Ephesians 5:25-27 – “…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”

The Bible teaches that Jesus gave his life on Calvary for the sake of a church that is “radiant” (NIV) or “glorious” (KJV). This church is not just a religious organization, or a Christian ministry. It is a living entity, holy, cleansed from sin and impurity. It is Jesus’ bride. Yet there are many “churches,” denominations, and Christian organizations that do not fit the description here. There is a difference between a “religion” (i.e., Christianity) and a radiant or glorious church.

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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.”

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

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.”

The New Testament describes five types of ministries in the church: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers.  All five are operating in the faithful church today, even if the individuals do not use these titles for themselves.   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.”

APOSTLES ARE PART OF THE FIVE FOLD MINISTRY:  There are Apostles today, in the Body, but we do not usually identify them by name, because some religious movements use this title as a way of elevating men or treating certain people as superior to everyone else.  An Apostle is a man who has been called and anointed to have a particular type of ministry.  Apostles usually lead the way in expanding or opening the Lord’s Work in new regions.  They often exercise spiritual authority over other types of ministries, because it is important to mentor the other four ministries in new places. It is a characteristic of their ministry.  The apostles are all pastors, but we simply use the designation “pastor,” instead of “apostle.”   continue