How would you delineate the task vs calling of evangelism?
A couple weeks ago I attended a secular concert of one of my favorite songwriters (Glen Phillips) in Seattle. It was a dinner theatre kind of venue, so Kristine and I showed up early and made a casual date of it.
Before the show started, I took a moment to hit the men’s room and swing by the “merch” table to buy a t-shirt. It turned out that I was the only one there. Before I was done finishing the transaction, I’d struck up a conversation with the gal behind the table, found out that she’d had some experience with churchianity in the past, and in the process shared the gospel with her. This wasn’t just a ‘name-drop Jesus’ moment…but it did include a complete presentation of the gospel. Kristine then had to listen to me gush about God’s goodness when I got back to our table. We right then and there prayed for her.
Did I issue an altar call? No. There was no explicit request for a “decision.”
I don’t share the story to self-aggrandize. Rather, it got me to thinking: that an outworking of the Holy Spirit’s role in the missio Dei that is distinguished between general and special calling.
Don’t miss this nuance:
ALL Christians are called to share the good news, to be ready to give an answer for their hope (e.g., Acts 1:8, 8:4; Mt 28:18-20; 1 Pe 3:15; 2 Co 5:18-20).
SOME are called and gifted with the spiritual gift of evangelism (e.g., Eph 4:11-12; Acts 21:8; 1 Co 12:28-31).
Further, I’d preach/teach that preachers and teachers are held to a higher account (e.g., Js 3:1; Ez 34:2-10; He 3:17; Lk 12:48), this leads finally to what I think is the lynchpin of this little post: buried in 2 Ti 4:5, Paul exhorts to the young Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist.”
And unless I’m missing something, Paul doesn’t have the particular gifting in mind here. Rather, he is to evangelize regardless of whether or not he also has the particular gift.
How would I delineate the task versus the calling?
There are better men than me to write the commentary on all this. But by analogy, not all have the particular gift of hospitality or administration, either…but all Christians are tasked with such at some level generally. The same is true with evangelism…except that it appears pastors bear a special burden to live in such a way that the gospel is shared intentionally.
Do I have the gift of evangelism? Sadly, no. I’m just willing to do the work of an evangelist.
