7 Authentic Marks of a Faithful Evangelist
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In the early 80s, Apple had a problem. They had just made a revolutionary product—the Macintosh—but people didn’t know they needed it. Traditional sales tactics weren’t enough, because they weren’t just selling a product but an idea. The Macintosh wasn’t just another computer. They believed it would change the way people work and live. But how could they get the world to “think differently”?
What they needed was Guy Kawasaki. Kawasaki worked in the jewelry business, where he was responsible for marketing and sales. Mike Boich, one of the original members of the Macintosh team, knew Kawasaki and believed that his passion for the product, persuasive communication, and unconventional thinking made him the perfect guy to convince people to buy their product. Kawasaki became known as the Apple Evangelist.
He described his job this way,
“And so, what I did was I brought the good news. I brought the good news that Macintosh would make you more creative and more productive because of its graphical user interface and its WYSIWYG printing. I brought the good news to developers that…this easy-to-use, fun, cool computer will open up a market to people who would have never bought a computer. So, that was the Macintosh religion. And so, my job was to bring the good news of Macintosh evangelism to developers so that they would create Macintosh products.”
Today, you might hear other companies refer to a marketing evangelist or a product evangelist, but Kawasaki got the ball rolling for Apple. Kawasaki and others are using the term similar to how it was originally used in the Greco-Roman world. An evangelist simply was someone who proclaimed good news. It was often the good news about the reign of Caesar.
But Paul redeemed and repurposed the term to apply it to announcing the kingdom of Jesus and His good news. It was a direct and subversive challenge to the Roman imperial propaganda. It is not Caesar who brings peace and salvation, but Jesus Christ. Though there are some similarities, an evangelist for Apple is quite different than the call to being an authentic evangelist for Christ.
What does it mean to be a faithful evangelist for Christ? Here are seven authentic marks.
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1. A Heart for the Lost
Guy Kawasaki might have been able to sell a few computers even if he didn’t believe in the product. A persuasive person can do such a thing. But I doubt he’d have become the Apple Evangelist without believing in the product himself. However, he also needed to care about the people who would buy Apple. Combine those two and you’re going to have someone successful in “evangelism,” whatever the “good news” is that you are sharing.
As a Christian, our heart for the lost doesn’t come from mere excitement about a product. Rather, we ourselves have been benefactors of the heart of Christ who “came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). We are given the very heart of Christ for others and that love for the lost will spill out of the heart of every authentic evangelist. It isn’t about seeing people as projects or fulfilling a quota, but rather a reflection of God’s love for others. Look no further than the apostle Paul in Romans 9:1-3 to hear the heartbeat of an authentic evangelist.
2. Faithfulness to the True Gospel
A man walks into a crowded restaurant and excitedly grabs a microphone. “As part of a new promotion, I am here to announce that everyone eating here this evening has won a new car!!” That’s great news, isn’t it?
Well, maybe for a moment. But the reality is that this guy is loon. There are no prizes for patrons on this evening. It was just a silly little lie he made up to make people smile. Good news is only truly good if its true. That is why an authentic gospel evangelist has to be a person of the truth. In Galatians 1:8-9, Paul says there is really only one gospel (good news) and that centers around the finished work of Jesus. The role of a faithful evangelist is to share this message of Christ clearly and without compromise or distortion.
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3. Dependence on the Holy Spirit
If I had put these in a particular order, this one would go first (assuming that “be saved yourself” is so obvious that it didn’t make the cut). Guy Kawasaki was hired because he was talented and persuasive. Apple couldn’t afford to have a bumbling idiot be their “evangelist.” But 1 Corinthians 2 tells us that God decided to employ such people to spread His good news—so that people would know that the power doesn’t lie in the skill of the good-news-bringer but in the message itself.
Because of this, a faithful evangelist will be fully reliant upon the Holy Spirit. We believe from John 16:8 that it is God who convicts hearts. Jesus told His disciples in Acts 1:8 that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. While boldness, persuasion, crafting good arguments, etc. are great tools — that isn’t where the source of our power in evangelism comes from.
4. A Life That Matches the Message
Imagine that Guy Kawasaki, the Apple Evangelist, owned an IBM. After his passionate speeches telling everyone about how amazing Apple is, and how they should buy this product, you go over to his house and he doesn’t own one himself. That wouldn’t give you much confidence, would it? In the same way, if our life doesn’t match our profession of faith, we aren’t being faithful evangelists.
I think there is a disclaimer that needs to be made here, though. I’ve known several people who refused to share the gospel because they knew their lifestyle wasn’t 100% consistent with what God calls us to do — okay, maybe not even 75%. Because of this they remain silent, not wanting anyone to “stumble.” But the reality is that part of our gospel presentation is that we are messed up. The gospel message isn’t that you are amazing and sinless and that Jesus makes you never mess up anymore and always happy. No, the gospel message is that Jesus has accomplished what we couldn’t.
Our job is to point. And you can do that even when you mess up.
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5. Prayerfulness
Prayer isn’t something that we use to manipulate God, but rather something that we engage in so that our hearts will align with His. This is also connected to our realization that spreading the good news of Jesus is fundamentally God’s work. That’s why Paul encouraged the Colossians to pray as He did in Colossians 4:2-4, that God would open doors for the gospel. Jesus’ ministry was also bathed in prayer. It’s just one more thing we do to remind ourselves that our reliance isn’t to be in our own strategies or lofty sounding words, but upon God’s power.
There is also something that happens in our mind and heart whenever we are praying. It’s a bit like purchasing a white Toyota and then seeing white Toyotas everywhere. When we pray about things, it puts it on the top of our mind. As we’re praying about opportunities to share the good news of Jesus, it puts it on the top of our mind. It gives us eyes to actually look for opportunity. Every faithful evangelist will be one who prays.
6. Willingness to Suffer Rejection
If he’s trying to sell to someone convinced that their IBM is the best product on the market, it’s possible that Kawasaki might get a door slammed in his face. We don’t like change. That’s true whether we’re talking about computers or lifestyles. But I can almost guarantee that the Apple Evangelist didn’t risking beatings, imprisonment, or even death for the sake of the “good news of Apple.” Yet, the very nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake” (Matthew 10:22). This isn’t about switching PC’s, it’s about switching kingdoms. And that doesn’t happen without a fight.
Because of this a faithful evangelist has to be willing to suffer rejection. If you’re afraid of being rejected, and your ultimate goal is personal comfort or acceptance of your message, then you will not remain faithful to the good news. A faithful evangelist does not shrink back in fear but boldly proclaims the good news of Jesus — even if it means suffering because you’re contrasting the good news of Jesus’ kingdom with the paltry good news of “Caesar’s” kingdom.
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7. Readiness to Go Anywhere, Anytime
Apple’s plan was to get people to “think differently.” They had a global vision. They wanted to change the world and the way that people engaged with computer technology. If Guy Kawasaki’s vision for apple evangelism was to get a Macintosh in the hand of every guy in the world named Eric, his vision would have been way too small. Good for all of the Erics, I guess, but it’s far too narrow to sustain the big vision of Apple. Likewise, a faithful evangelist for Christ cannot put stipulations upon where they’ll go or when they’ll go.
A faithful evangelist isn’t waiting for perfect moments to share the gospel. No, they are waiting for opportunities to share the gospel — remaining ready at all times. Paul exemplified this in Acts 16:6-10. In that story, he had his mind set on going one place, but God told him to go another. That is the mark of a faithful evangelist. Whether it’s across the globe or across the street — a faithful evangelist is always ready to go.
All Called to Share
Some people have the gift of evangelism. I take that to mean that they are wired in such a way that some of these marks are pretty natural to them. I also think God tends to give them more “success” as they share the gospel. Not everyone has these gifts. But we’re still called to be people who share the good news of Jesus.
We might consider some of these points as a challenge. Do I have these marks? And if I don’t, how can I ask God to improve them in my life?
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