And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. Acts 21:8
MacMillan Dictionary defines evangelist as ‘someone who is very enthusiastic about something and likes to tell other people how good it is’. The same dictionary offers a second definition: ‘someone who travels around trying to persuade people to become Christians’. Neither definition sounds very positive, the way that that dictionary puts it. But that is typical of the world, which has little time for the Gospel. But the Bible does not downplay this important word, although it is used only twice. In our text, this word identifies a particular man; in 2 Timothy 4:5, this word identifies a work that Paul exhorts Timothy to perform. Whether you or I preach the Gospel from a platform, this word evangelist has a meaning for us today.
Philip was one of the deacons who were appointed to help look after the needs of the Gentile widows among the early Christians in Acts 6. He was very active as a Gospel preacher, and saw many souls saved, although we know him best from his encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. He is the only man in our Bible who is identified specifically as an evangelist, although he was certainly not the only evangelist. To be so identified means that Philip and the preaching of the Gospel were practically synonymous. If you saw Philip, you heard the Gospel being preached. To spread the Gospel, and to see souls saved, was the most important thing in his life. He knew the importance of reaching out to lost sinners, and committed himself to doing so. He was also willing to be known as an evangelist, to be identified with the Gospel. He is a good example for us.
We have seen the worker, now let us consider his work. In 2 Timothy, Paul speaks of the work of an evangelist, knowing that Timothy knew what that work was. Paul was a great evangelist himself, an example to all of those he worked with during his ministry. Philip was an evangelist before Paul was. As we study Philip’s activities, we find he was always willing to go wherever God sent him with the Gospel, whether it was to the deserts of Gaza or to the cities of Samaria. He was also willing to follow instructions, as he did when the Holy Spirit guided him to approach the eunuch’s chariot. Availability for the work and obedience to directions are critical requirements for any who do the work of an evangelist. Philip always allowed the Holy Spirit to set his agenda. So should we. Although we might not all preach, we can all do the work of an evangelist. We can all pray for Gospel work and the Gospel workers. We can all invite people to meetings, give out tracts, Bibles, and calendars. We can all be a testimony that will make the Gospel something that sinners around us will want to hear. We can all attend meetings, and help out in whatever way we can.
If it were not for evangelists and evangelism, we would not be here. How many others will be saved by our recognition of the importance of these men and this work? – Jim MacIntosh