"Do the work of an evangelist." 2 Timothy 4:5b
If you are a Christian, you are an evangelist. That means you are someone commissioned to announce the good news. Is that an intimidating thought? Don't be afraid. Your calling is to be an Evangelist, not an apologist. You don't have to defend the faith or win an argument. You calling is to announce the news that God has raised Jesus from the dead, and by raising Jesus from the dead, He has also installed Jesus as King of the cosmos and has, through Him, begun to make all things new. This message is not a shameful or offensive claim. Nor is this heavy-handed dogma or the threat of a torturous afterlife. The Gospel is news about something good that has happened. We have no reason to be sheepish about proclaiming the Gospel.
If the Gospel is purely good news, why are we so silent about it? I am a Life-long Mets fan. If they were to win the World Series, I would be telling people about it left and right, whether they cared or not. And they would care, at least a little, because they would see the joy it had brought me. Good news is like that. It is just good period. I suspect that, if we are silent evangelists, it is because we have not fully comprehended the good news ourselves. Judging by the lack of evangelism among evangelicals, I suspect that there is widespread incomprehension of the good news Jesus commissioned His followers to proclaim.
Being in a Christian nation, we have assumed so many things about God by absorbing the culture around us, but many of us have never really worked through those assumptions to see if they hold up under scrutiny. Listen to this bold statement: if our beliefs about God don't bring us freedom, they are not valid. Jesus said, "know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32). The results validate the Gospel's claim. Do you desire freedom from addiction? Do you need a purpose for life? Do you want joy or peace? Trusting the good news of Jesus will bring the results. So don't be afraid or lack confidence. The message we proclaim is excellent news.