3 Things Which Kill Evangelists.

“Not again!” was all I could say when I heard the news of another evangelist jumping into sin. It has become all too common to hear accounts of men who appeared to be faithful, bringing shame upon the gospel by their sinful choices and actions. In my time in the ministry I have worked alongside men who through their own desires were enticed into sin (James 1:14-15). As a result, I have seen evangelists destroy their reputation, their ministry, their families and worst of all, they have caused people to blaspheme Christ (Romans 2:24).

As I reflect on the many ‘falls’, I cannot help but notice there seems to be three main areas which kill evangelists. I think it would be prudent for all those involved in the ministry to be alert to these areas, as the same temptations which assailed those who gave into sin, can very easily be the sin which kills us.

In 1 Corinthians 10:12, the Apostle Paul warns us, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” We all need to “take heed,” all of us need to be alert to the deceptive nature of sin; don’t ever get it into your mind that you are above being tempted. I know that several of those evangelists which embraced sin later said their fall began when they stopped realising the dangerous nature of sin. Their guard went down, and soon they fell.

The three most common areas that I have observed which brings about the fall of evangelists are:

 1) Gold

 The Scripture warns in 1 Timothy 6:9-10,

 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Evangelists often are supported by God’s people who give sacrificially to the ministry; as such we need to ensure that we are transparent and above board when it comes to financial accountability.  Now let me stress, there is nothing wrong with being rich; but when the desire for riches becomes our focus, that is when we are on dangerous ground. The evangelist must learn contentment and to trust in the Lord for his provision.

It is worth remembering that it is a sign of a false teacher who desires to make himself rich off God’s people (2 Peter 2:3). 

2) Glory

One of the downsides of gospel ministry is that at times your name can become quite well known in certain areas and circles. Due to this there can be many well-meaning Christians who want to pat you on the back and say how much they were blessed by your work.

When I first started in the ministry I struggled when people would come up to me after a sermon to tell me how much they loved my preaching. As I listened to their words, I found my ego building; it was then that a godly mentor pulled me aside. This mature pastor said, “Josh, when someone praises you, it is polite to say thank-you to that person, but in your heart make sure you say thank-you to God for the gifting and the abilities He has given you.” I found this advice to be tremendously helpful because reminded me that any ability I have is only as a result of God’s grace.

When an evangelist begins to take the glory for himself, he is robbing God of what is rightfully His. Isaiah 42:8 says, “I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another …”

The Lord will not tolerate a man taking the praise that rightfully belongs to Him. When an evangelist begins to love the limelight, you can normally tell that a fall is coming. Oftentimes this fall is an act of corrective discipline from the Lord (Hebrews 12:6).  

3) Girls

It has been said that whenever you hear of a preacher falling into sin, you should ask, “what is her name?” The reasoning behind this questioning is that so often evangelists who fall have done so because they have failed to control their sexual desires.

Roger Carswell in his book, And Some Evangelists, makes an important observation when he says,

Because of the personality and nature of the work of the evangelist, he is likely to have a strong sex drive. Passion manifests itself in many ways – spiritual and sensual. The evangelist should know what to run from and what to guard against when it comes to sexual matters.

Evangelists would do well to meditate upon the many warnings of sexual sin found in the Book of Proverbs. Also, it is helpful to keep in mind that the Lord Jesus declares that lust is the same as adultery (Matthew 5:27-28), this means while the evangelist may not commit the physical sexual sin, he may do so by lusting, which includes looking at pornography.

Solution

When I first posted about these killers on Facebook, I received a reply from Professor Grant Horner of The Masters University, which gave very helpful advice on how to deal with these three areas.  He said, “Gold – Give it away. Glory – Give it to God. Girls – Marry one!”

These areas will always be a battle for evangelists, so please be on your guard. If you are struggling in any of these areas know that you don’t need to battle alone. Talk to your Pastors / Elders as they are there to care for you and help you. Feel free to reach out to other evangelists also. Brothers let us stay faithful to Christ, so we don’t do anything which sullies His name.

Keep Making Much of Jesus!