Various doctrines of the modern day Christianity has caused so many people to skip or forgo their calling into the ministry of preaching the word of God also known as evangelism.
So many Christians have been brain-washed to believe the fact that you must attend a certain Bible college or school and obtain a certain degree that will then enable you to become a successful evangelist.
That is why I am writing this sermon to help you understand the qualification of an evangelist, and after helping you to understand that I will also go on to answer several related questions such as:
- Can everyone be an evangelist?
- Can a woman be an evangelist?
And I will try to conclude this sermon by helping you to know the first female evangelist in the Bible.
So without any further ado, let us get into this article right away..
The qualification of an evangelist.
The only qualification one requires to become an evangelist is to be called by the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father as the apostle Paul reveals about himself in Galatians 1:1: Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead).
Further down in verses 11 of he above Bible passage, Paul reveals: But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.
This therefore means that, when you are called by the Lord Jesus Christ to become an evangelist, he will teach you the gospel you are going to preach and convert souls. And the reason the Lord Jesus must teach you is because of the false teachers who are out there to deceive people through the gospel as the Bible reveals in 1 John 2:26-27:
These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
The anointing the Bible is telling us about in the above Bible verse is the Holy Spirit who works in evangelism and as the scripture continues to reveal in 2 Corinthians 3:17: “the Lord himself is the Spirit“.
It is however sad that modern Christianity has replaced the calling of the Lord Jesus with Biblical studies and ordination as the qualification of an evangelist. And this has caused so many evangelists who do not have such an opportunity the inability to become what God wanted them to become.
The worst part is that most of these evangelists have not yet repented and converted and this ideology is not allowing the aforementioned kinds to convert them.
Can everyone be an evangelist?
Everyone cannot become an evangelist because evangelism is a spiritual gift that is given to some chosen ones to enable them to prepare God’s people for the work of Christian service which is aimed to edify the body of Christ as the Bible reveals in Ephesians 4:11-12.
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.
Can a woman be an evangelist?
According to the Bible in 1 Timothy 2:11-14, a woman cannot be an evangelist because the Bible forbids them to teach or have authority over men, rather they are required to learn in silence and humility. The reason the Bible forbids them to teach is because it was through the woman that the entire human race was deceived into sinning against God.
Let us outline that Bible portion here for easy reference:
Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.
The first female evangelist in the Bible.
The Bible does not make mention any female evangelist, either in the Old or New Testament, and for that reason, there is no first female evangelist in the Bible.
Thus, it is worth noting that so many people refer to Mary Magdalene as the first female evangelist in the Bible, but I disagree with that because the Bible does not give any instance where she preached the word of God to earn or deserve that position.
But this should not discourage women from seeking to become evangelist because in 1 Corinthians 9:5, the Bible makes mention of Jesus brothers and the disciple Peter being accompanied by their wives wherever they are going to preach.
Also in the book of 2 Timothy 4:19, Paul sends greetings to a certain Priscilla who was always in the company of his husband, Aquila while he was doing his missionary and evangelical work.
