The Work of an Evangelist

     "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the
dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim
the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince,
rebuke and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. For the time is coming
when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will
accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away
from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. As for you, always be sober,
endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully."
(2 Tim. 4:1-5; NRSV)

     Many people believe that evangelists do not have a "real" job because they do
not punch a clock, they do not get their hands dirty on an eight hour shift, and they
do not have a boss breathing down their necks on an assembly line. God's word
clearly teaches that preachers of truth do work. It is called "the work of an evangelist."
The term "work" is an interpretation of the Greek word ergon. It means task,
assignment, duty, occupation; that which one does as regular activity.

     In the context of 2 Tim. 4:1-5, it describes the spiritual labor performed by a
man who proclaims the good news of salvation in Christ Jesus the Lord. Preaching
the gospel should not be thought of as a "profession" like secular work that may be
motivated solely by financial concerns. There is no political maneuvering behind
the scenes, by which an evangelist "inches up the ladder of success" in order to
achieve popularity, self-aggrandizement, or to amass material wealth at the expense
of others. Preaching is a task that must be faithfully performed at all times regardless
of the earthly consequences. Preaching the gospel is nothing to be ashamed of. It
is the greatest work on earth. (Rom. 1:15-16) What is the work of an evangelist?
What tasks does the New Testament assign to the preacher of good news?

     (1) To appoint elders in congregations where there are qualified men. The
Holy Spirit of God guided Paul to write to Titus with this directive, "I left you
behind in Crete for this reason, so that you should put in order what remained to
be done, and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you." (Titus 1:5)
He proceeded to give Titus the qualities to look for in the men to be appointed
(Titus 1:6-9), and he did the same to Timothy. (1 Tim. 3:1-7) The evangelist must
be careful not to ordain anyone hastily. Some have done so and as a result have
jeopardized both themselves and the congregation. (1 Tim. 5:22)

     (2) To publicly rebuke elders who persist in sin. "Never accept an accusation
against an elder except on the evidence of  two or three witnesses. As for those who
persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest also may stand in fear."
(1 Tim. 5:21) This is one reason why no evangelist should allow himself to "get in the
pocket of elders." It is hard to act impartially when the hand you need to scold is
putting butter on your bread! (1 Tim. 5:22) An evangelist should never be so close to
an elder that he cannot step away from him when he should.

     (3) To preach the word without fear of or favor toward anyone on earth.
Paul's emphatic language is to "preach the word ; be persistent whether the time is
favorable or unfavorable." Evangelists are to be bold. (Eph. 6:19) The concept of
boldness is "open, holding nothing back, as is often said in our idiom...'let the chips
fall where they may.' " An evangelist does not need permission to preach on any
subject, at any time, or for any reason except the fact that God's word says "preach
it."

     (4) To engage in the public reading of scripture. Paul told Timothy, "Until I
arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching."
(1 Tim. 4:13) This is a very important task for an evangelist. Many are apparently
oblivious to the fact that God wants his word read aloud in the assembly. In this
fast pace society, perhaps many people would not want to sit and listen to an
evangelist read the sacred text for an extended period. Nevertheless, God says read
scripture in public. At least two immediate benefits are obvious: it gets God's word
before the assembly as the standard of authority, and it activates two channels of
learning; eye and ear.


     (5) To accurately explain the word of truth. "Do your best to present
yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be
ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth." (2 Tim. 2:15; NRSV)  An
evangelist must be an avid reader of the book he professes to believe, love,
and preach. He should have a good overall knowledge of the word of God,
and he should acquire as many research tools as he can afford. He should
use them with discernment. I call this the "fish eating technique," eat the meat
and throw away the bones. Focus on obtaining modern, scholarly, exegetical
references. The older, dated reprints from a couple of centuries ago often look
good on the shelf, and that is usually where they stay. The evangelist should dig
into the sacred ore. He should not hold any position merely on the basis that "it
is a long standing opinion among us." Never be satisfied with giving "the
brotherhood position" on any issue. Accurately explain the word of truth!

     (6) To rebuke false teachers. Generally speaking, rebuke on any level is
not very pleasant, but God says it must be done when needed. God does not
tolerate false teaching and neither should an evangelist. Paul told Titus that some
people "must be silenced," and some must be "sharply rebuked." (Titus 1:10-13)
He also said  some people must  be rejected after a first  and second  admonition.
(Titus 3:9-11) An evangelist is to be positive when possible and negative when
necessary. Paul told Timothy to beware of people who oppose the message of
salvation. (2 Tim. 4:14-15)

     (7) To encourage people to be firm in their faith. "Encourage with the
utmost patience in teaching." (2 Tim. 4:2) There is a definite place for words that
build people up and give them incentive to pursue "lofty heights." The evangelist
should help people "be steadfast in the faith" and to "abound in the Lord's work."
(1 Cor. 15:58) He does this by teaching and by example.

     There are many other things that an evangelist should do such as provide for
those who are sick (Mat. 25:35-40), assist widows and orphans (Jas. 1:26-27),
and live a life that is pure in speech and action (Titus 2:7-8). These things are not
his work as an evangelist, but they are his work as a Christian just as they are
to be done by all Christians as opportunity and ability allow.

                                                                                                               RD

Copyright 2011