Before we get into the discussion about the ministry or leadership gifts, I want us to see a couple of things that will be necessary for our understanding of them.
First, we need to understand about Calling. There are two words that are translated call in the New Testament. Kaleo – means to call, to summons, to invite and it suggests either vocation or destination. Kletos – means an appointment or called to certain privileges and functions. Divine calling can be seen in two areas: a general call to salvation and a specific call to some area of service. Every believer has been called to salvation through Jesus Christ. If he had not been called he would not have experienced it. Every believer has also been called to some area of ministry. He may not be one of the leadership or ministry gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4, but he is called to minister is some capacity that will advance the Kingdom of God. Below are a few scriptures that will reveal this.
1 Corinthians 1:1 “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,”
Ephesians 1:18 “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,”
Ephesians 4:1 “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,”
Ephesians 4:4 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;”
Hebrews 3:1 “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,”
2 Peter 1:10 “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;”
1 Corinthians 7:20 “Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called.”
Second, we need to grasp what is meant by ministry. Traditionally, we have thought that ministry was only that which occurred in church by a designated few. But in the following Scriptures we will see that every believer is a minister and can have some type of ministry.
The word “minister” is used four ways in Scripture (1) Jesus (2) Magistrates 3) Angels (4) Those in Gospel work. We are mainly interested with those in Gospel work. There are three Greek words that will help us see this more clearly. They are:
- Diakonos – deacon, to serve, or labor – Matthew 20:26
- Leitourgos – public worker, or servant – Romans 13:6
- Huperetes – under rower, or assistant – 1 Corinthians 4:1
Every believer is called to salvation and to the work of advancing the Kingdom of God. Some may be called also to a leadership position in the church while others will serve God in helps ministry or other avenues in the church. The position of ministry does not equal value. For example, a person who is recognized as an elder is not more valuable than a deacon or usher. He is just serving in a different position. Each position has its own requirements and job descriptions, but all are valuable in advancing the Kingdom of God.
Apostle
Ephesians 4:11-12 says, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,” As we begin this section, I want us to look at the five-fold ministry or leadership giftings. These are not just religious positions but job descriptions. God has placed them into the Church for the purpose of equipping the saints so they, the saints, can do their ministry. Where these gifts are rejected, or not accepted because a given group of people does not believe in him, does harm to the Body of Christ because what God wanted to do through them for the sake of His Body will not be done. For that reason, it is important that we know what these gifts are and how they are to function in the church.
The word in Greek for apostle means a sent one or messenger. There are two basic “classes” of apostles referred to in the New Testament. There is a group known as the Apostles of the Lamb – the original twelve – and there are the other apostles mentioned.
First, let us look at the original twelve.
Matthew 10:2-4 “Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.” It is obvious that these men held a special place in the foundation of the church. They are the ones referred to as the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Revelation 21:14 “Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
To be a member of the original twelve one had to meet specific requirements. They are given for us in Acts 1:21-22 which says, “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” Notice the person had to have been a disciple of Jesus during His earthly ministry, been there at the time of John’s baptism; he must have seen Jesus after His resurrection and must have seen the Lord when He ascended back into Heaven. When those apostles died there were no more that could join their ranks.
However, there are other apostles referred to in the New Testament. They include:
- Barnabas and Paul – Acts 14:14
- Andronicus and Junia – Romans 16:7
- James – Galatians 1:19
- Unnamed brethren – 2 Corinthians8:23
- Epaphroditus – Philippians 2:25
- Jesus – Hebrews 3:1
- Apollos – 1 Corinthians 4:4-9
- Silvanus and Timothy – 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2:6
These were individuals that God send on specific ministry assignments, some were better known than others, yet all were apostles of the Lord.
Apostles have a unique place in the foundation and operation of the church.
- They are foundation layers – 1 Corinthians 3:10, Romans 15:20
- Go about establishing churches – Acts 18:8-11
- Confirm believers – means to cause them to rest, or lean on, to strengthen – Acts 14:22, 15:41, 18:23
- They had particular signs that followed their ministry – 1 Corinthians 9:2, 2 Corinthians 12:12
- Often had special emphasis in their ministry; such as Paul to the Gentiles – Romans 11:23; and Peter to the Jews – Galatians 2:8
The marks of a true apostle appear to be:
- Burden for the whole Body of Christ
- Supernatural ministry
- Power and ability to establish churches
- Ability to provide adequate leadership – like Paul who spent eighteen months at Corinth and three years at Ephesus.
- Humility
So, do we have apostles today? In my humble opinion I believe we do. They were placed in the church and as long as it exists, I believe they will be in operation in it. 1 Corinthians 12:28 says, “And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles….” We do not have any apostles of the Lamb as the original twelve, but I believe we do have others who are doing the work of an apostle although many are not nationally known because they are not headline seekers but are busy just doing what the Father has assigned them to do.
Prophets
The Greek word for prophet means a spokesman or seer. We have examples of prophets in both the Old and New Testament. The ministry of the prophet in the New Testament does not have the standing it had under the Old Testament because all believers are priests today, that is, they can approach God for themselves. However, it is important and needed today just as it was in the First Century.
The difference between the gift of prophecy and the ministry of a prophet seems to be that the simple gift of prophecy can be exercised by any believer who is yielded to the Holy Spirit. The purpose for the gift of prophecy seems to be to edify, exhort and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:1-3). The ministry of the prophet is one of the five-fold leadership ministries. It is a calling and placement from the Lord for this specific ministry. Included in it are other revelation gifts (Numbers 12:6, 1 Samuel 9:9, 15-16). Prophecy is both foretelling and forth-telling. The ministry of the prophet would contain more foretelling than the simple gift of prophecy.
In both Testaments we are given instruction on judging the prophesies that we hear (Deuteronomy 18-20-22, 13:15, 1 Corinthians 14:29-32, 37). They must:
- Line up with the written Word of God
- Spirit must give witness to it
- If circumstances are not presently in agreement with the word, then they will have to be changed by God to allow it to happen.
There are several examples of New Testament prophets. They include:
- Jesus – Matthew 21:11
- Agabus – Acts 21:10
- Judas and Silas – Acts 15:32
- Antioch – Acts 13:1
- John – Luke 1:76
- Anna – Luke 2:36
- Jezebel – Revelation 2:20
A few clarifications need to be made related to the ministry of a prophet. One misconception is that all they do is see visions and prophesy. Jesus taught, preached, healed the sick, and delivered the demonized. Another misconception is that prophets know everything. This is proven false with Elijah and the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4:27, “Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, she caught him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God said, “Let her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me, and has not told me.” The prophet knows what God has revealed to him, nothing more or less.
To anyone who thinks that the prophetic ministry would be interesting, you need to know that many of those who were prophets suffered for their ministry (James 5:10). However, if God has called and anointed you, He will sustain you in obeying His calling on your life!
Evangelist
The definition of the word evangelist means an announcer of good news, one who brings glad tidings. Two men are spoken of in the New Testament as being evangelists. They are Timothy (2 Timothy 4:5) and Philip (Acts 21:8). We will look at some things in Philip’s life to see what the indicators might be for one who is called an evangelist.
The first thing that stands out is that he preached Christ to the people (Acts 8:5). This will be the primary message of an evangelist. There was an attraction from the people to what Philip preached when they heard and saw the miracles that were performed (Acts 8:6-7). There was great joy in the city (Acts 8:8). The miracles and signs even convinced Simon the sorcerer to confess Christ (Acts 8:13) Philip was sensitive to the voice of the Spirit of God when he was told to go toward the south in the direction of Gaza (Acts 8:26-27). After he finished his ministry there he moved on to other cities still preaching Jesus to all who would hear.
The ministry of the evangelist is necessary (Romans 10:14-15). Someone must preach Jesus to the people. They must hear about what He has done for them. While every believer can do the work of an evangelist, in the sense that they can share Jesus with others, those who are called to the ministry of evangelist are specifically anointed for this work. All ministries need each other. After the evangelist wins people to the Lord, they then need the fellowship of a church body and a Pastor. Evangelists often worked with an apostle (Acts 19:22). Timothy, who was evangelist at the time, worked in Paul’s ministry and was often send on trips from that ministry.
There are four characteristics that stand out to me from Philip’s experience as an evangelist. They are:
- Evangelist are bold
- Have a strong anointing
- Freedom to travel
- Sensitive to the Spirit
Our prayer should be, God give us more evangelists like Philip!
Pastor
The word for pastor means shepherd. The perfect example for a pastor is Jesus. He is known as the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4). He is known also as the Great Shepherd (Heb. 13:20).
The term pastor is seen in four ways. They are:
- Pastor – shepherd – refers to his relationship to the sheep
- Overseer – nature of his work
- Bishop – his office
- Elder – his spiritual maturity
An important part of Jesus’ ministry was teaching His disciples. His ministry was four fold: teaching, preaching, healing and delivering the demonized. But His teaching ministry was in-depth to His disciples. His purpose in teaching His disciples was to show them how to live a better life (2Timothy 3:16-17). Their lives were to reflect His ideals (Matthew 5-7). Their lives were to demonstrate the effects of the Gospel (Matthew 5:14-16). He also prepared them for the Holy Spirit’s coming to them after He returned to the Father (John 14-16). As their pastor He was preparing them to carry on His work after He was gone.
Pastors are under shepherds over a local congregation. Biblical instructions have been given to show us what this looks like. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 says, “This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
More instructions are given in the following passages:
Acts 20:28 says, “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.” This instruction was given to the elders or pastors of the church in Ephesus. The Apostle Peter also instructed elders he wrote to with the following: 1 Peter 5:1-4 “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.” The writer of Hebrews instructs the believers how to relate to their pastors in Hebrews 13:17 which says, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” We can summarize these verses into three basic requirements for pastors. They are:
- Feed the Flock of God
- Love the Flock of God
- Lead the Flock of God
Our prayer should be for more pastors who have a shepherds heart (John 10:11-14).
Teacher
The word teacher had four basic meanings in Greek. They are: to tell thoroughly (Acts 16:21), to instruct orally (Gal.6:6), to train (Matt.28:19), to teach or instruct. The perfect example of this ministry gift is Jesus Christ. We have some examples of how He taught His disciples and others.
- Toward the multitudes – often shocked them
- Toward individuals – example: paralyzed man – Matthew 9
- Toward the outcast – ate with them – Zacchaeus – Luke 19
- Toward the Pharisees – rebuked them – Matthew 23
- Toward the disciples – revealed Himself – Matthew 13
Other examples of teachers in the New Testament are:
- Unnamed at Antioch – Acts 13:1
- Paul – 1 Timothy 2:7, 2 Timothy 1:11
- Apollos – Acts 18:27
There are some things that all teachers need to do to fulfill their ministry. They need to study the Word of God consistently, spend much time in meditating in the Word, and have regular, consistent prayer lives. They must also be on guard against various heresies getting into the church (2 Timothy 4:3, 2 Peter 2:1). It is absolutely imperative to have a strong teaching ministry in the church so that it may be grounded and grow into spiritual maturity (Ephesians 3:17-19, 4:11-16).
A very simple way to remember the five ministry gifts is to think of your hand. The thumb represents the apostle- without it you cannot grasp and hold things very well. The index finger is the prophet – one who points the way. The middle finger is the longest – the evangelist, who has the longest outreach. The ring finger is the pastor – one who loves the flock. The little finger is the teacher – who can dig out things or scratch your ear.