THE MINISTRY OF EVANGELIST (Part III)

By Odon Bulamba (Friday 6th October 2000)

QUESTIONS

CAN WOMEN BE EVANGELISTS?

Women can’t be evangelists. When we were in Kenya, there was a famous woman who said she was an evangelist. It is true that women can sometimes work in that direction, but they always work against God’s will, they serve God against His will. When David went to take the Arc of the Lord from among the Philistines, David prepared a chariot to carry the Arc and at some stage, the oxes pulling the chariot got in trouble and the Arc was about to fall. Uzza wanted to help and stop the Arc from falling and God put to death Uzza from the tribe of Benjamin.

Uzza didn’t do anything wrong because he wanted to serve God. But God found that this was out of His will. And the Bible warns us that on the last day, some people will claim having done this or that in God’s name but God will answer, ‘Leave, I don’t know you!’ I know that most women don’t like hearing about it, they are sometimes shocked but it is what God’s said. There are also things that men can’t do, but men are not worried about it, whereas women can’t bear it. So, just accept your task and the responsibility God has given you, and be proud with what God has given you and He will do something great through that.

If you do somebody else’s work you will be exalted by men, but not by God. So, I will ask you, my sisters, Mums, to always be courageous to participate in God’s work according to His will. Personally I might prefer (Odon) to be a prophet: the Bible says (1 Corinthians) that prophecy has first position in a church, because with it you can see everything that is going to happen. If the preacher does not preach the right thing, you will know, you can know everything in Hayley’s life, if God wants to do something somewhere you will know everything before it happens, and if Peter was to become sick you will know it two days before time.

I find that prophecy is better than evangelism because you are closer to God. Evangelists must kneel down, cry out to God day and night, and waste time just to seek one answer from God. They must know God’s will or where to go at all times, travel and sometimes be stoned or beaten. Would you like to have this kind of adventure? This is why God shared His tasks according to His own will.

Some women say that in the spiritual world there are neither men nor women because we are all on the same level spiritually. If you say it to be in unity for God’s work, it is good, but if it is just to work when God said no, this is a shame. You can test God and ask Him, “I have worked with all the gifts you gave me and I have completed all of my missions. Now make me become an evangelist’ and God will talk to you and show you clearly that you actually haven’t finished your task given by God. God will tell you that you are asking for a greater thing when you were unable to complete your small job. God does not fear anyone, if He wants to talk He does it, whether you are ugly or handsome God will speak anyway. Let everybody humiliate themselves when He speaks.

Preaching the good news is not the only gift. I told you last time about this lady who used to clean the church. When God presented the crown of life to His servant, Billy Graham (God’s servant) was convinced he should have the shiniest crown but he was told, ‘This does not belong to you but to this lady who cleans the church’. He had noticed how the church was always clean and he didn’t know who had done that job. Little physical things we neglect have a greater value before God. It was not by chance that Jesus was born in a manger and the Spirit of God revealed to His servants of that time that a king was on earth, and nobody could believe it. So, what you have is so important in God’s eyes, so why do you want to lose what is greater to take up what is lesser?

ARE MANY EVANGELISTS MARRIED?

Some evangelists are married and some are single. Sometimes, God allows the wife to follow her husband but it is difficult. In the Bible, Jesus would leave his family and go. And once, one disciple said he wanted to bury his Dad who had died and Jesus answered, “Let the dead bury the dead’. So it is a tough life: the children grow and see their father once or twice a year. The Mum does everything for the children, but God’s grace is always there. And you see that Jesus Himself didn’t get married as well as Paul. He realised that he if obeyed his body, this will put barriers for his ministry. But the Bible doesn’t say that evangelists must not marry, but his choice must be conformed to God’s will.