The Ministry of The Five Major Offices of the Church
When I first began my work as a clergyman on the pastoral team at Little Heaven Full Gospel Church out on the First Nation Reservation of Keeseekoose in Saskatchewan, the first thing that evidenced itself and settled into our hearts as leaders and pastors was an obvious need among the local churches of our surrounding communities to begin to mature and unite.
Nearly everywhere you look, and not just in our region around Keeseekoose, but in church communities within urban and rural locations all over North America. Churches, or rather, the peoples of the churches, are divided. The people of God are separated into cliques of diverse descriptions. Some are divided along economical lines, some social lines, and others are separated along doctrinal lines just to name a few. Now, of course there are exceptions, praise God, but despite those few rare, special houses of faith and love, there remains an overwhelming presence of divisions and of schisms, which naturally, break down our fellowship and quench God’s Holy Spirit in the majority of the mainstream Christian church.
This is only a reflection of the reality that people are more self-oriented then others-oriented. Offenses have run amuck, as it were, in the body and as a result folks are reduced to looking out for number one. The logic being that I have to look out for me and mine because no else will do it for me. On the surface this looks like a sensible resolution to a situation which I won’t begin to deny exists.
Some Good Questions
But, Jesus meant for us to be closer to each other than this. Ephesians 4:32 Read also: Ephesians 4:3-6 And once more, read: Ephesians 4:16. Why aren’t we, closer? Because we are not perfect. Why aren’t we perfect? How long does it take to become perfect? (I’m not exactly sure of this one because I’m not perfect yet either and at this point do not possess a personal point of reference to measure with) What does God’s Word say though? This is the key right here! If we want to be perfected, (bible based perfection according to James 3:2) We need to have God’s Word ruling over our methodologies and processes of life.
At times while I preach I’ll often present a congregation with this approach at finding a working man’s frame for context of Ephesians 4:8 My presentation goes something like this: I’ll ask, “if you had a chance to talk with the Apostle Paul about his letter to the church in Ephesus, you could ask him about this act of Jesus at His ascension when He left this earth physically, and returned to heaven. What gifts did he give to men? Why did he give these gifts to men, what are they for, and just what do they do for us? How long are these gifts expected to last?”
When phrased like this some of the answers really speak loudly to their purpose.
What presents, gifts did Jesus distribute among men? The Apostle Paul would respond, Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers.
The explanation for the rest of the impact these gifts are expected to make on our lives can be found in Ephesians 4:12-16
Why? What are these gifts for? The Apostle Paul would respond, they are for getting the work of the ministry done. They are given to you to make you perfect!
This work, and this perfecting, how is this going to happen? The Apostle Paul would respond, as with any gift, you must first, accept it. Next, unwrap or dig in and open it, reveal it, find out what it is. Of course the next logical step is to discover how it works. To accomplish this you can not leave the gifts in a closet or drawer or cupboard somewhere, you must access them. When was the last time that you were with an Apostle? When was the last time you sat under the ministry of the Prophet? The Evangelist? Pastor? Teacher? Do you know or are you sure just what these even are?
YES, IT’S THAT IMPORTANT!!!
Does this whole subject seem to be way too complicated and involved to take on? I know it’s highly involved but the point is this is the road to perfection and I need to encourage you to go the distance. Yes, IT’S THAT IMPORTANT!!! Unfortunately most folks put more effort into figuring out how to read the directions for putting together the new book case they bought at their local home decor mart or into how to set up their newest gadget or how to get onto the internet then into applying the principals and process shared in God’s Word about how to be perfect.
Friends there is a lost and dying world out there. Satan has duped great masses of believers into subscribing to the spiritual myth that perfection is something beyond apprehension. That, “perfection” is an impossibility. So don’t even waste your time trying to be perfect. The truth is, Jesus said He will return for a bride adorned in garments not spotted with the flesh. Jude 1:23 We are commanded to be ye perfect even as your Father, which is in heaven is perfect! Matthew 5:48
COMING SOON
Breaking Down The Gifts Of The Five-Fold Ministry
In my next post I will use the model we have crafted for our own fellowship, The International Full Gospel Fellowship & International Full Gospel University’s College of Bishops to illustrate the actual work, nature and offices of Apostles, the Prophets, The Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers.
