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Tuesday 15 November 2011

The Five-Fold Ministries And Their Primary Responsibilities

Ephesians 4:11-13
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in 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 fulness of Christ."

We see from the above verse of scriptures, that the five fold ministries named here, were fundamentally given to help equip the members of the body of Christ who actually are called to do the actual work of the ministry.

It follows therefore, that the primary work of the evangelist and of the other ministries, is first within the body. The evangelist for example, is not just to evangelize "the unreached," as it were. But to impart a love for the lost unto the whole body, and also to help all believers to be able to lead others to the Lord. This also, follows for the Prophet. The main job of a prophet is not just to hear from the Lord and to see visions, but also to help all believers to know the Lord's voice and be able to prophesy and discern the Lord's will. The primary work of a teacher is not just to teach and impart knowledge, but also to impart a love for the truth of God and the spiritual tools needed for all believers to be able to uncover for themselves the truths of God's Word. The primary ministry of the pastor is not just to lead people, but also to equip all believers to be able to help and minister one to another. The apostle is called to do all of these.

As we saw in verse 13, of the above chapter, this is to be done "until we all come or attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect (mature) man, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."  
Note that he does not say here until "some" come or attain, but "all." We cannot truly get to where we are supposed to go without each other.

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