MINISTRY GIFTS 1)THE APOSTLE This is a high office in the Body of Christ and the first ministry Jesus gave to the church. The apostle cannot be a layman, but it is a full time office. Paul was either a prophet or teacher in Antioch before he became an apostle. Acts 13. Apostle means sent one, usually to frontline ministry. An apostle experiences all the gifts of the Holy Spirit in operation in his life when he is fully developed. Gifts can be received from the Holy Spirit and can be developed. The stronger the gift, the more of a blessing you become. Apostles have a mandate to plant churches, no one can plant churches more than an apostle. He has the divine enablement to do that. Apostles flow in signs and wonders and also have the ability to raise leaders. They receive the divine enablement to minister the Holy Spirit to people like in Acts 8. 2) THE PROPHET The prophetic office was developed in the church in Acts after apostles office. It is listed second in Ephesians 4:11 and also in 1 Corinthians 12. The prophet is a servant of God who has a minimum of 2 gifts of revelation, the gift of healing plus the gift of prophecy. Minimum 4 gifts but usually 5 gifts. A prophet has word of knowledge, word of wisdom and discerning of spirit. But at least 2 of these gifts of revelation, plus the gift of healing and gift of prophecy. He operates his ministry in the spirit realm, therefore he tells and foretells. In the early church we had Agabus, Silas and Judas which were prophets in Acts. The prophet has a job to detect, warn and edify the church on arising matters. He sees visions and revelations. This is a very difficult office because a prophet needs to be accurate when prophesying. 3) THE EVANGELIST This is an office which appeared third in the book of Acts. When the church needed growth. Philip in Acts 8 was an evangelist. Notice his ministry had cripples walking, creative miracles and healings and deliverances. Prophets have gift of healing, so they experience healings and deliverances, but mostly they dont experience creative miracles like evangelists. Evangelists have power gifts. Gifts of healing which include deliverances, gift of special faith plus the gift of creative miracles. An evangelist when fully developed operates in real biblical signs and wonders like our Lord Jesus. Thats why evangelists pull crowds larger than prophets, apostles, teachers and pastors. Like philip. I mean evangelists by calling and not church evangelists. 4) THE TEACHER This is an office in the church that has special insight into the word of God. This is a very important office in the church for spiritual growth and maturity. 5) THE PASTOR It also means shepherd. This office mentains christians to remain in the Lord and to grow. It is also part of church government. When a pastor is an overseer he becomes a bishop according to Timothy 3. Pastors keep the sheep in line with God until they go home to the Lord. By this all five ministries are important. Evangelist pull people from outside the church to God through great miracles and the simple Gospel of salvation. Then they hand them over to the pastors who take care of them. The teachers teach them to grow spiritually and the prophets edify them. The apostles raise them to be men and women of God for service. Pastor Kusinyala
Posted on: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 09:24:10 +0000