Where Have They Been?
Frequently, we see reports from some of the preaching brethren that they are giving up the local work that they have been doing and are entering the "evangelistic field." Now, these brethren have been preaching a number of years. If they haven't been in the "evangelistic field," will someone pray tell us where they have been?
It has been my impression from a study of the New Testament, that an evangelist is an evangelist, not because of where, or how much he travels, but because of the work he does. Timothy was commanded to "do the work of an evangelist." (2 Tim. 4:5) We read of "Philip the evangelist." (Acts 21:8) All the traveling that we know of him doing was from Jerusalem to Samaria, then the trip on the Jerusalem-Gaza road, when he baptized the Eunuch. (Acts 8) He then went to Caesarea, (Acts 8:40) and several years later, Paul and his company came to Caesarea, and it was there that they found "Philip the evangelist."
Now, just how many times a week, and in how many different places does a man have to preach to be an evangelist? If a man decided to "evangelize" from house to house during the week and preach twice at the church building on Sunday, is he an evangelist, or a pastor? Is he in the "evangelistic field" or in the "pastoral field?" If he has paid enough down payment to get a home deeded to his name in a place, does that make him a pastor? Or is he an evangelist still?
The word "evangelist" is found only three times in our English Bible, and it means "One who announces good tidings." (Young's Analytical Concordance) But the word which is, in three places translated "evangelist" is used 54 times in the original. In Acts 5:42 "And daily in the temple, and from house to house, they ceased not to teach and preach (evangelize) Jesus Christ." Again, we read of those members of the church in Jerusalem: "They therefore that were scattered abroad, went everywhere preaching (evangelizing) the word." (Acts 8:4)
If, to be an evangelist, one has to travel, just how long shall a man preach in a place and still be an evangelist before he has to travel? Just how far and how often does he have to travel to be an evangelist? How often does he have to preach to be an evangelist? A man is an evangelist because of the work that he does, and not because of the travel connected with the work.
And brethren, if some one is leaving the local work to enter the "evangelistic field," would someone tell us where they have been all these years, and what prompted them to quit "local work" and enter the "evangelistic field?"