Everyone is an Evangelist

Everyone is an evangelist.

This thought is not original to me. Have you ever pondered it?

Everyone has a subject they are passionate enough about to try to convert another person to their point of view. I have only my life experience to offer here, but I find this true in every personality across the board. I know rock collecting evangelists, chiropractor evangelists, union organizing evangelists, Weight Watcher evangelists, home schooling evangelists, poker evangelists, facebook evangelists, exercise evangelists, quilting evangelists, Jui-Jitsu evangelists, environmental evangelists, Food Network channel evangelists, scrapbooking evangelists, football evangelists, and the list goes on. We all talk about what we love, and we try to convince others of its greatness.

My friend, Kim, and I were talking about this the other day. She has a passion (albeit an unusual passion but a passion nonetheless) for the disposable shower cap. She buys them at the dollar store (several for a dollar) and uses them to cover leftover food in oddly shaped bowls, plates of cookies, a salad in a fancy glass bowl on its way to a potluck meal, etc. If she meets you at the potluck and you are sporting a plate wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, she will quickly inquire if you are aware of the glories of the shower cap for food covering purposes. She will then proceed to "evangelize" about the shower cap including its many uses, its affordability, and just where you can purchase the best shower caps. She doesn't need to spend a couple years and establish a relationship with you. She doesn't just model the use of the shower cap and hope that someday you will see what the shower cap has done in her life and then want to have it in your life too. She presents the information about the shower cap with enthusiasm. You can accept it as truth or reject it.

Both Kim and I agree everyone has the ability to evangelize and exercises that ability in some form. It is true some are more gifted in this area than others--not everyone can wax eloquent about the shower cap. But, I don't think anyone can legitimately say, "I'm just not an evangelist. That's not my gift."

I pray for that passion to evangelize about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray for a love of the subject (the King of this universe) that spills out of my mouth at every opportunity. I pray for the ability to present the information and let it be accepted as truth or simply rejected. I pray for a passion to evangelize about things of eternal significance.