Ephesians 4:11-13 - ”It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers…”

We believe that God uses some men as apostles today, but that nobody needs to use this title for himself.  What matters is the spiritual reality or fruit of how God uses a person, not the designations people claim for themselves. We see God using some men as apostles today, even though they do not call themselves that.   continue

Ephesians 4:11-13 – “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 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.”

TEACHERS ARE PART OF THE FIVE FOLD MINISTRY: These are pastors who are used in a special way in teaching doctrine to the Body.  Sometimes they teach at the seminars, but even in their local churches, their preaching is characterized by a clear, strong presentation of the revealed doctrines in the Lord’s Work. continue

Ephesians 4:11-13 – “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 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.”

PASTORS ARE PART OF THE FIVE FOLD MINISTRY: All the ministries are “pastors” in the general sense in our churches, but many have the characteristic of being good shepherds for the sheep – the Holy Spirit gives them special concern and love for the sheep, and the sheep feel this love and feel secure in the church. The sheep in the church have very healthy spiritual lives, and the pastor –shepherd discerns how best to help them grow, resolve their difficulties and doubts, etc.   continue

Ephesians 4:11-13 - It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 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.

EVANGELISTS ARE PART OF THE FIVE FOLD MINISTRY: Evangelists are pastors whom the Lord uses a lot in bringing unbelievers to salvation. That is their primary function in the Body – to bring conversions and growth in numbers. Because of the need for this in every church, pastor-evangelists are often shared between many churches instead of being responsible for a local congregation. They usually exercise their ministry in conjunction with another (more pastoral or teaching-oriented) ministry so that the new believers receive adequate teaching and substance in their spiritual lives. continue

“…It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 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.” - Ephesians 4:11-13

PROPHETS ARE PART OF THE FIVE FOLD MINSITRY: Prophets are also pastors, like apostles, except they are used extraordinarily often in spiritual gifts, particularly ones that point to the future – either warning of events about to take place, or directing the church about new things to do. continue

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

“Who are you, Lord?”  Saul asked.  “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.  “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” - Acts 9:3-6

We know Paul better than any character in the New Testament besides Jesus.  The book of Acts chronicles his conversion and missionary journeys.  We have more letters from him than any other Apostle, giving us a complete picture of his message, his struggles and victories, and his inner motivations.  God’s Word gives us Paul as an example to follow (Philippians 3:17).  No other man was as influential in shaping the doctrine of Christianity and establishing churches all around the civilized world of his day.  Paul was without question the most productive pastor in his generation, even if other were more famous as preachers or miracle-workers.   continue

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” - Colossians 3:1-4

One of the distinctive elements of Paul’s writings was his focus on eternity.  People today often think of the Apostle Paul as a great teacher or theologian, or as a successful church planter, or even as a person who performed impressive miracles.  All these things are true, but when we look at what Paul himself considered the most important, the defining element is that he kept his eyes fixed on eternity, not on material things.

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“If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.  What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.”   - 1 Corinthians 9:17-18 continue

Titus 1:3 – “and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior…”

In this passage, Paul first mentions that his preaching “brought the Word to light.”  It was the revealed Word. Paul’s preaching was all from the Old Testament, of course, and his preaching opened up the Word and showed the Light, which is Jesus, in every story.  The New Testament did not yet exist (in written form) when Paul started preaching, so he was limited to the 39 books of the Old Testament – but this tells us something about the usefulness of these Scriptures in bringing people to Christ.  They were sufficient for Paul to preach and present Christ everywhere he went in a way that touched hearts and produced conversions.  Some denominations today preach exclusively from the New Testament, not understanding that the Old Testament also presents Jesus, when we have revelation.   continue

2 Corinthians 10:10 - For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.”

Here we get a glimpse of what other people – including Paul’s critics – were saying about his preaching back then.  Apparently, he was not a forceful, aggressive preacher.  He tried to be clear, simple, and focused.  His writing – the tone of his Epistles – are not exactly the way he preached.  He was gentle, calms, and humble enough when he preached that his critics said it was actually unimpressive. continue