The following article is the last in a seven-part series about the character of an evangelist from 2 Timothy 2:24-26.
There is one critical bit of information that every evangelist must know other than the Gospel. That is, only “God may perhaps grant” opponents of the Gospel “repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.”1 A Christian can communicate the message of salvation, but one cannot convince the listener to accept it. God can, as long as the non-believer has a willing heart and an open mind. Having said that, God can use his worshipers as a means through which he brings people along in their journey to faith, but only if they deliver the right message in the right way. It’s important to remember that when Christians report the “Good News,” not only are they presenting Jesus to people, but they are representing him to them.
Indeed, every characteristic of a servant-minded evangelist that we have discussed so far in this series points to traits that personified Jesus. The Apostle Paul says that servants of Jesus “must not be quarrelsome.” That’s because Jesus is known as one who did not “quarrel or cry aloud.”2 Paul said Christ’s disciples should be “kind to everyone,” including opponents. This is a godly directive, because God is even “kind to the ungrateful and the evil.”3 Evangelists must be able to teach because the Lord “taught as one who had authority,”4 and his words carry that same weight of authority even when his followers speak it.
Evangelists should be “patiently enduring evil” because, as the Apostle Peter said, “if when you do good and suffer for it you endure it, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in his steps.”5 We should correct “opponents in a spirit of gentleness” because Jesus is “gentle and lowly in heart.”
If we forget that we’re representing Jesus, it will be easy for us to become irritable, short-tempered and preachy with people. We must remember that when we behave in this manner, we will not achieve the Lord’s results — and we should be after his results. We are, after all, his servants.
PHOTO BY Jana Allingham
1. 2 Timothy 2:25
2. Matthew 12:19
3. Luke 6:35
4. Matthew 7:29
5. 1 Peter 2:21
6. Matthew 11:29
If you would like to make a financial contribution to Raymond Billy, Click Here.
