29.What are some of the ministries God has set in the Church of Christ? .

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Apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, gifts of healing, helps, administrations, kinds of tongues.

Notice that Paul does not mention evangelists or pastor-teachers as he does in the fourth chapter of Ephesians. The omission teaches us two facts: (1) the list in Ephesians is not intended to be a definitive listing of the ministries of the Christian Church; and (2) there is not a difference in kind between the ministries and gifts of the Spirit, because they are listed here in one category.

The list in the twelfth chapter of Romans also is different. These differences are the reason we view the ministries and gifts as being as varied as are the saints who receive them. They are the kinds of activities we can expect to be proceeding from those who are filled with the Holy Spirit, not an inflexible listing of ministries and gifts.

Every ministry and gift is being restored to the Body of Christ in our day, and we should lift our hearts in joyful expectation that the Spirit of the Lord will transform God’s people into trees of righteousness and endow each of us with a ministry that will set free the captives of the earth.