Evangelist - What about Phillip?

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Evangelist - What about Phillip?

Post by email » Tue Dec 11, 2012 6:21 am

Inquiry in Reference To: [url=http://www.insearchoftruth.org/articles ... lists.html]http://www.insearchoftruth.org/articles ... lists.html[/url]
How can you teach on evangelist and leave out Phillip, i contend the evangelist and a regular preacher are not the same, the work of an evangelist is showed by phillip, evangelism is reaching the lost and unchrurched period, and is noted by preaching outside church confines, in acts 8 the church was scaterred save for the apostles and they preached everywhere. people who can't preach outside the church are not evangdelitsts. also evangelists baptized, this combined with preaching to the lost(not converted or so-called christians, so called christian issues are handled by the overseers of the flock or local preachers, if they are constantly giving messages that deal with the flock, they are pastors given by God) is the work of an evangelist. Phillip was the only man called an evanglist in the bible. Paul did evangelistic work in preaching to people who were not saved. his talking of living off the gospel is has nothing to do with evangelism per se because he was speaking of also funds he received from churches he planted.Elders in this way can live off the gospel, count them worthy of double honr that oversee especially of them who labor in the word, and careful looking of that will point to taking care of them financially with the collected church offerings. we need to know what an evangelist that God places in the church is, this person looks to go to the lost instead of the lost coming to him. you must have people who preach who are called evangelist who don't really reach out to the lost. we have too many people especially women preachers growing up wanting to be evangelists who really don't prach the whole gospelw ith anytype of evident annointed skill, but they preach on other topics very well. they think that is an evangelist then we lose out on true evanglism.
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larry
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RE: Evangelist

Post by larry » Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:33 pm

Thanks for visiting insearchoftruth.org and for your comments. We are thankful you took the time to review the article you referenced. I will try to provide some additional information.

There was no special reason for not mentioning Phillip. We try to cover the topic under consideration adequately, but we don’t want to go so long we risk losing the interest of the reader. So, we felt using the material we included was sufficient.

However, as you correctly say, Phillip was referred to as an evangelist (Acts 21:8). That doesn’t mean he was the only evangelist as you noted when you said Paul did evangelistic work. Eph. 4:11 says He gave some evangelists. Since the plural is used, the number is not limited. As the article on our website points out, the word “evangelist” means a messenger of good news. That kind of teaching certainly will be useful to those who have not been taught, but it will also be useful to those who are already Christians. The learning process never ends.

Continuing with Phillip, he was one of the seven appointed in Acts 6. In Acts 8, we see him going to Samaria and preaching to the multitudes and many believed and were baptized. We also see him teaching the Ethiopian eunuch in

Acts 8. Then we finish that chapter seeing him preaching in many cities until he came to Caesarea. We don’t read about him again until we come to Acts 21:8, some 20 years later. There we read he was still in Caesarea and that Paul entered his house and stayed with him. Do you think it not possible, and more than likely probable, that he preached at least some to a local church there during all those years?

While it is likely Phillip preached some to a local church, we know that Paul did. In I Cor. 18:11, we read, “And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. Paul stayed in Ephesus three years (Acts 20:31). He taught the lost in Ephesus and he taught the church (Acts 20:17-21). In verse 20 he says, “and how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house.” Look at the books of I and II Timothy. Specifically, I Tim. 4:6, “If you instruct the brethren in these things…” Timothy was to teach the lost, but he was to teach the brethren also.

The New Testament points out that certain people have primary roles, i.e., the elders are to overseer and shepherd the congregation, the evangelists are to be teachers and deacons are to serve, etc. But, there is a lot of overlap. We all are to teach as we have the opportunity and ability. It may be publicly, or to our neighbors, or just to our families, though we are not all evangelists.

With regard to women evangelists, the Bible is clear that women are not to teach publicly over men (I Tim. 2:11-12);

(I Cor. 14:34).

I am in agreement with you that not enough teaching may be done to the lost by our evangelists. They may spend too much time speaking to the churches, even though there are often non-Christians in attendance. We definitely need more men going out and trying to convert the lost to Christ. I wish it were so. But, that failing on the part of today’s evangelists does not negate the fact that that the Bible teaches evangelists are to teach both the lost and Christians.

I hope this has been helpful.

Larry
http://www.insearchoftruth.org

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