The Evangelist

Greeting in the Name of the Lord! The scriptures I will share, and the accompanying word, deals specifically with something that the Lord is doing at our church this Sunday morning and evening (November 26).

Acts 8:5-13
"Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city.

But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the great power of God.'' And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done."

Acts 21:8
"On the next day we who were Paul's companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him."

Ephesians 4:8-13
"Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.'' (Now this, "He ascended'' what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;"

This Sunday, beginning at 10 a.m. and at 6 p.m., we will be having an evangelist by the name of Bill Moore come and minister. I have known Evangelist Moore for over 20 years and have seen God do some powerful things through his ministry. I know that you will be blessed as you come expecting to receive from the ministry.

It would be good for us to understand the various ministries that the Lord has set in the Church; especially the ministry of the evangelist. Some people believe that an evangelist is anyone who preaches and travels. If they're not a pastor then they must be an evangelist. Not at all! As seen in Philip's ministry, there were several things that God did through Philip as an evangelist. Signs and wonders, people receiving Christ as Savior and Lord... even the demon possessed were set free by the power of the Spirit of God working in and through the servant of God. Besides their ministry to people who have not yet received Christ Jesus as the Lord of their life, Ephesians says that the evangelist (along with the apostle, prophet, pastor and teacher) was given to the Church so the saints could be equipped and prepared to minister. As the Church is built up and established in the faith they will (we will) grow unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Hallelujah!

Note the verse in Ephesians where it says of Christ "that He might fill all things...". As the Lord is allowed to express His love and compassion to the world through His servants; as He is allowed to show His "manifold wisdom"; He will "fill all things". See the ministry of Jesus through the Gospels. See Him minister as the Apostle and High Priest (Hebrews 3:1) - the Sent One of God. He is the Prophet Moses spoke of (Deut. 18) and the Evangelist who came declaring the Good News (Luke 4:18). He is the Good Shepherd, (John 10 and Isaiah 40:11) and, of course, He's the Teacher. When He ascended on High (Acts 1) He sent the Spirit of God to anoint and equip His servants with the different distributions and ministrations. As the servants yield to the Spirit of God, and as the people receive the ministry of the Lord through His servants, the work of God will be done. "And the Glory of the Lord will fill the earth..." Understand that I am not promoting a man's ministry...I am saying that the Lord has a special anointing and gift in the ministry of the evangelist and it would be to our benefit to be in position to receive from the Lord.

I have set my heart to receive all that the Lord wants to do in this area. Great things have been declared for central Iowa. God is doing some powerful things. He has been preparing every person who has an ear to hear the voice of the Spirit of God. I believe that at this time He has chosen to send an evangelist into our midst that He may speak a "word in season" and encourage us to continue in the faith.

Please pray and declare with me that the work of God will be effective, without any hindrance whatsoever. Declare that God will be exalted, His Son honored and worshipped above all and that no flesh will glory in His presence. Declare that the works of darkness will be exposed, confronted, overcome, and people set free by the Power of the Living God! This weekend isn't about watching the ministry of a man...it is about receiving the ministry of Jesus through someone yielded and obedient to the Lord. Amen.

By the way, if you are able to come this weekend, since this is the last Sunday of the month, we always have a time of food and fellowship following the morning service. People bring different types of food and we put it all together for a church fellowship meal. You're more than welcome to come and join us.

Above all, please remember that the Lord has is mind each of us growing in Him and coming to Full Stature IN HIM. In order to do that, we must be in position to hear what He has to say to us and then have the purpose of heart to DO what He says. Amen and So Be It!

Pastor Jan