Evangelist

Evangelist

The Greek word euangelistes , literally means a messenger of good news, it also, means “well,” angelos, “a messenger”, denotes a “preacher of the gospel,” Acts 21:8; Eph. 4:11, which makes clear the distinctiveness of the function in the churches; 2 Tim. 4:5. Euangelizo, “to proclaim glad tidings,” and euangelion, “good news, gospel.” Missionaries are “evangelists,” being essentially preachers of the gospel.

In search of an understanding we must always turn to the Bible to seek a biblical understanding, we need a biblical model to fully comprehend the biblical message and to grasp the biblical mandate.

          The biblical model refers to a picture of the task, an example that inspires and engages the individual and corporate body to share the good news. What is this good news? The Cross-is the good News! The biblical model of evangelism must begin with the fact that YAHVEH created mankind. These humans have sinned against YAHVEH, whose justice demanded that there must be a penalty for all sin. YAHVEH in His infinite Love, substitute His only Son for our past, present, and future sins. Through Yahushua the Messiyah, YAH’S wrath has been appeased and forgiveness won, if we only believe on Him as our substitute for sin, we will be saved.

First of all, a person must be convicted of sin and guilt before the declaration of grace can convince them that this present world system is contrary to the Kingdom of Heaven. The Blood of Yahushua the Messiyah is an escape hatch from this present world system, which we can use at any time, the sooner the better, referring to now is the time of salvation. The Blood is what brings us close to YAHVEH.

The Evangelist is an integral part of The Mighty Hand of YAHVEH and the redeemed community at large. The Evangelist extends the frontiers of YAH’S kingdom (Acts 3:3-7; 8:5-40; 21:8) to go boldly where no one has gone before. They are a co-ministry with and extension of the apostolic ministry. They are for the equipping of the Body of The Messiyah for evangelism, which is the spirit of outreach or evangelism.

They communicate the Words of YAHVEH and the importance of the Blood of Yahushua. The Brazen Altar of the Tabernacle in the wilderness and Solomon’s Temple is the starting position in the work of the Cross, which is the power of YAHVEH to bring all who intend to run the race to the starting line. In order to come to full maturity, we must start as a child. YAHVEH confirms the words of the evangelist with works of power. The greatest work is that a man is born again from above by the Blood and passes from death into life.

The Evangelist is interested in true conversions where a sinner passes from death into everlasting life, from the power of darkness into eternal light. The Evangelist is interested in more than just decisions, rededications, or and a large group raising their hands or coming forward at meeting. He or she desires that men and women become a new creations in The Messiyah, where the old man passes away and the new man comes alive. The evangelist is the one who starts the process for the regeneration of the new man. He is at the bottom of the cross or the beginning of the process called the cross. The Evangelist must take the time and effort to do his or her best to communicate the full message of redemption and salvation to the lost. The Evangelist must live his or her message not just talk the talk, so that others may see the fruit of the Spirit in their life.

          How did Yahushua preach the Gospel? The scripture says that Yahushua came into Galilee preaching the good news saying the kingdom of YAHVEH is near! Turn away from your sins and believe the good news! The Kingdom model for evangelism speaks liberations to those who are oppressed. Yahushua announced a new day, a day of freedom from sin, from doing things contrary to the will of the Father and slavery to this world system. Evangelism from this perspective announces the beginning of a new state of thinking and invites everyone to become involved in making all things new.

          The Evangelist must deal with the same biblical ideas; He must start with the incarnation. This word means in the flesh or the coming of Yahushua in our midst. In the incarnation YAHVEH took the initiative, YAHVEH YAHVEH sent His angels to Mary to announce the birth of Yahushua. He sends the Holy Spirit to initiate conception. According to John’s witness the Word always was with YAHVEH! Then the Word became flesh and tabernacle among us, not because of anything we did but because of YAH’S Sovereign Will.

          What YAHVEH achieved through the incarnation of Yahushua, continues today through the Church. The church in the Power of the Holy Spirit must do what The Messiyah did in the flesh. The gifts of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost represents a second kind of incarnation of Yahushua the Messiyah to the body. The presence of the Holy Spirit causes the continuous incarnation of The Messiyah in the life of the church of which He is the Head.

To cement our understanding of the work of the Evangelist, we must also examine its meaning in light of the message which the early church proclaimed. Evangelization means communicating the good news, but what is the good news? First, it is the message of The Messiyah Himself. He is the good news. YAHVEH has come among us, identified with us, and meets us in our deepest needs. The message is also what Yahushua The Messiyah preaches, at the outset of His ministry He announced, “the time has come at last – the kingdom of YAHVEH has arrived. You must change your heart and mind and believe the good news.” Mark 1:15.

          In The Messiyah’s first sermon in Nazareth He explained His purpose here on earth, which is the first stage of the cross. Mark 4:¹⁸  “The Spirit of YAHVEH is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; ¹⁹ To proclaim the acceptable year of YAHVEH.” ²⁰Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. ²¹ And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

          It was through the incarnation: of the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Yahushua; that the transcendent YAHVEH entered into the world. The Kingdom passage in Isaiah, that Yahushua the Messiyah quoted the above scripture from, indicated the method by which YAHVEH intended to transform history. By offering freedom through the Evangelist, meet the people’s neads through the Pastor, and offers wholeness and fullness of life through the teaching ministry, guidance and direction through the Prophet.

     When Yahushua gave this message, He was standing in the Temple on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) Mark 4:⁷ And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: ¹⁸ “The Spirit of YAHVEH is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; ¹⁹ To proclaim the acceptable year of YAHVEH.” ²⁰ Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. ²¹And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

So misunderstood at the time, but how did His followers understand it? To understand this question we must examine the message of the early church. What did they preach? How did they understand the ministry of The Messiyah? C. H. Dodd says that the early church developed a central message called the Kerygma.  This condensed message, which was contained in the sermons of Acts and implicit in a number of Paul’s letters, summarizes the content of the Gospel. The elements of the Kerygma define what the early church preached as the good news, the saving message. They selected those aspects of Yahushua’ life and ministry that had redemptive significance. Dodd summarizes the apostolic message in the following six points:

1)    The age of fulfillment has dawned – the long awaited Messiyah has come and he is Yahushua.

2)    The new age has dawned through the life, death and resurrection of Yahushua. He embodies this new age, and through him the new age will continue to break into human history.

3)    Yahushua of Nazareth has been raised from the dead and exalted to YAH’S right hand. He now heads the new Yisrael, a new community in which he is incarnate and through which he proclaims his message by word and deed.

4)    The Holy Spirit in the church is a continuing sign of The Messiyah’s presence and power. This Spirit calls, grasps, and transforms individuals incorporating them into the body of The Messiyah.

5)    The messianic age, which has dawned in The Messiyah, will soon be consummated with His return.

6)    On the basis of YAH’S action in Yahushua, the apostles appealing for repentance is a change of mind about YAHVEH, about them selves, about the meaning of Human existence. With this change the Apostle offered forgiveness and salvation through the gift of the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:14-39 and 3:12-26; I Corinthians. 15:3-9.

The disciples of Yahushua believed this message could create a definite change in the world and it did. Through their proclamation, individuals have entered into that spiritual dimension called the Kingdom of YAHVEH. There the preaching of the good news has life transforming power for those who heard it.

          The sixth part of the message outlined by C. H. Dodd posses a strong Jewish overtone. Since Yahushua was a Jew, came to the Jewish nation, and fulfilled the biblical expectation of the Messiyah, the disciple received and interpreted him in light of their expectation. As long as they preached the message to other Jews, this understanding served them well. But what effect would a Gentile audience have in common with the Jews. When Paul was invited to Mars Hill, he did not begin with the covenant promise to Yisrael, but rather, he spoke of the unknown YAHVEH whom they ignorantly worship. Paul described YAHVEH as creator, self-sufficient, and judge. He concluded with a witness to Yahushua by whom YAHVEH would judge the world.

          Nothing in the messages of Paul contradicts the messages the early Apostle taught to the Jews. Whenever he spoke to a Jew or a Gentile, he simply began his presentation at a point of common understanding. In the evangelic ministry we must endeavor to speak the good news of YAHVEH in the context of the individual life we are addressing. To be understood we must use the languages, which they understand. This required the Spirit of Understanding and the Spirit of Wisdom.

The Biblical Mission

The biblical missions statement manifests itself in the body of the early church. Evangelism can therefore be defined not only as what the early church said, but also, by what they did. Their evangelical deeds began first in Jerusalem, then Judea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the world. The Book of Acts details these early actions as the Gospel, as the good news spread to the known world. The first seven chapters of the Book of Acts focus on the witness of the church in Jerusalem, Acts 2:14-42 when Peter preached on the day of Pentecost. Stephen witnessed before the High Priest, 7:1-53. After the stoning of Stephen, persecution intensified and the believers fled to Judea and they witnessed about The Messiyah. Philip the Evangelist went to witness in Samaria. 8:5-25. Philip’s witness to the Ethiopian eunuch who took the Gospel to his own country.

          Yahushua had commissioned His disciples to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. It also said to the Jews first then the Gentiles! What does this means for us today? We need to evangelize first to our own family the Jewish people, then the world. Too often we fail to understand that the Jewish people need to be brought back to the fold. We send evangelists to every other sector except Yisrael or the Jewish people. Chapter nine of Acts describes the conversion of Saul of Tarsus who would become Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles. This man more than any other took the good news through the Roman Empire.

The call of Barnabus and Saul marks the turning point in the expansion of the Gospel to the World. The first missionary journey began the expansion, which would later culminate in Rome before Caesar.

It is the responsibility of the Evangelist to introduce unsaved people to the Blood of Yahushua; this can be done through many ways, through the ministry of friendship, evangelism, and discipleship.

 Friendship is an effective means for evangelism for it requires establishing friendly relationships with the unbeliever. By showing an interest in them, listening to them, getting to know them, and cultivating a warm, caring relationship with them, we can earn the right to ask personal questions and share the good news, which address all personal needs. It is also an exhibition of the fruit of the Spirit.

Evangelism is not an end in itself as most churches do today, but a beginning. Through the basic purpose of the evangelism (The Blood) it must be done in a loving, discipline relationship. We must realize that the new believers must not be left to themselves; they need concerned follow up, such as the Office of the Pastor to clean them from past habits by the Word.

Discipleship – the mentor takes responsibility for that person from salvation, entering into a prayer partner relationship with the participant or trainee, bringing that person into a more personal relationship with Yahushua. We produce what we are. An Evangelist we will produce other Evangelists. This mentorship produces strong disciples for the future ministers for future church growth.