Awakening1s
PO Box 14292
Portland OR. 97293

FIVE FOLD MINISTRIES

Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, and Teachers

      In Ephesians 4:3 we are encouraged to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  In v.16 Paul says that the whole body of Christ will be joined and knit together by what every joint supplies.  Each part works effectively and does its share so that the body increases and builds itself up in love.  How is this to take place?

      In Ephesians 4:11-13 Paul writes that God has given the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors (shepherds) and teachers for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the perfecting (equipping, repairing) of the saints (the body of Christ) for the work of ministry and to bring us all into the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

      In Ephesians 4:1-16 we can see that God has a master plan, a vision, for His church, the body of Christ.  We can also see that He has given gifts to His church so that His vision can be fulfilled.  In v.7 Paul writes that every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.  I read this to mean that we all are necessary and we all get to participate in this wonderful vision that God has for His saints, His church, the body of Christ.

      This passage clearly indicates that Jesus has given gifts to His church so that it matures and is strong and healthy.  These gifts are men who have different functions in the church and all are necessary for true maturity.  Since each of these gifts is also a part of the church, the passage indicates clearly that each needs the other to become mature.  The apostle needs the shepherd; the shepherd needs the apostle, etc.

     Since these gifts are listed in order in Ephesians 4, we should look briefly at each one of them.  Let us look at them in an order reversed from the order in Scripture.

The Teacher

      The teacher is a very necessary gift to the body and the body needs many, many teachers.  The church needs teachers to teach the youngest (children’s' teachers) to the oldest, from the most simple and elementary foundations to the most complicated doctrines.  The teacher grounds the church in God's ways.  The teacher lays doctrinal foundations in our lives from the Scriptures.  It is important to note that since a teacher equips the church to walk in God’s ways, it is very important that the teacher walks in God’s ways himself.  In other words, the teacher must “walk the talk.”

      Another way the teacher functions is to equip the brethren to be teachers in their own sphere of influence and/or responsibility.  Each brother and sister has a “metron” or sphere of influence and/or responsibility.  The word “metron” is Greek for the word “measure” as used in 2 Corinthians 10 and elsewhere in the New Testament.  For example, the teacher imparts to the brethren the ability to teach their own family to walk in God’s ways.  In the neighborhood, school, or in the workplace, we each have a “metron” or sphere of influence and/or responsibility where we teach by example, if not by word.  A father and/or mother are equipped by the teacher to teach the word to their children so that they may be grounded in sound biblical understanding.  The teacher equips the church to be teachers wherever they are.

The Shepherd  (Pastor)

      The shepherd (pastor) is a very important ministry gift to the church because it involves the ministry of an elder.  The shepherd guards the flock so that it can feed peacefully on the words of God and walk effectively in the works of God.  Every member of the body is to be a word-worker – he feeds and lives by the Word and does the works according to the measure of the gift of Christ given him by grace.  The shepherd (pastor, elder, overseer) guards the church so that each member is released to function in the gift that Christ has given him to walk in.  This makes the body healthy, effective, and strong.

      Notice that the shepherd (elder) must also be able to teach the Word (1 Timothy 3:2) and that there is some portion of the gift of teacher which functions in this gift.  Shepherds and teachers are absolutely necessary in every expression of the Body of Christ, whether it gathers in a small group in a home or in a larger building.  A group without the gift of shepherd will be restless and unable to feed on the Word and be fruitful.  Give close attention to Psalm 23 to understand this gift and how it functions.

      The shepherd or pastor also equips the brethren to be shepherds in their individual “metron” where they have influence and/or responsibility.  The shepherd equips the brethren to shepherd their family, so that each parent can guard their family.  They also are equipped to be able to draw out the gifts that are in each family member.  If someone has a business or has any kind of management responsibility over others, then the pastor equips them to be able to guard and draw out the gifts in those for whom they are responsible or over whom they may have influence.  Every church should have many pastors/shepherds functioning within it.  This is a very important and practical gift and should not be belittled in any way.  Shepherds are very important because they are called to “lay down their lives” for those they care for.

The Evangelist

      The evangelist is that gift in the church that proclaims and demonstrates the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven.  He is also a Word-Worker.   He communicates the words of God and the importance of the blood of Jesus and the work of the cross, which is the power of God for salvation.  God confirms the words of the evangelist with works of power, the greatest one being that a man is born from above by the Holy Spirit and passes from death into life.

     The evangelist is interested in true conversions where a person passes from death into life, from darkness into light.  The evangelist is interested in more than mere decisions, rededications, or large groups raising their hands or coming forward at meetings.  He desires that men and women become new creations in Christ where the old passes away and the new has come.   The evangelist will take the time and effort to do his best to communicate the full message of the gospel so that our lost brothers and sisters come home to our Father’s house.  The evangelist must live his message so that others can see the gospel at work in a person.

      The evangelist must also guard, or pastor, those in the church who work together with him and he must also be able to teach the Word clearly and accurately.  So we find that the gift of evangelist encompasses some of the ministry of the shepherd and the teacher.  Effective evangelists have had experience as teachers and as shepherds in the church and they must work closely with these gifts for the church to increase.

      The evangelist equips the saints so that they can clearly communicate the good news in their own “metron” or sphere of influence and/or responsibility.  This ministry gift equips parents so that they can communicate the gospel to their own children.  The evangelist equips the brethren to speak and live out the gospel at school, at work, and in their own neighborhoods.

The Prophet

      The prophet has a ministry of guiding the church into the purpose of God that is, that in all things, God is glorified.  In the Old Testament we find the prophets concerned with guiding Israel back to God in true worship.  The prophets stood against the idolatry, sexual immorality, and child sacrifice that was false worship and called the people back to true worship.  God is a jealous God and will not tolerate false worship and the gift of prophet calls for true worship in Spirit and in Truth.  When the woman at the well recognized the prophet gift in Jesus, the issue of worship became important in their interaction and Jesus called her to worship in Spirit and in Truth.

      The gift of prophet in Jesus (as shown with the woman at the well in John 4) and in the prophets of the old testament demonstrated revelation gifts such as word of wisdom, word of knowledge and discerning of spirits.  Prophets can know about a person or a situation because God reveals it to them.  The church needs this guidance in order to be strong and mature.

      The gift of prophet includes some of the gifts of evangelist, shepherd, and teacher.  The prophet calls people to God and to live in holiness and in this way he is an evangelist.  He also guards against false worship in the church and in this way he is a shepherd.  The prophet often instructs people in the ways of the Lord and in this way he is also a teacher.

      The prophet also equips the saints so that they can hear and speak the living word as the Holy Spirit gives it to them.  The prophet often equips the brethren to be bold in sharing words of wisdom, words of knowledge, and discerning of spirits.  The prophet equips parents to discern things operating in their own families.  This is so that they can help their children in a society that is filled with witchcraft, violence, immorality, and idol worship of every sort.  The prophet imparts God’s purpose to the brethren so that they can impart purpose and vision to their families and into every area of their own “metron” – whether it be at work, in the neighborhood, or in school.  One important function of the prophet is to impart boldness and confidence in God in the midst of a wicked and perverse society.

The Apostle

      Paul said that the apostles are last.  They are the servants.  They are ridiculed, hated, beaten, and sometimes killed for the sake of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.  The gift of apostle is very important to the church because this gift will encompass some of the gifts of prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher in order to govern the church in God's vision.

      The apostle carries the vision: (1) that there is only one church and that all believers are to be in unity with all other believers everywhere – the unity of the Spirit and the unity of the faith.  (2) He also works to bring the church into the knowledge of the Son of God, to the stature of the fullness of Christ – maturity.  (3) The apostle will usually go where the Good News of the Kingdom has not been clearly heard and so he carries the burden of taking the Gospel to every nation – the Great Commission.  The apostle may go out with, or send out, teams to take the Gospel to places that are new for the church.  This does not necessarily have to be a foreign land.  It could be any area or subculture that is unreached by the church at that time – even right in the same city.

      The apostle will govern the church so that all the gifts work together in harmony with each other (unity) and so that Christ is revealed in their midst (maturity).  The apostle will work so that the church is strong and healthy and able to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.

      The gift of apostle equips the saints to govern well in their own “metron.”  This gift also imports God’s vision so that the brethren walk out God’s purpose and vision wherever they are – at home, at work, at school, etc.

      In churches where the gift of apostle and prophet are in operation there is a continuing communication of the purpose and vision of God.  When God’s purpose and vision are not continually being communicated to the church, the brethren become “lost” and start wandering around wondering what is going on as they live in the midst of a society where everything seems to be “relative.”

      Think about this for a minute.  The prophet is closely associated with God’s purpose – that in all things, God is glorified.  In all things God gets the glory, the adoration, the praise, the worship.   The prophet communicates the first and greatest commandment – to love the Lord our God with our whole heart – worship.

     The apostle carries God’s vision, which can be summarized in three parts: (1) Unity – there is one church (John 17), (2) Maturity – we grow up before we grow old – into the stature of the fullness of Christ, and (3) the Great Commission – to go into all the world with this great gospel of the Kingdom of God.

     The following diagram can help us remember these gifts and how they function in the church.
 

    All these gifts work together and they all need one another.  There is no one man who is all five.  Only Jesus is all five for He is the Apostle (the sent one), He is the Prophet (calling us to true worship in Spirit and in Truth), He is the Evangelist (the Good News in person), He is the Shepherd (read Psalm 23), and He is the Teacher (teaching us His ways).  The healthy mature church needs them all functioning together in love so that it can build itself up in love.

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