"Who, Me?  An Evangelist?"

by Greg Trainor,  Catholic Lay Evangelist

God desires to use you to reach others with the saving message of the Gospel. It is essential that the Gospel be proclaimed: the only true hope lies in Jesus Christ. For the business executive, the homemaker, the banker, the carpenter, the mechanic, the junkie, and the prostitute, there is only one way to heaven:

If we go back to the beginnings of the Church, we find a clear affirmation that Christ is the one Savior of all, the only one able to reveal God and lead to God. In reply to the Jewish religious authorities who question the apostles about the healing of the lame man, Peter says: "By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well.... And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:10, 12). This statement, which was made to the Sanhedrin, has a universal value, since for all people -- Jews and Gentiles alike -- salvation can only come from Jesus Christ. (Pope John Paul II, Mission of the Redeemer, 5)

Every Person Must Hear the Gospel

Everyone needs to hear the Good News and be reconciled to God. There is no way that we can make it to God on our own (cf. Matthew 19:25-26). All are lost in sin. The well-dressed man driving his Mercedes and the alcoholic lying on the street in tattered clothes each share the same problem: they are lost without Jesus Christ. When they each have heard and rejected the Gospel, they have only one major difference between their lives: the rich man will live a more comfortable life in this world before going on to an eternity in hell.

Jesus tells us that "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance" (Luke 15:7). The rejoicing in heaven is equally great for each sinner that returns. Every soul is of equal value in the eyes of God: "Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.’" (Acts 10:34-35). It doesn’t matter if they live in a mud hut in Africa or a mansion in Beverly Hills. It doesn’t matter if they are seen as the model citizen in their community or as the most feared criminal. The rejoicing in heaven is great for each one. For this reason, we shouldn’t focus our efforts to spread the Gospel merely on those that are materially less fortunate. Our challenge is to permeate all of society with the saving message of the Gospel.

God Has a Plan to Use Everyone

Spreading the Gospel is to be considered a normal part of the Christian life. It is not to be considered exceptional or extraordinary. God desires to use everyone to spread the message of the Gospel:

Finally, the person who has been evangelized goes on to evangelize others. Here lies the test of truth, the touchstone of evangelization: it is unthinkable that a person should accept the Word and give himself to the kingdom without becoming a person who bears witness to it and proclaims it in his turn. (Pope Paul VI, On Evangelization in the Modern World, 24).

The Lord is always calling us to come out of ourselves and to share with others the goods we possess, starting with the most precious gift of all -- our faith. (Pope John Paul II, Mission of the Redeemer, 49)

Truly, each Christian should be used to bring others to Christ. Many people tell me, "I don’t know if I can evangelize. I’m not very outgoing and I hate talking to crowds." Sometimes they say, "I don’t think that I can evangelize. I could never approach strangers on the street." Not everyone has the gifts or the call for preaching or sidewalk evangelism. But the person that is good with crowds and strangers might not be very good at talking with close friends and family members about the Gospel. The person who does not see themselves as outgoing may do very well in ministering to the sick as a Eucharistic minister or teaching a vacation Bible school class. If you are willing to be used to spread the Gospel, God is able to use you. You are God’s perfect, chosen instrument to reach some people with the Gospel. You are his first choice. God has given you specific gifts and abilities. He will use you to reach others.

The Holy Spirit Empowers You

The great commissioning in the Gospel of Mark shows that the power of the Holy Spirit is given to the believer to fulfill this great task: "And these signs will accompany those who believe..." In fact, every place that the New Testament records the "Great Commission" it includes the promise of the power of the Holy Spirit to help us in this task. To be successful, you must rely on God’s power to work through you. If you feel inadequate to be an evangelizer, you are actually in a very good position. The person who is confident and relies upon their own learning and abilities will be much less effective than the person that relies upon God’s grace and power.

I remember the first time that I was to lead the parish prayer meeting. I was at church in the afternoon. I became worried and began to pour out my heart to the Lord: "Lord, what am I doing? You know that I can’t do this!" I heard God’s answer clearly: "I know you can’t, Greg. But I can. So long as you remember that and rely on me for help, everything will be just fine."

"Who, me?"

Perhaps you are still thinking, "Who, me? How I am going to tell someone about Jesus? I don’t know very much about the Bible or the teachings of the Church. Who is going to listen to me?" This used to be one of my main concerns. I shied away from witnessing to others because I felt that I didn’t know very much. One day, while I was praying, I heard the Lord say: "Greg, it’s not your knowledge or understanding that is going to bring others to me, it’s my power that will bring them. Are you willing to tell others what you know about me?" "Yes," I answered. "If you are willing to tell them what you know about me," God continued, "then I will send those that need to hear it."

In the coming weeks I was amazed at how many people were brought across my path to hear about God. What was most amazing was that they needed to hear things that I could tell them! I always read the Bible during my prayer time. I would read something like Psalm 91 which talks about God’s protection. Soon after, someone would be telling me about their fear. I would witness to them about how God desires to protect us and his promises in Psalm 91. If they had come a few days earlier, I would not have known what to tell them. God is a good coordinator in this sense. He knows just what you know about him; knows what he has done for you and what he is teaching you. God will bring people into your path for whom you can act as a teacher and witness.

I talk to a lot of people about God. If I find them in the grocery store, on the subway, or in a park. I’ll ask them: "Do you know that God loves you? Did you know that you can live with him forever in heaven?" As people open up and talk, I take notice of what they are saying. I particularly take notice of what is said by those who don’t go to church or who profess not to believe in Jesus Christ. Many of them offer objections and excuses. They say, "I’m not going to church because you Christians are all hypocrites." They say that the evangelists are the biggest phonies of all (they don’t know that I am one), especially those on radio and television.

You see, most non-Christians have found a way to put Christianity in a tidy little box and put it up on the shelf. They are not hearing the Word of God in a church on Sunday; they don’t listen to it on the radio or on television. But when God sends you to them, they don’t have a little box to put you in and dismiss you. They know you as the mechanic in the next bay in the garage, or the neighbor over the back fence or another parent of a child in the sixth grade class. When you befriend them and love them with the love of God, their heart is touched and opened.

Most people aren’t looking for scripture scholars, theologians, or polished public speakers. What they need is someone like you that can speak honestly from the depth of the heart about the greatest need in their life: their need to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and be reconciled with God.

Decision

You have an important decision to make: will you give God permission to use your life for the spreading of the Gospel? I’m not asking you to become a priest, a nun, or a religious brother. I’m not asking you to be a foreign missionary, a sidewalk preacher, or a door-to-door evangelist. I’m asking if you will give God permission to use you to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you give God this permission, he will use you. Most likely, very few of the circumstances of your life will change. You will most likely still live in the same house, work at the same job and drive the same car. You will still have the same family. But, there will be a new meaning and purpose in your life. You will begin to live the Christian life with a greater anointing of the Holy Spirit.

If you give God permission to use you to bring the Gospel to others, he will use you to reap a harvest of souls in our day. There will be people that will reign in heaven with God forever instead of suffering in Hell because you said "yes." Please notice that I am not asking you if you feel qualified or adequately prepared to share the Gospel. I am simply asking this: are you willing? If so, God will use you. If you are willing, God is able to use you.

God will use what you learn in this book to get you ready to share the Gospel. He will use many other things to teach, further prepare and equip you. As long as you remain willing to be used, God will continue to equip and use you. Remember this saying: "If I am willing, God is able."

Prayer

If you are willing to let God use you to spread the Gospel, then pray this prayer:

"Lord, I give you permission to use my life to spread the Good News of the Gospel. I am trusting in you. I trust that you will give me the words. I trust that you will show me the right people and the right times. I pray that you will use my life to bring in a harvest of souls. Here I am, send me. Amen."

 

Also in this issue of the newsletter:

In His Word: God Loves You Personally & Unconditionally (topical Bible study)

a note from Greg (a note from Catholic evangelist Greg Trainor)