The Body in Action 3

"But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it...It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers" Ephesians 4:7,11. Christ has distributed ministry gifts, which enable the Church to function as His Body. But the five gifts of Ephesians 4:11 have a special purpose:

Eph 4:11 -The Ministries

These five ministry gifts are not titles (eg. Apostle John, Prophet Jack, Pastor Paul), but ministry functions (eg. John an apostle, Jack a prophet, Paul a pastor). There is nothing "elevated" about these gifts (see 1 Corinthians 4:9-13). They simply have a special purpose.

Eph 4:12 - The Purpose

"...to prepare Gods people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up." These five leadership gifts were not simply given to do the work of the ministry but to enable God's people to do the work of the ministry.

Eph 4:13 - The Time-Frame

"...until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." The five-fold ministry did not pass away at the end of the first century, but was given until the maturing of the Body in unity, knowledge and expression of Christ's fullness.

The Ministry of Christ

The five-fold ministry gifts are examples of how "grace has been given as Christ apportioned it" (Ephesians 4:7). All ministry is simply the ministry of Christ expressed through the believer by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Christ is our Apostle (Hebrews 3:1), Prophet (Luke 24:19), Evangelist (Matthew 9:35),

Pastor (1 Peter 5:2-4) and Teacher (John 3:2). Every ministry - including that of the five-fold - is an extension of the ministry of Christ Himself.

Selected and Sent

"...the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' So...they placed their hands on them and sent them off" Acts 13:2-3.

The five-fold ministry are not self-commissioned, nor are they simply leaders ofa church. They are clearly defined ministries that have an impact on the Church as a whole. By nature, their scope of ministry is wider than a local church. They are ministries-at-large. Two things are required for a five-fold ministry gift to come into its own:

Recognition by the wider Body

Ministry to the wider Body

Prior to these two conditions being met, someone may potentially have a five-fold ministry gift, but will not yet be moving in the scope and authority of that gift.

Foundations

"...God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone" Ephesians 2:19-20. The foundation of the Church is the apostle and the prophet (note Ephesians 3:4-5). Ephesians 4:12-13 indicates that these two ministries still continue in that foundational role, so it is vital for us to understand how each of these ministries work.

The Apostle

An apostle is "one chosen and sent with a special commission." The 12 apostles chosen by Jesus were witnesses of the resurrection (Acts 1:15; 4:33), but there were many other true apostles (Acts 14:3-4; Romans 16:7; 1 Corinthians 15:5-7; Galatians 1:1,19), as well as false ones (2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Revelation 2:2).

The ministry of an apostle includes pioneering new churches (1 Corinthians 9:2; 1 Corinthians 3:6), grounding the Church in truth (Colossians 1:25), preserving unity in the Body (1 Corinthians 3:3-5), laying foundations in the Church (1 Corinthians 3:10), setting things in order (Titus 1:5), fostering a vision beyond the local (2 Corinthians 8), fathering new ministries (2 Timothy 1:6) and a breakthrough-type ministry of miracles (2 Corinthians 12:12).

The Prophet

The ministry of the prophet involves being "moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21) in prophetic utterance, which can be:

Predictive (Acts 21:10-11; 11:27-28)

Directive (Acts 13:1-3)

Corrective (Acts 15:22-23,27,32)

There is such a thing, however, as a false prophet (1 John 4:1), and so God sets clear guidelines:

Prophecies should be time-tested (Acts 11:28).

The words of a prophet are judged by church leadership (1 Cor.14:29). Any prophecy should be confirmed independently (2 Corinthians 13:1). Any prophecy should line up with Scripture, "the sure word of prophecy" (2 Peter 1:19-21).

The prophet operates best in teamwork with the apostle (eg. Paul and Silas). A prophet is not just someone with a prophetic anointing, but a recognised ministry to the Body at large. Note there are three levels of prophecy: the word of prophecy - limited to "strengthening, encouraging and comfort" (1 Corinthians 14:3,31); the spirit of prophecy on a group (1 Samuel 10:10) and the ministry of the prophet (1 Corinthians 12:28-29). All believers are encouraged to move in words of prophecy, but only a prophet should exercise the authority of predictive, directive and corrective prophecy, and even then only within clear protective guidelines.

The Evangelist

Evangelists extend the frontiers of God's Kingdom (see the ministry of Philip in Acts 6:3-7; 8:5-40; 21:8). They are co-workers with and extensions of apostolic ministry (2 Timothy 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 3:2).

The Pastor

The Greek word for pastor poimen means "one to tends sheep or cares for flocks" (read 1 Peter 5:1-4; John 21:15-17). But this word is used only in Ephesians 4:11. Elsewhere in the New Testament, other words are used: "shepherd", "elder" and "overseer". This is significant, so a comparison of these ministries should be made.

The Ministry of a Pastor

A pastor is not simply a leader over a local church, but has a Body-wide expression of ministry. As one of the five-fold ministry, a pastor is, in present terminology, more accurately a "pastor of pastors" or a "pastor of elders" beyond the local body. A pastor's emphasis in ministry is in relationship networking.

The Ministry of an Elder

An elder is simply someone older in the faith - a "father or mother in the Lord". An elder is not a particular type of ministry, but rather is a leader in the Body (note 1 Peter 5:1; 2 John 1; 3 John 1).

"To the elders among you...Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers..." 1 Peter 5:1-2 (see also Acts 20:17,28-31). The word "elder" - presbuteros - refers to any leadership ministry. An elder may be one of the five or an "overseer" - episkopos - over a local church. But whether a person is a pastor (one of the five-fold ministry) or an overseeing elder (in charge of a local body), both are called to be shepherds. Following the example of the Chief Shepherd (John 10:1-16), a shepherd's ministry is to feed (verse 9); protect (verse 12), guide (verses 3-4) and love (verse 15) the sheep.

The Teacher

A teacher is not just someone who teaches (we are all encouraged to teach - Colossians 3:16), but is a ministry who brings instruction to the Body at large (note the "watering" ministry of Apollos in Acts 18:24-28; 1 Corinthians 3:2-10).

Only when the ministries of Ephesians 4:11 begin functioning as God intended - both as individual ministries and as apostolic teams - will the purpose of their joint ministry be fulfilled:

"...until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" Ephesians 4:13.