Ephesians 4:11-16 And He Gave Evangelists… (2)

“And He Gave Evangelists…” (2)

Introduction: What would you say are the top four greatest needs in God’s kingdom today? I’m sure we could all come up with good answers to that question. I will give you my top four:

1. The first is obvious: Christians who are passionate about knowing God, loving God, and loving lost souls. 
2. Moms and Dads who raise their children to pursue the one true God and bring all other pursuits in service to him.
3. Elders who equip and shepherd the flock, not “exercise authority of them” (Matthew 20:25, 1 Peter 5:1-4).
4. Evangelists who actually “do the work of an evangelist” as outlined by Paul in 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus.

Paul told us that these last two needs, along with the apostles and prophets, were gifts Christ gave to the church for the equipping of the saints, to bring them to maturity in order to cause the growth of the body (Ephesians 4:11-16).

These lessons are about gaining a better understanding of  the need for evangelists in God’s kingdom and what we can do to encourage a desire to do this work. 

1. Recap from the First Lesson
   1. When we study Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus, we cannot miss the challenge and the extensive nature of the work.
   2. Just as God set aside the tribe of Levi to spend their lives teaching Israel, so he gave “evangelists, shepherds and teachers” to the church to equip and grow the body.
   3. The failure of the Levites to fulfill their purpose led to the failure of the whole nation to live up to God’s purpose.
   4. Today, God did not appoint a whole tribe, he appointed individuals who give their lives to bring the gospel message both to equip Christians and to spearhead reaching lost souls. But the shortage of evangelists is becoming more and more apparent. 

2. Paul’s Overview of the Work: 1 Timothy 4:6-16 
   1. Vs. 6: “…trained in the words of faith…” 
   2. 7-8: “…train yourself for godliness” 
   3. 11: “Command and teach these things.” 
   4. 12: “Set the believers an example…” 
   5. 13: “Devote yourself to the public reading of the Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” 
   6. 14: “Do not neglect the gift…”
   7. 15: “Practice these things, immerse yourself in in them…” 
   8. 16: “Keep close watch…Persist in this…”
   9. Conclusion: These are not things that can be done by men who hold a secular job. 

3. Why Not Be Content with the Men Preaching?
   1. “Preaching” is not “doing the work of an evangelist” 
   2. It was not God’s design (Ephesian 4:11-12)
   3. Who will go out at night to teach the lost?
   4. Who will teach the lost in the daytime?
   5. Who will train and equip the church to do their part in evangelism efforts?
   6. Who will train more men to be evangelists?
   7. The Result: whole churches are being trained to neglect the lost and be content with the “99” (Matt. 18) 
4. What Keeps Men from Preaching?
   1. First, the increasing wealthiness of our culture, which is enticing to young, college age men. The possibilities of living a comfortable and prosperous life are all around them.
      1. In conjunction with the above, relying on a church for wages feels uncomfortable and unstable to a man who plans to be married and raise a family. This is especially true when these same young men have repeatedly witnessed churches discharge a preacher every few years. (Of course that is not exclusive to preaching!)
      2. Relying on churches for support to work at a church that is not self-supporting. I have had preachers tell me they could never do what I have done and be in a church where they needed outside support. “How can I be confident that the support won’t be dropped on a moment’s notice?” 
   2. Second, preaching is often not a draw to younger men when they consider the whole church can become their “boss and critic.” Further, they have often seen preachers mistreated. Talk to any older preacher—their greatest trial will have come from their own brethren. Therefore, there are many who have decided to work a secular career job while utilizing opportunities to “preach a sermon” as the need arises. That certainly shouldn’t be considered wrong, but it does contribute to the lack of evangelists.
   3. Third, preaching is not a “job,” it is a passion. Paul said it well in 1 Corinthians 9:16-17, “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship.” 
      1. I trained one man who had wanted to preach from the time he was 14 years old. He went to FC and majored in Bible (not a good idea), and then asked to train with me. I had known him from childhood, and therefore accepted him. After six months I said to him, “I think you would be happier doing something else. What do you think?” He agreed, and went back to school for a secular job. The problem wasn’t that he couldn’t preach a sermon. It was that it wasn’t his passion. Frankly, he hadn’t even learned what it meant to love God with all his heart. Too many young men see preaching as a job.
      2. Another young man possibly could have become a good evangelist, but he submitted to his wife’s insistence that his working hours be only 9 to 5. 
      3. Which brings up another hindrance: wives must be passionate about their husband’s work. 
   4. Fourth, embedded in preaching are hardships and choices we would rather not make:
      1. There is a very interesting “American culture” problem that has seriously affected preachers and potential preachers. When a preacher is looking for a church, it is natural to do “background checks” on the church and how they have treated former preachers. We certainly do not want to go to a place where the elders or members are abusive. On the other hand, if you were a preacher, would you want to go to a church like Corinth? No, no! Paul sent Titus to “churches” on the island of Crete who were, “…always liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons.” Paul basically said, “Titus, I want you to go a fix that!” Oh my.
         Consider “the Law of the Lid” 
      2. How many churches today are in the category of needing good elders and a good evangelist to “put in order the things that are wanting?” There is certainly a great need, but who wants to do that!!!
      3. The first place I preached, there was one faithful member, a lady named Bernice. I was told by elders that I would be foolish to go there. “It’s a retirement community and no one is interested in the gospel. And besides, over the past seven years, 50 men have gone out there and preached sermons, to no avail.” But in the first three years we baptized 60 people, and one of the same elders then said to me, “Well, it must just be fertile ground.” For seven years, Bernice could not get a preacher to go and live there and do the hard thing (not just go preach and sermon and go home).
   5. Fifth, parents rarely prepare their sons to consider preaching or talk to them about the importance of the work in God’s kingdom. I’m not suggesting that parents badger their sons to preach; that is not appropriate. Instead, I would recommend two approaches:
      1. Instill in your boys and girls our identity as disciples of Christ. Instill God’s love for all people and his desire for them to be saved. And help them feel the weight of our responsibilities as Jesus’ disciples — Jesus appointed us, only us, to bring the saving gospel to the world. If we don’t do it, no one else will! (Parable of Lost Things & our identity as the Offspring of Abraham)
      2. Prepare them, and not just your sons, but also your daughters. 
         1. How to answer commonly asked questions using the scripture (Why does worship matter? Salvation, etc. Teach them to open their mouths and explain biblical texts! That is done far better by parents than it is in our Sunday/Wednesday classes.
         2. Teach them to give a speech, not a biblical speech, just a speech. [story of Dad and the speech of Spartacus to the Gladiators] 
   6. Sixth, a lack of training and mentoring. 
      1. In other words, how many churches and preachers are intent on obeying 2 Timothy 2:2 or followed the pattern of training that we see Paul doing? 
      2. Erik, Brent, Andy, and I have all turned down young men who desired to preach because they didn’t understand the extent of the work. “I didn’t know I’d have to work this hard.” “I don’t like you telling me what I’m doing wrong in my preaching. I just want encouragement.” 
      3. In many cases, there are those who can preach a sermon, but the work described in Ephesians 4:11-16 and the “pastoral epistles” is not being done, and therefore understandably intimidating. Why shouldn’t it be? It is often not seen/practiced among evangelists, shepherds and teachers.
      4. I personally cannot count the number of young preachers who have come out of one–two year programs, moved to a church, but haven’t the slightest idea what to do other than “preach.” What about reaching the lost? What about engaging the church in the effort? What about moving the church to maturity? What about equipping the saints? 
      5. The need for patience on the part of the elders and the members, and humility to learn on the part of the preacher.

Berry Kercheville

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