Being an evangelist isn’t a job. It is a calling. But reflecting on why do we evangelise and what is our motivation is important. Chatting with some evangelists last night, I heard what motivates them, and it wasn’t what you might expect.
Motivation is…
I was happily working in my office when my family all at once burst in through my door. I wondered at first what I had done to deserve such a pleasure. Then they told me.
A large spider had made an appearance.
Usually one of my sons will deal with such things. However, this one was too big.
As such they were motivated to come and find me: chief of all spider dispatchers. In this particular arachnid’s case, even I didn’t feel inclined towards a more humane removal. Apologies spider lovers everywhere. It was huge. And moved fast.
That’s my excuse anyway.
What is motivation?
Motivation is defined, after a quick google search, as ‘a reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way’.
How do you react to things? Do you know why you react to those things in those ways? Do you know why you do what you do?
In the case of spiders, it’s a preservation thing in our brains!
Why does it matter to think about motivation?
When we undertake any ministry it’s important to know why we are doing what we are doing. If someone is preaching for, as Lady Gaga put it in her 2013 release, ‘all for the applause’ then you could expect the sermon to be nothing more than crowd pleasing statements. Would that make for a good sermon?
But if the motivation of a preacher is to bring insight to what the Bible has to say, with clear application to the lives of the listeners, then that is good. To do that they will need to read, study and pray. They will need to understand their context and who their congregation are. That way their words are relevant, powerful, effective, honest.
The motivation directs the practice.
It’s important to know why do we evangelise
It’s the same with evangelists and those who are keen to share their faith. They need to look at what is motivating them to share their faith. That way it will direct how they pray, what they read. How they relate to people. And what they say.
We have just launched the evangelist and faith sharing group which meets monthly on zoom. (see the end note if you might be interesting in joining).
Last night the point was raised from a book we are working through: what motivates us to tell other people about Jesus? Why do we evangelise?
Why do we evangelise? – What motivates an evangelist?
- A sense of restlessness to want to tell people about Jesus.
- A sense of feeling the deep desire to say something about faith, and the sense that not doing so leaves a feeling of sadness.
- A ‘holy discontent’ with the way things are.
- No idea if you are being ‘good’ at it (evangelism), just knowing that you have to be faithful at it
- Not called to be successful, just to be obedient
- Always listening for a nudge of the Holy Spirit as to what to say next
- For the evangelist, it’s sometimes harder to know when to keep quiet. But it’s something we need to do.
- A desire to share the good things that God has done for us
- A desire that others should have the opportunity to share in the good things that we receive from God.
Considering these things, what is at the heart of an evangelist that motivates them?
It seems emotional. A sense here, a feeling there, a desire even which answers why do we evangelise. Jesus tells the story of a woman who loses a coin (1 of 10) and sweeps the house for it (Luke 15:8-10). Reading the passage you get a sense of the urgency with which she is looking. She doesn’t give up.
A deep desire which means she won’t quit until she has done what she needs to do.
When she finds it she gets her friends together for a party.
In that culture, the coin was valuable. A wedding gift from her husband – like a wedding ring today. Jesus relates this story to the kingdom of heaven, and when someone comes to know Jesus the angels celebrate with the same intensity as the woman who finds her coin.
Being an evangelist is not a job
For an evangelist telling people about Jesus isn’t a job, though a few may receive support of some kind. Nor is it about making themselves feel useful or successful. Why evangelism is important to an evangelist is rather a deep-felt need to join God in the process of salvation. God does the saving, but we are the story bearers. How can people who don’t know God call on him if they have not heard? (Romans 10:14). An evangelist has a motivation to seek out the lost in the same way as the woman who swept her house.
What motivates you in your ministry?
Join us online as we consider what motivates us to share our faith, whether you see yourself as an evangelist or a keen faith sharer. For those who want to develop their gift as a witness and person of peace in their community, contact here.
