An evangelist is a “preacher of the gospel.” The main message and focus of the evangelist, therefore, is the gospel. In “Part 1: The Gospel to Sinners”, we noticed the gospel as it applies to the unsaved. The remaining articles in “The Message of the Evangelist” will examine the gospel as it applies to the saved.

Ephesians 4:12 gives some reasons why the pastor and the evangelist were given by Christ to His church. They are “for the perfecting of the saints…for the edifying of the body of Christ.” Since “the saints” and “the body of Christ” are different words referring to believers in Christ, part of the evangelist’s ministry is to the saved. Some have assumed, though, that an evangelist is only for the express purpose of reaching the lost and preaching to the lost. This conclusion is drawn from their interpretation of the gospel. Some believe that the gospel of Jesus is only “good news” for the unsaved. And since an evangelist is a “preacher of the gospel” they then conclude that an evangelist’s message of the gospel is only for the lost. However, the gospel is not just for unbelievers. Remember that Jesus said in John 10:10, “I am come that they might have life (the gospel to sinners), and that they might have it more abundantly (the gospel to saints).” We already know from Ephesians 4:12 that the evangelist, who is a “preacher of the gospel”, is for “the saints” and “the body of Christ”. So, there is an obvious connection between an evangelist, whose specific message is the gospel, and the saints who have been saved by the gospel. Evidently, the evangelist’s message of the gospel is still useful for the saints even after salvation. There is life more abundant for every believer to be had through the gospel of Jesus. We will see this connection of the gospel to the saved by noticing certain phrases with the term “gospel” used in the New Testament in future articles.

(This article is from “Chapter Four – Message of the Evangelist” series of “Section One – Understanding the Gift of the Evangelist” from “The Gift of the Evangelist” series.)