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The Ministry of an Evangelist
by Segun Olumide The Ministry of an Evangelist Ministry Gifts Series Volume 4 Segun Olumide   All rights reserved. Unless otherwise stated, all scriptures quoted in this book are from the King James Version of the Bible. KEYS TO OTHER BIBLE VERSIONS USED: AMP-The Amplified Bible NIV-New International Version TLB-The Living Bible Gideons-The Gideons International RSV-Revised Standard Version NCV-New Century Version Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation; New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Living Bible (TLB) The Living Bible copyright 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.; Revised Standard Version (RSV) Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.; New Century Version (NCV) The Holy Bible, New Century Version. Copyright 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2013 The New Apostolic Movement The New Apostolic Movement, E-mail: [email protected] +234 8161297781; +234 - 8053053578; + 234 7085951514.   SPECIAL! SPECIAL! SPECIAL! A MUST READING/VIEW (Google the following free of charge on the Internet and God will change your life forever.) 1. Holiness Required For Heaven by Carillo from Bolivia 2. Eternal Destinations: Godly Attire and Adornment 3. Another Warning by Kingsley Ubani 4. Time Is Over: Run For Your Life by Kingsley Ubani 5. 9 Testimonies on Tithing from Heaven and Hell Visions 6. The Dangers of Eating Gods Tithes and Offerings 7. The Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetega (Crosscheck these testimonies with the Scriptures and if you have questions you may send us an email.)   TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE 1. THE MEANING OF AN EVANGELIST 2. THE SIGNS OF AN EVANGELIST 3. EXECUTING THE MINISTRY OF AN EVANGELIST EFFECTIVELY 4. 10 WRONG NOTIONS ABOUT THE MINISTRY OF AN EVANGELIST 5. THE OFFICE OF AN EVANGELIST 6. THE 10 PS OF WINNING THE LOST 7. EVANGELISTIC PASSION FOR THE LOST 8. OVERCOMING HINDRANCES TO SALVATION 9. HOW TO BE BORN-AGAIN 10. HELP FOR EVANGELISTS ABOUT RIGHT WAYS OF RAISING MONEY 11. WARNING FOR EVANGELISTS AGAINST WRONG WAYS OF RAISING MONEY. 12. THE HEALING MINISTRY   PREFACE Ever since the release of our first volume titled Unfolding The Five-fold Ministry in the ministry gifts series, we have received a lot of encouragement from the people of God. While we were working on volumes 2 and 3 titled The Ministry of an Apostle and The Ministry of a Prophet respectively, the Lord showed me they should come out later. I believe there are truths he wants me to learn from His Word as well as by experience that will go a long way to enhance the effectiveness of the books. This particular volume in your hands has taken me almost two decades of walking and working with God. It is the result of personal study of Gods word, research into others lives and ministries and my personal experience. I pray it will bless believers in general, especially those who are called to mass evangelism. If you have not yet read Unfolding The Five-fold Ministry, the first volume in this series, please try as much as possible to read it and follow the divine instructions therein. I pray the Lord will reveal to your spirit all that you need to align yourself with his purpose for your life and to fulfil your ministry in strength and love.   CHAPTER ONE THE MEANING OF AN EVANGELIST The Greek word translated evangelist is the word euaggelistes, which means one who tells or proclaims the good news or evangel; a proclaimer of glad tidings; a preacher of the gospel. So, an evangelist is someone who tells the good news; one who proclaims the evangel or one who brings the good tidings. The word evangelist is used only three times in the entire books of the New Testament. First, Acts 21:8 talks about Philip the EVANGELIST. Second, Ephesians 4:11(NIV) says, It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, SOME TO BE EVANGELISTS, and some to be pastors and teachers. Third, Paul wrote Timo, Do the work of an EVANGELIST (2Tim 4:5). You see, an evangelist is not one who tells bad news. He tells nothing but good news. Its good news that Jesus died for our sins and rose up for our justification (Rom 4:25). Its good news that he carried our infirmities and took our diseases by his wounds or stripes we were healed (1Pet 2:24). I Its good news that hes gone to heaven to prepare a place for us, but sent the Holy Spirit to prepare us for the place being prepared for us and he is coming back to take us home (Acts 1:4-8, Jn 14:1-4). Its good news that the devil and his demons have been disarmed, disgraced and defeated (Col 2:15); and hence mankind has been legally delivered from the dominion of darkness (Col 1:12-13). Anything contrary to these is bad news! THE LORD HAD MADE PEOPLE EVANGELISTS BEFORE THEY WERE BORN God told Jeremiah, I knew you before I formed you in your mothers womb. BEFORE YOU WERE BORN I SET YOU APART AND APPOINTED YOU AS MY PROPHET TO THE NATIONS (Jer 1:5, NLT). As a matter of caution, you cannot become an evangelist by desiring to be one or by praying to God to make you one. The Lord had already decided that, not when you were born, but before you were born. Hebrews 5:4 (NLT) reveals, And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honour. HE MUST BE CALLED BY GOD FOR THIS WORK, JUST AS AARON WAS. Several years ago, a dear brother in the denomination I was in then was a classmate of one of the youngest evangelists in this country. So he was inspired by this boys powerful ministry with signs and wonders following. I was greatly challenged when this anointed secondary school boy came to preach in a crusade I attended in my hometown. So that brother told me his personal ambition to become another evangelist. He explained that everyone needed to plan his life the way he wanted. I knew it was a carnal desire from the way he spoke. So he kept on working at it. Yes, the candle burnt for a while before it died down. That desire has faded because no one can become an evangelist simply because he wants such an honour. He must be called specifically by God for such. OFFICE OF AN EVANGELIST VERSUS WORK OF AN EVANGELIST Its one thing to be called of God to be an evangelist and separated into that office. But its quite a different thing to do the work of an evangelist as occasion demands. Not everyone who conducts evangelistic crusades with signs and wonders following is an evangelist. Not everyone who wins tens, hundreds, thousands or millions of people into the kingdom of God is an evangelist. Some of these people could be apostles, prophets, pastors, and so on doing the work of an evangelist. I know that doing the work of an evangelist may mean staying in the ministry office of an evangelist temporarily or occasionally unlike an evangelist who uses that office continually or permanently. If you study the Acts of the Apostles, you will think people like Paul and Peter were evangelists. But they were more than evangelists they were apostles who used the office of an evangelist occasionally or did the work of an evangelist when the need arose. Their responsibilities were more than those of an evangelist. In a sense, every apostle can function as an evangelist at one point in time or another, but evangelists are not designed to function like apostles.   CHAPTER TWO THE SIGNS OF AN EVANGELIST 1. HE HAS A DIVINE ABILITY WHICH COMPELS A SINNER TO MAKE A PERSONAL DECISION FOR CHRIST. When the crowds HEARD Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, THEY ALL PAID CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHAT HE SAID But when THEY BELIEVED PHILIP AS HE PREACHED THE GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, THEY WERE BAPTIZED, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN (Acts 8:6, 12, NIV). An evangelist certainly carries an anointing through which he compel (or pulls the spirit of a sinner) to make a personal decision for Christ. That doesnt mean he goes about trying to force people to accept Christ against their human will. Man is a free moral being. He is not a robot that cant make its own choices. You see, salvation is not by force, it is by faith through grace (see Eph 2:8-9). Rather an evangelists compelling anointing makes Gods word in his mouth cut through the heart of a sinner like a sword. Philip as an evangelist had that divine ability which drives a sinner to make a personal decision for Christ. Read our opening Scripture again. That does not mean everyone an evangelist preaches the gospel to will make a decision for Christ. Even Jesus, the Evangelist of evangelists could not get everyone he ministered repented. The Scripture says, Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, BECAUSE THEY DID NOT REPENT (Mt 11:20, NIV). An adage says, If you preach with fire in your mouth, those who will go to hell will still go. What makes one an evangelist? Its neither the title nor mere human ordination without heavens appointment. Its the anointing that makes the difference. Can you imagine someone who claims to be an evangelist but who has never won a single sinner to Christ? Charles G. Finney was one the greatest evangelists that ever walked the earth. He got born-again in the morning of 10th October, 1821 and was baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire in the evening of the same day (Mt 3:11). He immediately discovered that he was clothed with great power so much so that sharing a few words with people led to their immediate conversion to Christ. He had that divine ability which compels an unbeliever to believe in Christ. Notice that I didnt say that compels an unbeliever to belong to a religious group. Joining a religious body does not mean one is in Christ, that is, one is born-again one is joined to the Lord Jesus. Paul wrote, But if you give yourself to the Lord, YOU AND CHRIST ARE JOINED TOGETHER AS ONE PERSON Therefore IF ANY PERSON IS [ingrafted] IN CHRIST (the Messiah) HE IS A NEW CREATION (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! (1 Cor 6:17, TLB, 2Cor 5:17, AMP). Finney admitted, My words seemed to fasten like a sword. They broke the heart like a hammer. Multitudes can attest to this. Oftentimes, a word dropped without my remembering it would fasten conviction, and often result in almost immediate conversion. 2. HE HAS THE GIFT OF EVANGELISM WITHOUT THE INTENTION OF PLANTING CHURCHES AND/OR GOVERNING THEM AS PART OF HIS WORK. Almost immediately after Philips evangelistic meeting in Samaria, he left for another place without planting a church. The Scripture says, Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, Go south to the road the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza (Acts 8:29, NIV). This was where he won the Ethiopian eunuch to Christ. After he had baptized his new convert, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and TRAVELLED ABOUT, PREACHING THE GOSPEL in all the towns until he reached Caesarea (Acts 8:39-40, NIV). Its crystal clear that Philip had the gift of evangelism without the intention of planting and/or governing churches. Anyone who claims to be an evangelist but who goes about planting and/or governing churches alongside conducting evangelistic meetings has moved out of his divine calling into another persons ministry. I can guarantee you that any truly anointed evangelist who ventures or veers into planting and/or governing churches will sooner or later lose his evangelistic anointing. That could be the simple reason why the power of God upon some evangelists is leaking gradually. Thank God for an evangelist like Kathryn Kuhlman. Though at the early stage of her ministry, she built churches nevertheless by the time she understood her calling better she stopped doing that. As her ministry progressed, she admitted that God didnt call her into planting or governing churches. She realized that her ministry was not to be restricted to any particular physical church structure (building). She understood that she was not anointed by God to be another pastor, though she assisted many churches financially. Evangelists like Smith Wigglesworth, Charles Finney, Oral Roberts, Billy Graham, among others understood that God did not call them into church planting and governing. We see a similar thing in todays evangelists like Reinhard Bonnke, Uma Ukpai, Tim Storey, and so on. 3. HE HAS A BURNING PASSION TO SEE SINNERS COME TO CHRIST THROUGH HIM. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and PROCLAIMED THE CHRIST there (Acts 8:5, NIV). An evangelist has a passion or zeal to see sinners embrace Jesus. Unless he sees this, he is restless in his spirit. I know every believer is supposed to have a passion to see others come to Christ. But an evangelist has it more. It is well-pronounced in his ministry. The zeal or fervor consumes or eats him up. Sometimes he senses it in a low degree. At other times, he experiences it in a high degree. That passion, you know, can become almost unbearable. It can be likened to the zeal of Jesus when he went to clear or cleanse the temple. The Scripture says that the zeal for Gods house consumed him (Jn 2:17). So the passion for lost souls the zeal to see unbelievers accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour consumed an evangelist. If he doesnt win the lost to Christ, he feels like a dying man. I remember the story an English evangelist. He backslid for about two years because he couldnt manage well his success in business as a plumber. After those years, he repented and his fellowship with God was restored. And as he waited on God was restored. And as he waited on God for ten good days, his evangelistic passion was restored. He confessed to a friend later, I was willing to wait an hour any day to have an interview with anyone about his salvation. 4. HE HAS A BURNING PASSION TO SEE SINNERS COME TO CHRIST THROUGH FELLOW BELIEVERS. As iron sharpens iron, so one sharpens another (Pro 27:17, NIV). One of the things I have learnt over the years about passion or zeal is that is contagious or infectious. Just as someone can be infected with leprosy by touching a leper, so can a believer be positively infected with godly passion for lost souls by coming in contact with a real evangelist. Reading a Holy Spirit-inspired book on evangelism or soul winning by an evangelist can infect one with this zeal. Reinhard Bonnke wrote Evangelism By Fire for that purpose. Tommy Lee Osborn had this in mind when he wrote Join This Chariot, Soulwinning and The Purpose of Pentecost. Virtually every time Reinhard Bonnke conducts his evening evangelistic meetings targeted at sinners in a particular region, he conducts morning Fire Conference for saints, especially for pastors, evangelists, teachers, and so on in that same region to ignite their passion for the lost. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. For example, Luke 4:43-44 gives us a hint on his evangelistic ministry. He went through the towns and villages ministering the word and healing but when he saw the multitudes scattered and fainted, he had compassion on them. Then he told his disciples, The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, TO SEND OUT WORKERS INTO HARVEST FIELD (see Mt 9:35-38, NIV). He did not allow his zeal to burn out but he quickly fuelled the passion of his disciples and sent them out in twos to win the lost (Mt 10). Jesus who was the Greatest Evangelist of all time definitely infected his disciples with a consuming zeal or burning passion which he had, to win the lost. It spread fast from the twelve, then to the seventy, and I believe, later to the one hundred and twenty, and eventually to thousands, millions or billions of people the world over (see Lk 9 Lk 10)! 5. HE IGNITES THE FIRE OF REVIVAL AMONG BELIEVERS. Paul wrote, And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, EVANGELISTS; and some, pastors and teachers; FOR THE PERFECTING OF THE SAINTS, FOR THE WORK OF THE MINSTRY, FOR THE EDIFYING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST (Eph 4:11-12). You see, Jesus gave the five ministry gifts, listed above for threefold purpose as indicated here. That means all the five ministry gifts, evangelists included are given to perfect (mature) the saints, to prepare (and release) the saints to their respective work of ministry and to edify (build up) the body of Christ as each member does its work (see Eph 4:11-16, NIV). We see here that an evangelist like any other ministry gift has a responsibility to the saints. So an evangelist who focuses only on sinners is not true to his calling. Its imperative to understand that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers have a ministry to sinners on the one hand and a ministry to saints on the other hand. I think some folks are under the mistaken impression that an evangelist should minister to sinners only. The Scriptures do not support this dangerous and strange theory. Rather just as he preaches salvation to sinners he preaches revival to the saints. Yes, he ushers in unbelievers into Gods Kingdom. He also ignites the fire of revival among believers. He stirs up Gods people to live for God, to win the lost, to fulfill Gods purpose for their lives, and so on. 6. HIS PRIMARY ANOINTING AS AN EVANGELIST LIES IN PREACHING (PROCLAIMING), NOT IN TEACHING (EXPLAINING) THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and PREACHED (not taught) Christ unto them But when they believed Philip PREACHING the things concerning the Kingdom of God (Acts 8:5, 12). There are two important truths I want to draw your attention to in the Scripture above. First, Philip, the evangelist went down to Samaria to preach or proclaim a message. He didnt go there to teach or explain a message. As an evangelist, he went there with a preaching anointing. He had no teaching anointing. (I believe some people can have a combination of the ministry of an evangelist and that of a teacher.) Second, he went to that city, not to preach himself, but to preach Christ. Preaching Christ involves proclaiming the good news that Jesus died for our sins and rose up for our justification. The good news also includes the truths that his wounds makes divine healing and health available to us as well as that though, he was rich, yet for our sake, he became poor so that we might become rich through his poverty. I believe that just as a preacher gets more people saved by preaching in Gods power so does a teacher get more people saved whenever he teaches in the anointing of the Spirit. As a matter of truth, every believer should preach the gospel to win the lost. But not every believer will have the success of an evangelist. After a particular servant of God finished from the theological seminary in the mid 1950s, he decided to be an evangelist to one country. His role model was Billy Graham. So he patterned after him. His ambition was to be to that particular nation what Graham was to America and the entire world. No matter how hard he struggled to preach and demonstrate like Billy Graham, each time he invited people in his meetings to accept Christ, no one responded. For years, he suffered frustration and discouragement in his evangelistic attempts until God showed him his gift and calling. As he read about Gods gifts, God showed him that he had given him the ministry of a teacher, not that of an evangelist. He is a teacher among other things. Later, he was invited to speak in a meeting in South Korea but he declined it complaining that people would not be saved in hi ministry. Eventually, after his message that day, over 300 people stood up to give their hearts to Christ. I believe thats an example of what can happen to a man who walks in the anointing of his divine call. 7. HE HAS ONE OR MORE POWER GIFTS WITH OR WITHOUT ADDITIONAL SPIRITUAL GIFTS. When the crowd heard Philip and SAW THE MIRACULOUS SIGNS HE DID, they all paid close attention to what he said, With shrieks, EVIL SPIRITS CAME OUT OF MANY PARALYTICS AND CRIPPLES WERE HEALED (Acts 8:6-7, NIV). We know from these Scriptures that Philip had the gifts of healings or/and the working of miracles. But a further study shows that he didnt start out that way. In Acts 6, he was ordained as one of the seven deacons who were appointed to help the apostles. Philip and his co-deacons were to serve tables. The first time we read about his ministering with the gifts of healings was in his first evangelistic meeting, which took place in Samaria. I believe he continued to increase in his evangelistic and healing anointing. A New Testament evangelist should have one or more power gifts with or without additional spiritual gifts. In other words, an evangelist who is separated into his ministry office should have at least one of the gift of faith, gifts of healings and working of miracles with or without other spiritual gifts. You see, its one thing to be called to be an evangelist but its another thing to be separated into the office of an evangelist (see Rom 1:1, Acts 13:2). The former attracts a lesser degree of evangelistic anointing while the latter attracts a greater degree. In 1935, a poor boy got born-again. He also received healing from tuberculosis. About that time, the Lord told him that he would take His healing power to his generation. After 12 long silent years of preparation, the Lord began to give indications that his healing ministry would begin soon. By 1947, he boarded the plane for the first time to have first healing service. He went alone but his wife drove him off to the airport. Funnily enough, the couple did not know if the meeting would be a success or failure. Fortunately, it turned out a roaring success. The gifts of healings were in operation for the first time. On the last day of the meeting, he alongside the congregation burst into tears of joy when a lame man stood up from his wheelchair! Its important to under that spiritual gifts cant save people. Though salvation was provided through His blood yet it takes faith in Gods word and confessing the name of Jesus to receive it (Eph 1:7; 1Pt 1:23; Ro 10:8-10, 13; Acts 4:12). We must also know that Holy Spirit operates the gifts of faith, the gift of working of miracles or miracles or the gifts of healings through an evangelist, any other minister or any believer as He wills for some basic reasons. First, they are meant to arrest the attention of the unbelievers so that Gods word can then penetrate (Acts 8:6). Second, some sinners will never believe in Christ unless they see signs and wonders (see Jn 4:48). Third, some doors of ministry will never open in certain places to win the lost unless the gospel is preached with signs following.   CHAPTER THREE EXECUTING THE MINISTRY OF AN EVANGELIST EFFECTIVELY 1. FULLY PREACH CHRIST IN WORD AND IN POWER WITH ALL SIMPLICITY. Paul wrote, FOR WE DO NOT PREACH OURSELVES, BUT JESUS CHRIST AS LORD, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus sake (2 Cor 4:5, NIV). He also wrote, Because our gospel came to you not simply with WORDS, but also with POWER, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction (1 Thes 1:5, NIV). An evangelist true to his heavenly calling should preach Christ in all simplicity. He should not preach himself. He should preach neither church denomination nor dead and false religious Christianity. He should try neither to complicate the message nor to confuse the people. He should do his level best to make it as simple as possible. He should not use too big words or advanced grammar. Simple message. Simple grammar. Simple language. Simple style of presentation. Paul did not preach himself (2Cor 4:5), rather he desired to know nothing among the people except Jesus and him crucified (1Cor 2:2). Trying to preach the gospel with words of human wisdom will make the cross of Christ empty of its power. And its only the message or preaching of the cross that is the power of God to bring mankind to salvation. You see, Christianity without the cross of Christ is another dead, powerless religion. That was why Paul wrote, For Christ did not send me to baptize, but TO PREACH THE GOSPEL not with words of human wisdom, LEST THE CROSS OF CHRIST BE EMPTIED OF ITS POWER. FOR THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS IS FOOLISHNESS TO THOSE WHO ARE PERISHING, BUT TO US WHO ARE BEING SAVED IT IS THE POWER OF GOD (1Cor 1:17-18, NIV). I remember the story of an evangelist who preached in a place. Gods presence and power were weak in that meeting. After the meeting, a friend of his came and explained to him that Gods presence was not strong in the meeting because he preached a message outside of the cross. So an evangelist should tell sinners that Jesus died and rose up for our sins. He should also demonstrate Gods power as Philip did, through the signs and wonders, which confirm the preaching of the word. Also he should use good quality songs and music in his evangelistic and revival meetings. He could also show some films on the rapture, heaven and hell, the story of Jesus Christ, signs of the end, miracle gospel crusades of truly anointed servants of God, and so on. Films have been used in several places or crusades to win multitude to Christ! 2. PRESENT THE GOSPEL FREE OF CHARGE. Jesus told his disciples, Freely you have received freely give (Mt 10:8b, NIV). Similarly, Paul wrote, What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel (1Cor 9:18). Id attended evangelistic crusades where others were preaching and Ive preached in evangelistic crusades myself. It grieves Gods Spirit to turn a crusade ground from a place to campaign for sinners salvation to one to campaign for money! Many unbelievers are already critical about evangelists, pastors, and so on. They believe that the average reason why they are in ministry is to make money. But, not all ministers are in ministry to make money. Its big pity, however, that some are in ministry primarily because of money. To make matters worse, evangelists or those doing the work of an evangelist convince the critics that they are in it for money when they begin to raise money openly and shamelessly, right on a crusade ground. This is a grievous mistake for the following reasons: 1. God wants those who preach the gospel to give it out free of charge (Mt 10:8b, 1Cor 9:18). 2. The purpose of an evangelistic meeting is to win the lost, not to raise money. 3. Doing so will hinder the gospel, for that act will repel them from Jesus. (They may ask in their hearts, Are you after our salvation or our money?) Paul noted, On the contrary, we put up with ANYTHING rather than HINDER THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST (1Cor 9:12, NIV). The New Living Translation put it as, We would rather put up with ANYTHING than BE AN OBSTACLE TO THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT CHRIST. I love it most in the Living Bible, WE HAVE NEVER DEMANDED PAYMENT OF ANY KIND FOR FEAR THAT, IF WE DID, YOU MIGHT BE LESS INTERESTED IN OUR MESSAGE TO YOU FROM CHRIST. 4. It is an abuse of power (see 1Cor 9:18). 5. Financial support is advisably got through those who already know the Lord, not those who are being born-again in the labour room (not those who are trying to find the assurance of salvation). Its to be greatly regretted that some evangelists charge inviting churches exorbitantly or highly before they can agree to preach in their evangelistic meetings. Such ministers have already received their rewards. Whenever you do anything with a wrong motive or purpose, you lose your reward in heaven (Mt 6:1-2, 5-6, 16-18). To be effective in ministry, an evangelist should preach the good news free of charge, or else he will gradually lose Gods power, and eventually he will come under divine judgment. 3. LABOUR FERVENTLY IN PRAYER THAT THE GOD OF THIS WORLD BLINDING THE SINNERS MINDS MIGHT LET GO OF THEM. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them (2Cor 4:3-4). For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her Children (Is 66:8). I learnt the secret of laboring fervently in prayer for sinners through Charles G. Finney. As a younger believer, I bought a book titled, Finney on Revival. And God used that power-packed book to shape my understanding of revival, soul winning and intercessory prayer. Finney himself labored in prayer for hours on a daily basis. He prayed from 4 to 8 oclock every morning. The Scripture says, Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary [lonely] place, where he PRAYED (Mk 1:35, NIV). Similarly, Finney would leave home and go into the woods very early in the morning and prayed fervently and loudly. He prayed in the woods so that nobody would hear his loud groanings. One of the things that led to his outstanding success was his personal life of prayer and fasting as well as the strong intercession of others. Its not enough for an evangelist to rely either on his own personal intercession alone or on the intercession of others alone; both must go together. Two wonderful men sacrificed their time and energy to intercede for Finneys meetings. This reminds me of what happened in Exodus 17. It reads, So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands the Amalekites were winning. When Moses hands grew tired they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. AARON AND HUR HELD HIS HANDS UP ONE ON ONE SIDE, ONE ON THE OTHER− SO THAT HIS HANDS REMAINED STEADY TILL SUNSET. SO JOSHUA OVERCAME THE AMALEKITE ARMY WITH THE SWORD (vs 10-13, NIV). As Aaron and Hur upheld Moses hands, so did Father Nash and Brother Abel do to Finney. Father Nash, at the age of 48, gave himself completely to powerful intercession for Finneys meetings. And he continued for 7 years. He kept a prayer list. He would hide himself in the woods or in his room or in a church building wrestling or travailing in prayer. The Scripture reveals, For as soon as Zion TRAVAILED, she brought forth her children (Is 66:8). Sometimes, he did not attend the meetings; he would intercede for them in secret. He did not preach in the meetings, either. Brother Abel got born-again around the same time as Finney. He was a licensed preacher. But his burden of prayer outweighed that of preaching. So he spent most of his time agonizing or laboring in prayer like a pregnant woman in a labour room. Finney discovered Abels prayer journal after he (Abel) had passed on. Surprisingly, it revealed that the same order in which Gods Spirit put the burden of prayer on Clarys heart corresponded to the order of blessings of genuine conversions and true revivals taking place through Finneys evangelistic ministry! History has it that while over 85 percent of Finneys converts remained true to Christ but only 30 percent of D. L. Moodys converts stayed with Christ. That means about 70 percent of (more than half or nearly three quarters) of Evangelist Moodys converts backslid, whereas only less than 15 percent of Finneys converts reverted to their old ways of life! Finney had some temporary struggles in the early days of his ministry. After his ordination, he preached regularly at a particular place for several weeks without results. Rather than give up, he gave himself to prayer and fasting. The outcome was amazing even hard-hearted atheists were converted. One of the secrets of successful evangelists is fervent prayer and fasting. You see, both their personal dedication to prayer and the intercession of others, among other things will make his evangelistic or revival meetings a roaring success! 4. WORK TOGETHER WITH SCRIPTURE-BASED DENOMINATIONS, MOVEMENTS AND FELLOWSHIPS. When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break So they signaled THEIR PARTNERS IN THE OTHER BOAT TO COME AND HELP THEM, AND THEY CAME AND FILLED BOTH BOATS SO FULL that they began to sink (Lk 5:6-7, NIV). Then saith he (Jesus) unto his disciples, THE HARVEST TRULY IS PLENTEOUS, BUT THE LABOURERS ARE FEW; PRAY YE THEREFORE THE LORD OF THE HARVEST, THAT HE WILL SEND FORTH LABOURERS INTO HIS HARVEST (Mt 10:37-38). An evangelist cannot conserve the harvest of souls by himself. He needs to partner with Scripture-based churches, movements and fellowships to evangelize and conserve the harvest effectively. He must ensure that the new converts are handed over to living churches, not dead ones. You see, giving them to dead churches will amount to wasting all the effort of the evangelist and his team because such converts will invariably backslide in a dead church, with few exceptional cases. Bonnkes illustration of an evangelistic ministry is similar to what we see in Luke 5:6-7 above. According to him, an evangelist comes with a net, which is the gospel, but he uses the boat of the local churches. He catches the fish, drops them in the boat, shakes his net and off he goes. Unfortunately, some evangelists catch the fish, but because of a sinking or spoilt boat or even no boat at all, virtually all the fish are lost, back to the river where they came from. You see, a sinking boat may represent churches that lack the capacity to accommodate the available huge harvest. Its like giving 5,000 new believers to a particular pastor who has the facility or capacity to take care of only 500 people at that point in time. Isnt it reasonable that the Master gave 5 talents to the fellow who could handle 5; but gave 2 and 1 respectively to those who had the required abilities (Mt 25:14-15)? The Latter Rain Movement (1948-1951) has a great lesson to teach us. Someone said that the latter rain became scatter rain because it encouraged people to come out of the local churches in order to be part of what God was doing then. Any movement or ministry that does not encourage people to be committed to living local churches will do more harm than good to the purpose of Christ. You see, an evangelist who comes to a city or village saying, Ive come in the name of the Lord. So any pastor or church who wants to be part of this crusade is welcome but any who chooses not to be involved with us can go away will soon discover that such a carefree attitude will not help conserve the harvest. He needs wisdom, humility and courage to bring the pastors together and get them and the local churches involved from beginning to end. The first thing God told Moses and Aaron to do when they get back to Egypt to deliver the people from their bondage was to gather the elders of Israel together and speak with them (please see Ex 3:16-18; 4: 29-30). Then together they were to go with the elders to Pharaoh. In the same way, an evangelist will first get the cooperation of the pastors, and then together they labour to win the lost to Christ. 5. ENCOURAGE THOSE WHO BELIEVE ON CHRIST TO CONFESS HIM PUBLICLY FROM THAT MOMENT ON. But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Rom 10:8-10). Jesus said, Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven (Mt 10:32-33). He should encourage and afford those seeking to be born-again an opportunity to confess Christ publicly. If he only preaches to them and they only believe the Word without confessing the name of Jesus, then they cannot be saved. The reason is given in Romans 10:10 above, For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, AND WITH THE MOUTH CONFESSION IS MADE UNTO SALVATION. You see, though confessing Jesus in the presence or absence of others brings salvation, yet only those who despise the shame and confess Him publicly before others will He also confess before His Father in heaven (Mt 10:32-33). Such a confession causes the angels to rejoice and also enables the saints to demonstrate their victory in Christ as well as enforce Satans defeat. Thats why the Scripture says, They overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and BY THE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY (Rev 12:11). You see, the word of their testimony here talks about the confession of faith which is a heartfelt testimony of their lifestyle. A man who cannot confess Christ publicly will soon go back from following Him (Mt 13:20-21) and the Lord will eventually deny him in heaven (Mt 10:33). 6. HAND OVER THE NEWBORNS TO PEOPLE (COUNSELLORS, ADVISABLY IN TWOS OR MALE TO MALE AND FEMALE TO FEMALE) WHO WILL ENLIGHTEN THEM MORE ABOUT CHRIST AND THE BODY OF CHRIST. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the Word of God (through Philips evangelistic meeting), they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit When they had TESTIFIED and PROCLAIMED the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem (Acts 8:14-17, 25, NIV). Some issues may not be touched by the evangelist during his message, but with the provision of adequate number of well-trained and well-equipped counselors, such can be addressed effectively. The counselors must be trained on how to lead a sinner to Christ. He must thoroughly understand the meaning of the New Birth. He must personally have the assurance of salvation and be able to bring others into the same experience. They should be equipped with probably a Bible (New Testament or preferably complete Bible) and a small book on how a new believer can grow. These materials should be given to the new born and should be encouraged to study and follow the instructions therein daily. After the meeting, the same counselors or other serious-minded believers should follow them up persistently and advisably in twos or brother to brother and sister to sister. Just as Jesus send out the disciples in twos and the apostles sent Peter and John to Samaria as seen above, the people doing the follow-up are best paired, a brother and a sister (well-dressed and well-composed with their Bibles in their hands). When Jesus sent out his disciples, he told them where to go and where not to go. Likewise, a brother paired with a sister to follow up some newborns should be told not to go and stay both in a lonely and questionable place, where they can easily slip into sin! 7. LET MASS EVANGELISM BE INTERSPERSED WITH PERSONAL EVANGELISM. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said So there was great joy in that city (Acts 8:5-6, 8, NIV). After this great evangelistic meeting, Philip was directed by the Lord to go and lead an Ethiopian eunuch to Christ along the desert road (see Acts 26-39). It is very interesting to observe how Philip the great evangelist interspersed and balanced mass evangelism with personal [one-to-one] soul winning. God purposely directed him those ways on those two occasions to teach a lesson to believers, especially fivefold ministers, most especially evangelists. Unfortunately, some evangelists today may feel they are too big to preach Christ to individuals as God leads. They wrongly believe that they are not called to preach the good news to the guy next door, the woman selling snacks, the man doing the plumbing, the poor folks who have come to beg alms, and so on. Such a wrong belief has desensitized some to the leading of the Spirit along this line. Though it is true that the Lord will not lead us to preach to everyone we see or know, yet being sensitive and open to the guidance of the Spirit will enable us to know when he will have us do so. Philip knew the eternal consequences of a single soul that has not accepted Jesus personally as his Saviour and Lord. So he joyfully preached to the multitude and eagerly witnessed to the individual. He was not after the fame, popularity or accolades. I have done the work of an evangelist. Ive preached Christ to groups of people as well as to individuals. I preached Him boldly in open-air evangelistic crusades, lecture theatres at the university, secondary schools, tutorial schools, from street to street, from town to town, from house to house, in market places, in shops, on buses, and so on. 8. IN TAKING A CITY, TOWN, VILLAGE OR COMMUNITY FOR GOD, INVESTIGATE BEFORE YOU INVEST. Then the Lord said to Moses, Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and GO UP TO THE LAND I PROMISED ON OATH TO ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB, saying, I will give it to your descendants. I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. GO UP TO THE LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY (Exo 33:1-3, NIV; see Exo 3:17, too). After God had spoken this, sometime later, he commanded Moses, Send some men to explore [search] the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders When Moses sent them to EXPLORE Canaan, he said Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. SEE WHAT THE LAND IS LIKE AND WHETHER THE PEOPL WHO LIVE THERE ARE STRONG OR WEAK, FEW OR MANY. WHAT KIND OF LAND DO THEY LIVE IN? IS IT GOOD OR BAD? WHAT KIND OF TOWNS DO THEY LIVE IN? ARE THEY UNWALLED OR FORTIFIED? HOW IS THE SOIL? IS IT FERTILE OR POOR? ARE THERE TREES ON IT OR NOT? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land (Numb 13:2, 17-20, 25, NIV). We can see from these Scriptures that even after God had spoken clearly to Moses about going up to possess the Promised Land, HE, in HIS wisdom, still told him to send out 12 leaders to spy out the land so that they would know what to expect, and hence prepare adequately for it. A man of God shared a powerful story that drives this point straight home. A friend of his as well as his (friends) church elders planned having an evangelistic crusade on an island. They invested money heavily in their preparations without investigating to know what was happening on that island. They boarded an aircraft which landed some distance from the supposed crusade venue. Then a boat took them to the island. On their way there, a native guide informed them there no single human being lived on the island, but that it was occupied by many coconut trees. Though they had claimed to be sent by God to evangelize the inhabitants of the island, yet they soon discovered that it is wise to investigate a place before you invest in evangelizing it for Christ. The people that travelled there were the only people present on the whole island! It was a funny but sad story of a great crusade that almost took place yet never took place. It was foolish and wrong Kingdom investment. That was why Solomon warned, For by wise counsel you can wage your war, and in an abundance of counselors there is victory and safety (Pro 24:6, AMP). Some years ago, a world renowned evangelist planned to have a crusade in my home town. I think the preparation was on when he sent some people to survey the place. Unfortunately, those people came when there was a traditional curfew restraining only females from coming out. So they concluded that only few people lived in the area. I guess the females shut indoors were larger in number than the males walking the streets. For this reason, people surveying a town, city or village before a crusade should interact with the people living there thoroughly asking them relevant questions that will reveal important facts about the place and its inhabitants. 9. PREACH THE WORD IN SEASON AND OUT OF SEASON. Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season (2Tim 4:2, NIV). The Living Bible renders this verse above thus: TO PREACH THE WORD OF GOD URGENTLY AT ALL TIMES, WHENEVER YOU GET THE CHANCE, IN SEASON AND OUT, WHEN IT IS CONVENIENT AND WHEN IT IS NOT. Interestingly, the Scripture says, Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and travelled about, PREACHING THE GOSPEL IN ALL THE TOWNS UNTIL HE REACHED CAESAREA (Acts 8:40, NIV). Yes, Paul told Timo to do the work of an evangelist. That didnt mean Timo was to become an evangelist. Rather, Paul was telling him to PREACH THE WORD because thats the primary work of an evangelist (please study 2Tim 4:2-5). Dont preach human philosophy, psychology, tradition of the elders or dead religion. Dont even preach church to them; preach Christ and him crucified. An evangelist should preach the word when it is convenient and when it is not convenient. That is what it means to preach the word in season or out of season. 10. TRUST GOD FOR FINANCES AND MATERIALS NEEDED TO COME THROUGH YOUR SUPPORTERS WITHOUT BEING LURED INTO TAKING UP A PASTORATE. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want (Ps 23:1, NIV). The earth is the LORDS and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it (Ps 24:1, NIV). As long as you live in obedience to God, our God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19). Every evangelist will face financial challenges, especially at the early stage of ministry, but if the LORD is your shepherd you are following him as he leads you you shall not be in want for the earth and everything it contains which belong to Him have been given to us the saints. A wise evangelist will not give up his evangelistic ministry to embrace pastoring because of financial challenges. How many evangelists today have quit their duty posts because of frustration or discouragement, and are now trying hard to adjust themselves to the office of a pastor, which God neither called them to nor anointed them for? The Lord will raise you supporters who will sow financial, material and prayer seeds into your ministry. But youve got to follow those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.   CHAPTER FOUR WRONG NOTIONS ABOUT THE MINISTRY OF AN EVANGELIST This chapter talks about some false or wrong beliefs, mindsets, ideas, notions or thinking about the ministry of an evangelist. 1. EVERY EVANGELIST SHOULD PASTOR FOR SOME TIME AND EVERY PASTOR SHOULD BE AN EVANGELIST FOR A WHILE. Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called (1Cor 7:20). Some people may tell you that every evangelist should pastor for some time and every pastor should be an evangelist for a while because of their past experience. But that is not Scriptural. You see, we are not called to follow others experiences. Rather we are called to follow the Lord; and He has commanded us to abide in our specific and different callings. Dont ever receive anything anyone teaches you that cannot be proven by Gods word. Reject quickly everything I write or speak that doesnt line up with Gods word! So if the Lord hasnt called you to pastor, you have no business trying it. And if He hasnt called you to be an evangelist, you shouldnt appoint yourself as one. Ministry is not experiment! 2. SINCE AN EVANGELIST IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN A PASTOR, HE SHOULD NOT SUBMIT HIMSELF TO A PASTOR AS A MEMBER OF A LOCAL CHURCH. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more as ye see the day approaching (Heb 10:25). Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you (Heb 13:17, NIV). There is no single Scripture that says that an evangelist is of greater importance than a pastor. We know that evangelists were mentioned before pastors in Ephesians 4:11.what does that imply? That simply means an evangelist has a greater responsibility than a pastor. Every believer must belong to a local church. Also the head of a local church is the pastor, and every member must submit to their pastor. You see, Paul warned us, SUBMITTING YOURSELVES ONE TO ANOTHER IN THE FEAR OF GOD (Eph 5:20). That means an evangelist should submit to a pastor, and a pastor should submit to an evangelist as the need arises. In actuality, every minister or believer should submit to one another in the fear of God. Dear evangelist, if you fear God, you will submit yourself to others; but you can submit to others pretentiously without walking in the fear of God. Do you know that evangelists like Billy Graham, Reinhard Bonnke, and so on are members of different local churches and they submit to their respective pastors? Some evangelists have been mistreated and wounded by pastors and elders. So they have vowed personally never to belong to any local church again. It is wrong to hurt the feelings of others; and it is equally wrong to quit local church membership in general because of this. Two wrongs can never make a right. Everything must be done decently and in order if we are going to get Gods best for ourselves and others in our sphere of influence. Every minister must have a local church base, which he belongs to. His tithes go to this church base. He may give a portion of his offering as God leads him to his evangelistic ministry, local church base, other ministries, and so on (Mal 3:10, 1Cor 14:40). 3. EVERY HEALING OR MIRACLE-WORKING MINISTER IS AN EVANGELIST. Apostles and prophets healed the sick and performed many miracles in the Scriptures (Acts 5:12, 2Kings 4 - 7). Some pastors or teachers can even be used of God similarly, though, perhaps in a seemingly less prominent or pronounced manner. Interestingly, a saint who is not called as a fivefold minister may be anointed of God to flow in the gifts of healings or working of miracles. 4. EVANGELISTS CAN TEACH, TOO. It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, SOME TO BE EVANGELIST, AND SOME TO BE pastors and TEACHERS (Eph 4:11, NIV). Its clear from this Scripture above that an evangelist is different from a teacher. I have said in a previous chapter that its possible to have someone called and anointed of God to be both an evangelist and teacher at the same time. An evangelist carries basically a preaching anointing to proclaim Gods word while a teacher has majorly a teaching anointing to explain it. We have already explained that the Scriptures reveal that Philip was a evangelist, not a teacher. He preached (proclaimed) the Word but didnt teach (explain) [see Acts 8:5, 12]. When comparing these two ministry gifts, one of my teachers wrote, Many a good evangelist has been spoiled because he imaged that his years of experience in evangelism fitted him for a teaching ministry, whereas teaching is a distinct gift from that of evangelism. It is true that sometimes these gifts are combined in one person. In my own opinion, I think Charles G. Finney, the mighty evangelist probably thought his many years of experience in fiery evangelism would pre-qualify him to be a teacher. So he tried to teach but found out that God never cut him out for that. Towards the end of his ministry he admitted, I know many things, deeper things of God, than I am able to teach. If I do teach these things, I lose the ability to win souls. 5. EVANGELISTS ARE THE SAME AS MISSIONARIES. There is great danger in operating in the wrong calling or gift. For example, when the ark of God was to be brought back to Jerusalem in the days of David, Uzzah dropped dead because he moved into another mans calling. He tried to help God. He performed what God ordained only the priests to carry out. The Scripture says, When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark because the oxen stumbled. The LORDS anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because HE HAD PUT HIS HAND ON THE ARK. SO HE DIED THERE BEFORE GOD. THEN David was angry because the Lords wrath had broken out against Uzzah David was afraid of God that day and asked, How can I ever bring the ark of God to me? (1Chr 13:9-12, NIV). So he diverted the ark to another place. But, eventually, he learnt a great lesson. He discovered they had made a great mistake at their first attempt to bring the ark back. So he corrected it. Their second attempt was a success story. In the midst of that victory, he opened up, It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it (the ark) up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way. The Scripture continues, So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel. And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD (1 Chr 15:13-15, NIV). A missionary is not an evangelist. You, the word missionary is never used in the Scriptures. Literally, it comes from Latin and has the same meaning as the word apostle which comes from Greek. In contemporary times, the meaning of this word missionary has been modified. One thing, however, is certain. The work of a missionary is part of the work of an apostle. For example, Billy Graham is an evangelist, not a missionary. Though in the early days of his ministry, he was deeply interested in foreign missions and was eager to be a missionary overseas. Nevertheless, as he sought the face of God about it, he didnt sense God leading him to be a missionary. After some time, it became clear to him that his calling was that of an evangelist. Thank God for the impact of his evangelistic ministry around the world. 6. EVANGELISTS CAN PLANT CHURCHES FROM PLACE TO PLACE. God has not called evangelists to plant churches from one place to another. Whenever an evangelist yields to the temptation to start planting churches from one place to another, he begins to lose his evangelistic anointing and fervor. How many evangelists have been deceived through glamour into the office of an apostle or bishop, which has ever since derailed them? A bishop is an elder who can oversee or shepherd the flock probably until God raises a pastor or as an improvised pastor (see Titus 1:5; Acts 20:17, 28; 1Tim 3:1). A bishop is not a fivefold minister. A bishop can be appointed by men, but an evangelist cannot be appointed by men. So what makes an evangelist quit his ministry to become a bishop is ignorance shrouded in deception, and perhaps greed per excellence! True evangelists like Philip, Billy Graham, Reinhard Bonnke, and so on were not called to plant churches from place to place (see Acts 8). 7. PSALMISTS ARE EVANGELISTS. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are DIFFERENCES OF ADMINISTRATIONS, but the same Lord. And there are DIVERSITIES OF OPERATIONS, but it is the same God which worketh all in all (1Cor 12:4-6). The differences of administrations here refer to the fivefold ministry from the Lord Jesus while the diversities of operations speak of ministry of exhortation, ministry of giving, ministry of leadership and ministry of mercy (see Ro 12:8). This ministry of exhortation includes: ministry of a psalmist (Holy Ghost-ordained singer, musician, song writer, music composer or psalm writer), drama ministry, counseling ministry, intercessory ministry, and so on. You see, musician plays music while a music composer composes music just as singer sings songs whereas a song writer writes songs. Some people can both compose and play music but others can only do one of the two. Similarly, some other people can both write and sing songs yet others can do just either of the two. Besides, some can combine both music and songs. When an anointed harpist or minstrel played God-inspired music in 2 Kings 3:15-19, the hand of the Lord came heavily upon Prophet Elisha! It helped the ministry of a prophet there and then. In the same way, it can help the fivefold ministry of the New Testament church today! David, the anointed palmist played the harp to relieve King Saul of demonic oppression (1 Sam 16:14-23). An evangelist needs anointed psalmists like David, Asaph, Heman and so on whose anointing can help usher in strong presence and power of God that set the captive free! They would serve as ministers in helps ministry to help his evangelistic ministry, (Please study 2 Chron 5:2-14). One person can be both an evangelist and psalmist, though, generally being a psalmist doesnt qualify you as an evangelist. David was a psalmist; nevertheless he was not an evangelist. On the contrary, Philip was an evangelist, but I dont think he was a psalmist! You see, it is wrong to give the title of an evangelist to a man or woman because of his or her singing, music or even drama ministry! There are very many so-called evangelists today that heaven recognizes as psalmists, and not evangelists! 8. FORMERLY OCCULT PEOPLE WHO ARE NOW BORN-AGAIN; THOSE HAVE SEEN HELL OR HEAVEN; AND THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD CAN FUNCTION (IMMEDIATELY) AS EVANGELISTS. No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was (Heb 5:4, NIV). Its not automatic that anyone who has been delivered from occultism must become an evangelist. The same thing goes for those who have been raised from the dead or those who have seen hell or heaven, and so on. Of course, some of them might be carrying an evangelistic, pastoral or any other divine call before they were born. But some others might be exhorters or something else. In any case, it is Scripturally wise to disciple them effectively to live the Christian life and to train them thoroughly to execute their Christian ministry. [Every believer has a ministry. I didnt say that every believer has a fivefold ministry.] Its both ridiculous and dangerous to pour oil upon them as evangelists without going through the proper process of discipleship and training. One professor shared the stories of some children who had grown up too fast, too soon and as a result could not go any further. He cited the case of one child celebrity, who committed suicide (probably out of overstress due to growing up to become a celebrity too fast, too soon until the challenges he was not ready for made him not to progress any further). I was particularly fascinated by the story of one Yehudi, on the contrary, who was a celebrity musician at 7. But because his parents and teachers went the extra mile by devoting themselves to training and monitoring him very closely, he was able to cope better with the challenges of his early fame or stardom! You see, a new convert who has an evangelistic call must do evangelistic work but must at the same time submit to the authority of a local church that will get him well-discipled and well-trained. God will also use others outside his local church to strengthen his discipleship and training. A new believer or convert is a spiritual babe. The following Scriptures apply to both physical and spiritual babes: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame (Pro 22:6, Pro 29:15). To fit into our context, the latter part of the last verse above can be rephrased as: BUT A SPIRITUAL CHILD LEFT TO DISCIPLE OR TRAIN HIMSELF BRINGS SHAME OR DISGRACE TO HIS LOCAL CHURCH, WHICH SERVES AS A MOTHER TO HIM. I remember the story of an ex-occultist in this nation who began to conduct crusades years ago to expose the works of darkness. He brought his occult materials out in the open and tried to re-live his old life in the occult right on the crusade platform. This could open him up to Satan again. It is dangerous to keep occult books and materials. Did he undergo any thorough discipleship and training? Was there no one to show him Acts 19:18-20 (NLT), Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. A NUMBER OF THEM WHO HAD BEEN PRACTICING SORCERY BROUGHT THEIR INCANTATION BOOKS AND BURNED THEM AT A PUBLIC BONFIRE. THE VALUE OF THE BOOKS WAS SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS. SO [as a result] THE MESSAGE ABOUT THE LORD SPREAD WIDELY AND HAD A POWERFUL EFFECT? Finally, if you are one of the people who have been delivered from occultism or who have been raised from the dead or who have seen hell or heaven, and so on or you have one of those people under your authority, lets follow Pauls warning in 1 Timothy 5:22 (AMP): DO NOT BE IN A HURRY IN THE LAYING ON HANDS [GIVING THE SANCTION OF THE CHURCH TOO HASTILY IN ORDINATION IN QUESTIONABLE CASES] NOR SHARE OR PARTICIPATE IN ANOTHER MANS SINS; KEEP YOURSELF PURE. 9. MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS WHO ARE NATURALLY CHARISMATIC AND SPIRITUALLY ANOINTED ARE EVANGELISTS. No one takes this honor upon himself; HE MUST BE CALLED BY GOD, just as Aaron was (Heb 5:4, NIV). The ministry of an evangelist is not a natural talent. It differs greatly from communication skills. An orator is quite different from an evangelist, though some evangelists are orators, yet some others are not. A motivational speaker who tries to embrace an evangelistic call on his own without being called of God will soon find out that it is a spiritual endowment and no one takes this honour to himself unless he is specifically called by God. 10. EVANGELISTS SHOULD BUILD THEIR LIVES AND MINISTRIES ON SPIRITUAL GIFTS, ESPECIALLY WORKING OF MIRACLES, GIFTS OF HEALINGS AND GIFT OF FAITH. Philip didnt go to Samaria to work out spiritual gifts. He went there to preach Christ to them. Even the Early Church apostles didnt go about trying to work out spiritual gifts. Actually, the Lord told them, Go into all the world and PREACH THE GOOD NEWS TO EVERYONE (Mark 16:15, NLT). Did you notice that this Scripture doesnt say, Go into all the world and perform miracles, signs and wonders? Verse 20 (NLT) reads, And the disciples went everywhere and PREACHED, AND THE LORD WORKED THROUGH THEM, CONFIRMING WHAT THEY SAID BY ANY MIRACULOUS SIGNS. We see here that the miraculous signs are to confirm the word preached. But the way some ministers over-emphasize miracles today will make one think that the word is to confirm the miracles. If we preach the TRUE WORD, the Lord will confirm it with TRUE MIRACLES, SIGNS AND WONDERS. Anyone who builds his life and ministry on spiritual gifts in general cannot be sound in Gods word. When trials, tests or temptations come the spiritual gifts will not take the place of Gods word. In the wilderness of temptation, Jesus defeated Satan through Gods word stored up, not in his head but in his heart, and released through his mouth by faith. He didnt try to resist the devil with the gifts of healings, word of knowledge, interpretation of tongues, and so on. No wonder God says, Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God (Mt 4:4). He didnt say, Man shall live by the gifts of the Spirit. The gifts of the Spirit are very important and much needed by the Church today to win the lost to Christ and to help those who are saved; nevertheless they cannot replace Gods words. Have you ever wonder why the gifts of the Spirit are not mentioned as parts of the armour of God in Ephesians 6? Please read Ephesians 6:10-17 carefully.   CHAPTER FIVE T All rights reserved. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |