Day 158: Who Are the Evangelists?
Ephesians 4:11-12
It was he (Jesus Christ) who gave some as Apostles, some as Prophets, some as Evangelists, and some as Shepherds and Teachers, in order to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ.
This week, we will consider the last three types of people given to us by Christ to equip us all for the work of ministry: the Evangelists, the Shepherds and the Teachers. These people build on the work of the Apostles and Prophets, cultivating their work in our daily lives.
The work and ministry that Father God calls us all to in Christ by the Spirit is a “team effort”; we are not called to work alone. We are now part of the Body of Christ and we need all the diverse gifts and gifted people working together to accomplish the goals that Christ has set for us.
Ephesians 4:11–13
It was Christ who gave …some as Evangelists, … 4:12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ…
The word that is translated “evangelists” here only shows up three time in the New Testament: 1) here in Ephesians 4, 2) in Acts 21:8 in reference to Philip the Evangelist, and 3) in 2 Timothy 4:5 where Paul encourages Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist.” The name or title “evangelist” simply refers to someone who “preaches the Good News (Gospel)”.
One of the first questions that many people ask when it comes to this group of people is, “So how are they different from the Apostles?” In order to answer that question, lets take a brief look at Philip and Timothy, the two men in the Scriptures to whom this title is attached.
Philip the Evangelist.
There are two important Philips in the New Testament 1) the Apostle who was one of Jesus’ 12 and 2) the Evangelist who was set apart as one of the Seven Servants (Deacons) of the early church (Acts 6:5, 8:4-8, 8:26-40, 21:8-9). We are only concerned with the second of these Philips. This Philip is called “the evangelist” in Acts 21:8. In Acts this is the Philip that preached and worked in Samaria in the power of the Lord.
A little later in this chapter the Lord sends Philip to the Ethiopian Eunuch on the road between Gaza and Jerusalem. This court official of Queen Candace of Ethiopia had been reading and thinking about Isaiah 53:7-8 and needed someone to help him understand what the text meant. Philip saw the great opportunity “and beginning with this Scripture told him the Good News about Jesus” (Acts 8:25). This man came to faith in Christ and took the Gospel home with him to Ethiopia (one of the oldest branches of Christianity is still alive in Ethiopia!).
Finally we see Philip settled in Caesarea where he had four daughters who were prophetesses (Acts 21:9). It is as this point that Luke identifies him as “the Evangelist.” What is clear is that Philip had been a servant of the early church who the Lord had used to spread the Gospel throughout several different areas.
Timothy, the Evangelist?
Timothy was a native of Lystra, his mother a Jew and his father a Greek (Acts 16:1; 2 Timothy 1:5). Paul asked Timothy to join his team on the Second Missionary Journey and Timothy would remain a close companion to Paul for the rest of his life. There are two personal letters written to Timothy by Paul, 1 and 2 Timothy. Both of these letters were written near the end of Paul’s life and they were meant to remind Timothy of his mission and his calling.
At the beginning of 1 Timothy Paul says, “As I urged you when I was leaving for Macedonia,stay on in Ephesus to instruct certain people not to spread false teachings…” (1 Timothy 1:3). Latter in the book, Paul reveals the key reason why he had written to Timothy:
1 Timothy 3:14–15
I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you 3:15 in case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, because it is the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of the truth.
In 1 Timothy Paul talks about the danger of false teaching, the great grace of Jesus our Savior, the priority and importance of prayer, qualifications for elders/overseers of the church, qualifications for deacons, and various admonitions for women, men, wives, husbands, widows, masters, slaves, etc. In short, Paul describes what it looks like when the truth of the Gospel become deeply rooted in a community.
In 2 Timothy, the last letter that Paul would write, he reminds Timothy of the things that are most important to pass on and to keep working toward, because in the last days, many will turn away from the truth. In this context, Paul exhorts Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:1–5
I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 4:2 Preach the message, be ready whether it is convenient or not, reprove, rebuke, exhort with complete patience and instruction. 4:3 For there will be a time when people will not tolerate sound teaching. … 4:5 You, however, be self-controlled in all things, endure hardship, do an evangelist’s work, fulfill your ministry.
Now, 1 and 2 Timothy are commonly referred to as “Pastoral Epistles/Letters.” From this, many assume that Timothy was simply a pastor. However, in the verse above we are convinced that Paul is revealing Timothy’s real ministry and gifting that was confirmed by the prophetic word and laying on of the Elders hands—an Evangelist (see 1 Timothy 1:18; 4:14). When Paul says, “Do an Evangelist’s work, fulfill your ministry” he is not talking about something that Timothy would add on to his list of “pastoral duties.” Timothy was set apart as an Evangelist and Paul reminds him of this.
So what does and Evangelist do?
As we have already heard, the Apostles were the first ones entrusted with the Gospel. They were commissioned to take that Good News to the whole world—to those who have never heard. Based on our above observations about Philip and Timothy, we think that an Evangelist is someone who settles in a particular area or place to make sure that the Gospel is deeply rooted in that community. Even as Timothy was traveling with Paul, he would stay at certain places (Acts 17:14)or be sent back to certain places (Acts 19:22, 1 Corinthians 4:17) to make sure the Gospel was taking root.
The phrase that we are going to use to describe the way in which the Evangelists equip us is Evangelical Cultivation. The Evangelists ensure that the Gospel is continually proclaimed as the powerful Message through which we are being saved (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-3) and that it is saturating our lives, our cities, our countries. Once the “Seed” of the Word (1 Peter 1:22-25) has been planted by Apostolic work, we seek to cultivate its growth in every area of life so that the Message of Truth takes deep root.
Was there anything new that you learned today?
Can you see the difference between the Apostles and Evangelists?
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
