THE NON-EVANGELIST; EVANGELIST

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THE ROLL OF MISSIONARY – EVANGELIST

DCP00346By Ken Blue

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;” Ephesians 4:11.

I have no interest in hurting anyone’s income. My objective is to give a biblical definition and explanation of what I, and many others believe the ministry of the evangelist should be.

In the early church, all of these were contemporary. However, in time, the apostles and prophets passed of the scene. Some suggest that the call of the evangelist also ended. Personally, I do not believe it has, but I do believe the title and the purpose has been greatly misunderstood and abused.

The Bible does not mention the missionary at all. Although all believers have a mission, the title of the missionary is never mentioned. The reason for this, I believe, is that the evangelist did what the missionaries are now doing. In other words, they were missionaries. Also, every local church is to do the work of an evangelist, or missionary, by starting new churches.

The evangelist/missionary went to the cities and villages and preached the gospel to the lost. Sinners were saved and in time, a pastor was appointed to pastor the new church.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The evangelist went and preached the gospel to the lost. When enough sinners were saved, a pastor was appointed to pastor the new church.[/perfectpullquote]

Albert Barns says. “What was the precise office of the evangelist in the primitive church it is now impossible to determine. The evangelist may have been one whose main business was preaching, and who was not particularly engaged in the government of the church. The word properly means, “a messenger of good tidings;” and Robinson (Lex.) supposes that it denotes a minister of the gospel who was not located in any place, but who travelled as a missionary to preach the gospel, and to found churches. The word is so used now by many Christians; but it cannot be proved that it is so used in the New Testament.” (Barns notes).

“Evangelists were itinerant preachers like our missionaries, as Philip the deacon (Ac 21:8); as contrasted with stationary “pastors and teachers” (2 Ti 4:5). The evangelist founded the Church; the teacher built it up in the faith already received.” (JFB).

“The gift of an evangelist (euaggelistas ). This is the gift of carrying the gospel all over the world. It is the gift that specializes in proclaiming the gospel to the lost of the world. It would include both what we call the evangelist and the missionary”.—Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible – Commentary.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary says, “a “publisher of glad tidings;” a missionary preacher of the gospel (Eph. 4:11). This title is applied to Philip (Acts 21:8), who appears to have gone from city to city preaching the word (Acts 8:4, 40). Judging from the case of Philip, evangelists had neither the authority of an apostle, nor the gift of prophecy, nor the responsibility of pastoral supervision over a portion of the flock. They were itinerant preachers, having it as their special function to carry the gospel to places where it was previously unknown. The writers of the four Gospels are known as the Evangelists.”

Many of today’s evangelists are anything but the founders of New Testament churches. Today we have Evangelist that: Sing, Tract, Clown, Construct and even tell pastors how to run their churches.  It is not uncommon to see evangelist who: work at county Fairs, Rodeos and Stock Car races.  There are evangelist who work with: Children, Teens,  families and a host of others. The only true Evangelists are those who are winning souls and establishing churches. The rest are nothing more than traveling gypsies.

ROADBLOCKS ON THE ROAD TO HELL

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ROADBLOCKS ON THE ROAD TO HELL
hellBy Ken Blue

“And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments…” Luke 16:23.

1. You will have to step over the church.
Certainly, not every church in America preaches a clear saving gospel. But, there are enough who do, in every city, where a person can find out how to be saved. Even the steeple points toward heaven. To go to hell, you would need to ignore all the churches that preach the gospel; regardless of their denomination.

2. You will have to step over the prayers of those who have prayed for you.
Many will be in hell because they have trampled on the prayers of their mother or father. Some of you have a saved friend or relative who is and has been praying for you for years. If you go to hell, you must ignore the prayers offered on your behalf.

3. You will have to step over the Bible.
The Bible is found in practically every hotel and motel room. It can be seen and purchased in practically every store in America. Check Wall-Mart next time you are there. If you are unsaved, you have been stepping over the Bible on your way to hell.

4. You will have to step over those who have witnessed to you.
Perhaps someone at work or school has witnessed to you. You may have received a gospel tract from a friend or a stranger. This is one of God’s methods to keep you out of hell. But, many will ignore God’s message and step over it on their way into hell.

5. You will have to step over the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit shows your conscience that you are a sinner and that you deserve God’s wrath. If you have a conscience, the Spirit of God has told you that you need a savior. Many push Him away and deaden their conscience through alcohol, drugs, music, entertainment, and pleasure. He stands between you and hell. Don’t push Him away.

6. You will have to step over the cross.
Emblems of the cross are everywhere. They are God’s roadblock to getting you to think for a moment. Someone died on that cross for you and paid your sin debt. The Innocent died for you; the guilty. He was your substitute.

7. You will have to trample on the blood of Christ.
Not only did Jesus die on the cross for you; His blood was perfect and was required as payment for sin. “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22. To go to hell, you must reject the blood of Jesus Christ, shed for your sins.

Don’t ignore your eternal destiny by ignoring these seven roadblocks God has placed between you and hell. Accept Jesus Christ as your Savior today! If you will, let me know.

HOW TO GET ATTENTION IN CHURCH

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ATTENTION GETTING TRICKS

ATTENTIONBy Ken Blue

For anyone to claim that he or she has not enjoyed the attention of others would be less than telling the truth. But, if you are the sort who craves it, here are a few tips that usually work.

The first is, to loiter in the foyer or stand at the back of the church until after the music or the announcements have started. Then, simply walk in by yourself, and make sure you go all the way to the front two rows of the church. There is absolutely no way this method can fail. People from every location within the building will turn their eyes in your direction and notice you!

Now, just in case this method doesn’t satisfy your craving for attention, you can add heel-taps to your shoes. Each step will say, “Here I am! Look at me!” The only thing that could possibly surpass this tactic would be to come in on roller-skates.

Not every person who arrives late is seeking attention, but when the same people, or the pastor, walk down the aisle after others are seated, and the service has started, you can bet they are attention seekers.

Now you know the secret to getting noticed at church. If you are not among the attention seekers, would you please look our way as we strut in so our efforts will not be in vain?

THE SIGN MINISTRY

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THE SIGN MINISTRY
By Ken Blue

Pastor Al Hughes shared with me this week the sign ministry they have instituted in their church. The results have been rewarding, with new visitors each Sunday. Sign ministry is not new by any means, but its introduction as part of Bible Baptist Church, Port Orchard, WA. is new to their church. sign-waving-5sign-waving-18

Pastor Hughes tells me he would recommend the sign ministry to every church, and that his own people have eagerly participated in it. He assures me every church could have and should have a sign ministry, if they want the un-churched to attend.
If one wishes to institute a sign ministry to reach the lost, the following steps must be followed.

1. The pastor must understand its purpose and how it is to work
2. He must sell the idea to his congregation and get as many people involved as possible.
3. Professional signs must be first class and be ready for those who participate.
4. These signs must convey the message you are trying to communicate. Examples used by Bible Baptist: (“You’ve Got a Friend at Bible Baptist” – “Bible Baptist is a Church With a ”). Wording on signs should be brief and non-offensive.
5. Someone must take the leadership and must decide when, who and where the signs will be displayed.
6. Those who hold the signs are instructed that they need not say anything to anyone unless spoken to.
7. Pick a well traveled intersection near the church and station as many people at each corner as possible. The more people at one intersection the more attention you will attract to read your signs.

I have seen other churches that also have a sign ministry. But, you could not be sure what the purpose was or what church was represented, even if you wanted to attend. This is like fishing without a hook on the line.
If you want people to come to church as a result of the sign ministry, they must know where to attend and how to contact you. As far as the public is concerned, you may be a cult or a nut. Pastor Hughes has a sign ministry that can be measured as to its effectiveness. Why not learn from him. http://www.biblebaptistportorchard.com/

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AN AMAZING FISHING STORY
By Ken Blue

fishI saw a news report recently of two men who were fishing in the dark of night. I am not sure if their method was legal or not, or if they kept the fish. They were in a small aluminum boat shining a spotlight around in the water. At times they would tap the side of the boat, and the fish went wild.

You could see fish jumping out of the water by the hundreds; In fact, many of them landed in the boat. As I said before, I have no knowledge if the method was legal; or if they kept any of the fish.

The interesting observation was the nontraditional method used to get the fish into the boat. They did no use a net, a gaff, or a hook. Yet they had more fish in the boat than you could count.

Now, if the method was legal, would you have kept the fish? Or, are you so set in your ways, you would have thrown them back into the water and refuse to keep those not reeled in on your line or taken in a net?

That is the line some preachers are trying to sell to churches. That is, if you did not go to the door of the lost and win them to Christ in the home, or on the street corner, you are in violation of Scripture. This idea that the church building is for the saved only and that sinners should not be in the building is insane. The more sinners you can get in the church building, the more likely you are to have more conversions each Sunday.

Don’t be foolish; there are many ways to catch fish, and if they will jump into your boat, all the better. The above method is novel, but it worked. The two reasons pastors cannot learn new methods of fishing, is they are bound by tradition and they fear the brethren.

See the story on Google Video

https://kenblueministries.com/2009/08/681/