THE DANCING FEET OF AN EVANGELIST
It all started when she had to call for a tow truck because again the car wouldn’t start. Jane got surprised by a guy with the ministry of an evangelist, which is delightfully unique. I’m not talking about the evangelists that have the big gatherings, but the boots-on-the-ground guy or girl who lives at ground level like us. To people who are unfamiliar with this ministry, the brash fervor of an evangelist can seem annoying, but once you realize it’s God’s anointing on them, you have to smile and enjoy the flow of their dancing feet. “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tiding of good things!” (Rom 10:15).
Jane got in the tow truck. The driver was a middle-aged, dark-haired man with a Middle-Eastern accent. Jane thought the music sounded Middle Eastern as well. With all the immigration chaos going on, she was hesitant to ask him where he was from. The last time the car wouldn’t start, she had the same towing company, and the driver was from Iraq, illegal and working off the book. But she went ahead anyway and asked where he was from. He said, “I am from a crazy country in the Middle East.” She asked, “Afghanistan? Iran?”
He answered, “Iraq.” And Jane asked, “Are you a citizen?”
He proudly answered, “Yes. I’ve been here five and a half years. I became a citizen and my wife also and my children. We are all full-fledged American.” He went on to say that he came to America because of religious persecution. He was a Catholic in Iraq. His parents were Catholic, and all his family was Catholic. He said only 5% of the population in Iraq is Catholic and all Christian people face the daily danger of being killed and their possessions confiscated. Then he began to witness to Jane about Jesus and all the benefits of believing in Jesus.
When a true evangelist gets started, it doesn’t matter if you are a Christian already, a preacher or whatever. When the anointing of an evangelist gets going, there’s no stopping for anything. The fervor of those beautiful dancing feet are in full motion.
This man told Jane that he would talk to his Muslim friends about the 72 virgins they were promised. “What is any man going to do with 72 women?! And what do the women get if they die for Allah? 72 men? What can a woman do with 72 men? How can she take care of them?”
He went on to say, “Jesus promises eternal life. What good does it do to have ten rich houses and ten cars in Iraq if you’re living in a country where you’re always afraid you’ll get killed by someone who wants your things or the government decides to take them? I’d rather have my little house and small car here and be able to go out and be free.”
Jane asked him, “Do you talk to everyone who gets in this tow truck?”
He replied, “Everyone hears about Jesus when they get in this truck.” And he dropped Jane off with a handshake, and a “God Bless You!”
In Romans 10:15, where God says, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tiding of good things,” the word translated “beautiful” is a Greek word meaning “the bloom and vigor of life.” It is often joined with another Greek word that suggests “grace of movement.” That’s where I get the idea of the dancing feet of an evangelist.
For those of us who are not evangelists, to behold a true evangelist is like watching an amazing ballet, tap dance, or modern dance artist. You are not to interrupt the dance, but watch in utter amazement something that is unique and beautiful, a special gift from God.
When David brought God’s Word into Jerusalem, he couldn’t help himself—he was so full of delight he danced. This is how I see the true evangelists.
“So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness. And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings. And David danced before the Lord with all his might” (2 Sam. 6:12-14).
The words “gospel” and “glad tidings” in Romans 10:15 are both the same Greek word “euggelizo,” which means “the joyful tidings of God’s kindness, in particular, of the Messianic blessings.”
When it says, “glad tidings of good things,” the word “good” is “useful, joyful, happy, upright and honorable.”
We need to learn how to appreciate all the ministries in the body of Christ. What a huge blessing for Jane to experience the private dance of God’s evangelist gift this week. I pray that you get to see this sometimes too.
Love, Carolyn
CHRISTMAS IS COMING. HOW ABOUT GIVING ONE OF MY BOOKS OR BOOKLETS TO A RELATIVE OR FRIEND? J
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