Isaiah 43:11-12 I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.

Yesterday as I left you with the thought that evangelism and discipleship are two separate issues, one being for the lost and the other for the saved. Those two have common ground and it exists here in the opening passage.

The approach to the lost differs in evangelism from that of discipleship in belief systems. What do the lost believe? The saved have our shared belief but do not know exactly how it works or why. With evangelism it is a matter of getting to know the lost through their belief systems. Key in Isaiah 43:12 are the words, while there were no strange gods among you. The words and works of our God have to be separated from the minds of the lost or else they will not be able to see Him as the One true God.

Most of the people that are lost in this world do not understand they worship false gods. Atheist worship the god of nothing. Agnostics worship the god of doubt. Anything that keeps you from seeing the One true God is a god unto itself. Poverty, hunger, disease, wealth, fame, and position can all be used to distract the lost from looking to God.

The evangelist calling is to recognize those blinders and find ways to allow the light to shine in dark places that have never seen the light before.

If you try to disciple the lost, you will fail. Discipleship only works for the saved.

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

I have never spoken on this issue before because I am a prophet, not an evangelist. I’ve held that you should not speak about those things you know nothing about.

The root word is angel, a messenger. The most common definition is for those who deliver the Good News, the Gospel of Christ. As definitions go, that is fine. It is now my intention to delve deeper into that calling, unfamiliar territory that it is to me.

Angels are messengers from God. The heralds of God appeared unto men with an appearance which was powerful in form and delivery. The shepherds quaked in their fields. Balaam was thrown to the ground. They blinded the men at Lot’s door. There was no mistaking these angels were not mere men.

Much of what I have witnessed from the sin side of evangelism, it looks like this. “Here’s the bible, the Good News, it will change your life.” True enough but where is the power in form and delivery? It certainly is not in the confidence of strangers.

Matthew 10:11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.

Most of us are not sent. Apostles are those who are sent. The task of evangelism is meant for apostles, those sent. We are all asked to make disciples and the confusion for me was my former churchs treatment of those two things as being the same. They are not.

You evangelize the lost, you disciple the saved.