The Evangelist––Part Three | The Price of the Call
Pastors Rodney & Adonica Howard-BrownePublish date: 02/08/2026
Foundation Scripture:
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. Ephesians 4:11 NKJV
1. The Call and the Cost.
a. The call of the evangelist is free.
b. The cost of walking it out is not.
c. God never hides the price—He only reveals it once the call is certain.
d. The evangelist is not merely invited into harvest; he is commissioned into sacrifice.
e. Luke 9:23 KJV –– And he said unto them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
f. This is not poetic language; it is a call to consecration.
2. Fire Always Draws Resistance.
a. Where holy fire burns, opposition gathers.
b. The evangelist is not attacked because he is wrong.
c. He is attacked because he is effective.
d. Darkness does not protest quiet religion.
e. It resists threats to its existence.
f. 2 Timothy 3:12 KJV –– Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
g. Evangelists do not go looking for persecution—it finds them.
h. When souls are saved, hell retaliates.
i. When cities are shaken, resistance rises.
j. When truth is preached plainly, offense is inevitable.
3. Misunderstood by the Religious.
a. One of the greatest prices the evangelist pays is misunderstanding—especially from within the Church.
b. Religious systems tolerate structure, education, and ceremony.
c. They do not tolerate fire.
d. Matthew 11:18-19 KJV –– For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. 19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.
e. If they rejected John.
f. If they accused Jesus.
g. They will question the evangelist.
h. The evangelist must learn early: approval is not the goal; obedience is.
4. Loneliness Is Part of the Journey.
a. Evangelists are surrounded by crowds yet often walk alone.
b. The very anointing that draws multitudes also creates distance.
c. Few understand the burden and fewer still can carry it.
d. Luke 1:80 NKJV –– So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.
e. Luke 3:2 NKJV –– …the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
f. Loneliness is not abandonment; it is alignment.
g. God separates His evangelists, so they listen more clearly to Heaven than to applause.
5. The Cost to Comfort and Convenience.
a. Evangelists are not built for comfort.
b. Their lives are marked by:
- Long journeys
- Irregular schedules
- Physical exhaustion
- Unpredictable environments
c. 1 Corinthians 4:11 KJV –– Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place.
d. The evangelist’s calendar belongs to God.
e. His body becomes an instrument.
f. His comfort is surrendered for harvest.
6. Why God Allows the Breaking.
a. God does not break evangelists to destroy them.
b. He breaks them to purify the vessel.
c. Unbroken vessels leak pride.
d. Unbroken vessels chase recognition.
e. Unbroken vessels cannot carry sustained fire.
f. 2 Corinthians 4:7 KJV –– We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
g. Brokenness does not weaken authority—it anchors it.
h. Fire burns brightest in surrendered hearts.
7. The Warfare Is Personal.
a. The evangelist’s battles are rarely theoretical.
b. They involve:
- Health attacks
- Financial pressure
- Relational strain
- Emotional weight
c. 2 Corinthians 4:8 KJV –– We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair.
d. The enemy targets the evangelist because removing the messenger slows the harvest.
e. But God sustains those He sends.
8. Why the Evangelist Must Settle This Early.
a. Those who romanticize the call will abandon it.
b. Those who chase fame will falter.
c. Those who seek ease will quit.
d. Only those who settle the cost before the storm will stand.
e. Luke 14:28 KJV –– For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
f. The evangelist who finishes well is not the one who avoided hardship—but the one who embraced obedience regardless of price.
9. The Price Is Worth the Harvest.
a. No cost compares to one soul saved.
b. No suffering outweighs eternity changed.
c. No sacrifice exceeds Heaven’s reward.
d. Psalm 126:5 KJV –– They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
e. The evangelist may bleed privately—but he rejoices publicly when sinners come home.
10. This Message Draws a Line.
a. This message is not meant to discourage; it is meant to purify motives.
b. If you want applause, choose another path.
c. If you want comfort, choose another calling.
d. But if you want to spend your life for souls—the evangelist’s road is narrow, fiery, and eternal.
e. And it is worth everything.