A fun and safe resource for kids, provided by Got Questions.
What is an evangelist?
Great question! Here's the answer:
An evangelist is someone who shares the good news of Jesus Christ.
Evangelists can come in all shapes and forms. In truth, anyone who is proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ is an evangelist. This could be a preacher, a missionary, or a Sunday school teacher. Kids who tell their friends about Jesus are evangelists too! There are certain people with the spiritual gift of evangelism, and they travel around the world to share the gospel. However, even without the gift of evangelism, all of us have been called to share the gospel with others (Matthew 28:18–20).
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are often referred to as "the Evangelists" because they wrote down the gospel of Jesus Christ. They provided us with crucial information about Jesus' ministry, life, death, and resurrection. There were also many other evangelists in the Bible, such as Paul, Timothy, Titus, Peter, and Silas, although Philip is the only person referred to as an evangelist (Acts 8). Paul also tells Timothy to do the work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5).
Philip's evangelism is shown in Acts 8, which records him traveling down a road to Gaza. He was led by an angel to travel down this road, where he met an Ethiopian man, whom he shared the gospel with. The Ethiopian placed faith in Jesus, Philip baptized him, and then Philip was carried away by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit placed Philip in another location, where he continued to preach the gospel. Being an evangelist can be hard work, but it is also rewarding work.
Bible Truth
“So Christ himself gave the gift of the apostles to the church. He gave the prophets and those who preach the good news. And he also gave the pastors and teachers as a gift to the church. He gave all these people so that they might prepare God’s people to serve. Then the body of Christ will be built up. That will continue until we all become one in the faith. We will also become one in the knowledge of God’s Son. Then we will be grown up in the faith. We will receive everything that Christ has for us” (Ephesians 4:11–13).
“An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip. ‘Go south to the desert road,’ he said. ‘It’s the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So Philip started out. On his way he met an Ethiopian official. The man had an important position in charge of all the wealth of the Kandake. Kandake means queen of Ethiopia. This official had gone to Jerusalem to worship. On his way home he was sitting in his chariot. He was reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Holy Spirit told Philip, 'Go to that chariot. Stay near it’” (Acts 8:26–29).
