Just before his martyrdom, according to tradition, the Apostle Paul implored his student Timothy: “Do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry” (II Tim. 4:5). And what’s “the work of an evangelist”? To Paul, it was a calling—a precious “gift of Christ” (Eph. 4:7, 11).
“Evangel” means “good news,” and originally referred to the four Gospels. In the early Church, “evangelists” like Paul traveled around healing as Jesus did, and preaching the tidings of Jesus’ healings, crucifixion—and wondrous resurrection!
But over the centuries, the meaning of evangelism changed. Reformation crusaders like Martin Luther and John Calvin called themselves “evangelicals,” because they went directly to the Gospels for their authority, rather than to the Pope or “Church Fathers” like Saints Iranaeus, Augustine, and Justin Martyr.
