Saturday, June 11, 2011

the call of evangelist

1 I charge you 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: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:1-5, ESV.


I have a very specific calling. It is "to do the work of an evangelist." To be honest, it is not a popular calling. If it had been up to me, I'd have chosen something else. I always wanted to be a singer and use my talent to lead people in praise, but alias, I can't sing a word. Over the years, people have tried to put me into teaching roles, administrator jobs, and social chairs; while I can do these things, they are not my primary calling and gifting. My main giftedness is that of the evangelist - that of equipping church members to effectively share their faith in Jesus. We are all called to share the gospel (Matthew 28:18-20) but my call is to help people do this one thing.


Years ago, I began to study leadership becasue I realized that I needed to be more effective at "this one thing I do." I needed to learn to lead and influence people to share Christ. While I believe I have also been gifted in this area, I believe my gifting is but for one purpose...to influence people to be evangelistic.

Why am I telling you all this? Probably to remind myself! While this season holds many opportunities, my greatest calling (apart from my calling as a wife and mom) is to be involved in the work of evangelism. If I, or my team, can help you to reach people for Christ or train you to do so, then let me know. If you just need a speaker, then I pray God will show you who that might be.

Thank you for your love, your prayers, and your encouragement. Pray for me to remain focused on the main thing - the work of evangelist. You are loved and prayed for.