<i>...but how much we love the message of God, and how much we love the people around us who need to hear it.</i>

Great comment!

The next questions - what do we mean by “love”, and how do we build our love for the gospel and for other people?

So how then do we regard the term ‘evangelist’ in the NT?

I guess I’ve tended to think of the evangelist as the person who is a bit of an extrovert and easily initiates conversations—whether evangelistic or otherwise. But maybe that’s not right. Maybe it is just the person that, like Paul, is ‘compelled’ by the love of Christ (2 Cor 5:14) to share the Gospel. Maybe the gift is just that intense desire to love the other person enough to overcome our own discomfort.

Having said that, it does seem to me that a person’s level of discomfort varies with their personality. For the introvert, who finds any conversation with people they don’t know well quite a struggle, the level of discomfort they have to overcome is significantly greater than that of those who find it hard to keep quiet when there’s another person within hearing range.

Hi All

Thanks for the comments, and sorry for the silence. I was a bit poorly yesterday.

Very briefly: Craig, those are excellent questions. Do you mind if we postpone discussing them until after my third post on emotions/affections? It will be very relevant.

IC and others: interestingly, our conversation in the small group wasn’t really in the context of evangelism and evangelists particularly, but our willingness to speak God’s word into any situation to anyone, whether Christian or non-Christian. (I know the way I framed the post may have led you to think otherwise.) It’s the same issue in each case: the ministry of the many and the ministry of the few. And in both cases, we get into strife (it seems to me) if we try to be more specific than the NT is, which is to say ‘not very specific’. All Christian disciples have the joy and privilege (and responsibility) of making disciples and teaching them all that Jesus has commanded (matt 28)—but this is not to deny that some have particular gifts or responsibilities.

TP

PS. I won’t be on duty for the next two days, so if there is further discussion I’ll take it up then.

Where did my earlier comment go?
Oh well -

What I said earlier was that your analogy reminded of what a Minister told me many years ago:
I think you would be great at presenting the product, not not very good at making the sale. .

He was referring to my ability to proclaim the gospel and evangelism.

One of the comments one of the people in your group concerns me a wee bit:

“It’s really about whether you love the product, and know it well, and whether you actually care for people and want to see them satisfied. If you really believe in it, then you’ll sell it.”

The Gospel is not a product, Christian are to love Jesus and love people. (This is different to caring I think). As for seeing them satisfied - in our culture satisfaction is tied up with being happy so it doesn’t sit well with me.