The
Role of the Evangelist
The first activity of the first century church was
evangelism. On Pentecost, the church began with some 3,000 individuals
accepting Christ. At that point believers started meeting together in church groups. Those groups grew and divided as more and
more confessed their faith and were baptized. During the next thirty years the
church spread across Jerusalem, throughout Israel, and around the Roman world. The
first century church was filled with people who recognized their responsibility
as a witness of Christ, but the
office of the Evangelist, as it pertains to the five-fold ministry is a
position devoted to this endeavor.
The primary mission of the Evangelist is bringing lost souls to salvation. This mission is in direct relation to Christ’s
promises to gather His people from every nation, tongue and tribe before His
return. This is stated clearly in Matthew
24:14 and Revelation 7:9. The Evangelist’s mission is the
ministry of outreach.
When Jesus sat for hours outside the temple or the
city and taught the unsaved...
He was primarily functioning in the anointing of the Evangelist. Likewise, when Apostles were sent out, preaching the Gospel and bringing souls to Christ, they were functioning in the role of an Evangelist first and then the Apostle, organizing and planting churches and making disciples.
He was primarily functioning in the anointing of the Evangelist. Likewise, when Apostles were sent out, preaching the Gospel and bringing souls to Christ, they were functioning in the role of an Evangelist first and then the Apostle, organizing and planting churches and making disciples.
The only example of an Evangelist
in the New Testament is Philip, so titled in Acts 21:8. In Acts 8 he obeys the Holy Spirit and brings the
Ethiopian eunuch to a believing knowledge of Christ. Upon seeing the eunuch reading Isaiah and not
understanding what he was reading, Philip immediately dropped what he was doing
and explained the word to the man, resulting in salvation and followed almost immediately by water baptism. Evangelists will always have signs, wonders and miracles of
healing & deliverance following them to confirm their message and anointing from God.
What Does The Evangelist Preach?
‘Repentance.’
Repentance is the beginning of a spiritual life and it continues to strengthen
spirituality. It is the initial step toward salvation. As Peter answered on the
day of Pentecost when asked by the crowd outside the upper room what they
needed to do to be saved, “Repent and be Baptized”. As becoming a new creation
in Christ is an ongoing process, sanctification through repentance of sin is a
crucial ongoing process as part of becoming a new creation in Christ. And sin
doesn’t just mean committing an act that breaks one of Christ’s commandments
but can also be something as simple as being out of sync with God. The Apostles
called the Lord Rabbi or‘teacher,’ but He never stopped calling them to repentance and
Philip the Evangelist never did either.
Just
as any true prophet today will preach repentance, likewise the Evangelist will
also. Repent, seek Christ, acknowledge Him as your Lord and Savior and be
baptized! This is the message of the Evangelist.
Water Baptism
Water baptism is
the first seal of salvation - the second being the baptism into Christ as John The Baptist put it – the baptism ‘into’ the Holy Spirit.
Water baptism is important
because it signifies our dying with Christ and being raised with Him into our
new Christian life – and it is always done as a public and open statement of
faith in Jesus as savior.The book of Acts especially mentions again and again that the converts were baptized in this manner:
The Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:38, Paul, the apostle, Acts 9:18, Cornelius and his household, Acts 10:47-48. Lydia, the quiet convert. Acts 16:15, The Philippian jailer, Acts 16:33, and Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, Acts 18:8.
Paul even baptized again some converts who had believed on Christ and had been baptized by Apollos, simply because they had missed some of the joyful meanings and blessings of the Holy Spirit in connection with their first baptism (Acts 19:1-7). The New Testament puts baptism in the limelight anywhere people were saved.
The importance of
complete submersion in water cannot be understated. In fact the very meaning of
the word in Greek ‘baptizo’ actually
comes from an ancient Greek cookbook in the directions for making pickles! And how do
you make pickles? You completely submerge a cucumber in some kind of liquid or
brine. The word indicates complete submersion - not a splashing or a sprinkle. Remember, water baptism signifies the 'burial' and resurrection with Christ. You cannot be 'buried' by a sprinkling.
Eschatological aspect of Evangelism: Just as Jesus cried in Matt 4:17
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”, the Evangelist also warns of
the coming Kingdom of God and that the ONLY way to enter into it is through
belief in Jesus Christ, the risen savior. Jesus is Lord and He’s coming again –
and soon!
The Evangelist shows great love, care,
respect and interest in individuals and deal with them with mercy and humbleness. This is the fruit of the Spirit for all
Christian servants to follow and the ministry of the Evangelist is steeped in
the love and heart of God.
Personal Testimony
Revelation 12:11 says that we overcome by the blood of the
lamb and the word of our testimony. As an Evangelist, I can tell you that your
testimony can be a powerful, powerful means to bring lost souls to Jesus. I
have actually had people saved solely by listening to my personal
testimony and what God has done in my life. If your testimony touches people
that can directly relate to it, it can be extremely effective.
Finally, Jesus said,
"Therefore go and make disciples of
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely
I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Part of the role of the Evangelist is to train
Christians into discipleship. Correct teaching of the Word of God and hearing
the voice of God are crucial weapons in the arsenal of the Evangelist. We must
know the Word of God and preach it accurately. We must hear the voice of God
for Word of Knowledge, Word of Wisdom and discernment. These are needed
elements as part of the signs and wonders that accompany the Evangelist –
healing the sick and casting out demons in particular.
The evangelist is the offensive line
for the Kingdom of God, ever advancing forward. He carries a great burden for the
unsaved and has a special anointing to preach the gospel and draw them to the
Lord. Amen.
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