(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

2 Corinthians 10:4 (AV)

In this post we are going to outline seven powerful evangelistic weapons revealed in scripture and how to use those weapons effectively in evangelism and Gospel witness. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the strategic use of the Word of God, the Gospel can be preached and the love of God ministered to the salvation of souls and the transformation of lives.

1. The Name of Jesus Christ

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…

Philippians 2:9-11 (AV)

In an evangelistic situation (whether it be open air proclamation, formal public address, or one-to-one/group witnessing) to establish the name of Jesus Christ initially in a vocal manner will exert the authority of the name, which is above every name. Because the name of Jesus Christ has been ordained by God as the most highly exalted name, belonging to Him who has been endued with all principality and power, to openly and intentionally vocalize His name automatically shifts the center of power over to the favour of the evangelist.

All spiritual authority and power is sourced and contained in the name of Jesus Christ. Through His name, sin is forgiven and purged, demonic spirits can be bound and cast out, physical healing can be ministered, and only through His name, the lost can be saved and born again as children of God.

The name of Jesus Christ demands and induces reverence, as the judgment of the world and every soul approaches, which activates the human conscience. Because every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord, the human soul and spirit is brought to attention at its profession. Once the name of Jesus Christ is consciously established, the spiritual condition of the unbeliever will be exposed.

The proud and arrogant instantly reject His name and the humble acknowledge and pay attention in reverence. The message and preaching of the Gospel is done in the name of Jesus Christ in the highest regard, just as any other Christian service is also performed.

How-to guide:

To intentionally profess and consciously use the name of Jesus Christ as a source of blessing, power and authority must be recognized as an available and necessary weapon to use in the spiritual arsenal of the evangelist.

This means when in a witness or outreach situation there must be an intentional profession of His name. For example, in open air preaching or in a conversational witness, openly introduce yourself as a minister/evangelist who is speaking in the name of Jesus Christ, being clear that you are speaking a message on behalf of Jesus who has sent you. This will make your intentions clear and honest gaining the correct kind of attention as a preacher of the Gospel. In doing this you are activating the spiritual authority and power of the name of Jesus which both empowers you and protects you.

2. The Gospel of Jesus Christ

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Romans 1:16 (AV)

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of God and the Grace of God is a major resource of power given by God to His servants due to its powerful redemptive and salvific potential towards the human being.

The Gospel has been divinely sanctioned and is the power of God to save, deliver from sin and satanic governance, transform even the most broken or perverse lives, dissolve all forms of wickedness, clear past/present/future shame and guilt, reverse spiritual damage/wounds, destroy spiritual/psychological strongholds, release/relieve heavy life burdens, physically heal disease/infirmities, break demonic possession, raise the dead and take dominion over principalities and powers destroying the claim and works of the enemy in the human being.

The Gospel is designed to heal, set free, open the eyes of the blind and unstop the deaf ears. If in evangelism one is not preaching the Gospel in its simplicity and fullness, there is a vulnerability to the preacher by way of demonic overpowering and also susceptibility to induce false conviction and conversion.

How-to guide:

Anointed preaching in demonstration of the Spirit and of power through called evangelists will need no gimmicks or manipulative strategies, but rather, will utilize the simple and plainly delivered Word of God to engage unbelievers in validity of truth and conviction of conscience. The specific commandment is to preach the Gospel because of the effectual power contained therein to save the lost and also through the Kingdom of God, conquer the office of the enemy.

To preach the Gospel this way, the evangelist must focus all their subject material upon Jesus Christ and His finished work upon the cross. All that is said must be directly related to conveying the message of the cross and the sole importance of faith in Jesus above all things. All material must in some way glorify the name of Jesus and impart saving knowledge to the lost.

3. The Sword of the Spirit

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword…

Hebrews 4:12 (AV)

The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God is an eternal resource and vitally important in the arsenal of the evangelist. The Word of God is compared to a sharpened sword because it can dived the soul from spirit, cut through external circumstances, spiritual identities, demonic strongholds and facades of persona to expose the true spiritual state of the human heart.

The Word of God is both a sword that is pointed at a person and a sword that is wielded by a trained soldier. The unbeliever has the sword pointed at them by default and it must be the intention of the evangelist, as a trained soldier of Christ, to wield that sword in order to destroy the works of the flesh and the devil established in their life.

The Word of God must be spoken in its Biblical form and intentionally used to expose any truth that is necessary in order to advance the Kingdom of God in the unbeliever–this was the method of Jesus and the Apostles. The Word of God deals with spiritual realities and opens blind spiritual eyes and must be implanted in the heart in order to induce salvation.

How-to guide:

The evangelist must be equipped with a sound consciousness of the Word as a whole, and through the Holy Spirit, have a vast recall of Scripture to memory in order to ‘be ready in season and out of season.’ In other words, before evangelizing or sharing the Word of God, take the time to know and understand the Bible as a whole and memorize individual verses and portions of scripture.

It is important that we can use the Bible correctly knowing its parts and how to locate relevant portions, and also to recall a decent amount of scripture from memory in order to teach the people the Word of God most effectively and in a timely manner.

The Word of God also must be rightly divided, as any exaggeration can obscure and bias the application. This means we need to understand scripture doctrine which is often located throughout the Bible’s various sections making it necessary to divide it correctly amongst itself. The Word of God must be distinguished against traditional doctrines as to prevent falling into traditional snares of interpretation and leading others into them.

The command is to ‘preach the Word,’ as to declare it publicly, openly, boldly and in its fullness. Preaching is to be executed without mixture of human wisdom and without the aid of unnecessary schemes/gimmicks and tools of assistance–which all detract from the purity and power of the Gospel in its simplicity.

Electronic or literary resources of a Biblical nature including Bibles, NT’s, tracts, E-Bibles, internet articles, theological resources, and videos etc. are valuable to have on hand for the further development of those who we have made contact with through evangelism.

4. Prayer & Supplication

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…

Ephesians 6:18 (AV)

In evangelistic situations, prayer is a powerful weapon against the forces and strongholds of the enemy. For the unbeliever prayer is a resource they have no access to unless they have first approached the throne of grace in contrition to salvation; therefore, when men of God offer prayer up to God on their behalf, hope can be delivered to the soul.

Prayer is also a demonstration of the Spirit and can induce reverence and humility to the unbeliever through the display of the power and life of God expressed through the evangelist. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man can work miracles and exert mountain-moving faith on the move.

Prayer is a way of blessing and access to individuals otherwise difficult to approach, in that, prayer for healing, deliverance, guidance, and lifting of burdens can be offered to the severely burdened, down trodden or hardened of heart for their benefit and exposure to the working of the Kingdom of God.

How-to guide:

Preparatory prayer and supplication is important to the preparation of ministry efforts in the favour of God. In other words, intentionally praying ahead of time for God to bless and protect your evangelistic ministry work is necessary, and is a powerful factor when ensuring the success of the work. The same is certain following the close of ministry efforts as to have the work of faith and the Spirit continue with all those to whom you may minister to after the fact.

This type of prayer engages in warfare with principalities and powers that currently are in opposition to the kingdom of God where evangelistic efforts are directed; therefore, establishing a concentrated power struggle for the purposes of ‘making paths straight’ and pulling down spiritual/demonic strongholds is necessary protocol for the evangelist.

Prayer to the Most High invites the blessing over the evangelist and those he ministers to, and calls down the heavenly resources needed in the evangelistic warfare undertaken.

5. The Power of the Holy Spirit

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me…

Acts 1:8 (AV)

The power endued from on high, expressed through the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit is a formidable resource and crucial to the efforts of the evangelist. The office of evangelist itself is a Holy Spirit empowered gift and office bestowed on those called by God to be fishers of men.

All sanctioned power is distributed by the Holy Spirit, accessed through faith and exercised therein at the requirement of service. The sufficiency to be effective ministers of the new covenant is purely through the power of the Holy Spirit and must not be confused with natural human abilities or gifting.

As commissioned preachers and evangelists by the sanction of Jesus Christ, authority and power has been issued for the advancement of the Kingdom of God through the Holy Spirit. Power to heal infirmities and cast out demons in evangelistic ministry has been issued therefore should be employed in service. Anointed preaching of the Gospel is endued from on high and must be the core resource in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

How-to guide:

An evangelist should expect to encounter unbelievers who the Holy Spirit has been drawing beforehand. His primary work towards unbelievers is to convict of sin, righteousness and judgment; therefore, an evangelist, by the Holy Spirit, should expect to further plant and water along these lines to the effectual drawing of the unbeliever.

The Holy Spirit produces internal strength, character and integrity in the evangelist in order to fully perform ministry tasks even in the harshest environments and conditions. Various amounts of spiritual, psychological and physical pressure should be expected from light to extremely heavy degrees when carrying out the evangelistic commission; therefore, we can expect with certainty that the power of the Holy Spirit will meet these challenges head on in supplying the evangelist with strength, wisdom, resilience and ability to overcome.

Touching the supernatural, the Holy Spirit surely gives ‘power surges’ for His purposes; therefore, the evangelist must be receptive to His voice and leading whilst being aware of the opportunities which are presented for supernatural ministry. Real time spiritual transportation or the ‘catching away’ of an evangelist can be employed by the Holy Spirit if He chooses to do so for imperative purposes as wells as visions, trances, dreams and encounters through other saints. All of these potential occurrences via the Holy Spirit can be of great assistance to the evangelistic ministry. The evangelist should be ready for and expectant of these supernatural encounters and occurrences as the Holy Spirit may choose to employ them at His discretion.

6. The Gifts of the Spirit

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:4 (AV)

Every evangelist will have particular gift combinations given by the Holy Spirit, therefore will have differing concentrated manifestations; thus, distinguishing between divinely empowered evangelism and psychological or human generated efforts is achieved – the Spirit not the letter.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are primarily for the construction and strengthening of the church, and the office of evangelist is established to add converts to the church; therefore, certain gifts of the Holy Spirit may be employed by the evangelist to this end. This power is externally exerted and visible in nature, though it is sourced from the unseen spiritual/supernatural realities and blessings in Christ through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

How-to guide:

While undertaking evangelistic ministry, the several gifts of the Holy Spirit can be utilized. When evangelists employ the gift of prophecy towards unbelievers it can convince and convict them of Gospel truth in revealing the secrets of their heart, proving God is present and all knowing, validating the words of the evangelist. Those gifted in the prophetic must keep their use of the gift sharpened through the Word, prayer and daily communion with the Holy Spirit, which leads to prophetic revelation.

The gift of tongues can be employed as a sign to unbelievers and for empowerment of believers. When the gift of tongues is demonstrated towards unbelievers, it acts as a sign producing skepticism and ridicule because they do not believe in God and cannot understand spiritual realities as yet. However, to new believers the gift of tongues follows the baptism of the Holy Spirit and provides them with edification and power for the Christian life ahead of them.

The discerning of spirits is a valuable resource in order to directly engage wayward, demonic and erroneous spirits in order to break and dissolve their influence upon the lost. This gift can best be used in conjunction with prayer and prophecy to destroy spiritual and demonic strongholds obstructing conversion. Words of wisdom and knowledge are a form of prophetic gifting and provide revelation of specific facts or wise solutions to be used stronghold destruction in unbelievers and for various other purposes in an evangelistic context.

Following the example of Jesus and the Apostles, an evangelist gifted in miracles and healing can exert major power of signs and wonders through various demonstrations according to the Spirit’s purposes. The potential for divine healing, miracles and deliverance (which is a type of healing) to produce conversion is staggering and if the evangelist has these gifts, they should search for opportunities to exert them along with Gospel proclamation, producing Pentecost like results.

The gift of faith is valuable in its application towards unbelievers. When employing faith it is possible to impart faith into the hearts of unbelievers through gospel witnessing, prophetic testimony, prayer, and prophetic messages of exhortation and encouragement. And through the gift of faith the potential to work in supernatural contexts is much higher. The gifts of administrations and helps are also very valuable in logistic and resource support of the evangelistic ministry in the context of team/group evangelism which is a valuable need when working with large scale and long term evangelistic projects.

7. The Angels of God

And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison…

Acts 12:7 (AV)

It is important to be aware of the spiritual reality angels whom are at the command of the Lord Jesus Christ. An evangelist can pray for legions of angels to be working in the Spirit whilst they minister as to the breaking of demonic influence over both the spiritual and physical range of the ministry effort.

An evangelist can expect to have large amounts of angels present with them in warfare and guarding them for purposes of their deliverance. The evangelist may also expect high-ranking angelic host such as the Angel of the LORD, Michael the prince or the angel Gabriel to have charge over them at the discretion of the Most High. This does not mean that the evangelist is impervious to persecution, but rather, that they can count on potential supernatural deliverance in pressurized situations.

How-to guide:

Angelic host can be used by the Lord to communicate important information to the evangelist regarding the focus of ministry, the delivery of concentrated and express messages from God, geographical guidance, future occurrences, and short/long range projections regarding ministry or situational outcomes.

Angels can also be used to impart strength, encourage, provide for, and arrange occasions of special witness. The evangelist should expect to physically encounter angels as the God may choose to command them to particular assignments concerning them. Physical encounters of supernatural deliverance should be expected as they may be the will of God in certain situations.

Angels can appear in either supernatural form or in human form, so it is a matter of discerning wisely when encounters take place. Through prayer, spiritual preparation, a life of holiness, and especially within prophetic ministry, encounters with angels are more likely to occur; but it is clear from Scripture that angelic encounters are not something within human control or demand, but are initialized from God in order to achieve special purposes and in special contexts.

Conclusion

Right now the prophetic timeline located in scripture tells us we are to expect the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ, but not before several prophetic events have taken place including the final worldwide harvest of souls, as the Gospel is to be preached in all nations before the end (Matthew 24:14).

This worldwide delivery of the Gospel is a prophetic work of the Holy Spirit, fulfilling the word of the prophets in that there would be a last days outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all nations and all flesh preceding the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This means we as Christians of all abilities are to share the Gospel and contribute to the fulfillment of the prophetic word in whatever capacity we are able to by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, let us become acquainted with our divinely provided evangelistic weapons as described in the Bible, and look to the Holy Spirit’s power, guidance and training in using those weapons to destroy the works of the devil and expand the territory of the Kingdom of God through the saving of souls.

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Mark 16:15-20 (AV)

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