The church needs ministries - but where are they? How should they function?
Well here we are in the 21st century and the topic of Ephesians 4 MINISTRY GIFTS in the Church is discussed as if it had always been top of the agenda and understood as it is today, but actually it’s a relatively new feature of modern Church practice.
The Roman Catholic Church has for centuries claimed the “Holy See” to be “Apostolic” and although the Reformation recognised the “priesthood of all believers” the basic understanding of Catholics and Protestants was that when John, the last of the apostles died, the Apostolic age (as well as spiritual gifts including healing and miracles) was over. However, with the First Great Awakening of 1730’s some parts of the Church began to experience REVIVAL.
I’m old enough to be able to look back on the beginning of the Charismatic Movement of the 1960’s when the baptism and gifts of the Spirit were being experienced by Christians in all denominations around the world. This was regarded by many as a time of RENEWAL and this led on to what became known as the RESTORATION Movement of the 1970’s when many in the Charismatic Movement believed that God was restoring the MINISTRY GIFTS to the Church as seen in Ephesians 4:11-16:
“He gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists and some to be pastors and teachers.”
As with all “new waves” there was much excitement, some really good things and the usual “muddying of the waters” by those who took things too far or presumed great things for themselves.
In this series, we are trying to take a long cool look at the Church from the vantage point of 2000 years of history, but more importantly by looking back to the New Testament where it all began. It is my view that the first century apostles got it right and ever since, the church was moving away from that, but happily the Holy Spirit has been at work in restoring the church up to the present time. But we have not arrived yet – there’s a long way to go and we need to learn from the mistakes of the past – ancient and recent.
I am not claiming any perfect understanding or any point of arrival but feel my task is to “stir up your pure minds” (2 Peter 3:1), for us to consider again these things in the light of God’s Word.
This series is attempting to get to the heart of the matter. So when it comes to the subject of ministries in the Church the question is:
What are the Ephesians 4 MINISTRY GIFTS for?
Let’s go straight to Jesus – the Lord of the Church.
He is the supreme Apostle, the premier Prophet, the ultimate Evangelist, the perfect Pastor, and the consummate Teacher.
Jesus is the complete 5 fold ministry in one person!
All these ministries are therefore needed for the Church to fulfil its mission.
When Jesus went back to heaven He gave these gifts within the church – in order to continue & multiply His ministry in the world.
Ephesians 4 shows that these MINISTRY GIFTS are given to:
Prepare God’s people for service v12 (the priesthood of all believers 1 Peter 2:5, 9)
Build up the body of Christ
Work together for the unity of the Faith v13
Help people to know Christ
Bring people in the Church to maturity and the fullness of Christ
“So as each member of the Body of Christ is working properly and does its share, held together from Christ the Head, the body grows and builds itself up in love” v14-16
At the beginning of the 1970’s season of Restoration one of the big features was apostolic ministry with a number of people around the world claiming to be apostles. This always made me nervous because I am well aware that even in the earliest days of the church there were those who were going around claiming to be apostles – and they were not (2 Cor 11:5, 14-15, Rev 2:2).
Why did they do this? I believe it was because they thought that apostleship was the highest position in the church and they wanted the prestige and status, but Paul swiftly answered that true apostles are “the scum of the earth” (1 Cor 4:9-13). Jesus made it very clear what the attitude should be: “whoever wants to be first must be SERVANT of all” (Mark 9:35).
So if we agree that apostleship is nothing to do with high position or rank, but with service and ministry then I will gladly agree that the Church needs the gifts of apostles planting churches in every nation on earth today. – Let there be many more of them – and prophets and evangelists too! (We’ve got lots of pastors and teachers – and those who are true gift men/women in the church are still very much needed) but let’s pray for more of the other gifts – and recognise and work with them when they arise.
So how do you know if you are one of the 5 Ministry gifts?
“By their fruits you shall know them” (Matthew 7:15-16)
Apostle: Are the “Signs of an apostle” evident? (2 Corinthians 12:12) Signs & wonders? Have churches been established from nothing?
Prophet: Have words given, been fulfilled? (Deuteronomy 18:22. Jeremiah 28:9)
Has scriptural direction/correction/warning been given effectively?
Evangelist: Is there passion for souls to be saved out of love for people? Are people regularly brought to Christ?
Pastor: Are the believers being nurtured, cared for and growing in grace?
Teacher: Is there anointed insight into God’s word that feeds people – spirit and soul? Are people brought closer to Jesus and is God glorified and magnified through the teaching they are receiving?
These MINISTRY GIFTS are not given to do all the work for the church – they are given to help everyone in the church to do the work of ministry in those 5 vital areas.
To enable all the believers to be priests in the service of God.
Each GIFT is a specialised area of ministry and the church needs all of these specialisms to fulfil the MISSION to make disciples of Jesus.
Apostolic ministry is all about pioneering – about pushing out the boundaries, breaking new ground, establishing churches all over the world. Apostles along with prophets need to be like the chiefs of the tribe of Issachar in the time of king David “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” 1 Chronicles 12:32.
Prophetic ministry is all about keeping the church on track and going in the right direction, focussed on God, knowing the way forward by hearing what the Spirit is saying to the Church at any given time.
Evangelistic ministry is all about preaching the gospel to make new disciples of Jesus.
Pastoral ministry is all about nurturing those new disciples and helping every member of the church to keep growing closer to God to the end of their lives.
Teaching ministry is all about helping the new disciples of Jesus to understand how wonderful He is and for established believers to constantly grow and go deeper.
The Church has only one MISSION and it has not changed.
Every local church has the challenge of fulfilling that mission where they are: from Iran to India, Sweden to South Africa, China to Columbia, Australia to Antarctica, England to Ecuador, Mexico to Monaco, Russia to Rwanda, Greenland to Guatemala, every culture has its different features and every local church around the world needs to find the way to be effective in making disciples in their culture.
If Jesus needed all those ministry specialisations to fulfil His mission and the early church needed them to continue His work, how much more in these last days and in complicated national situations does the Church need the restored ministries of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers to fulfil the Mission before Jesus returns again!
So will the real MINISTRY GIFTS of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers…
PLEASE STAND UP!
The ones who have no selfish motives
The ones whose only desire is to:
”Equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 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”…
So that the real church can stand up
And be seen in the world today!