Evangelism

A Firm Foundation for Effective Evangelistic Meetings

G. Campbell Morgan

• Publisher: Aneko Press
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781622455478
• eBook ISBN: 9781622455485
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

Outside of personally living for and loving the Lord, there is arguably no greater work Christians can undertake than preaching the good news of Jesus Christ to the lost. It may be that you do not yet have that burden on your heart, or perhaps eternity itself is not yet a reality to you. Or, perhaps you have that burden, but feel like there are no open doors for ministry available to you. Your church may be cold and currently making no great impact in your community.No matter your current circumstance, only believe that the same One who commissions His people for His work also has sufficient resources to enable the work to move forward. Only believe that as you dig into the Scriptures, perhaps with the help of this book, which serves as a biblical guide, that the One who cares most for this work can also put that same burden and love into the hearts of you and your church. While this book was originally written more than one hundred years ago, it appears that it was written for such a time as this. The author first challenges the reader regarding the need. Then he addresses the church and how to engage your available help. Specifics from inviting your community to your evangelistic events, to how to conduct successful evangelism meetings, are all covered in this invaluable volume. Learn what evangelism is, what it should look like, and how to obtain the power to perform it, using this updated edition of a timeless classic to spur you forward.

Chapter 3

The Evangelist

The doctrine of New Testament ministry lies wholly within the doctrine of the church. The ministry serves the church under the lordship of Christ. That is not to say that ministers are servants of the church in the sense of obeying the church. They do serve the church, but they obey the Lord Christ. From that statement we can deduce and remember two initial truths: one, the ministry has no right to lord it over God’s heritage, and two, God’s heritage has no right to lord it over the ministry.

I have used Peter’s phrase on purpose. Writing to the elders and the bishops he said, not as having lordship over the heritage of the Lord.

Feed the flock of God which is among you, caring for her, not by force, but willingly; not for shameful lucre, but with willing desire; and not as having lordship over the heritage of the Lord, but in such a manner as to be examples of the flock. (1 Peter 5:2-3)

The word heritage there is klēros, the word from which we derive our word clergy.16 According to Peter, the whole church was the clergy, and bishops were men who were to serve the clergy, and not lord it over them. Every believer is in the priesthood, and the whole church is the clergy, and yet within the whole church there is a distinct ministry.

Our present subject is concerned principally with that section of the Christian ministry indicated by the word evangelist. But in order to properly understand the function of the evangelist, we must take time to establish that particular aspect of the ministry in relation to the whole. Too often there is a measure of friction between the evangelist and those who are exercising other gifts of the ministry, and this friction acts in two ways. Pastors and teachers sometimes entertain a feeling that almost amounts to contempt for evangelists. On the other hand, the evangelist very often manifests a contempt for pastors and teachers.

Now this is all utterly false; it is contrary to the spirit of the New Testament, contrary to the spirit of love, contrary to the spirit of wisdom, and contrary to the Spirit of God. If we may only see the interrelationship of these gifts – that a person is in the ministry not by his or her own choice, but by the choice of the Holy Spirit, and that the work of each is not contradictory to the work of the rest but complementary instead – then we will be a lot closer to understanding the true place of evangelists and making their proper place for them in the work of the church of Jesus Christ.

The Roles of Ministry

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints in the work of the ministry, unto the edifying of the body of the Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-12)

We have often interpreted some translations of this passage as if these gifts were bestowed so those receiving them might perfect the saints and do the work of the ministry. As a matter of fact, what the apostle meant was that these gifts are bestowed on people in the church so they can perfect the church by their ministry and so the church can do the work of the ministry.

The fullest facet of ministry includes the whole church, and the people in it who have received special gifts, have received those in order that they may perfect the church for its work of ministry. The translation of the American Standard Version makes this more clear. And he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ.

He gave some to be apostles. The specific work of the apostles is the perfecting of the doctrine, the fundamental basis of teaching. He gave some, prophets. The work of the prophet is the perfecting of the forthtelling, the declaration of the truth. He gave some, evangelists. The work of the evangelist is the perfecting of the whole body of the church by calling men and women into relationship with Christ. He gave some, pastors and teachers. Their work lies wholly within the church and is that of perfecting the character of the members of the church in order for the whole church to be perfectly equipped for its ministry. These are the true orders of the Christian ministry. These are the fundamental and spiritual orders, and we must recognize them if there is to be any fulfillment of the whole function of our ministry.

The Role of Minister

Now let’s examine how a person in the church becomes a minister within the church. Let’s turn to 1 Corinthians 12. Here we have a chapter on the subject of church order that always ought to be read side by side with the fourth chapter of Ephesians. Notice the similarities:

Now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular. And God did set certain ones in the congregation: first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that faculties, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? do all have faculties?

Do all have gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? (1 Corinthians 12:27-30)

However, in this chapter you will find that the apostle, when beginning a section about spiritual things (verse 1), doesn’t talk about the specific work first. Instead, he deals first with the lordship of Jesus and then with the ministry of the Spirit of God and with the gifts bestowed by the Spirit as a subsection of the ministry of the Spirit. He deals with gifts far larger than those of the ministry to which he refers in Ephesians. In the course of his argument he makes a statement of vital importance, that the Spirit operates all these things, dispersing to each one his own gift as he wills (1 Corinthians 12:11).

In Ephesians, the same principle is declared – that he made some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers. The whole emphasis of the truth is that the capacity for ministry in any form is a gift, and it is a gift bestowed by the Head of the church through the Holy Spirit, according to his own pleasure.

Therefore, no person can choose to be a minister of Jesus Christ, which is different from the way any person might choose the profession of medicine or of law. No person ever really enters the Christian ministry in the deep spiritual sense of the term except that he or she receives a gift from the Christ, the Head of the church, by the Holy Spirit, who perfectly equips them for the work they have to do.

We hear a great deal in these days about the lack of people entering our theological seminaries. I have been asked if I would urge young people to give themselves to the ministry, urge them to adopt the ministry as a calling in life that is high and holy and beautiful. And my reply always is, “I dare not urge any man.”

No one can enter the ministry of their own will and choice. The only way in which someone can possibly enter the ministry is when the Holy Spirit of God bestows upon them a gift from the Head of the church – Christ. By that gift he is made a minister of Jesus Christ. Nothing short of that makes a minister, and so nothing can prevent them from being a minister except their own disobedience to the heavenly calling.

I would very solemnly urge young people to consider well whether they have not had the gift and the calling and are refusing it. Somewhere and sometime, have you had a burning passion to preach the Word come upon your soul – a great constraint and a sure conviction that you can preach it? And have you allowed some secular calling or some material advantage to persuade you that you can still be a good Christian and make money? It is to the peril of your soul that you stay there. If the gift is once given, then how terrible it is for that person if he or she doesn’t preach the gospel.

For though I preach the gospel, I have no reason to glory, for it is an obligation laid upon me; for woe is me, if I do not preach the gospel! (1 Corinthians 9:16)

Spiritual Gifts for Ministry

Notice next that the gifts in 1 Corinthians and Ephesians refer to special spiritual qualifications for the work of special spiritual service. What is a gift that is given to a person? What is the gift of the apostle, the gift of the prophet, the gift of the evangelist, the gift of the pastor and teacher? I do not mean what is the specific value or the distinction between these, but what is the underlying quality in each? What is a gift?

The gifts are certainly not the kind that may be designated as natural endowments. They are spiritual quantities and qualities given for the doing of spiritual work. A person receives the gift of an apostle. Then in him or her there is a spiritual force, a spiritual vision, a spiritual fitness that other brothers and sisters do not have – the spiritual qualities that equip the gifted ones for doing a distinctly spiritual work, the work of an apostle. It is the same with all of the gifts. The gift is a spiritual qualification.

But while it is true that the gift is given and is not merely a natural ability, it is also perfectly certain that the Spirit of God never besto...

Table of contents

• Contents
• Editor’s Foreword
• The Evangel
• The Evangelistic Church
• The Evangelist
• Evangelistic Church Services
• The Present Opportunity
• G. Campbell Morgan – A Brief Biography
• Similar Updated Classics