Evangelists

[Jim Watt]

"*TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE" MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt*

*PO Box 25116 -- Federal Way WA 98093-2116*

*Tel: 253.874.4265 -- Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*Web: www.2rbetter.org*



   *EPH 4:11 - EVANGELISTS, eu-ag-ge-lisTES, 3x, Strong #2099*

*From #2097 eu-ag-geLIzo, 55x, to announce good news, esp. the Gospel*

*See ev-agGEli-on, 77x, #2098, especially the good message of the Gospel of
the Kingdom of God*


 *1. Acts 21:8 (1-14, #2099, I. Panin's NNT) PHILIP: FIRST MENTION OF
EVANGELIST, ONE PROMOTED FROM A DEACON. "And on the morrow we
departed, andcame unto Caesarea: and entering into the house of Philip
the
evangelist, who was one of the seven, we abode with him." *Both Philip and
Stephen were lifted from the rank of deacon into the third of the 5-fold
ministries. No man chooses such a place for himself - neither do men set a
fellow-man into this position without receiving the Lord's mandate for this
decision.


 *2. EPH 4:11 (1-16, #2099) EVANGELISTS: A GIFT OF CHRIST TO THE CHURCH.
"And HE gave some as apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and
some shepherds and teachers." *Jesus *gave* these 5-fold ministries to the
church. This act along with "set" in 1 COR 12:28 are in the "Aorist tense"
in the Greek. We in English do not have this remarkable tense - that may
appear in the past, present or future. In the above 2 cases they are both in
the past aorist tense. This is a tense complete in itself, rounded off, but
with continuing consequences. Application? God intends that as long as the
church remains in this world, these 5 ministries, including apostles and
prophets, should continue to function.


 *3. 2 TIM 4:5 (1-5, #2099) PAUL'S COMMISSION TO TIMOTHY AS AN EVANGELIST.
"But be you sober in all things, suffer hardship, do an evangelist's work,
fulfill your :ministry." *Paul took Timothy as a young man to groom him as
an apostolic pastor of a city church, and as a future replacement to Paul
himself. But in a secondary calling, Timothy is to function as an *
evangelist* also. He was a timid young man, and needed this exhortation.


 *4. Acts 15:7 (6-21, #2098) PETER; FIRST TO BE COMMISSIONED TO PREACH
GOSPEL TO GENTILES. "And when there had been much questioning, Peter rose
up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, YOU know that a good while ago
:God made choice among you, that by my :mouth the nations should hear the
word of the gospel, and believe." *Though Jesus later raised up Paul as the
apostle to the Gentiles - yet in the beginning He chose Peter, the apostle
to the Jewish circumcision, to first give the *gospel* to the Gentiles. God
is God! In His hidden wisdom and Sovereign choice, He as our Creator,
Redeemer and Sustainer, has the prerogative to do with each of us as He
will.


 *5. Acts 20:24 (17-38, #2098) THE GOOD NEWS OF THE GRACE OF GOD: IS HIS
KINGDOM! "But I hold :life of no account as dear unto myself, so that I may
accomplish my :course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord
Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of :God." *God's grace comes to
mankind through the preaching of the *Gospel* of the kingdom. As Moses
peculiarly was chosen of God as the apostle to Israel, so Paul in the New
Testament is His choice as apostle to the Gentiles. By preaching the *Gospel
* of the Kingdom to them, he was like Timothy also - doing the work of an *
evangelist*.


 *6. MAT 4:23 (18-25, #2098) A KEY PART OF JESUS' MINISTRY: PREACHING THE
GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM. "And he went about in all :Galilee, teaching in their
:synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every
sickness and every infirmity among the people." *Jesus in perfect measure
exemplified all of the 5-fold ministries - functioning in perfect balance.
He as it were divides Himself for His Body - us - dividing to each that
ministry that is according to *His* will. In this verse we see Jesus the *
Evangelist* operating.


 *7. MAT 9:35 (9:35-10:15, #2098) JESUS: COMMISSIONS 12 APOSTLES WITH GOSPEL
OF THE KINGDOM. "And :Jesus went about all the cities and the villages,
teaching in their :synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and
healing every sickness and every infirmity." *In a more specific manner
Jesus again demonstrates the office of the *Evangelist* before His 12 chosen
disciples to soon become apostles. He then commissions them and sends them
forth to do the same working of miracles that accompanied the preaching of
the *Gospel* of the Kingdom by Jesus.


 *8. MAT 24:14 (1-31, #2098) A GOSPEL MANDATE OF UNUSUAL SIGNIFICANCE.
"And this
:gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a
witness unto all the nations; and then shall the end come." *This is one of
the most significant and illuminating mandates for apostles and disciples in
the entire New Testament. Let us ponder it carefully. Notice the word *then*.
The end is dependent upon the fulfillment of this mandate.


 *NOTE:* Someone in the past came up with the following analogy for the
5-fold. He took the "hand" with the 5 fingers, and gave the Apostle as the
thumb, that had ready and easy access to the other 4 fingers.


 Next he saw the pointing second finger as the Prophet. This is quite an
accurate description of what a prophet does!


 The middle finger is the longest, and represents the Evangelist. This
ministry tends to go to "The Regions Beyond," further than the other
ministries tend to go.


 The fourth finger is the Pastor, closely associated with the fifth finger,
the Teacher.


 There has been some controversy over whether there is a 5-fold or 4-fold
ministry delineated in Ephesians 4:11, because the latter two are separated
by an "and," not a comma.


 However, in 1 Corinthians 12:28, the Teacher is given a prominent third
position next to the Apostle and Prophet, without a mention of the pastor.
This would seem to set forth a distinctive position for the Teacher.


 Some have noted that in Isaiah 9:6-7, Jesus is given in His Pre-incarnate
state, 4 double names: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace. They have linked these with Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist
and Pastor-teacher, these 4.


 I tend to side with 1 Corinthians 12:28 to settle this problem, and
therefore stick with the 5-fold.




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