FIVE FOLD MINISTRIES

FIVE FOLD MINISTRIES

Introduction:

Every member in the body of Christ is a minister of a certain ministry, all God’s people are to be prepared   for the work of Christian   services   to build up the body of   Christ   (EPH. 4; 12) but within the body of Christ which is the church, different people are given different service or ministries to perform so that all god’s people may be prepared for Christian services.

However, this related to leadership, God has played leaders in the church whom he has been given position of Authority and responsibility, it is there right and duty to lead, rule and serve God’s people with love, grace and wisdom.

Five main ministries have been given by God to rule or govern the church.  As we have already seen, they are listed by the apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Ephesus.

  “And Christ gave Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, Pastors and Teachers . Their Functions is to equip God’s people for the work of the ministry. It is by the ministry of its members that the body of Christ is built up and made   strong’ (Eph. 4:11, 12)

The first of the five- fold ministries which we shall study is the “Apostles”

                                     LESSON ONE

THE MINITRY OF APOSTLE

(A)         Definition of the term

The word ‘’apostle’’ (Greek-Apostelos) actually mean one who is sent forth.

1.            It refers to an ambassador- someone who represents its government.

2.            It refers to a fleet of ships sent to establish a new colony.

3.             It can also refer to the admiral who commands such a fleet.

4.            It can also refer to colony which was founded by that admiral.

In all four cases those who were “sent” were faithful to fulfil the will of the “sender”

An apostle then is a man with a mission. His mission is to represent and do the will of the one who sent him.

An apostle is someone who speaks and acts on behalf of another. He has been sent forth with that purpose in view. 6: 38; 12:49-50.

(B)   The Level of Apostle in the New Testament

There four main levels of apostolic ministry in the New Testament. However,     two form a basic for the present- apostolic functions. The four main levels or   classes of apostolic ministry are as follows:

1.       Jesus Christ was and is the chief Apostle:                                                                                              He was sent from heaven to do his father’s will on earth. (See John 3: 16, 20, 21).

2.       The Twelve Apostle of The lamb

        They are called the “Apostles of the lamb” and have a special place in heaven      

        and eternity. Their names are recorded in twelve foundation of the holy city       

      (Rev. 21:14). These twelve men marked the beginning of a new age in God’s      dealing with mankind.

        The prophetic age closed as the church age opened (matt.19:28).

      It is interesting that Christ-in his earthly ministry- never chose a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor or a teacher, but he chooses apostles:    

3.        The post- ascension- Apostle

As we have seen in Ephesians 4:10-11, after Jesus ascended and returned to heaven, He gave another class of apostles. (Eph. 4: 11-13).

These apostles are an important part of the Body of Christ when this ministry is missing, the church will suffer from a lack of overall leadership (Cor. 12: 26-28)

4.        Those with an Apostolic-Type ministry

Beside those in the first three classes, above, there is another   group. These are ministers who at times fulfil certain apostolic function.  They had not specifically called apostle, but often minister as such,

A good example would be the ‘’ seventy’’ disciples which Jesus sent forth to minister (Luke 10:1-17). They had, for a time, the same power and duties which were given to the twelve disciples. But they were not called ‘’apostles.’’

(C)   Preparation of Apostle

The work of buildings His church is very important to God, He desires that His workers be fully equipped and prepared, sometimes believers are so eager to minister to others, they set out before they are ready, they are forgotten that those who appear before their time will disappear before their time, time of preparation is time to receive revelation and mobilization for the commission. Lack of preparation can bring much harm for every-body.

IMPORTANT PART OF APOSTLE’S TRANNING

The background of the above apostles reveals a number of important facts. Certain important things seem to be a part of every apostle’s training:

v   An apostle will have a definite to his ministry.

v   An apostle will be well-trained in scripture.

v   An apostle will be prepared over a period several years.

He will prove himself and his ministry at the local level. it is here that he will grow in God’s grace, wisdom and experience under those who have other ministerial offices.

v   An apostle will usually have been trained for a time under the ministry of other apostles.

v   The apostle will not be sent forth until is preparation is completed.

v   An apostle will also have an average understanding of other five-fold ministries in other for him to be able to oversee all five-fold ministries.

v   The apostle will often be used of God in one of the other five-fold ministries; prophet, teacher, pastor or evangelist before been sent out.

D.    The Qualification for an Apostle

Beside the general standards above, there are special qualities or traits which every apostle should have:

·          An apostle must be a born again child of God (John 3:33-8).

·          An apostle must have the heart of a father (1Cor. 4:15; Philip. 2:22)

·          An apostle must love and loyal to the church of God (1Cor. 13:1-end).

·            An apostle must not be given to self –glory (1Cor. 4:9 1Cor. 10:8; 1Thess 2:6).

·          An apostle must have a servant’s heart (Eph. 3:7; Phil. 1:1).

·          An apostle must be ready to die as a martyr (Rev. 2:13; Acts 7:54-60).

·          An apostle must have seen the lord personally (1Cor. 9:1)

THE MAJOR WORKS OF AN APOSTLE

o    An apostle start new churches and sets them on a proper foundation (1 Cor. 3:9-14 9:12; 11:34; Eph 2:2-4).

o    An apostle is very concerned about sound doctrine and teaching (Acts 2: 42; 15:1-31)

o    An apostle will often have a ministry of miracles (Rom. 15:18-19; 11Cor. 12:12).

o    An apostle should be involved in church discipline when needed (Acts 5:1-11; 1 Cor. 5).

o    An apostle may be involved in care of the churches which he has begun (11Cor 11:28).

o    An apostle often ministers with the local elders in ordaining new workers (Rom. 1:11; 1Tim. 1:14; 11 Tim. 1:6).

o    An apostle is a ‘’father-figure’’ in the overall family of God (1Cor. 4:15).

F.   The calling of an apostle

How is an apostle called? First of all he is called of God who decides where, when and how he will minister.

How will his calling be know? Who will recognise and approve his ministry?

An apostle should be known and recognised in at least four ways:

       He should and be certain of his calling. (2Pet. 1:1; 1Tim. 2: 7 ;)

       The leaders of his local church should know it by what they see in his life and work for God. (1Tim. 1:11; 2:7)

       The people in this home church will also recognise the apostolic quality of his ministry. (2Cor. 12:12).

       The people in the churches  he has founded will speak of God’s special favour on the fruit of his labour.(1Cor. 9:2; 2Cor. 1:1) In short, his work as an apostle will speak for itself.

When an apostle is serving in the places of God’s choosing, he will known by all who really want and need to know.

Moreover, it is not necessary to have the title of an apostle. There is more apostolic ministry in the body of Christ than many realize.

Truly, it is a vital, needed ministry in the church today.

LESSON TWO

THE MINISTRY OF THE PROPHET

The second five-fold Ministries Is that of the prophet. It too is one of the ministries which is necessary to bring a church to maturity.

A.            The ministry of the prophet

The ministry of the prophet has its roots in the Old Testament. There two main Hebrew words for ‘’prophecy’’:

1.           NABA- This term means ‘’to bubble up or pour forth.’’ It seems to refer to the’’ spiritual force’’ with the prophets speaks

2.     NATAPH- This word means ‘’to fall as drop of rain’’

There is one main word for ‘’Prophecy’’ in the New Testament.

PROPHETENOS- This term means ‘’to say or speak out.’’ It may involve two forms:

a.          Foretelling: predicting the future; telling about something before it happen (Acts 11:17-30).

b.     Forth telling: Speaking forth a message from God (Heb. 1:1).

B.                 The level of prophecy

There are at least three level of prophecy in the scripture, and each has special place and purpose.

1.        Abel (Luke 11:50-51).

2.     Enoch (Jude 14).

3.     Noah (Heb 11:7; 11Pet. 3:2).

4.     Abraham (Gen. 20:7).

The specific ministry of the prophet was first given, however, through Samuel. He was the last judges and first of the prophet (Acts3: 23-26; 13:20; Heb 11:32).

C.   CHRIST: THE PATTERN PROPHET

Christ was called a prophet by God (John 1:21,25; 7:40; Acts3:22). Many people saw him as prophet (john 4: 19; 6: 14; 7: 40; 9: 17).

Indeed, Christ was the great prophet This, ministry of Christ was given to His church in the form of a new Testament prophets (Eph 4:11-13). He is the model or pattern for us all.

D.   THE FUNCTION OF THE PROPHET

We must turn to the scriptures to find the different functions of the New testament prophet.

We will discover there are at least seven main things about a prophet’s ministry:

1.     A prophet’s ministry will vary from prophets to prophet,

2.     A prophet’s ministry will involve revelation.

3.     A prophet’s ministry will involve exhortation and expanding the word of God

4.     A prophet’s ministry will involve warning.

5.     A prophet’s ministry will impart a vision to the people of God.

6.     A prophet’s ministry plays a role in the forming of a new churches.

7.     A prophet’s often ministers with other prophets  as a team

8.     A prophet’s ministry will involve prayer warfare and intersession

E.    Warnings About The Prophetic Ministry

The scripture gives two kinds of warnings about the prophetic ministry. One is to the people and the other is other is to the prophets.

1.     God’s warnings to His people:

a.     They are warned to receive the ministry of the prophet (matt 10:41).

b.     They are warned to be on guard against false prophets Jer5 :30; 31; 14: 13-18; 23:9-40;Ezek 13; matt 7;15; matt 24: 11, 24.

2.     God’s warning to His Prophet:

a.     They are warned to control themselves.

b.     They are warned to allow their ministry to be judged (1 Cor 14:29)

LESSON THREE

THE MINISTRY OF THE EVANGELIST

A.   DEFINITION OF TERMS

There are many Greek terms which relate to the ministry of the evangelist.

1.     Euaggelizo- This word means ‘’to preach, proclaim to declare good news, ’’it tells us what an evangelist does- what is ministry is.

2.     Euaggelion- This word means ‘’the or good news and glad tiding message. ‘’it tells us  about the message of the evangelist.

3.     Euaaggelistes- This word means ‘’a preacher or messenger of good news’’ it tells us about the man who preaches the gospel.

B .Christ: The Model evangelist

The gospel of Luke reveals Jesus in His ministry  as an evangelist. LUKE Tells us that the main purpose for Christ’s coming was  to preach the ‘’good news’’ of Gods kingdom (Luke 4:43;Luke 4:18, 19)

C.   THE MINISTRY OF THE EVANGELIST

Philip was the only person-in the book of acts and the epistles- that was actually called an ‘’evangelist’’ (Acts 21 :8). There four important things that we can learn from his life and ministry as an evangelist:

1.     The preparation of the evangelist (Acts 6 : 1-6).

2.     The public ministry of the evangelist (Acts 8:4-25).

3.     The private of the evangelist (Acts 8:26-40).

4.     The role of the evangelist in the body of Christ (Eph 4:11-13

Never in the new testament do we find an evangelist preaching to a lost in local church. Church meeting were for teaching from the word, and the worship of God. Believers were built up in the church that they might ministers:

(a)  To God in praise and worship

(b) To one another in Christian love

(c)  To a lost world in the power of the spirit

                                                                 LESSON FOUR

THE MINISTRY OF   THE PASTOR

In the scripture the people of God are often referred to as a rock or sheep (Isa. 40:11; Jer13:17; Matt 26:31; Jn21;15; 1Pet 5:2) in fact, sheep have many traits which remind us of new Christians leaning to grow up in the lord.

1.     They are totally dependent upon their shepherd (Gen 4:2; 1Sam 17:20, 28).

2.     They have a very poor sense of direction (1King 22:17; 11 Chron18:16; Psalm119:176).

3.     They have very little of defence (Matt 10:16; Num 32:24).

A.   THE DEFINITION OF TERMS

1.     POIMEN- The term refers to one who tends a flock of keeps sheep- a shepherd.

2.     POIMAINO- The term means too tend, keep, lead and feed the flock.

3.     EPISKOPOS- The term means Elder

What a shepherd does

1.     RULERSHIP- A shepherd is one who rules, governs and has authority over the sheep.

2.     SERVICE- A shepherd is one who also watches over and cares for the flock.

B.   CHRIST: THE MODEL PASTOR

The church is a ‘’theocracy’’. – A people ruled by God.

Every pastor should have the shepherd-heart which is the heart of Jesus

1.     He never criticized or judged the people of God, but had love and compassion for them (Mark 6:34)

2.     He placed great value on each sheep (Luke 15:4).

3.     He was willing to lay down his life for the sheep (Jn10:11, 15).

C.   THE STANDARD FOR A PASTOR

1.     A pastor must be able to lead the sheep (Jn10:4).

2.     A pastor must be able to feed the flock (Jer3:15; 23: 4; Ezek34:1-3; Acts 20:28; 1Pet5:2;3).

3.     The pastor must have a personal relationship with the sheep Jn10:27.

D.   THE MINISTRY OF THE PASTOR

Much of the ministry of a pastor has already been covered in the topics above. We can sum up his work in four main words: seeking watching, caring and correcting.

1.     A pastor is always seeking out the lost sheep (Luke15:4).

2.     A pastor is always watching for thing that could harm the flock (Luke2:8).

3.     A pastor is always caring for those in need (Jn10:11-13).

4.     A pastor seeks to correct those who are in error (Psalm23:4).

E.    WARNNG TO PASTOR

1.     A pastor must not neglect or overlook his own spiritual growth (Jer2:8; 1Tim4:15, 16).

2.     A pastor must not work for personal gain (1 Tim3:3; 1Pet5:2).

When Jesus warned of false shepherd in Jn10:1-3, He made use of three interesting words. Thieves, robbers and hirelings.

(a).   A thieve steals in sly, hidden ways.

(b).   A robber steals by force and violence.

(c).   A hireling is one who is paid for his work, but cares little for the sheep. He will be quick to leave without finishing his job.

3.     A pastor must not seek after worldly power (Ezek34:4; Luke22:24-27; 1Pet5:3)

4.     The pastor must over drive the sheep (Gen33:13).

F.        JUDGEMENT ON UNFAITFUL PASTOR

There are several judgements against unfaithful pastors:

1.     The sheep will be taken from them and given to faithful shepherds (Jer10:21; 31:1-4).

2.     They will come under God’s hand of heavy judgement.

LESSON FIVE

THE MINISTRY OF THE TEACHER

Christ’s great command to his disciples- just before his return to heaven- was to go into all the world with the gospel (Mark16:15). But He didn’t stop there. He also told them to make other disciples and teach them to obey everything He had given to them (Matt28:19, 20).

We see in this command of Christ the important of teaching. It is basic in the formation of the church. For this reason God has given teachers to the body of Christ. They are necessary that we might grow up into Him all things (Eph4:11-15).

A.   THE DEFINITION OF TERMS

The main Greek word which is used in regard to the teaching ministry is ‘’didasko’’. The root word simply means to instruct. It is the process of explaining something. By this process, knowledge or doctrine is given or imparted to another.

B.   THE ORIGIN OF THE MINISTRY

There are always been teachers among the people of God in one form or another

C.   CHRIST: THE MASTER TEACHER

In many places in scripture Jesus was called ‘’Master’’ or ‘’Teacher’’ (John3:2; 13:13).

D.   TEACHING LEVELS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

Every believer should be teaching others about the Christian life (Matt28:20; COR3:6). However, that does make every believer a teacher in the church.

E.    THE MINIISTRY OF THE TEACHER

The scripture reveals a number of interesting things about the ministry of teaching some important and specific points are listed below:

1.     A teacher should never stop leaning (Rom2:21).

2.     A teacher must know the word of God (Mark12:24).

3.     A teacher must be able to teach by example (Jn13:13, 14).

4.     A teacher needs to be very aware of his word (Matt22:15).

5.      A teacher seeks to bring others to his level- and beyond (Matt10:24, 25).

6.     A teacher’s greatest reward is to see lives changed by God’s word.

7.     A teacher should be supported by those to whom he ministers (Gal6:6).

F.    WARNING AGAINST FALSE TEACHERS

1.     Those who teach false doctrine (2Tim4:3; 11Pet2:1).

A doctrine can be false for several reasons:

(a)  It may expose the truth to those who will persecute it (2Pet2:1).

(b)   It may add to the truth (Rev22:19).

(c)  It may take away from the truth (Rev22:19).

2.     Those who teach the tradition (1Tim.6:3-5) as,’ the word of God (Mark7:7).

3.     Those who teach with wrong motives (1Cor4:15).

The greatest defences against false teachers comes from the true teaching ministries which God has given to his church. Both their lives ministries are balanced and fruitful. Their words bring life, peace and direction to the body of Christ (Isa30:20,21).