The Gift of the Evangelist

Our church believes in the spiritual gift of the evangelist. This past weekend, we witnessed again the value and validity of the gift of the evangelist. A true evangelist is gifted to:

*Simplify the Gospel message for everyone

*Clearly present the Gospel powerfully

*Equip the church to do ministry

*Build up the church toward unity

*Empower the church to win others

The church, not even the church in 2013, should never minimize the value of the gift of the evangelist.

We Witnessed The Gift of the Evangelist

On Saturday and Sunday, we witnessed the gift of the evangelist through the life and ministry of Clayton King. Clayton travels to churches like ours and presents the Gospel message simply for all to understand and clearly for all to embrace personally. This gifted evangelist taught the Word of God to us from Luke 24, never compromising or dumbing it down in any way. Clayton serves as the Teaching Pastor for NewSpring Church, additionally he serves as the Campus Pastor for Liberty University. The diversified usage of his gift, strengthens the body of Christ globally, even while he ministers to the next generation weekly and effectively. As a result of this gift being exercised and received in our fellowship on Saturday and Sunday, at least 200 people, of all ages, embraced Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.

We Believe in the Gift of the Evangelist

Through the years, we have been blessed to have many evangelists be used by God in our fellowship. Just to name a few, we have had great men of God like Tim Lee, Rick Scarborough, Freddie Gage, Jay Strack, Ken Freeman, Alan Celoria, David Ring, Greg Laurie, and scores of others. Each time, God used them uniquely to engage the lost and un-churched with the message of the Gospel.

Use the Gift of the Evangelist

Regardless of your personal giftedness or your church’s personality, as the church we are called to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and to make disciples of all the nations. The gift of the evangelist can assist you to fulfill this goal, especially in reaching your local town, city or region. As a pastor or a leader in your church, you can see your church come to life when it sees people come to Christ. Nothing energizes the church like seeing people come to faith in Jesus Christ. The evangelist can help you energize your church.

Eugene and Others

Following the worship experience this past Sunday at our Pinnacle Hills location, a man, Eugene, walked straight up to me. He stated how he came to church because his daughter asked him to come. He had been sick, in the hospital, released on Friday, and knew little to nothing about the Lord. On Sunday, he fulfilled the request of his daughter to come to church.

However, while he was there, God softened his heart towards the message of the Gospel. As soon as he told me his story, I went straight to a very direct question about his personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He had no relationship with Jesus and he knew it. Within five minutes, he embraced Jesus Christ and I had the joy of leading him to Jesus Christ personally.

The Miracle

As soon as Eugene received Christ, I introduced him to one of our staff team members, Bob Ryan. Bob will follow-up with Eugene, see him baptized soon, and move forward in discipling him in his new-found faith. It all began with Eugene’s daughter challenging him, followed by Eugene hearing an evangelist present the Gospel powerfully and simply. Then I questioned him, being intentional to see him come to Christ, and then I directed him toward someone who will insure his discipleship journey. As I had him share his story with Clayton King and others, God once again affirmed the gift of the evangelist. He uses all kinds of people to build up His church!

May Miracles Like These Continue!

Ronnie W. Floyd