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Today’s Bible Study question, “What is an evangelist?” comes from Jeff, who asks:
“Over the past year or two, I’ve thought a lot about the role of the evangelist and what exactly Paul means to ‘do the work of the evangelist’ (2 Tim 4:5). It’s interesting that the word form εὐαγγελιστής is only used 3x in the NT, yet we build a lot of our congregational ministry in the churches of Christ around that role/office. I’m curious to know if you have an episode on the role of the evangelist specifically, or if you’d be interested in publishing one? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I think that if one reclaims a biblical view of ‘gospel,’ as you unpacked in your podcast, then the concept/definition of the role of ‘evangelist’ would necessarily be impacted as well. What is the role of the evangelist? How does preaching the gospel impact that role? If the gospel is more holistic than evangelizing the lost, how does that impact the role of the evangelist? What is the dynamic/authority between the evangelist and the shepherd? Does one have authority over the other? Do they share authority? Does an evangelist travel or is he located? Etc. Appreciate you and your podcast. Thanks.”
– Jeff
Though it is hard to tell in English, in Greek, the words “gospel” (εὐαγγέλιον) and “evangelist” (εὐαγγελιστής) are related words. So, we must first define, “gospel.” Wes defines the gospel as, “The Good News that Jesus, the long-awaited Priestly King of Israel, has made atonement for sins and has been victorious over death; he will eventually destroy sin and death and will bring all things under God’s rule.” If this is the Good News, what should the role of an evangelist look like?
We hope you enjoy this discussion.
Bible Passages Discussed:
- 1 Corinthians 15
- Acts 21:8
- 2 Timothy 4:1-5
- Galatians 2:11-14
- Ephesians 4:11-16
Links and Resources:
- Video: What This Episode on YouTube
- Article: What is Gospel – God is All in All
- Article: “The Work of an Evangelist” by Mark Roberts
- Podcast: What Does “Gospel” Mean in the Bible?
- Book: King Jesus Gospel by Scot McKnight (Amazon affliate link)
