Double barreled evangelism

Most people think of the evangelist as a frontline first-person shooter because he’s constantly looking outward. The evangelist has a double-barreled approach, however, because he also builds up the body of Christ by equipping them to evangelize and by recruiting future soul winners. It’s not by accident that he is mentioned third in the list. He’s a linchpin between the church and outsiders with a responsibility in both directions. On the one hand, he faces outward, beckoning outsiders to come in; on the other hand, he faces inward, beckoning the insiders to go back out.

He equips the saints to do the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:12). Therefore, he’s gonna bug you about giving up some of your free time to join him, because he’s obligated to drag you along with him for training. You may run when you see him coming, but you can’t hide. He knows that reaching the lost isn’t your first priority. But God has made it his first priority. Like you, the evangelist doesn’t always want to be out there either, but if he wasn’t out there, you wouldn’t be at all. Necessity is laid upon him, and his gut clenches when he stops so that he’s miserable. With Jeremiah’s pent-up fire raging in his bones, he cries with Paul, “Woe unto me if I don’t preach the gospel.”
Jones, P. (2013). Church zero: raising 1st century churches out of the ashes of the 21st century church. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook.