He was an Evangelist
Luke 1:77-78 we see that John was an evangelist; “…to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God.” John was an evangelist; he loved to see people come to know Christ as their personal savior. Here’s the bottom line, people belong to Satan or God; they’re either going to hell or heaven, that’s it. Everyone who has ever lived fits in one of those categories. Race, gender, nationality, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic background, and sexual preference that is all secondary. The big issue is two teams: Satan-hell, Jesus-heaven. Salvation is being saved from hell to heaven, Satan to Jesus, sin to forgiveness, death to life, that’s it.
John knew that people, left to themselves, belong to Satan and are going to hell, but he wants to see people liberated, rescued and become children of God. So he tells them about salvation. Here it is: you and I have sinned against a holy and righteous God; he has come into human history as the man, Jesus Christ, to reconcile men and women to God; he’s lived the life we have not lived, the life without sin; he’s died the death we should have died, the death for sin; he has risen to give the gift we cannot earn, forgiveness of sin. When we put our faith in Christ that he has done that and he is able to rescue us then we experience salvation. John never grew tired of saying this and calling people to repentance and salvation in Christ, and so, he is an evangelist.
So let me ask you this: if you’re a Christian, who in your life – family, friend, classmate, coworker, neighbor, enemy – who in your life needs Jesus? Who should you be praying for? Not because you have to, but because you get to, because there is still hope for them, they’re still breathing! One of the greatest joys in my life is seeing people become Christians. I have seen people rescued from a life of drug/alcohol addiction, cutting, mediocrity, demonic oppression; I have seen them meet Jesus and be set free and it is an awesome and wonderful thing. But it is not because of me, it is the work of the Holy Spirit and I get to participate and experience that joy!
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