What Is An Evangelist... Biblically?

Digging4Truth · #1 03-14-2007, 02:04 PM

The statement below was posted by Chan in another thread. When I saw the post I knew I wanted to start this thread because I have been thinking about this subject for the last few days.

Quote:

Maybe if churches would stop using evangelists for preaching to the saints who have no business being in need of reviving they wouldn't be under so much stress. The job of the evangelist is to go out and evangelize, i.e. reach the lost - not to wake up sleeping Christians or resurrect spiritually dead ones.

What is an evangelist?

Do we have any biblical or even historical evidence concerning what made one an evangelist?

tbpew · #2 03-14-2007, 02:06 PM

one who heralds the evangel.
one who proclaims the good news.

Digging4Truth · #3 03-14-2007, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbpew

one who heralds the evangel.
one who proclaims the good news.

Cool... that certainly moves in the direction of what Chan was stating...

Do you feel that the manner in which evangelists are used today is in keeping with the original intent and role of the evangelist of the early church (the time of the apostles)

Digging4Truth · #4 03-14-2007, 02:11 PM

Lexicon Entry

Quote:

1) a bringer of good tidings, an evangelist
2) the name given to the NT heralds of salvation through Christ who are not apostles

#5 03-14-2007, 02:12 PM

Since you quoted my post, you have my answer.

The Greek word translated "evangelist" in Acts, Ephesians and 2 Timothy is Euaggelistes and it is correctly translated. It has the following definitions:

a bringer of good tidings, an evangelist
the name given to the NT heralds of salvation through Christ who are not apostles

The evangelist is directly tied to communicating the gospel message to the lost. Euaggelistes, euaggelizo, euaggelion, and proeuaggelizomai are all used in scripture in connection with communicating the gospel. It is man-made tradition that brought evangelists into the churches to preach to Christians who had no business being spiritually asleep or dead.

tbpew · #6 03-14-2007, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Digging4Truth

Cool... that certainly moves in the direction of what Chan was stating...

Do you feel that the manner in which evangelists are used today is in keeping with the original intent and role of the evangelist of the early church (the time of the apostles)

No. In my limited experience with those who were presented as the "evangelist" I did not come away with a sense that the good news had just been heralded. jI suppose aspects of "casting of bread upon the water" may have been accomplished, I'm not really sure now as I think about these occassions.

We are all to do the work of the evangelist.
We are all to be ready to answer any question.
Testimonies seem to have a direct relation to overcoming this present world.

We are, afterall, members in the body of CHRIST, the fullfillment of the prophetic purpose...that we would be a nation of priests.

sorry if this is more commentary then you wanted (imagine that coming from me!

)

Digging4Truth · #7 03-14-2007, 02:46 PM

No sir.... exactly the depth of answer I was seeking...

Several thoughts come to mind as I read your post....

1. It appears that an evanglist was supposed to be an "outward" ministry and it has become an "inward" ministry which hopes to, as the icing on the cake, have visitors come and possibly be saved. This seems to be in keeping with the trend of the church as a whole turning more inward rather than outward in its operations. The church becomes more of a inner christian based world where they can do everything from go to church to eat to go bowling without having to dirty themselves with the world. Then the goal of the church becomes that of bringing others into our little church world rather than leaving our little church world and touching them.

2. I am reminded of a song I heard years ago and have never forgotten. The Chorus said "We've got to seek out the dry and arid places and stop this hauling water to the sea". So true...

tbpew · #8 03-14-2007, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Digging4Truth

No sir.... exactly the depth of answer I was seeking...

Several thoughts come to mind as I read your post....

1. It appears that an evanglist was supposed to be an "outward" ministry and it has become an "inward" ministry which hopes to, as the icing on the cake, have visitors come and possibly be saved. This seems to be in keeping with the trend of the church as a whole turning more inward rather than outward in its operations. The church becomes more of a inner christian based world where they can do everything from go to church to eat to go bowling without having to dirty themselves with the world. Then the goal of the church becomes that of bringing others into our little church world rather than leaving our little church world and touching them.

2. I am reminded of a song I heard years ago and have never forgotten. The Chorus said "We've got to seek out the dry and arid places and stop this hauling water to the sea". So true...

distance/seperation does seem to be systemic in our mode of operation.

I am hopeful that my own livingroom will become more and more a place where distances between me and my neighbors, friends and brethren can be made very, very, small.

Digging4Truth · #9 03-14-2007, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbpew

distance/seperation does seem to be systemic in our mode of operation.

I am hopeful that my own livingroom will become more and more a place where distances between me and my neighbors, friends and brethren can be made very, very, small.

Yes sir.. on the issue of the church turning inward rather than maintaining the outward direction initially set for the church I am reminded of a writing I posted sometime back on this subject.

The writing was entitled "Tornadoes & Floods"

Quote:

I visited a website today for a large pentecostal church. There were links to the youth department, the music m inistry, the singles department, kids department, ladies deaprtment, mens department, married department and the list goes on.

They seem to have something for everybody. I would imagine that most that visit this church website would be impressed with how involved the church is in ministry at various levels. I know there was a time that I would have been. But when I saw all of these different ministries what I saw was multiple compartments within a local assembly constantly busying the people with being a part of that local assembly.

It seems these days that the local assembly becomes an entity of its own whose purpose is to bring people into their group.

You might respond "Well isn't that what we are supposed to be doing? Bringing people into the church?" Well... yeah. That is what we are supposed to be doing but what I see is more a process of bringing people into that local assembly.

The local assembly, rustling and bustling with activity, works to assimilate as many people as possible from the sorrounding communities and then as numbers increase they are able to further increase the number of activities that busy the members as they try to take in more members.

That system resembles a tornado to me. (minus the destruction part) A vortex that starts out small and builds power and as it builds it continues to pull things inside that swirl of activity.

But in my minds eye the NT church that the apostles were a part of was less a vortex of activity sucking people in than it was a flood that continually extended itself outward. It seems like the church should revolve less around the local assembly and continual ministry to each other and more on a local group of people who, of course, minister to each other when needs arise but is founded on external ministry.

I think much of the need for internal ministry could be the result of lack of external ministry. Those who make it a continual practice to minister others generally need less personal minstering. Those who constantly need personal ministering seem to only need more as time goes on.

That could very well come from our God given design to have a very real need to reach out and minister to others. Why do millionaires involve themselves in various charitible organizations? Tax breaks play in the reasoning for sure but I think a lot of it is that we have a need to feel useful and to have a purpose.

Once you have a couple dozen million laying around the daily satisfaction of meeting the needs of your family is no longer ever present. What do you do to have purpose and significance in this world? You minister to people because that is what we were born to do.

So I think there is a need to minister to others born into each of us. Saints who are weak and need constant minstering could very well be the result of a ministryless local assembly. Or even worse, a local assembly whose main focus is to minister to itself.

It is said that a cyclical storm such as a tornado or a hurricane can only reach a certain level of strength and then the forces that gave it power then begin to spin apart and the system just falls apart. Much like an ice skater who spins in a circle on the ice can reach a certain velocity and then they begin to spin their own arms away from their body and their very speed causes them to slow down again.

A flood just keeps going as long as their is water to cover the land.

I pray that the church would begin to experience a paradigm shift away from self ministry and move towards a paradigm of external ministry and growth. I have heard all my life that "this church is bigger than these 4 walls". I pray that the body of Christ will begin to understand that on a level that we have never understood it before.

Digging4Truth · #10 03-14-2007, 10:49 PM

I've been doing some more thinking on the subject.

My little thoughts for the night seem to go along the lines of different types of ministries involved in those mentioned in Ephesians 4.

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

It appears that there was one ministry that was an inter-congregational. That of the apostle. As I currently understand it the apostles ministered largely to the elders in the various congregations to help answer their questions etc. This ministry operated between the congregations as a support to the overall church.

There appear to be three intra-congregational ministries. The pastors, teachers & prophets. While I am not real sure about prophets I am including it in this group until I learn otherwise. These ministers were for the perfecting of the saints on a local level. The did so with the support of the apostolic ministry helping & advising along the way.

Then there was one extra-congregational ministry. That was the office of the evangelist. An evangelist was one who proclaimed the gospel to those outside the church. The fruit of the evangelists labor became part of the gatherings and then experienced the intra-congregational ministries of pastor, teacher & prophet which all worked, again, with the inter-congregational support of the apostles.

Does anybody have any thoughts on this?

Does this fit your picture of the working of the various ministries?

If so do you have anything to add?

If not... could you share why you disagree?