The 5 Equipping Ministries Today
Some time ago I started looking into the five ministries listed in Ephesians 4:11-13...
It was [Christ] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's 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 (NIV).
First of all, notice the word "until." Jesus gave us apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers:
- UNTIL we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of Christ,
- UNTIL we become mature, and
- UNTIL we attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Now ask yourself, honestly: Has the general Christian population reached any of these conditions? It does say, "...until we all..." Have we all achieved this yet?
My humble opinion: Nope.
So what's my point? Simply that this is Scriptural evidence that there are still apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists, and teachers today. It's a little confusing, though, because our terminology has changed with time and culture. Today our Church leaders have names like, Pastor, Priest, Missionary, Bishop, Reverend, Cardinal, Parson, Rector, Monk, Pope, Chaplian, and even Doctor. These are man-made titles and organizational positions that help us maintain structure in our Christian organizations; but the true Church is not an organization but rather an organism (see my post on January 12).
But regardless of a person's title, these five forms of ministry have not changed in the Church. According to the above scripture, apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists, pastors, and teachers exist "to prepare God's people for works of service." Another version says, "...for the equipping of the saints." And the Scripture also reveals that these ministries are appointed and given by God Himself--not a school, denomination, organization, institution, or agency.
Chances are, if a person goes to the trouble of becomming a minister, it's because they feel called by God to equip people--so don't think I'm stomping on credentials here. Yet the question arises: before they went to school, were they pastors? Before they got a degree, were they teachers? For that matter, what about after they went to school and got a degree? Is that the indication that they are ready?
The fact is, the Prophet Samuel found a little shepherd boy named David and anointed him to be the king of Israel as directed by God. Several years later, that anointing came into fruition, and he accepted his God-given role. Just as receiving the "calling" did not make David a king right away, we should understand that it is not up to man to determine when a person is ready to enter ministry. It is up to God.
If you feel called by God into ministry, the best thing to do is start looking for Him to release you into that ministry. Don't try to run off and do everything right away because--like David--it might not be time yet. But also, don't wait until you have all the earthly, man-established "requirements" either. Just as it is true that not all "reverends" are true "pastors," "prophtes," "teachers," and so forth; neither are all pastors, prophets, teachers, etc. necessarily "reverends" with institutional education and documentation. Anyone--regardless of education--can be used by God as a minister. All that matters is that God appoints you.
One final word of advice: do not try to promote yourself. If you truly are an apostle, prophet, pastor, evangelist, or teacher, the Holy Spirit will confirm your ministry Himself and people will be naturally drawn to you. Those who have to convince others of their role do not have that role. If God has appointed you, He will affirm your ministry; but if you have appointed yourself--even with good intentions--the Spirit of God will stand against you, and you will be judged along with all those you lead astray. We need a healthy fear of God if we are going to follow Him in ministry.
James 3:1--Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly (NIV).
Labels: authority, church, equipping ministries, false teaching, fear of God, ministry
posted by Art Thomas | Wednesday, January 16, 2008
5 Comments:
I agree that these ministries are still valid functions of the Body of Christ, but let's look at the context here:
"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift." (Eph 4:4-7 NKJV)
Within the context of the Church Christ gave some to be Apostles, etc. WHY?
"that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting..." (Eph 4:14 NKJV)
I work with this agnostic guy who complained about "organized religion" one day. I replied that the real problem is "DISORGANIZED RELIGION". There is ONE body, not many bodies. Not an invisible body, but a visible body. Not Churches, but a Church.
In historic Christianity a person was made Bishop, Priest, Deacon, Reader, etc. by the community and ordained by the laying on of hands by the hierarchy (Consider Stephen in Acts 6). This custom continues today in Catholic and Orthodox communities, as well as most "denominations".
These ministries are different from the everyday exercise of the Gifts in a local congregation. These are titles given to those called to a life of ministry (otherwise it would list exorcists, healers, and interpreters of tongues).
Where I disagree with this post is the claim that no school, denomination, organization, institution, or agency can appoint these ministers. Even the example you give of the Prophet Samuel annointing David contradicts that statement. Jesus DID start a Church and give it authority, but that Church does not act alone--the Holy Spirit guides her.
A time of prayer, fasting, and spiritual guidance is recommended for anyone considering a life of ministry. This is traditionally known as a "Discernment Retreat".
Those in ministry will be judged with a stricter standard. What will they be judged for? Check out James chapter 2 for the answer: faith without works! This expands on the idea behind this post... just having the title of "Pastor" but not functioning as a good shepherd is worthless. Being called a "Teacher", but not teaching makes you salt without flavor. Perfection is faith in action (James 2:22).
"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." (James 1:27)
In response to mister corduroy...who happens to be my brother both spiritually and relationally :-)
I first want to say that I'm happy to publish this post and others like it because I welcome contrasting perspectives (the only reason I have "moderation" turned on is to keep the discussions free from spam).
I would, however, like to reply with a bit of a rebuttal.
Christianity is not first and foremost a religion--it is a relationship with God. "Religion," by definition is something developed to maintain a principle worth preserving. So we come up with rituals and religious practices that help preserve the doctrines and solid truths that have been established. There's nothing wrong with this.
The problem comes when our religion makes us start viewing the "Church" as an institutional body rather than as a spiritual Body.
No matter how much we may want to believe it, the 12 apostles didn't start the Catholic church, the Orthodox Church, or even the Pentecostal Church. Jesus started them--not the institutional part, but the salvation and sanctification part.
We do not become the "Body of Christ" by being associated with an institution or organized religion--no matter how good they may be. We become the Body of Christ by being made "One" with the Head: Christ. If you are in unity with the Head, you are part of the Body.
There are many people in our institutions--whether Catholic, Orthodox, Pentecostal, or otherwise--who are not in unity with Christ. And there are many people in unity with Christ who have not affilliated themselves with an institution.
When it comes to being an apostle, prophet, pastor, evangelist, or teacher, these are not institutional titles; they are ministerial roles. They are positions of authority, but they are not necessarily occupations (consider how the Apostle Paul made tents for a living rather than relying on offerings and gifts).
Now, to clarify my original post, I was not saying that an institution cannot affirm someone's role in the Church and give them an outlet to minister in an official, recognized position. That's an acceptible and good practice. My point is that it is not a title or ceremony that makes a person a minister--it is the Spirit of God.
We need to be members of the "One Body" by seeking unity with the Head (Christ) no matter what institution or organization we might belong to. We need to be filled with the "One Spirit" to overflowing just like the believers in Acts 2. We need to agree on the one Lord--Jesus Christ--and put our faith singularly in Him. And we must--through unity with Christ--have an intimate relationship with the one and only God and Father of all.
These things are not based on an institution; but institutions MUST be based on them.
--Art--
I think the main point trying to be made is that true ministry is validated by the Holy Spirit, not by credentials or education.
We are joined to the Body of Christ in order to bear fruit (Romans 7:4) and use our various gifts (Romans 12).
What makes us part of the Body of Christ? Baptism in water and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:13)
How do we remain and grow in the Body? Through the Church united by the Holy Eucharist (1 Cor 10:16-17). Notice what caused divisions in the Corinthian church--disorder and the issue of Communion (1 Cor 11:18 & 29)
From the beginning the Body of Christ, the Church, was an organized entity. "So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed." (Acts 14:23 NKJV)
St. Paul instructs Timothy to appoint Bishops. Among the qualifications he mentions "if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?" (1 Tim 3:5 NKJV) This does not point to some invisible, non-material entity, but an organization with hierarchy and structure. This organized Church is the "pillar and ground of the truth". (1 Tim 3:15)
Before going to Jerusalem St. Paul instructed the church to organize for the sake of sound doctrine and unity, "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves." (Acts 20:28-30 NKJV)
Jesus did start a Church with the Apostles as the first Bishops--their leader being St. Peter (Matt 16:18-19). They were given authority, a commission to make disciples, and a promise that Christ would always be with them (Matt 28:18-20).
266 men have followed St. Peter as the Bishop of Rome, recieving the annointing, authority, and commission that comes with that position. Have they all been good men? No. But just like the scribes and pharisees who sat in Moses' seat (Matt 23:2-3), these men sit in St. Peter's chair whether saint or sinner.
What I'm getting at is that God uses frail human beings to do His will. There is anointing and authority that is passed down from the Apostles to their successors (only Catholics and Orthodox can claim this). The prayer for the ordination of a Bishop reads thus:
"Through the Spirit who gives the grace of high priesthood grant him the power to forgive sins as you have commanded to assign ministries as you have decreed and to loose from every bond by the authority which you gave to your apostles. May he be pleasing to you by his gentleness and purity of heart, presenting a fragrant offering to you, through Jesus Christ, your Son."
Yes, the blessing comes from God through the Holy Spirit, but the vehicle of conferring it is God's Holy Church.
Great response. Your opening comments are right-on. Even the part about Communion being a factor that unites the Church.
Nevertheless, I still don't see a solid case for Catholicism being the "one true church" as your posts seem to promote.
We'll start with the scriptures you cited about Communion (or Eucharist). The first scripture (1Cor 10:12,13) says that when we partake of the bread and cup, we are participating in Christ's body and blood. Paul says in verse 17, "Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf." Could it then be said that those who rightly participate in Holy Communion are parts of Christ's Body?
Now, who--other than the Caholic Church--says that this only counts in a Catholic gathering? When a protestant participates in the Body and Blood of our Lord through Communion, are they not also communing with Him?
My point is not Protestant "vs." Catholic, but rather "AND." Are we not all participating in the same loaf? Are we not all being unified with the same Head? Are we not all pursuing the same Christ?
The second passage (1 Cor 11:18 & 29) admonishes that the food at their gatherings should not be gluttonously devoured by a few while the rest go hungry. The "disorder" you mentioned was not that the food was being shared by an unauthorised group of believers or that it was being administered by an unauthorized leader; the "disorder" was that they were not being considerate of each other and some were being excluded from partaking.
While it is true that those who partake without recognizing the body of our Lord eat judgmnet on themselves, it is also true that Jesus did not exclude anyone from participating in Communion--even Judas.
Next was Acts 14:23, which says that they appointed elders in every church. I will simply raise a question on this point and leave it at that: Before the elders were appointed in those churches, were they churches?
When it comes to structure and authority, I have stated that I support these things. This may be a semantics game, but the word "Bishop" was used in the King James Version due to the bias of the Church of England. The word is better translated "overseers" and is regularly found to mean "an overseer of a small gathering of believers." Regardless of the word's meaning, it does indeed imply that the church should have structure.
My concern, however, is that Scripture is full of warnings about false leaders and the fact that we should beware of them. The scripture you cited in Acts (20:30) says that "Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth..." And Jesus said to "beware of wolves in sheep's clothing." That means the most dangerous people will be those who rise up within the church and are not dealt with.
For this reason, we must continue to rely on discernment from the Holy Spirit and the Bible to know whether or not a leader is distorting the truth or presenting it untainted. If the truth is being misrepresented, then we must point it out like Paul admonished Timothy (4:1-6): "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth....If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed."
You said not all of the men who succeeded Peter were good. Some were sinners. We cannot rightly judge the present condition of the church on its past condition, so don't think I'm going there. My point is that those "bad" leaders still managed to stay in power--controlling Christ's church during their "reign"--because there is a fundamental flaw in a rigid hierarchical structure: that being the difficulty for correction to come from people of lesser importance. I certainly don't condone everything Martin Luther did, but look at how much trouble he went through to bring some much-needed correction to a corrupt hierarchy (which didn't listen to even a part of what he said until only a few decades ago).
The Church Jesus instituted had clear structure and God-given leaders with authority, but by no means was it meant to be domineered and controlled by that leadership. No one was better than anyone else, and they were all mutually submitted to one another. In Acts 19:30, Paul wanted to appear before a crowd, but the disciples (regular Christians) wouldn't let him. I wonder how many times a group of regular Christians have kept a Pope from speaking to a crowd?
For that matter, you spoke of an anointing that is passed down from one Pope/Bishop to the next, and you said that only the Catholics and Orthodox can claim this. I have yet another question: If one of these leaders in the succession was evil--whch history has proven has happened a few times--does that affect any "anointing" that might be passed down from that leader? Does God continue to approve of such a person and place His approval on them as "Patriarch of the Church"? Or does He remove their anointing (which is biblical)?
By the way, who passed the anointing on to Paul? He wasn't one of the 12, and he didn't really get allong with Peter. Paul himself said that Christ appointed him. Could it be possible that Christ might appoint others to be apostles who are not a part of the established structure?
It wouldn't be the first time that God anointed someone unexpected when the presiding ruler was living in sin. The anointing of Christ comes from Christ; not from Peter.
So in short, I don't wish to create divisions in the church, but I am perfectly comfortable pointing out error where it exists.
To use one of the passages you alluded to, Paul said when speaking of division in the Church, "No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval" (1 Cor 11:19). I would take someone whose life is clearly approved by God through "fruit that lasts" over someone who has worked their way up a hierarchy to take a position of verbal teaching. As Paul said, "The Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power" (1 Cor 4:20). I have yet to see a Pope who works miracles like Jesus and demonstrates the power of God; and yet I know little old ladies and even children who work profound miracles in the name of Jesus Christ.
Acts 14:3--So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders.
WOW!!! I think I am enjoying your argument more than the original post.
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