New World Visions

Subject: 5 Fold Ministry Sat Feb 09, 2008 12:38 pm

We need leaders who are on their face before God, interceding for the people, not whacking a golf ball down the cow pasture. We need men and women of God taking the church before the Lord in prayer rather than drowning a few worms in the muddy river waters. We need leadership that study the Word, so that they can teach and preach with the anointing, and not just stand and give a sermonette that won’t even stir a Christianette. We need leadership that will lead and not push. We need leadership to set the right example and not be an example of compromise.
cheers

The 5 fold ministry is for the Church today. One office is no greater than the other. For we all strive for the same thing. To build God's kingdom and not our own. Each office has a job to do in edifying the body of Christ.
Paul said, after Christ has ascended and he was called to be an apostle of the faith, there are 5 gifts God is going to give for the purpose of keeping the ministry of the church flowing. What are the 5?
a. Apostles. These are visionaries who don’t sit in one place and flourish; they are like Johnny Appleseed, planting as they go. The Apostle Paul said there are some who plant, some who water, and God, who gives the increase. Most of the apostles who are doing pioneering work today you will never know. The reporters are not knocking on their doors and writing articles concerning their work; they labor in the light of Christ because they have made a true spiritual connection.
b. Prophets. There are still prophets today in the church and a need for those who have the gift to work toward its development. Prophets don’t foretell the future, they forth tell the word of God. Prophets can either bless you, or they can cause you to do some serious soul searching. They are in tune with the situations around them, and often will weep and lament, as they know in their spirit the struggles God has with a somewhat stubborn generation.
c. Evangelists. Timothy, when he was starting out in pastoral ministry, we told to do the work of the evangelist. The evangelist is the spreader of the Good News and can be either in a local area or on the global scene.
d. Pastors. Some lump pastors and teachers together because pastors do teach but not all teachers are pastors so I am making that distinction. Pastors are called to be overseers of the believers in their local congregation. Of the 5 gifts, with personal experience, I would say the most difficult because sheep are difficult animals to herd. Of course, I am speaking of pastors in other pastures who have all the difficult sheep to shepherd, we don’t have that problem here, and we are all full of agape and would never do anything to cause our pastor heartache, right?
e. Teachers. These are gifted people who can take a life situation and bring life to it with Scriptural clarity.
God’s Ministry Purpose. "12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 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.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." (Ephesians 4:12-16)
There are three things Paul says need to happen when the 5 fold ministry is in operation.
1. Believers will be equipped. Verse 12 tells us the place of those operating in the 5-fold ministry is 12to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. There has to be a response to what is invested in believers and in order for that response to happen, believers need to be equipped so they can do the work of service necessary to fulfill the Great Commission. Secondly…
2. Believers will be mature. Paul wrote in Ephesians 4 verse 13, "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."
Their needs to be a maturity of believers, which only takes place when they put into, practice what they have learned. Finally…
3. Believers will be solid. Verses Ephesians 4:14-16: "14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

Subject: Re: 5 Fold Ministry Tue Feb 12, 2008 12:00 am

First let me say to you my dear brother in Christ...

Praise the Lord and welcome aboard as one of our newest members to the 'New World Visions' fellowship community!

Also, I want to personally thank you for taking the time to expound upon the offices of the 5-fold ministry and for
defining the true responsibilites that are spiritually assigned to each one, because while it is an honor to be chosen by
God to work in His stewardship in such a capacity, we must remember that the Lord Jesus Christ IS the ONLY HEAD of
His governing assembly and that all the other members are jointly fitted together with Him in the 'body' of Christ that
makes up HIS Church!

Therefore, it is of utmost importance for a believer to seek God for the perfect understanding of his own true purpose
in Christ, so that he can better serve God by using his fullest gifts and potential for the edifying of the Church and
upbuilding of the kingdom of God, rather than to try and work in an area of ministry that he or she is not spiritually
qualified for, wherein he would do more harm than good by faltering or hindering others.

For example, as you mentioned in your post, it is a fact that every pastor who is called and qualified by God, is also
spiritually equipped to teach. But on the other hand, every teacher in the body of Christ is not necessarily quipped to
pastor or preach. So essentially, every believer must work in his own spiritual capacity so that all the body of Christ
can learn, grow, and build together for the purpose of being God's earthly workmanship! To put it another way,
Pastor Paul Thomas from England once taught, that even Christ Himself chose 12 men to help Him build the Church
when He came to earth - (and HE IS GOD) - and that we who believe and are alive today, should also build upon this
same foundation, side-by-side, remembering that Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone!

So then, I have to ask...what honor is there in a title? I mean sure, there are honorary titles, the kind that have been
bestowed upon people who have gone the extra mile, but who perhaps did not necessarily earn the address, such as
when a person is given an honorary Doctorates Degree although he didn't go to medical school or college to have his
name followed by an M.D. And there's nothing wrong with those things! But the point I'm making, is that it seems to me
that there are so many people today who care more about power, positions, and TITLES than they do about the character
and integrity of a person, which is the very reason why so many so-called Church leaders wind up compromising the true
inspired Word of God, because someone has put them on an invisible pedistal and their egotistical pride has led them further
and furthr away from the truth of God! - Wow! It would do some good I think, if every now and then, we all went back to the
old landmark to do some soul-searching as well as our first works over again!

So until next time...

Let us all who truly love the Lord, endeavor to work within our higher calling, keeping in mind, that if we are not a part of the
solution, then we're a part of the problem!