  The evangelist needs a sure method for sharing his or her message.  You don’t get the message out there without some form of methodology.  It may include feeding people at a local shelter and sharing a brief message before, during or after the food has been distributed.  It may entail going down to the rescue mission with a Bible study lesson or a small group meeting in someone’s living room, but there is a method by which the message is disseminated.

Medium: The modern-day evangelist needs to use a medium by which to broadcast his or her message beyond the “hearers” of the message.  Some evangelists who are into social justice issues are masters at letters to the editor or op-ed pieces for the local press.  They stir up the masses and persuade the would-be bystander to take action.  Others tend to use YouTube or Facebook, even Twitter and LinkedIn, with the mastery of tech wizards.  You have to use some form of medium, even if it is www.youversion.com or www.gracehope.com for Christian connections.

In essence, the evangelists of today need to do more than simply say that they have been called.  They need to demonstrate their calling by acting upon their calling.  The biblical evangelists like Paul and others kept in touch with papyrus and messengers who ran messages from one place to another.  There are too many ways to connect online and make a difference in people’s lives for the evangelist to not be in touch with more than his or her local flock.  The evangelist has to at least get the essentials down in order to become effective at evangelizing.

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