January 20, 1999
GRACE & PEACE:
God equips some Baptists
to be vocational evangelists
___"It was he who gave some to be ... evangelists ... to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" (Ephesians 4:11-12).
___The Bible teaches that every disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be a minister and that God endows certain people with gifts to develop disciples to be ministers. Some are gifted to be evangelists, while others, for example, are gifted to be pastors or teachers, but all have the responsibility for "perfecting the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ."
___Evangelists fill a major role in this development of effective ministers. In a sense, everyChristian ought to be an evangelist--a Good News Teller--sharing with lost people God's plan of salvation through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. However, the Bible indicates that God bestows on certain people the gift of an evangelist, indicating that these people are to devote themselves to the work of an evangelist in a special way.
___Although the Bible does not give a full explanation of the work of an evangelist, apparently those gifted as evangelists majored on sharing the gospel with lost people, often doing this as they traveled from place to place. Pastors and teachers, on the other hand, while also sharing the gospel, spent a great deal of time caring for the needs of the members of the body of Christ and teaching them how to be disciples of the Lord Jesus. The evangelist was to start a believer on the road of salvation, the teacher was to guide progress and the pastor was to provide encouragement for the journey. This is an over-simplification, to be sure, for a pastor also teaches and evangelizes. Yet the difference in emphasis is significant enough for the Bible to identify each role separately.
___Most church members are familiar with the role of pastor and teacher but often less so with the function of an evangelist. Frankly, it is somewhat difficult to describe the role of the evangelist. Perhaps one of the best ways to describe those who are evangelists is that they travel--sometimes in a small area and sometimes at great distances--sharing with individuals or groups how to be saved. Evangelists are gifted by God to help bring lost people to faith in Christ. Some are most effective in one-to-one witnessing and others in preaching to crowds, large or small, with an emphasis on how to be saved.
___Some of today's evangelists are very famous, such as Billy Graham, while others are little known. However, each plays a major role in advancing the kingdom of God and fulfilling the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their task often is difficult, as they must travel much of the time, frequently away from their family. Many depend solely on love offerings for income.
___Evangelists, whether preachers, musicians or conference leaders, need our prayer and encouragement. How thankful we can be that God grants some the gift to be an evangelist. These God-gifted, dedicated servants of the Lord play a significant part in our effort of sharing the gospel and ministering to people.
___Please pray for our Baptist evangelists and their families. And pray for their ministries to be effective so that many people will come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord.Frontpage / Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!