Do the Work of an Evangelist
2Timothy 4:1-8
1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Paul was aware that his earthly life was coming to an end soon. He did not have any regrets nor doubts on how he had lived his life. He was confident, that in the sight of God, he had done everything he was supposed to have accomplished. “My departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me,” Paul tells Timothy.
As his time was coming up, Paul needed to pass on the torch to Timothy. Timothy was a young leader who had trained under Paul’s guidance. Timothy’s father was a Gentile, and his mother was a Jew. And it seems that Timothy was sort of a timid guy, and so Paul tells him: For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord (2Timothy 1:6-8).
Pual had lived his whole life spreading the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire. In Romans 15, Paul declared that he had filled a certain region with the gospel that he had nowhere else to preach; thus, he was setting his eyes to go to Spain.
Timothy was Paul’s last disciple and ministry apprentice before his passing. But Timothy seemed not quite confident. He was shy and timid and the task and environment awaiting Timothy were challenging. The city of Ephesus, where Timothy was stationed, was known for its religious pluralism, with Artemis as the goddess of the cosmos and Hecate as the goddess of the underworld. There were also Diana and Isis, besides many others. Timothy knew that sharing the message of a crucified Jewish man as God’s savior for humanity was not going to be an easy task amidst all the other deities. Timothy knew that proclaiming Jesus as absolute Lord and the only mediator between God and humanity will sound either too pretentious or even foolish. Yet, Paul tells him, he should “not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord.”
The Ephesian religious and philosophical environment was very much like our present-day environment. According to some reports, our pluralistic environment is the main reason why so many Christians feel anxious about sharing their faith. We live at a time where much anything religious or Christian has a negative connotation in the mind of many. In certain circles, Christianity is associated with politics, more than with Jesus and his teachings. Besides, there are many other forms of religion and spiritualities. Therefore, it is understandable why believers can feel hesitation when it comes to sharing about Jesus and his message of salvation.
So let us learn from what Paul said to Timothy.
Paul’s first instruction to Timothy is: “fan the flame of the gift of God, which is in you.” This instruction is rather strange. If God gives us a spiritual gift, doesn’t it mean then that God has fully equipped us with everything necessary to exercise the gift? Will not the Holy Spirit move us to exercise the gift with an inextinguishable passion? Thus, we might say, “I cannot share the gospel because I don’t have the gift of an evangelist?” Paul knows that sharing the gospel is something every believer can and should do. So, he tells Timothy, “Fan the gift of God given to you. Stoke the spiritual fire! Work on it. Revive the blaze!”
In practical terms as you know, there are times when we meet someone, a friend or when talking to a relative who does not know the Lord, and during the conversation you come to point where you have the feeling, that internal nudge, that we should speak about the Lord to them, but are not quite sure you should do it or not. Yet, in the end, you let the opportunity pass and then you feel like a sense of guilt for not sharing Jesus to the other person. Let us remember, we have the task to share about our faith to others in a non-threatening manner but out of love and with honesty. To us is this instruction: “Fan the gift of God given to you of sharing the gospel.” Open your mouth and speak the words God prompts you to say. Fan the fire of God in you to share his word. But again, do it with love and truth, not from a standpoint of superior morality or spirituality.
Let us remember also that accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is more than just for a person to say, “I believe in Jesus” or to repeat what some call the “sinner’s prayer.” Accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is a total commitment to obey the Lord, to serve the Lord, and to become part of a Christian fellowship.
It is said that during the evangelistic campaigns of Billy Graham, only 10 per cent of those who made a confession of faith by raising their hands or said the “sinner’s prayer” ultimately joined a congregation and continued in the faith. That means, our task of inviting others to the faith is only the beginning of our work of evangelism. We need to give new believers support and care. We need to be an example for them of what a disciple of Jesus is in real life. Christian discipleship is a life-long commitment of learning from the Lord.
Let us go to Paul and Timothy again, regarding the task of sharing about the Lord Jesus. Paul tells Timothy, “Endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist.”
Two weeks ago, Jasmine was telling me how she shares the gospel to others. She says, “I am convinced that there is nothing more important in life, not fame, nor riches, nor possessions that will ultimately matter in the end, than experiencing the joy of God’s grace through Jesus his Son. So, when I see people, I wonder if they know this truth. And that makes me want to tell them about the Lord. Sometimes, it’s not easy. Some people I have approached openly refuse to hear anything I wanted to tell them. There’s a feeling of awkwardness when that happens. It’s embarrassing, she told me. But that is part of what to expect, she said. Yet, when someone is open and you get to share with them, you feel joy and gratitude to the Lord for using you to tell others about his love for them.”
Paul knew Timothy will have troubles and hardship fulfilling his charge, yet he urged Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist.” You and I might not have the gift of being an evangelist, but we must do the work anyways. Everyone who has experienced the grace of God and has the joy of God’s forgiveness of sins and knows of the riches of his promises should feel compelled to tell others about it.
This week I was speaking to two people. One of them told me that “religion does not appeal” him. The other that although was raised in church has drifted away from it. To the one who has drifted away from church, I encouraged to go back, to reconnect with the Lord and the fellowship she left. And to the one who is not attracted by religion, I told him that can truly understand his perspective. If we see religion as a set of beliefs we must embrace or as a list of rules, we must obey, or the worship service as a time of religious formality, void of joy and meaning we must bear on Sunday, then clearly, such a religion would be unappealing to anyone. But I told him, following Jesus is based on a relationship that is born out of gratitude for what he offers us. When we get to understand what the Lord offers us, out of pure love and not because we are worthy of it or because we are good enough, but despite our weakness, failures, and personal histories, then we are moved to love the Lord in response. We find joy in what we do for him to the point that dedicating one or even two hours a week to him in worship, is something we do out of love. When we comprehend that our lives only have significance and hope because of what God has given us through his Son, then going to church and obeying the Lord are things we do out of love and gratitude.
You see, we must testify of the Lord. Sometimes we might thing that witnessing through our lifestyle is enough, or that by supporting missionaries or outreach programs we are doing our part. Paul’s words to Timothy are for us to, “Fan the gift of God that is in you.” Take advantage of the opportunities God places before you. Pray about every encounter you might have during your day. And if you feel a bit shy like Timothy was, then Paul reminds us: For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord.” Amen!