Greatest Evangelist

Malcom Ellis

 

My husband. Barry Setterfield. He is incredible. I have never known anyone who knows him to not like him. He got carpenters, truck drivers, EVERYONE who worked on our house involved in discussions of his work and then of the Bible, or in reverse order...and now has a Bible study for them on Wednesday nights!

When he lived in Australia, before we were married, he would collect bread from a couple of the bakeries in the evenings (day-old bread cannot be sold in Australia) and distribute it to needy families himself. EVERY ONE of those families became believers because of his caring and prayers for them. A number of them had no idea he was a famous physicist. He was just "Barry the Bread Man"! They all attended our wedding.

He is absolutely incredible. He will never make headlines for his work, but he is without a doubt the most successful evangelist I know, simply because every one of the people he helps to know the Lord becomes very serious about their faith and not just a one-day-a-week Christian. Right now there is a teenage boy in a nearby town chomping at the bit until Barry gets home Thursday (he has been in Australia with his sick sister for about a month) because he has some problems and Barry is the one he wants to talk to!

 

I second Helen's nomination.

 

What do you mean by "successful?"

 

"Successful", IMHO, is to present the gospel in a way that the targeted audience can understand. That is our job. We cannot make people believe, but only present to them the facts!

With that, I'd guess the Holy Spirit is the most successful evangelist.

But I really like Charles Stanley and, as long as they still broadcast him, Adrian Rogers.

 

The most successful evangelist in the world may be that quiet preacher somewhere in Asia who wins only one person to the Lord. He is unknown to the world, and will no doubt die a lonely and sad death, thinking himself a failure. He may die a pauper's death or in a martyr's prison, but God values him highly and will reward him greatly, for he has been faithful.

That person he wins, however, may turn out to be the D. L. Moody of India or China, seeing millions saved who Americans never hear about. Who knows what kind of reward in Heaven the little known man has who won D. L. Moody to Christ?

"For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth" (Zech. 4:10).

"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty" (1 Cor. 1:27).

 

I understand that there are many subtle nuances to this question, that there are many "great" evangelists that I have never heard of, but of those I have heard of:

DL Moody
John Wesley
George Whitefield
CH Spurgeon
Billy Sunday
RA Torrey
Billy Graham
Luis Palau
Dawson Trotman
George Verwer
Bill Bright

 

There is a difference between successful evangelists and great preachers. Call no man good! We all come short of the glory of God. Any particular talents or abilities we have, any measure of success we enjoy, all comes from the hand of God anyway. Maybe the question should be stated, "What evangelists are God using most today?"

 

Benny Hinn

 

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[ November 29, 2005, 04:38 AM: Message edited by: Bible-boy ]

 

Procyon said:
"So today we have people who follow Benny Hinn, Billy Graham, George Verwer, Luis Palau [name whoever you like!], rather than follow Christ. "

I listed these men as prominent evangelists in response to the initial post. Do you intend to say that I follow them rather than Christ? If so,
that's totally unwarranted.

BTW, Benny Hinn was listed as a joke by someone else.

[ November 29, 2005, 01:04 AM: Message edited by: JohnB ]

 

Let's not deemphasize preaching though. It is the power of God unto salvation. So who are the preachers living today God is blessing most?

 

I think John of Japan's comment above is an appropriate answer.

 

Billy Graham has been numerically successfull. Different Denominations have been successfull by Evangalists working together.

 

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[ November 29, 2005, 04:37 AM: Message edited by: Bible-boy ]

 

Southern Baptist:

Bailey Smith

Junior Hill

Don Graham

Bill Stafford, Sr

Sam Cathey