An Awesome God!
By Dr. Marshall M. Windsor

In a recent ministry trip I just happened to notice the different kinds of shoes in the airport. As you can imagine, people are everywhere and it seems as though no two people have on the same kind of shoe: open-toed shoes, tennis shoes, dress shoes, casual shoes and every imaginable shoe in between! Ironically, this reminded me of the diverse ministers I represent known as Assembly of God evangelists.

Evangelists are as diverse a people group as any that can be found in any culture or region of the world. I know some evangelists who exemplify the Old-Time Pentecostal evangelist. They are ultra conservative itinerant ministers who love to wear a suit and tie for every service and preach volumetrically from a King James Version Bible. They’re holiness minded folks who love Jesus with all their hearts and can’t wait for another opportunity to preach the Gospel and see the unchurched make decisions for Christ.

I know other evangelists who exemplify the modern day Church with casual attire and radical hairstyles. They relate to the younger generation of unchurched folks and preach from more contemporary translations of Scripture. They love the contemporary Church and love Jesus even more. They are radical purveyors of the Gospel to an even more radical generation and love seeing people cross the line of faith and make decisions for Christ. In between these two extremes of evangelists are traveling ministers that focus on special areas of ministry.

As the national evangelists representative for the United States Assemblies of God fellowship, I get to connect on varying levels with all these fascinating (and sometimes challenging) people. Young and old, male and female: All representing a plethora of ethnic backgrounds and worldviews. Conservative and Liberal points of view influence how they interpret the Scriptures, but they all love Jesus and His calling to evangelistic ministry.

Interestingly, I also get to hear all the complaints about who is really following Jesus and preaching the true Gospel. God has given me the privilege of serving these wonderful people. I love talking to people feeling the call of evangelistic ministry and trying to talk them out of itinerant ministry if I can. You may ask why I would do such a thing? The rationale stems from many who have called me after an emotional altar call invitation to help fulfill God’s mandate of proclaiming His Gospel to the whole world. Most people don’t realize the challenges that face ministers involved in itinerant ministry, so if I can talk people out of that ministry venue – then they weren’t called. If I can’t talk someone out of ministry then perhaps God has really called him or her to evangelistic ministry. Either way, no one needs to try and make God’s will for his or her life happen. God is able to lead us if we’ll just seek him daily and allow Him to have His rightful place of leadership in our lives. As a matter of fact, every Christian should be an evangelist right in the community wherein he or she lives. But, if I can’t talk inquirers out of full-time vocational ministry, then it’s time for them to begin ministerial studies and prepare for full-time service!

Additionally, with this wide range of personalities, convictions, and ethnicities; I also get to see some bad ministry. Just as there are good and bad politicians, teachers, bankers, money managers, husbands, wives, children, etc…, there are also some good and bad evangelists. I truly wish there was a way to filter these out of the Church, but invariably, folks with impure motives will always be a part of life this side of Heaven.

So why do I share all this about evangelists? I want you to know that there are some great men and women of God who have sacrificed so much to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and help today’s local church! Just as there are differing cultures across the United States, there are differing evangelists who love Jesus and are adept at connecting with those cultures. Representing them all can be challenging when you have your own convictions and passions for ministry, but how exhilarating to see God use so many diverse people to help so many unchurched folks find a relationship with their Creator. Now, that’s what I call an awesome God!