A Qualified Evangelist
By Ellis J. Crum
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From I Timothy 1:19 we learn that an evangelist must be conscientious. He must consider his work seriously, not as a profession. He is to give of his time and talent as a labor of love, not for love of hire. It will be unnecessary for him to keep an exact record of his time, as the fruit of his labor will attest to his work schedule.
The N. T. evangelist will be courageous: he will "war a good warfare" (1 Tim. 1:18). He must rebuke sin wherever he finds it; he must not wink at wickedness (1 Tim. 5:20). Fearlessly he must condemn sin even if it results in persecution, loss of popularity, or financial loss. He will "fight the good fight of faith" regardless of what others may think or say.
Preachers of the gospel should be men of prayer. They should pray regularly; they should believe in prayer, or they cannot consistently give the needed instruction on this subject. It would seem appropriate to engage in prayer before leaving meetings or discussions where there has been disagreement. He should take the lead in calling the saints to prayer, and should never he reluctant to pray any time, any place, any where (1 Tim. 2: 8; Lk. 18:1).
A proclaimer of the gospel must be faithful--faithful to God, His Word, his fellowmen, and himself. If he is a good minister of Jesus Christ he will be "nourished up in the words of faith" (1 Tim. 4:6). Closely related to faithfulness is godliness. He will be more concerned about spiritual exercise than knocking a little ball from hill to hill. (See 1 Tim. 4:7, 8).
An evangelist may be despised by some, but he must not be despicable. He must so conduct himself that no man will despise his youth (1 Tim. 4:12). "These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee" (Titus 2:12).
The best teachers are those who teach by example. He is to be a pattern or example to the believers (1 Tim. 4:12). "In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works" (1 Titus 2:7,8). It is a difficult thing for people to rise above their leaders.
Another qualification for an evangelist is studiousness. God does not put the words in our mouth today without previous study and forethought. Timothy was to "meditate upon these things" (1 Tim. 4:15). In 2 Timothy 2:15 he is told, "Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing--rightly handling and skillfully teaching- Word of Truth" (Amplified N. T.). He possesses the quality of diligence; he is instant in season, out of season" (2 Tim. 4:2).
Carefulness is a characteristic that must be found in all desirous of doing evangelistic work. He must "take heed unto (himself), and unto the doctrine." Some evangelists are careful about the wrong things; they are careful to preserve their popularity. They are careful to go only where a substantial salary and living quarters await them.
James gives Christians in general admonitions against partiality; Paul charges Timothy: "observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality" (1 Tim. 5:21). Purity is a prerequisite for evangelists and all saints. "Keep thyself pure" is an ad-
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An evangelist must not he ashamed of his own conduct nor of His Lord. "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord" nor of His people (2 Tim. 1: 8). He must be willing to endure afflictions and be longsuffering. If he follows Paul's admonitions he will be industrious and energetic in the work of Christ. He will he a righteous individual; he will always seek to do what is right in the sight of God and man. He will "follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace" (2 Tim. 2:22). His faith will not waver. Love will be manifested toward God, the inspired Word, and his fellowman. He will love peace, but not above purity. He will preach peace, not division. He will seek to unite the people of God. Evangelists should be known as peacemakers, not troublemakers!
"The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient" (2 Tim. 2:24). He will be a gentleman in every sense of the term. His life and manner will be characterized by gentleness and kindness. He should possess the quality of being firm without being harsh. Not all of an evangelist's work is preaching; he should also be a teacher--a teacher of babes and also of mature saints. Nothing is stated in his qualifications about being able to preach--this is implied within the term preacher or evangelist. His speech and his preaching should not be "with enticing words of man's wisdom" (1 Cor. 2: 4). Gospel preachers need to be patient. No one can try your patience like the people of God! They caused Moses trouble and they still cause God's leaders trouble. An evangelist needs to know when patience and longsuffering are needed, and when it is time for prompt action (Jude vs. 22, 23). All of his instruction must be in meekness according to 2 Timothy 2: 25.
Evangelists need to possess the characteristic of continuance. Many times they will consider quitting--the easy way out. They must not grow weary of teaching the same things over and over, but follow the example of Peter and Paul. "I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works" (Titus 3:8).
As the qualifications of an evangelist are considered, it will be noted that it is a longer list than for either elder or deacon. Nothing is stated about domestic qualifications. In some ways being unmarried enables him to travel about more freely, but a good wife can also be an asset. No hint of age requirements are given, in fact we know Timothy was a young man. If a young man travels with an older evangelist, as did Timothy, he will experience in a short time enough troubles and problems which will help him cope with almost any difficulty that might arise in the average congregation.
We can see that according to God's Word it takes a lot more than just "the gift of gab" in order to be an evangelist Evangelists should possess all of the qualifications to the extent that they can be said to have them in some degree. Men who can meet these requirements should be encouraged by elders, evangelists, and individual Christians to enter full-time service for the Master. The encouragement should include more than just talk: it should include training, supervision, and financial support.