Tracy (mom2girls) would like to know and understand what an evangelist is and if it's any different from a Christian. I'm (sort of) scared that my answers may be confusing her - if nothing else they're a lot of new information all at once for her to take in and wondered if maybe we could all try to answer the questions in an easy to understand manner (you hear that Brenda) so that she might see the Eureka light (as she called it herself). There may be other questions as well, but we'll take those one day at a time for her sake (and for the sake of others who may be wondering the same things but haven't asked). Having said all of this, here is how I answered a question about being a Christian and evangelism: I believe to be called a Christian you have to be saved and by saved I mean: to be freed forever from the punishment of sin (that's not to say that you won't ever sin again - we all do, but we're not doomed for the penalty of sin which is death) - it's as simple as a prayer to Him recognizing that you are a sinner and that you want Him to be a part of your life. It doesn't mean that you're going to have a dull boring or miserable life - I'd say the opposite. I can say that I've had more fun as a Christian than I did before I was saved. Each person who claims to be a Christian is also called to "go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:15-16) The part of the verse that says whoever believes is baptised means that when you ask for Jesus to come into your life, you are instantly baptised by the Holy Spirit (meaning He comes into your life) - that would be the tugging feeling I described in my husband's chest he experienced when I was saved - the Holy Spirit was working through him. I guess to answer the question, we're all evangelists but some are gifted at being better at it (like Billy Graham - his gift is evangelism) than others.
Evangelists preach their messege(Whatever it may be), usually traveling to do it. There can be evangelists preaching some messege that isn't a Christian one, but I rarely if ever hear the term applied to other religions. All Christians are commanded to "preach the good news(that Jesus Died for us) to all creation" So we are all preachers/evangelists in that sense. But I think God has us do it each in our own way, within the gifts He gives us personally. Everyone dosn't have to "Preach" in the sense that we picture when someone says preach (like Billy Graham), but we are to spread the word about Jesus. So Christian is a title given to someone who believes in Christ and what He did for us and trusts him to guide their life. An Evangelist is someone who goes around preaching about it. Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary Evangelist a "publisher of glad tidings;" a missionary preacher of the gospel (Eph. 4:11). This title is applied to Philip (Acts 21:8), who appears to have gone from city to city preaching the word (8:4, 40). Judging from the case of Philip, evangelists had neither the authority of an apostle, nor the gift of prophecy, nor the responsibility of pastoral supervision over a portion of the flock. They were itinerant preachers, having it as their special function to carry the gospel to places where it was previously unknown.
So,,, then all Christians go to heaven, evangilist or not. Are all Churches equal, I mean is God OK with all of them, and how do you know which are the right ones? Sorry for the silly question but it is all a bit confusing for a newbie like me Tracy
I believe there are bad churches, but it's not fair to say that any one denomonation is wrong. When finding a church you have to go with what your heart tells you. Wherever you are suppose to go, God will lead you. I personally love our church. We are members at a Bible church. We chose a Bible church because it is just that...Bible based. Nothing more, nothing less. Everything comes from the Bible and there is no extra doctrine thrown in. My hubby's family goes to a Lutheran church. We have had our share of differences with things, but it comes down to the fact that we all share the same love of Christ. We just worship in a few different ways.
God tells us in His Word (the Bible) to test what the person is saying against the scriptures. 1Jo 4:1 ΒΆ Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. We are told that not every person who evangelizes is telling the truth. The way for us to know for sure is to read the Bible and make sure the person instructing us is speaking the same truths. I know it doesn't seem simple right now, but God is faithful if you are seeking the truth to make sure you find it. It will still be up to you to believe it or not. I'm glad you are fervently seeking at this point.
Kind of like the JW - they go door to door but (sorry) their message is a little warped (duck- incoming tomatoes)
