Evangelists, pastors and teachers

The evangelist is bringing people to God through the preaching of the Good News and the pastors and teachers are bringing the new converts to maturity. They are all equipped to develop people and to help each individual person to reach his full potential in Christ.

The Evangelist - a dynamic collector of people

The evangelist proclaims the good news about the victory of God’s kingdom. He is full of enthusiasm for Jesus’ victory on Calvary and preaches a message of joy. He has the ability to get people to believe on Jesus and surrender themselves to Him. His most important task is to see people born again and brought into God’s kingdom.

While the apostles and prophets together work on the plans for the spiritual building, the evangelist works in the stone quarry to blast out stones which can be used to build with.

The evangelist also has an important function in the church to motivate and equip the Christians to win people.

The hallmarks of the evangelist

He will love people and carry a burden for them in his heart and have a burning desire to rescue them from destruction. He will be full of understanding and sympathy with people and, driven by love, he will do all he possibly can to help them to repentance and faith.

He has the ability to explain and proclaim the gospel in a simple way for others. He is completely convinced that this message which he preaches is one people need to hear. He is convinced that Jesus Christ is the only one who can save from destruction. He has a God-given ability to communicate with people and to preach the gospel of God’s kingdom in a simple and challenging way.

In his preaching and contact with people he is able to challenge the will and not just people’s thoughts and feelings. He can speak about Jesus and the gospel from almost any angle but his goal is always to get people to make a decision with their will. His aim is to get people to surrender to the Lord and he has the ability to influence their will in that direction. He challenges them to make an end of their rebellion, turn to Christ in faith and receive him as Lord and Saviour by allowing themselves to be baptised in water and the Spirit.

He is full of faith in the message he preaches and he is reliant on the presence of the Holy Spirit to convict of sin, righteousness and judgement. Because he knows the Holy Spirit’s power in his life and knows how the Spirit works, he has a God-given faith in the immediate results of his preaching.

He has also a function in the church to equip people to win others for God; to motivate them and set them going to preach, to witness and to evangelise. With his enthusiasm and dynamic example the evangelist will mobilise the Christians to action, so that many people can be gathered in and become building blocks in the church which Jesus is building.

Exercise:

Do you know any evangelist? What is his name and how does he function?

What is the tasks of an evangelist?

Continue to memorise the Bible verses, and add this new one:

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, (Eph. 4:11)

Pastors and teachers - leaders who help people to develop

The function of the pastor and shepherd or teacher is to lead the church into God’s word in such a way that it is put into practice. They lead Christians on to maturity. By discipling and taking care of people they help them to grow and develop spiritually. They shape the individual stones so that they fit together, are bound together and become a part of the whole.

When the Bible calls these people shepherds it has as its background the daily life in Israel, where shepherds who looked after a flock of sheep had a responsible position and had to be strong, unselfish and devoted people. Large flocks had to be moved from one place to another, the sheep had to have fresh grass and necessary rest. They must also be protected against wild animals, thieves and robbers.

Because sheep keeping was so important at that time the word shepherd was also used in connection with leaders in society who should lead and protect people as the shepherd did the sheep. Jesus says of himself that he is the good shepherd who knows his sheep by name and leads them to fresh pastures and the safe fold where he protects them from being attacked. He says that he lays down his life to save them from their enemies.

Jesus has given shepherds and teachers to the church so that they will look after people, give them spiritual food from the word of God and help them to live in accordance with God’s good principles. Their task is, first and foremost, to lead God’s people in the paths of righteousness and help them to live a good life. They will both look after the strong and the weak and make sure that all are given help to make progress in their walk with God.

Shepherds and teachers are characterised by their love of people. They care about people and are concerned for the individual. They are therefore highly valued by those who benefit from their ministry. By including us in their care they make us feel loved and valuable.

Gifts to the Church

The apostle, prophet, evangelist and shepherd/teacher not only have gifts from the Lord to build the Church he wants but they themselves are gifts to the Church. Therefore, as a rule, they will work in a larger environment than one local church. The apostle will be like the hub of a wheel integrating these gifts in a team and giving the work impetus. The churches that receive these ministries in a right way will experience progress and growth.

Exercise:

Do you know any pastors and teachers?

What is their main task in the church of Christ?

Continue to memorise the Bible verses, and add this new one:

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, (Eph. 4:11)