“2018 will be the year of the Evangelist. I will remove the offense from the Evangelist and marry them to the Church once again.”
In a vision I heard the Lord say that 2018 will be the year of the Evangelist.
It is no doubt that over the last decade or so there has been an emphasis on the Apostolic and the Prophetic, and rightly so. If think back to roughly 10-12 years ago there was a major shift in the Body of Christ with major denominations no longer supporting or endorsing the office of the Apostle or Prophet when it came to the Five Fold Ministry. In a sense the legs of the Body were pulled right out from underneath them—the two elements or factors which God chose to build His church with being denied legitimacy and identity.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, – Ephesians 2:19-20
A Change of Emphasis
There have been many words about a coming harvest and one specifically from the late Bob Jones regarding a harvest of harvesters and I believe in 2018 we will see that start coming to fulfillment.
In the first part of my vision I saw crops coming from the ground but they did not look like anything I had ever seen—then again I am no farmer or crop expert. I asked the Lord what was I seeing which He began to explain it was the coming Harvesters for the harvest. The conversation from that point began to be how God is bringing back what was known in 1860s as the Salvation Army, an army and mobilization of Evangelists. Much of what we see today is humanitarian aid and much needed but far from the origins from when founded by William Booth in 1865.
What I was seeing was the rise of the new army of evangelists being raised up, mobilized, and then sent out.
God is wanting to raise up those who will go and bring reconciliation to those who have yet to receive Christ.
It is the year of the Evangelist and the favor the Evangelist.
This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. – 1 Timothy 2:3-4
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. – 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Married to the Church
This part of the vision I saw a hand with each finger representing an Apostolic Office. As I looked closer I saw that the Ring Finger and the Middle Finger were bonded together by a wedding band. The ring finger representing the church and the Pastoral office and the middle finger representing the Evangelist office and the harvest.
“I will remove the offense from the Evangelist and marry them to the church once again” said the Lord as I was seeing the binding of the two offices.
Over the years there has been offenses against the Evangelist saying “they blow in, blow up, and blow out” with the underlying message being that Evangelist have no concern for the local church and just create a mess for the Pastor to clean up. There is a lot of offense and controversy over the finances circulating through Evangelist ministries as well, but it should come to no shock that it takes financial support to reach to the outer parts of the Earth as well it takes to reach within the local city.
But offense has brought a wedge between the Church and the Evangelist. That might explain why in church growth reports only 4% is new believers and the other 96% is from people changing churches
The church needs the Evangelist!
God is restoring the value of evangelism and the identity of the Evangelist to the Body of Christ once again.
To the Evangelist
This is your year! The favor and light of His face will shine on you. Go big. Dream bigger than ever.