I would like to know the difference between an evangelist and an apostle.
Concerning spiritual gifts, we read in Ephesians 4:11-12, “And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” The Greek word for apostle is “apostolos” and means “a delegate, messenger, and one sent forth with orders.” It is “specifically applied to the twelve apostles of Christ” as well as to the Apostle Paul. The Greek word for evangelist is “euaggelistes” and means “a preacher of the gospel” and “a bringer of good tidings.”
The Apostle Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5, “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” This verse shows us that all of us can “do the work of an evangelist” even if we have not been gifted by the Lord to be an evangelist. All Christians should “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” The witness of a God-honoring life is a powerful testimony to unbelievers. Showing love and kindness to the unbelievers at work, school, and in our neighborhoods can be used mightily of the Lord to draw souls to Christ. We are also taught to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction (2 Timothy 4:2, NASB). As we depend on the Lord, He will give us wisdom about what to say and how to say it to point precious souls to the Savior.
We can also distribute gospel tracts. There are many ways to do this good work. Some ideas are to put gospel tracts and calendar cards in envelopes when bills are paid and give them to cashiers when checking out at stores. Gospel tracts can be placed in small bags with Halloween candy when trick-or-treaters come to your home. Care packages for homeless people can be kept in your car and given to those less fortunate than us. Fill a gallon-sized Ziploc bag with gospel tracts, a pair of socks, deodorant, lotion, multi-purpose wipes, Band-aids, chapstick, tissues, gum, cracker packs, applesauce (pouches are great so they don’t need spoons), granola bars (don’t get anything too hard in case they have dental problems), beef jerky or beef sticks, hat, gloves, or scarfs in the winter, suntan lotion in the summer, bottles of water or even a water bottle that has a filter so they can refill it, a drawstring backpack, and pamphlets or contact information for local homeless ministries.
There are so many ways to “do the work of an evangelist.” May each of us do our part in the brief time that we have before the Lord takes us home. Praise the Lord that He is still saving precious souls! (376.6) (DJ)