Topical Studies
Evangelist
(From Forerunner Commentary)
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The term evangelist is a very interesting word. We tend to think of it as somebody who goes out into the world and "preaches the gospel to the world," much as an apostle does. However, there is only one example in the Bible of an evangelist doing that? Philip did this, and many commentators believe that he later was an apostle. The general conclusion regarding an evangelist is that their evangelizing was to the church. One commentator says, "Except for Philip, called 'the evangelist', no other evangelist is shown in the Bible preaching to the public." The same commentator also says, "The evangelist preaching the gospel was within the church." The term evangelist begins in the Bible as a function (for example, Philip's preaching), but it ends as an office (for instance, Timothy's position). It began as a function of preaching to the public, but somehow, during the course of the first century, "evangelist" became the title of a man who was a "supervisor" over other ministers. So should an evangelist go to the world preaching the gospel? As we have seen, there is no definitive, biblical answer. Nevertheless, the evidence seems to indicate the answer should be, generally, "No," or "Not as a matter of course."
John W. Ritenbaugh
Avoiding Superficiality
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1 Corinthians 3:9-10 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
If God places us within an office in the church—as an elder or a deacon—it must be looked upon as a blessing that is a responsibility, not a reward! It is given for God's purposes. Paul even had his office as apostle because it was given to him. It is implied that all the powers to perform it were also given. He used them to lay the foundation. Everybody else is the same way. The important thing is that each one of us must use our gifts to build. Paul says, "Be careful how you build." The foundation that was laid is Jesus Christ. When we begin to expand on it, it consists of the apostles and the prophets as well—the things that they wrote and the examples that they set. Everybody is to build on the same foundation! God gives everybody the gifts to enable them to do so. To some, God gives gifts to be apostles; to others, He gives gifts to be an evangelist, pastor, teacher, or whatever. They are given, though, and every time God gives an office, He gives all that is needed for the person to fulfill that office—including overcoming sin. The Bible consistently teaches that an office is not a place from which to exercise power, but a position from which to exercise service. The authority is certainly there, since God gives it. He always gives the authority to go with the office, but having it means that the elder or deacon must also have the right perspective on how to use the office God has given him. The office is given, not earned.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Grace Upon Grace
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Ephesians 4:11-12 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
An apostle is "one sent forth" with Christ's gospel message of the coming Kingdom of God. The apostle also supervises the proclaiming of that message to the world by means and persons other than himself. Also, an apostle has supervision over all the local congregations or churches of God (I Corinthians 16:1; II Corinthians 11:28). The prophets set in the foundation of the church are those of the Old Testament era, whose writings were used to form a considerable part of New Testament teaching and functioning. The word "prophesy" is often used in the sense of "to preach or proclaim." So some of the preachers in God's church might well be termed "prophets"—but no literal prophets in the early New Testament church are mentioned as having any executive, administrative, or preaching functions. Evangelists in Paul's day were leading ministers proclaiming the gospel to the public, even raising up local churches and having supervision over some churches under an apostle. Therefore, an evangelist may hold executive function under the apostle in the church today. An evangelist is not necessarily stationed in one place. Pastors are ministers placed over a local church or group of local churches. In the early New Testament church there were also teachers who were not necessarily preachers. Yet all ministers and teachers are called elders in other New Testament passages. Therefore, in God's church today there are both preaching and non-preaching elders. Preaching elders pastor local churches. Then some elders, not all of whom are preachers, are called local elders in the church today.
What and Why the Church?
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