What is Evangelization

According to the American Festival of Evangelism, the gift of being an evangelist is “is the special ability that God gives to certain members of the body of Christ to share the Gospel with unbelievers in such a way that men and women become Jesus’ disciples and responsible members of the body of Christ.”  Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  While Jesus was speaking to his disciples at the time and particularly the apostles, all Christians are called to pick up their cross and follow the Christ.

In Isaiah 43:10 we read, “You are my witnesses,” says the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.”  First God tells us we are his witnesses.  We are just to be what he asks of us, to witness to God and all of his marvelous deeds in our lives that we experience.  He never called us to be defense attorneys, just witnesses.  On the day of Pentecost, the church was birthed and the disciples received the Holy Spirit with boldness to proclaim the message of salvation.

We come into contact each and every day with people, where we are called to witness with our lives and share the good news of Jesus with others to assist and help them to come to God.  The last so many popes called Catholics to mobilize and begin anew reaching out to the masses.  Pope Paul VI, in Evangelii Nuntiandi said, “It must be said that the Holy Spirit is the principal agent of evangelization, it is He who impels each individual to proclaim the Gospel, and it is He who in the depths of consciences causes the word of salvation to be accepted and understood. But it can equally be said that He is the goal of evangelization: He alone stirs up the new creation, the new humanity of which evangelization is to be the result, with that unity in variety which evangelization wishes to achieve within the Christian community. Through the Holy Spirit the Gospel penetrates to the heart of the world, for it is He who causes people to discern the signs of the times—signs willed by God—which evangelization reveals and puts to use within history. (EN, 75)” Without the Holy Spirit working in our lives, we will go only so long and run out of energy to accomplish the works of God.

So, when we think about an evangelist and this special gift to preach to gospel, Saint Paul said that people must be called.  In Romans 10 he said, “But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.  As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”  Paul would later go on to tell Timothy that it is a hard role, to preach the gospel filled with all kinds of suffering, but no matter what, he was called to this.  He said in 2 Timothy 4 “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”

We, as disciples, are called to pray about our role in the kingdom of God and then do whatever God tells us.  St. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5, that we are called to be ambassadors of reconciliation.  He said, “so whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.  And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.  So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us.  We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”  When we open our hearts to God, accepting our role to evangelize, only then will others come to know God and find salvation!  Pray for God to use you.  As Billy Graham once said, “Many opportunities come every day, but few there are that respond to those opportunities.”