The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum The Evangelist

Can someone explain the ministry or gift of the evangelist. What should that ministry look like and/or consist of as we see it in the Church today? Of course the first person that comes to mind is Billy Graham...and I know what mentioning that name here may cause <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/takethat.gif" alt="" />...just kidding...kinda <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/uhoh.gif" alt="" /> And are there any good examples, i.e. individuals or ministries that one could point to?

Thanks,

Hi Thredj,

I'm not really sure what you are looking for, but would you consider Ligonier Ministries with Dr. R.C. Sproul Sr. an example of an evangelical ministry? I would tend to see him in this light as a present day example.

As for online ministries, I think The Highway certainly qualifies! Would you agree?

In His Hands,

Ruth

I would agree. However, I guess I'm looking for more of a definition.

thredj,

The word translated in the New Testament 'evangelist' is a noun from the verb evangelizomai which means 'to announce the good news', and usually translated in our English Bibles as 'preach the gospel'.

In Acts 21:8 Philip is described as 'the evangelist'. Philip had been chosen as one of the Seven in Acts 6, and after the persecution of Steven he was prominent in preaching the gospel in unevangelized parts (e.g. Acts 8:5, 12, 35, 40). The Apostle Paul also exhorted Timothy (2 Timothy 4:5) to do the work of an evangelist; that is to say, make known the facts of the gospel. So a man who does the work of an evangelist could also be a pastor and teacher.

The gift of evangelist was a distinct gift within the early Christian Church; although all Christians doubtless performed this sacred task, as opportunity was given to them, there were some who were pre-eminently called and endowed by the Holy Spirit for this task.


Wes

10-4! That's what I was looking for. Last night I looked up the verses you quoted but I was still sketchy as to what the evangelist actually does. I didn't know if today that gift would look like a Billy Graham type ministry or what. However, the exhortation given to Timothy to, "do the work of an evangelist," left me wondering if that person could be a Pastor or Teacher. So if I'm understanding this correctly would it be safe to say that the role of the evangelist would simply be to proclaim the good news while the gift of the pastor or teacher would be to bulid up the church in doctrinal issues and everyday christian living?

Sorry my last post should have been in reply to Wes...

...And now that I look at it, it was in reply to Wes. Ok, I'm going to ban myself for about an hour until I'm fully woke. My 5am-8am Mon. - Fri. schedule is kicking me in the shorts...I'm not a morning person <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/ugh.gif" alt="" />

Hi thredj, what came to my mind was the word( hearing)not seeing it.You know what they say about looks,it can be deceiving. The words sovereignty,authority of scripture,or being under the authority of scripture,teaching the bible scripture by scripture.
I don't know what a ministery should look like,but you should always hear give glory to GOD,Christ as their Lord,and if they claim to have a preaching gift,we will know if it is true on not,the HolySpirit never parts from the word.
<img src="/forum/images/graemlins/my2cents.gif" alt="" /> Neicey

I'm going to just throw in some of my thoughts on this. I work at a Christian bookstore and we have a gentleman who comes in frequently to purchase evangelism tracts. He's a really softspoken gentle soul and I like to talk with him when he comes in. But anyway, he's a street evangelist. He teaches grade school during the day and at night a few times a week he takes it to the streets. He shows me his little log book that he carries around with him, which he logs everyone's name and number that turns their life over to Christ. It's pretty amazing how many new names he gets. During our conversations, he has led me to believe that he's pretty accurate about the gospel and I've been impressed. So the other night I pressed him to tell me a little more about how his ministry is connected to the baptist church he attends. ( Atlantic Shores Baptist, which is a pretty big church. ) Well he told me that he's mostly doing it with another guy and that's about it. In fact he doesn't really try to lead the people he evangelizes too specifically to his church. He just tells them to find a church and to buy a bible if they don't have one. But at least he gets a phone number and he does do follow up.

Well, I told him my concern about how I thought that there should be some kind of connection with his ministry and the elders or pastor if his church. I was concerned for his spiritual strength and also having accountability and training and so on from his church. But he shrugged and told me that his pastor is a busy man and that he felt called to do what he's doing without really getting the church involved. So I left it at that.

Well, I think that this is a great evangalistic witness. This man is doing what he really loves to do and he's being effective. He's really touching allot of lives and he's being a positive witness and preaching the gospel in the less fortunate neighborhoods in the city. He told me that he had a group of kids in a huddle the other day praying for forgiveness in front of a couple of drug dealers that were standing down the block watching.

But what aggrivates me is that he's doing it alone without much to any help from his church. I didn't say anything to him, but I was pretty angry when he answered my speculations about his church. Of course I don't know the whole story so this is all still just speculation, but this is something that I've been thinking about for a while. As a future elder of the church, evangelism along with worship are two areas that I'm going to take a great interest in and I can guarente you that if there is anyone in my church that decideds to take it to the streets that they will get full support from my house. I mean this guy that I've been talking about, pays out if his own pocket when he buys things from my store.

Well anyway, I believe that he has been given a special gift. Not everyone has a gift to spread the gospel effectivly. It's wonderful to see someone who has realized their purpose and is activly glorifying the Lord. When he comes into the store, he's so excited and the first thing he does is to come to the counter to show whomever is working his little log book. He really likes seeing me there because I've taken time out to support and encourage him. I can tell that he's looking for someone to share his ministry with. I know how tough ministry can be so thats why I make time for him. I only pray that his church is doing the same.

Y.B.I.C,

Dave.

Right on Puritan, thanks for the story. I'll do my best to remember this brother in my prayers as well.