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Now the word "ministry" in Eph. 4: 12 and the word "administration" in I Cor. 12: 5
are both in the original the word diakonia, from which we get the word "deacon", and the
word "minister" well translates it. Paul tells us that he was made a "minister" both of the
gospel of the mystery (Eph. 3: 6, 7) and of the church of the mystery (Col. 1: 23, 25).
When the time came for that tried servant of God to be "offered", he wrote to Timothy
these words:--
"But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an EVANGELIST,
the MINISTRY that is thine fulfil. For I am mow ready to be offered, and the time of my
departure is at hand" (II Tim. 4: 5, 6).
Here for the second and last time in the prison epistles we read of the evangelist, and
here also we find it connected with ministry (diakonia). Not only so, but this ministry
was to succeed that of the apostle, as the words "For I am now ready to be offered" shew.
We may now see the reason for the arrangements of this fourfold gift, that came at the
end of the preceding article, which we must repeat here:--
A | APOSTLES.
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Inspired and as Foundation.
B | PROPHETS.
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A | EVANGELISTS.
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B | PASTORS and
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Uninspired and Subsequent.
TEACHERS.
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The first two were given for a time only, they were foundational in character:--
"And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophet" (Eph. 2: 20).
For salvation no other foundation can be laid than the Lord Himself, but when
referring to the building up of the saints in the capacity of a temple and habitation of God,
the special "administration" of those apostles and prophets given by the ascended Lord is
declared to be the foundation.
The apostle ruled with inspired wisdom; he spoke with inspired authority. So did the
prophet. The evangelist and the teacher succeed this inspired ministry upon a lower
plane. They are not personally inspired. The evangelist, as Timothy, who succeeded the
apostle in the preaching of the gospel, founding and supervising the growing churches,
had an inspired example before him--that of Paul himself. This statement can be
verified by many passages from the epistles. The teacher did not speak by inspiration,
but he spoke according to an inspired book. It will be seen that the evangelist carries on
the work of the apostle, while the teacher carries on the work of the prophet.
Modern usage has inverted the order somewhat of these gifts of men. The
"evangelist" with his little Mission Hall is often put under the authority of a "pastor" with
his Church. This is the outcome of a cramped view of the nature of the gift of an
evangelist. The evangelist was more of a pioneer, whereas the teacher was more settled.