The Ministry Gifts
“11) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12) for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;” Ephesians 4:11-12
The ministry gifts are found in Ephesians 4:11. They are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Some churches place significant emphasis on these five gifts. Other look at them as being for the entire body of Christ and not necessarily for each local church. Let’s look briefly at each of these five gifts.
The word “apostle” literally means “a sent out one.” Jesus appointed twelve apostles during His public ministry prior to the day of Pentecost, but several other men had the spiritual gift of “sent out ones” after the giving of the Holy Spirit. Paul was the most notable. He went on three missionary journeys and started many local churches. I personally see this as the modern missionary gift.
The word “prophet” in the New Testament sense is slightly different from the Old Testament prophet. They were leaders and a voice for God. They often foretold the future. But the New Testament gift most likely included being a gifted orator and commanding respect and following from people. They were often instrumental in giving direction and leadership to the Church. James is seen filling this role in the Jerusalem counsel in Acts 15.
The evangelists were people like Philip who spread the gospel and equipped others to do the same. He never pastored a church, but was defiantly a leader in the early church. They are wired to reach new people with the gospel.
The Pastor was looked at as being the shepherd in the church. They were there for the care and protection of the flock. Their goal is spiritual growth. They want to mentor, nurture and encourage others. John filled this role of shepherding in the early church. The book of 1 John is a great example
The teacher had the desire to bring solid biblical instruction to people. They delight in Bible studies and loved God’s Word both Old and New Testaments. They often have deep insights into Scripture and a knack at communicating in such a way as to make the Bible come alive. They love study and research. Luke may be a great example of a teacher in the early church.
These five gifts should work together to build up the body of Christ. They are the team Jesus calls to lead and train His church. As Ephesians 4:12 says, they are “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ…”. They work together to grow the church both numerically and in godly maturity. They replace themselves by training up the next generation of leaders.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
“11) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12) for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;” Ephesians 4:11-12
The ministry gifts are found in Ephesians 4:11. They are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Some churches place significant emphasis on these five gifts. Other look at them as being for the entire body of Christ and not necessarily for each local church. Let’s look briefly at each of these five gifts.
The word “apostle” literally means “a sent out one.” Jesus appointed twelve apostles during His public ministry prior to the day of Pentecost, but several other men had the spiritual gift of “sent out ones” after the giving of the Holy Spirit. Paul was the most notable. He went on three missionary journeys and started many local churches. I personally see this as the modern missionary gift.
The word “prophet” in the New Testament sense is slightly different from the Old Testament prophet. They were leaders and a voice for God. They often foretold the future. But the New Testament gift most likely included being a gifted orator and commanding respect and following from people. They were often instrumental in giving direction and leadership to the Church. James is seen filling this role in the Jerusalem counsel in Acts 15.
The evangelists were people like Philip who spread the gospel and equipped others to do the same. He never pastored a church, but was defiantly a leader in the early church. They are wired to reach new people with the gospel.
The Pastor was looked at as being the shepherd in the church. They were there for the care and protection of the flock. Their goal is spiritual growth. They want to mentor, nurture and encourage others. John filled this role of shepherding in the early church. The book of 1 John is a great example
The teacher had the desire to bring solid biblical instruction to people. They delight in Bible studies and loved God’s Word both Old and New Testaments. They often have deep insights into Scripture and a knack at communicating in such a way as to make the Bible come alive. They love study and research. Luke may be a great example of a teacher in the early church.
These five gifts should work together to build up the body of Christ. They are the team Jesus calls to lead and train His church. As Ephesians 4:12 says, they are “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ…”. They work together to grow the church both numerically and in godly maturity. They replace themselves by training up the next generation of leaders.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
