Considerations for Mission Work

What is a Missionary Evangelist

by Robert Breaker III

* The following article has been designed to be "printer friendly." So please feel free to print the entire thing and read it through! Otherwise, just read it here online.

I'd like to write about something that I believe has gone unaddressed too long. As most of you know, I'm not afraid to say what needs to be said! As a pastor in Wyoming once told me, "I can tell your God isn't man or money, because you don't preach what people want to hear, rather what God gives you to tell them!"

After fourteen years of experience in the ministry, God has shown me a thing or two about apostasy in modern Missions, and I can no longer keep quiet, (especially since it's affecting me personally more and more). The modern Missions movement is almost to the point where it's doing more harm than good! Moreover, most churches are so confused about what Missionaries should do, that they often support those who don't even preach the Gospel, while ridiculing and ceasing the support of others who do!

Instead of preaching the "Old Time Way," many preachers have adopted a "New Way of Thinking," and are guilty of preaching another gospel (Gal. 1:6-8). For example, I recently heard a Baptist pastor in Mexico say the following blasphemous words, "We live in a day of change. The world has changed, and so have people. That's why we must change the Gospel so that people will accept it!"

This is simply outrageous! To change the truth is to preach apostasy. That's why I'm going to keep preaching the unchangeable Gospel and pointing people to Christ crucified (1 Cor. 2:2), no matter what the cost, (and yes there has been a cost!)

In this brief treatise, I desire to show how a lack of defining words can lead to so-called Christians turning against the very thing they are instructed to do—i.e. send out ministers who preach the Gospel. I also want to explain the ministry God's given me, so there will be no misunderstanding of what I'm called to do.

As the church sinks deeper into the lukewarmness of Laodicean confusion (Rev. 3:16), I'm utterly baffled by the lack of understanding, compassion, and patience in Christian churches. CHARITY has been replaced with CRITICISM. And instead of following the word of God, man has devised a "New Way of Working" for the Lord—working his way instead of God's way.

But, what if man's way is not Biblical? And what if man, in his new way of doing things fulfills his objectives instead of God's? Sadly, I believe this is exactly what has happened.

The early apostles loved the Lord Jesus Christ so much they forsook all (Luke 5:11), and willingly gave their lives for the Gospel, suffering outrageous sorrows and even death (Rev. 17:6). Yet in the 21^st century, Christians don't even love God enough to LIVE for Him, much less DIE for Him!

The Bible speaks of the church today in Revelation chapter three as Laodicea, the wickedest of all the seven churches. It's the one that completely kicked God out! (Rev. 3:20). Everything this church does is in God's name, but it hasn't even let God in. It is working without God's power. In other words, its working in the FLESH, instead of through God's SPIRIT. (And many times it does what it wants instead of what God instructed it to do!)

Because of its carnal character, modern Christianity has become more focused on the WAY it works instead of WHAT God has instructed it to do, especially on the subject of Missions. Let me give you a few examples.

I recently heard the story of a church canceling a Missionary's support with the excuse, "We no longer want to support you, because you ventured out of the PLACE you said you were called to preach, and have begun preaching the Gospel in another area. We find it devious of you to take the Gospel to a place you didn't say you were going!"

But does it matter WHERE a missionary goes with the Gospel? Shouldn't just PREACHING the Gospel be the most important thing? How could anyone call taking the Gospel to another area, "devious?"

This Laodicean teaching that a man is only called TO A PLACE, rather than the Biblical teaching of TO PEOPLE, has led churches (like those in the example above) to drop Missionary's support for going somewhere else with the Gospel. But God allows us to preach the Gospel anywhere and everywhere we go! In fact, he commands it! (Mk 16:15)

I heard of another church dropping support to a Missionary for the following ridiculous reason: "Your claiming that you are called to a certain group of people is too vague, and we aren't going to support a person who doesn't tell us specifically where he's going to preach the Gospel."

But shouldn't a Missionary be someone who takes the Gospel to all the lost? Should man limit God? The Modern Mission System does just that when it teaches that a Missionary is someone who's only called to a PLACE, instead of to PEOPLE. (Acts 1:8)

A Missionary should be free to travel and preach as the Lord leads with the goal of leading as many as possible to Jesus Christ. Where was the Apostle Paul called? The answer: "To everywhere he went!"

Sadly, most modern churches in America don't have a clue of what a Missionary or an Evangelist is, or what he's supposed do. In fact, apostate Christianity has moved so far away from the Bible, that we are almost to the point where Christians are doing the exact opposite of what the early church did and preached! I'm sure the apostle Paul would turn over in his grave if he knew what's happening now in the name of Missions.

Rather than make the Gospel the most important thrust of Missions, most of those who call themselves Missionaries today do anything but preach the glorious story of Christ's blood atonement. Instead of stressing the importance of trusting the SHED BLOOD, modern Missions has invented a "New Mission Objective" instituting SOCIAL PROGRAMS, which care only for the physical needs of man—instead of man's most important need, a SPIRITUAL NEW BIRTH! Instead of preaching the PROPITIATION of Christ, they have set up their own PRIESTHOOD, where converts become dependent upon the MISSIONARY and his money rather than on God's promises. This has led to the downfall of modern Christianity and has changed it from SPIRIT LED, to SPIRITUALLY DEAD!

Medical Missions, orphanages, feeding centers, housing programs, secular education schools and clothing distribution organizations are now commonplace, and these are foremost objectives of the MISSIONS MOVEMENT. Sadly, the preaching of the Gospel has become second place. Instead of meeting the spiritual needs of man, most modern day Mission Boards encourage missionaries to cater only to man's carnal needs. And instead of telling people of the FREE GIFT of eternal life, most are more interested in giving physical GIFTS to the impoverished masses, setting up a society of takers instead of givers, making people more dependent upon the Missionary than on the Lord. (Note: I'm certainly not against doing any of these things, and none of these things are bad if they are used to open doors to preach the Gospel. The problem is these Social programs are replacing the preaching of the Gospel all together).

I call this, "Welfare Christianity." So widespread is this modern debacle, that I've been labeled a "bad missionary" by many lost people in Honduras for preaching the Gospel, because they exclaimed, "You're not a good Missionary unless you give us STUFF, and you don't give away stuff, so you aren't a good Missionary!" (Meanwhile they go to the Pentecostal church and get every thing free, but they NEVER hear the Gospel!)

This is why it's important to understand the primary responsibility of a Missionary—TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST'S FINISHED WORK! For what shall it profit a man if you give him all his physical needs, and he loses his own soul? (Mark 8:36)

With all these new Modernistic changes to Missions, I'd now like to define what a Missionary and an Evangelist are according to the Bible, and see how the church's confusion on the definition of terms has hurt the cause of Christ in several ways.

A MISSIONARY

A Missionary is someone who's sent to evangelize by preaching the Gospel (1 Cor. 1:17) to sinners of another language or culture. This can clearly be seen in the life of Paul who himself said, "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all." Paul took the Gospel to those of other languages.

Further, a Missionary must be sent by God (Acts 13:2) and his local church (Acts 13:3). Far too many Missionaries today claim to be sent by their Mission Board. But where do we find God authorizing a business to send Missionaries in His name? Did not God delegate His mission of reaching a lost and dying world to the CHURCH?

I've personally met many Missionaries who say the following, "My board tells me what to do, where to go, how long to stay, and how much money I will receive."

In short, most Missionaries are nothing more than EMPLOYEES, working for a BOARD instead of working for the LORD!

In this New Method of Missions, it is very easy for Missionaries to become enslaved in bondage to man. And I've personally seen and heard many cases of Mission Boards replacing the Holy Spirit, and mandating Missionaries to follow the director's leading, under threat of excommunication or loss of support, unless they do as they are told. How different this is from the early Christians, who followed God's leading wholeheartedly, trusting wholly in God to support them as they followed His holy word.

Sadly, many Missionaries today are also instructed by a Mission Board to go to a foreign field and STAY in one tiny area for life, and are restrained from traveling to other countries to plant churches and preach the Gospel like the early apostles. Yet, Paul was a MISSIONARY that evangelized in many different countries, speaking in many different languages. And he didn't allow himself to be put under the authority of man (1 Cor. 6:12), but freely followed God as the Lord guided him. And, my, how God used him! He turned the known world upside down! (Acts 17:6).

I mention this, as I recently heard the following sad testimony from a fellow Missionary. He said, "I was a Missionary in Mexico for many years. But God led me to go to Botswana, Africa. When I told my supporting churches, most of them dropped my support, some even calling me a LIAR! I then had to start deputation all over and it took me several years before I could finally go to Africa."

So engrained in the mind of most churches that a Missionary is only called to one SPECIFIC PLACE, that many Missionaries feel unable to freely travel to other areas as Paul with the Gospel for fear of losing support. Notice how this hinders the Gospel, and it impedes Missionaries from branching out and Evangelizing in other areas.

AN EVANGELIST

An Evangelist is someone who's mission is to travel and preach the Gospel to the lost, as the apostle Philip. The word Evangelist is found in the Bible two times (Acts 21:8, 2 Tim. 4:5). Interestingly enough, the word missionary is not found in the Bible one time. I bring this up, because I've recently had several Pastors drop my support claiming, "We only support Missionaries, not Evangelists!"

I find this strange, as today even LOST MODERNISTS with SOCIALISTIC AGENDAS call themselves Missionaries. Yet they would never call themselves EVANGELISTS, not desiring to be identified with evangelization or converting others to Christ. But biblically, both Missionaries and Evangelists are sent to EVANGELIZE. And shouldn't EVANGELIZING be the main thrust of Missions?

When I asked the aforementioned church why they supported me in the first place, they responded, "Because you are taking the Gospel to lost Hispanics!"

If this be so, why did they drop my support? Why would it matter to WHERE I go as much as to WHOM I go, if the MISSION is to EVANGELIZE LOST HISPANICS TO CHRIST?

Allow me to make this clear, I'm not against Missionaries or Evangelists. Nor am I against Mission Boards, Churches, or Missions or Pastors. But I believe that modern Christianity, as a whole, is so apostate that it can't even think straight! It's forgotten that a Missionary—as well as an Evangelist—has a MISSION to evangelize the lost! This is BIBLICAL MISSIONS.

One should always define terms to avoid confusion. Biblically, a Missionary is sent to evangelize the lost of another language, while an Evangelist evangelizes more in his own language. But both of these do the work of an EVANGELIST! Paul evangelized to where he went to both Jew and Gentile. And Philip preached to his own people as well as to the Ethiopian Eunuch.

I stress this point, as recently, I lost even more support when one church said, "Breaker, you are not a Missionary to a certain PLACE, so we aren't going to support you!" Another stated similarly, "We don't want to support you because you are only an evangelist, and we only support Missionaries"

But what's the difference? Is one so much different than the other? Why do they downgrade Evangelists, and uplift Missionaries? Are they not the same? Do they not do the exact same thing?

The truth is there is no difference. Simply put, "A Missionary is to EVANGELIZE and God's MISSION for every minister is to do the work of an EVANGELIST! (2 Tim. 4:5). Every Missionary really is an Evangelist, and every Evangelist truly is a Missionary!

It's a shame to have to mention such a simple Biblical truth, but I must state this dogmatically. The problem is that most Christians today think that a Missionary is someone who's called ONLY to one place to live the rest of his life, and his mission there is to only cater to the physical needs of man. But, according to the word of God, a Missionary, as well as an Evangelist, is to take the Gospel with him wherever he goes, reaching a lost and dying world for Christ. One is not more important than the other. They are both equally needed, and have the same awesome responsibility.

It is true a Missionary usually must learn another language, and he must preach the Gospel to others who speak that language. And, he must know those people and understand their way of thinking. These are the people to which he's been sent. While an Evangelist usually takes the Gospel to whomever he meets, wherever he goes. But they both have the same calling and responsibility, TO EVANGELIZE! And even Evangelists travel around the world preaching the Gospel (at times in other languages through interpreters).

As a Missionary Evangelist myself, (a term that has led to me having lost even more support, as one church said, "The term Missionary Evangelist is not in the Bible!"), God has called me to take the Gospel to the HISPANIC PEOPLE throughout the Americas (and yeah, even to Spain if need be), giving them the pure word of God and preaching their need for salvation, while still reaching my own people—English Speakers, as the Lord allows. And I'm baffled that I'm losing support for telling people of my God-called ministry!

Many have forsaken me, and have claimed that supporting an evangelist is not right, while supporting a Missionary is. For the life of me, I don't understand this. How can they not desire to support a Missionary Evangelist? A Missionary and an Evangelist are really the SAME THING! And, they both have the same calling–PREACHING THE GLORIOUS GOSPEL OF CHRIST'S ATONING WORK ON CALVARY, with the goal of EVANGELIZING THE LOST SINNER!

So I will shortly have to do deputation over, because most people think a Missionary and an Evangelist are two separate things, and they only want to support one instead of the other. But Biblically, they both have the same calling and goal. This is why I call myself a Missionary Evangelist. I desire all to know my MISSION as a MISSIONARY is to reach those of the Spanish tongue, and as an EVANGELIST my responsibility is to EVANGELIZE the lost of any nation, tongue, creed, or race. This is what God called me to do. And because of the confusion over the definition of words, I make it a point to use both words in describing my ministry. Why? So people will know exactly what my mission is!

As most of you know, there are over 50 million illegal aliens in the United States, which don't speak English, and many more infiltrating our "open borders" daily. Who will preach the Gospel to them? And, all throughout Central and South America there are hundreds of Laodicean Baptist churches which use the corrupt 1960 Spanish Bible put out by the Liberal United Bible Societies under the authority of the Catholic Church. In short, they use a Catholic Bible. Someone needs to give them the pure word of God in Spanish.

Here am I Lord, send me!

But, when did it become a sin for a Missionary to evangelize and for an Evangelist to tell others of his mission of reaching the lost for Christ? Be it sin or not in the eyes of modern day churches, I will continue my ministry and put God first, fulfilling the great commission in my life as the early apostles did, from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the world (Acts 1:8), suffering loss if need be.

I'll close by mentioning the worst teaching of the Laodicean church, that of changing the Gospel. Sadly, in this modernistic, apostate era, many so-called missionaries not only have a New way of Thinking, but a "New way of Preaching," apart from salvation by grace through faith in the sacrificial work of Christ. They have a "New Age Gospel" which teaches a "New Modernistic Plan of Salvation."

Instead of TRUST THE BLOOD, as the Bible teaches, a sinner now is taught to TRUST HIMSELF or something HE DID. But a true Missionary and a Biblical Evangelist does not preach this apostate method. Instead he points sinners to the crucified Saviour on the Cross of Calvary.

This is why I've enclosed my new book entitled, "Hey, Where's the Blood?" In it, I expose the satanic BLOODLESS GOSPEL being preached all over the world today by apostate Christianity. I pray this book will be a blessing to you and help you realize just how far modern Christianity has departed from the Bible and how close we are to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ! And I hope you'll see the need for someone to preach against apostasy in both English and Spanish in this present evil age, as more and more apostate teachings are entering Christian churches, and these are responsible many times for hindering the Gospel of Christ from reaching the lost and dying world.

I'll close with the words of the Apostle Paul, which I are my solemn desire:

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

- Phil. 1:20,21