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

Matthew 23:6-11 - “They love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’  But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.  And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.  Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ.  The greatest among you will be your servant.”

Our flesh craves prestige and power.  The Holy Spirit does not accommodate this trait of man.  In the Work of the Holy Spirit, there is a constant struggle to keep our flesh from interfering with the Spirit’s Work, from hurting God’s project.  The Spirit wants to give glory to Jesus and none other.  Our flesh wants at least a little glory for ourselves.  Some people feel a need to be someone “special” – as did the Jewish leaders Jesus describes in the passage above.   continue