THE FIVEFOLD MINISTRIES

ASCENSION GIFTS

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some shepherds and some teachers… for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry… for the edifying of the body of Messiah…Until we attain unity…and have full knowledge of Yeshua Messiah… and become mature in faith…so that the whole body functions properly” (Eph. 4:11-13).

APEST GIFTS (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds and Teachers) were given by Yeshua just before His ascension to heaven (Eph. 4:8). Earlier he had taught about this in the parable of the talents. The Master had given talents to each of his servants, and on his return, he took account and rewarded each one according to how he had multiplied those talents (Matt. 25:14-30).

Christ has distributed gifts to every believer and He will hold them accountable whether they multiplied them or not. These are not titles for flaunting but tasks to be accomplished.

The main purposes of giving these gifts include:

1. To provide plurality of leadership, for balanced growth of saints (soul winners) (Prov. 14:11).
2. To equip the saints for various workplace ministries of the Ekklesia (Eph. 4:11-12).
3. To build up the Body, both numerically and in faith (Acts 16:5).
4. To create a clear understanding of the purpose of incarnation of Yeshua. (John 14:7; 2Cor. 5:19)
5. To bring the Bride to reproductive maturity, so she can multiply (Acts 9:31).

BENEFITS OF ASCENSION

Yeshua told His disciples, “For your benefit that I go. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7). Although it was heartbreaking and life-threatening situation for the disciples we have greatly benefited from His ascension.

1. Our Lord is now seated in heaven with all power and authority. As our High Priest, He is interceding for us (Heb.7:25; Rom. 8:34).
2. He has sent Holy Spirit to empower us (Acts 1:8; John 16:7).
3. He is building mansions for us, so we can dwell with Him in eternity (John 14:2).
4. He gave Ascension APEST gifts to equip the saints for different ministries (Eph. 4:11-12).
5. We celebrate the Lord’s Supper and proclaim His death and return. He is coming back and will reward us according to our work “I know thy works” (1 Cor. 11:26; Rev. 11:18).

BUILDING CAPACITY

Yeshua never handed over His leadership to Peter or to any other disciple, even though the Zebedee brothers tried to get to the top of the pile through their mother (Mark 10:35-45). Not every Ekklesia had elders, but they certainly had various gifts (Acts 14:23; 15:4-6; 20:7; 1 Tim. 5:17; Jam. 5:14; 1 Pet. 5:1). Young Timothy and older Titus built their capacity through years of apprenticeship before they had the maturity to appoint elders (1 Tim.3:1-13; 5:17-25; Tit. 1:5). They first planted Ekklesias, and later appointed elders, not the other way around.

Paul’s strategy was to evangelize an entire region by evangelizing strategic cities, and then leave them in the hands of the faithful believers (Acts 14:23). Paul’s early letters, Galatians, Thessalonians, Corinthians and Romans, are strong on the gospel. His middle letters Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, Philippians, are strong on mission and vision. His latter letters, Timothy and Titus, are about Ekklesia leadership. The above is the chronological order in which the Epistles were written. Centuries later, churches changed their order from longer to shorter. 

POST HARVEST MANAGEMENT AND THE ATTRITION TRAP

In AD 2020, there is a great move of the Holy Spirit under way, and large numbers of Ekklesias are being planted. Ekklesia planters should be concerned that accelerated growth with poor post-harvest management could lead to an alarming attrition rate. However, the fact is that many were poached by contemporary churches. Paul galvanized excellent follow up teams with Timothy, Silas, Titus and others, as regional trouble shooters (Acts 15:36) who mentored local leaders, thereby minimizing the attrition trap. Capacity building at local, regional and national levels of godly leadership, through proper mentoring, results in rapid expansion of mature Ekklesias (2 Tim. 2:2).

EKKLESIAS NAMED AFTER THE REGIONS

All the NT Ekklesias were named after their city or the region. Paul planted “regional” Ekklesias, which rapidly multiplied and became a vast network of house Ekklesias (1 Thess. 1:8; Acts 19:9-10). All the seven Ekklesias of Revelation and those of Corinth, Ephesus, Galatia, and Philippi were known by their cities or regions. The 16th chapter of Romans describes the network of house Ekklesia that constituted the Ekklesia of Rome (Rom. 1:7).

EKKLESIAS MUST PASTOR THEIR WHOLE CITY

An Ekklesia is a disciple-making hub for its city, training, equipping and resourcing disciple multipliers to cater to the needs of their entire city. This understanding will make it easier for other cities to adopt the model and implement it. The secret is to shift the present paradigm of pastoring just one congregation to pastoring the whole city with the hope of virilizing it into other neighboring cities and regions (John 10:16). This kind of city transformation is already happening in some cities in the world. The South Korean church was founded in 1884. Within 100 years (by 1984), they had 30,000 churches and by 2000 over 60,000. Of the 17 megachurches in the world, 10 are in the city of Seoul. The largest theological colleges are there. They have the second largest missionary force of over 10,000 now working in other lands. Lack of equipping disciple multipliers by the church results in the city becoming the dwelling place of demons (Eph.4:16; Rev.18:2).

NO MONOLOGUE BUT PLURALITY OF LEADERSHIP

Ekklesia is not for solo players but for team players and networkers. Leadership gifts, knowledge and skills must be employed to serve others. This is crucial for planning succession leadership. To prevent whole scale heresies in the church, the Lord Himself gave the APEST gifts (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, and Teachers) to unitedly feed the flock. Plurality of leadership is healthier and stronger as it provides mutual accountability, diversity of function, and the sharing of responsibility. It avoids development of personality cults and concentration of power and misuse of funds. The NT Households of God were small and greatly benefitted from the ministry of itinerant, fivefold, ministry-gifted equippers (2 Pet. 2:1- 3). Multiple leadership is necessary to ensure that the Ekklesias constantly grow in faith and increase in numbers daily (Acts 16:5).

EKKLESIA IS A MULTI-SPECIALTY CLINIC

A surgeon first takes a detailed history of his patient’s problems. He then examines him thoroughly. Next, the patient is sent for laboratory testing, X-ray, and other necessary tests. A diagnosis is finally made and only then does he operate. A follow up is done to make sure the patient is doing well. Any lapse in this process could prove fatal for the patient. This protocol requires teamwork.

One teacher alone cannot teach all the subjects in a school, rather teachers with different skills are needed for balanced education of the students. We need all five fingers to make our hand fully functional. Similarly, one leader alone, however eminent, would cause a lopsided development of the church. The fivefold ministry gifts are very especially needed to ignite a Disciple Making Movement (DMM). Yeshua never went alone to do ministry, nor did Peter or Paul. Equipping the Ekklesia is like building a house, which requires architects, carpenters, laborers, masons, electricians, plumbers, and others with different skills.

Paul, having a passion for planting Ekklesias, was called an apostle, whilst the daughters of Philip, who were tuned in to God, bringing holiness to the Bride, were called prophetesses. Philip, who was fired up to share the gospel, was called an evangelist, whilst Barnabas was a shepherd with a compassionate heart. Priscilla was a coach who taught about “the Way” to Apollos, a mighty teacher of the Scriptures. Together, they supplemented and complemented each other, bringing balance, maturity, health, healing and shalom to the Ekklesias (Rom. 12:5-8; Eph. 4: 11-13; 1 Cor. 12:11-31).

APOSTLES

The apostle (Greek, sent one) is a messenger or a bearer of good news. He is like the thumb of a hand. Surgeons refer to the thumb as half the hand because without it you cannot even pick up a glass of water. Similarly, the role of an apostle is crucial in a CPM (Ekklesia Planting Movement). It is the apostles and prophets who lay the foundation of the Ekklesia of which Yeshua Messiah is the chief corner stone (Eph. 2:20; 3:5). This is the highest gift. Apostles often have multiple gifts, such as teaching, but multiplying disciples among non-believers remains their primary passion. One important area that distinguishes apostles from others is that they work diligently, willing to pay any price and to make any sacrifice for advancing the Kingdom of God (1 Cor. 4:9-13).

APOSTLES ARE MOVERS AND SHAKERS

A true apostle does not make just converts but raises up mature local leadership and then moves on to another place to do the same. He has no intention of staying in one place and risk usurping others’ authority by becoming their pastor. He did not just preach empty words, but with mighty signs and miracles (1 Cor. 2:4; 4:20; Rom. 15:19-20). Paul’s vision was somehow to reach Spain, which he thought was the end of the earth (Acts 1:8; Rom. 15:24). Paul’s passion was to preach where Christ had not been named (Rom. 15:20). 

MILLIONS OF EKKLESIAS YET TO BE PLANTED

Jim Montgomery, founder of Disciple A Whole Nation (DAWN) wrote a book titled “Seven Million More Ekklesias to Go”. Despite the clear command of Yeshua to reach “the ends of the earth”, none of the NT Ekklesias ever laid a plan for world evangelization. However, their Ekklesias practiced interactive, inductive methods of questioning their coaches, which was so effective that multiplication took place spontaneously (1 Cor. 14:26-32; 1 Thess.1:8; Acts 17:11; 19:8-10). Today, there are hundreds of plans for world evangelization, none of which is likely to succeed, yet thousands of house Ekklesias are sprouting up spontaneously, every day, the world over. “The wind bloweth where it listeth” and it would be foolishness to try to contain it (John 3:8). The way things are moving, it appears that very soon every human habitation will have its own worshipping community. “Then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14).

We need millions of disciple multipliers for over seven billion people on earth. Even the Christian countries need more home Ekklesias for the proper maturing of Christians. The prayer of every Christian should be, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth with apostles and prophets and other gifted leaders who in the power of the Holy Spirit will go forth and fill the earth with His glory”.

THE MARK OF AN APOSTLE 

Who are genuine, authentic, mature, and authorized apostles of Christ? The Scripture defines, “The things that mark an apostle - signs, wonders and miracles - were done among you with great perseverance” (2 Cor. 12:12). From this text, many assume that miracles are the real sign of apostleship. But Yeshua made it clear that performing miracles is not the ultimate proof of anything. All believers can perform miracles (John 14:12-14). He warned us, “False Christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). Miracles, then, do not prove anyone to be an apostle, perseverance does. Apostles not only do miracles but continue to persevere until that person becomes a disciple-maker. 

PROPHETS

They are like the pointing finger of your hand. The prophets are so tuned to God, that they can see and hear what God wants done. Like architects, the apostles and the prophets see the whole picture of the architecture of the Ekklesia, even before it is planted, whilst others cannot even see the gaps in the incomplete picture of their jigsaw puzzle. We need less of the synagogue-ruler type of pastor, or the scholarly teacher or even a high-octane evangelist, but more of the old-fashioned prophets who speak whatever they hear directly from the Throne Room. The prophets do not rank high up on popularity charts, because of their forthright pronouncements, but can you disregard them only at your own peril (Amos 7:12-17; 8:11). “The testimony of Yeshua is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10). The essence of any prophecy is that it glorifies Yeshua, not the prophet.

EVERYONE CAN PROPHESY AT LEAST THREE THINGS

Just as a general physician can treat many diseases, though he is not a specialist, similarly all of us can prophesy, though not holding the office of prophet. Foretelling is a special gift, whilst everyone is a prophet and every Ekklesia is a prophetic voice (1 Cor. 14:26-31, 35, 39).

Whoever Prophesies, speaks three things (1 Cor. 14:3):

1. Edification. Prophecy leads to spiritual (quality) and numerical (quantity) growth of the Ekklesia (Acts 16:5; Rom. 5:2; Eph. 4:12).
2. Exhortation. Prophecy encourages, persuades, counsels, invites and challenges the Ekklesia to accomplish the tasks given to her.
3. Comfort. Prophecy mentors the afflicted (2 Cor. 1:3-4), while afflicting the comfortable.
4. Prophets, and apostles, are responsible for laying the foundation of a Household of God of which Yeshua is the Chief Corner Stone (Eph. 2:19,20). Finally, it is most important to remember that “God will not do anything in your region without first revealing it to His servants, the local prophets” (Amos 3:7).

In ancient times, God spoke through the prophets who appeared from time to time. But we are now in the last days, and God is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh, so that every believer and even nonbeliever can prophesy. This includes men, women and children. Every word we speak is a prophecy, which, as the oracle of God, either blesses or curses. However, whatever we speak remains subject to scrutiny by others in the Ekklesia, so let them ask questions and make comments (Heb. 1:1; Acts 2:17-18; 1 Pet.4:11; Jam. 3:6, 9-10; 1 Cor. 14:29-32).

EVANGELIST

It is like the little finger of you hand. It is small, but it has its own importance, and no one wants to get rid of it just because it is small and looks insignificant. The only evangelist mentioned in the NT is Philip. He was not Apostle Philip, but a simple man who served tables. He went to Samaria where he chased out screaming demons, healed the sick and baptized by the hundreds. This humble man then went on to meet the treasurer of Ethiopia and made him a disciple by baptizing him in a roadside pool, all in a matter of hours. Eventually, he settled in Caesarea where he proved to be an exemplary father who mentored his four daughters into prophetesses. Preaching is not just with words alone but must be accompanied with plenty of supernatural action and good spiritual fathering (Acts 6:5; 8:5-7, 26-40; 21:8).

PREACHING MUST LEAD TO THE HEALING OF THE CREATION

The Lord has commanded us to go and preach the gospel to the whole of creation, not just to human beings, and certainly not just to Christians once a week (Rom. 8:19-22; Mark 16:15-16). Yeshua is the Word through whom the Father created the universe and He is interested in the salvation of the whole creation. Therefore, Yeshua has asked us to preach the whole gospel to the whole creation through the whole Ekklesia. In Col. 1:15-20, the Scripture repeatedly refers to “all things”. We are ‘a blessing people’ who are to bless everything and everybody. We bless the Lord of creation, we also bless all His mighty works everywhere, even our enemies (Gen. 12:2-3; Psa. 103:22; Matt. 5:44).

Preaching (kerygma) is for Gentiles, whilst teaching (didache) is for the believers. Yeshua taught in Synagogues and preached the Gospel with healing and deliverance to the people (Matt. 9:35). Pastors should not preach to the converted from their pulpit, but should teach them, “Christ in you is the hope of glory for the Gentiles” (Mark 16:15-20; 2 Cor. 5: 17-19; Col. 1:27-28).

BAPTISM MUST LEAD TO MAKING FISHERS OF MEN

John the Baptist set the trend for the new kingdom by standing in a river, preaching and baptizing thousands. Yeshua was accused of baptizing more than John, even though it was not He but his disciples (John 4:1-2). Every time Peter preached, it resulted in baptisms. Philip power preached in Samaria, and demons ran away screaming and he baptized hundreds (Acts 4:4; 8:7, 12; 10:44-48).

Simply distributing tracts and pamphlets, showing films, singing choruses and holding prayer and evangelistic meetings, is an incomplete work. No farmer sows seed and forgets about it. Rather, he cultivates it until the harvest is ready to be gathered. Sound preaching must result in repentance, baptism, disciple-making and, finally, fishers of men. Catching fish requires taking the fish out of water and placing them in a bag or a basket, the Ekklesia (Mark 1:17). 

PREACH WHERE MESSIAH IS NOT KNOWN

It is obvious that the job of an evangelist is to “preach the gospel where Messiah is not yet named” (Rom. 15:20). An evangelist does not preach to the converted from pulpits. Paul’s passion was to preach the gospel with signs and wonders in places where Messiah was not named (Rom. 15:19-21). This is the best way to bring forth abundant fruit and so to qualify as His disciple (John 15:8).

PREACHING MUST RESULT IN GATHERING A HARVEST

Organized crusades, conventions and revival meetings are not found in the Scriptures. This is a new chemistry, disbursing charisma to the credulous from which there is little “fruit that remains.” Generally, economics takes priority over religion, but commercialized crusades provide an unholy amalgam of both. Even after claiming astronomical numbers of signs and wonders, due to poor post-harvest management, very few new souls are added. Any increase in attendance at church is only temporary. On the downside, there are often disputes and dissensions among the leaders over money and prominent seats on the dais (Luke 20:46). The whole atmosphere becomes vitiated with leaders fighting with each other, instead of fighting against the Devil.

Meanwhile Yeshua cannot even find a back seat in the arena because the celebrity evangelist is like the matador in a Spanish bullring (Rom. 16:17-18). As for those who receive physical healing, nothing is done to disciple them into the kingdom. Yeshua said, “He who is with Me gathers, and he who is against Me scatters” (Matt.12:30). These jamborees are not of much use because their goal is not to gather the harvest. Yeshua is quite happy with tiny, fruitful gatherings. Recall, the phony fig tree with lots of green leaves but no fruit (Mark 11:12-21).

MEGA CRUSADES PRODUCE MICROSCOPIC FRUIT

Revival is the work of the Holy Spirit, whilst revivalism through crusades is man-made. The sole aim of these mammoth meetings is to gain individual converts who sign “decision cards”, without flocking them. Many who sign these cards are already Christians, so the skim off from other faiths proves minuscule. Equally, the sole aim of those attending these meetings is to receive blessings, not to be a blessing to others. Many hobble to be healed by with great expectation but return unhealed and embittered. They face the jeers and taunts of scoffers, and sometimes give up their faith altogether. 

GATHER, DISCIPLE AND THEN SCATTER - MUST BE THE RESET CODE

Yeshua was a chain discipler. He takes a dim view of those who scatter the flock without gathering them to be discipled (Matt. 12:30). Yeshua first gathered the Twelve and then scattered them 2x2 to make more disciples. He then gathered the 70 and scattered them 2x2 to find ‘persons of peace’. He then gathered the 120 in an upper room, empowered them and then scattered them all over Jerusalem. He then gathered them in house Ekklesias to be discipled and then allowed persecution to scatter them all over Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1-4). 

He then gathered them in Antioch for a couple of years and then scattered them throughout the Gentile world (Acts 13:1-3).  You can shout Lord, Lord and do all the miracles and cast out demons but fail to disciple them, then he is likely to say, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt. 7:23). Unless steps are taken to make disciples of new believers, long-term “fruit that reproduces” remains miniscule. Many mega-churches and gatherings have gone through major scandals and now Corona has put the final lock down on them.  Huge empty monuments stand as reminders that hindered Kingdom expansion by hindering development of local leadership.

EKKLESIAS MUST PLAN TO WIN THE LAST GENTILE

While the church sings liturgies and slumbers, Gentiles are being consigned to the horror of serpent and scorpion-infested-smoke filled dungeons for eternity. Every year, thousands of young Jews flush with money, after finishing their compulsory army assignment, flee to the foothills of Himalayas for cheap sex, hashish, and eastern religious experiences. However, the blindness among the Jews is only temporary. Once the gospel has been preached to the last Gentile, the Jews, too, will be gathered in. Already, the end-time stirring towards Yeshua Ha Mashiach among Jews has begun, an ominous sign for Gentiles indicating the imminent return of Messiah. Therefore, we must prioritize reaching the last Gentile on earth, lest the Jews overtake us (Rom. 11:25; Matt. 24:14).

THREE BIBLICAL MODELS OF EKKLESIA PLANTING

The 17th chapter of Acts presents three models. First, the Thessalonian Ekklesia was planted in three Sabbaths, by reasoning, debating, and persuading. Paul’s dialogue and debate method precipitated persecution, but also yielded “a great multitude of devout Greeks and not a few leading women” (Acts 17:1-4). Additionally, the Ekklesia sounded forth “the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place” (1 Thess. 1:8). The second is the Berean model, an inductive Bible study group. This group did not yield multitudes, but “many believers and not a few Greeks and prominent women” (Acts 17:10-11). Lastly the Athenian model, which was a contextualized lecture approach, yielded the poorest result (Acts 17:22-34), founded on intellectual sand and not on The Rock (Matt. 7: 24-27). The contexts are not exactly comparable, but they do demonstrate the comparative effectiveness of dialogical methods.

EVANGELISTS DO NOT PLANT ASSEMBLIES

Ekklesia planting does not mean planting a preconceived, readymade, top down, corporate concrete structure. It implies “planting the gospel” in prepared soil, then being nurtured and allowed to blossom into a variety of culturally appropriate expressions, which result in spontaneous spread of the gospel. A “gospel movement” through pre-existing cultural webs, including extended families and ethnic groups, precedes any movement (Rom. 10:17; 1 Thess. 1:8; Acts 17:26). This allows for corporate decisions to be taken by entire social groups.

Today, “evangelist” is used as a generic term for all those who are engaged in hit-and-run, one-shot happenings, without helping new believers to grow into maturity. Such evangelists sow the gospel seed but do not make disciples that plant churches. Philip, the only evangelist mentioned in the NT, did not have the apostolic gift of an Ekklesia planter. He preached, healed, delivered, baptized and vanished. Modern day evangelists also make a fast exit, but not without making a fast buck. When the Apostles Peter and John heard that the Samaritans had received the Word, they came and gathered the harvest, otherwise it would have been lost. The fivefold ministry-gifts are necessary to supplement and to complement each other for the gathering of the harvest (Acts 8:14-25).

SHEPHERDS

These are like the ring finger of your hand. It was thought that the vein from this finger went straight to the heart. That is why the wedding ring is put on this finger. In the same way, the relationship of a true shepherd to his sheep is one of love. The commitment of a gifted shepherd to his sheep cannot be compared to that of a hireling. The generic title “pastor” does not mean that someone necessarily has pastoral gift. He may have plenty of head knowledge yet suffer from a gift-gap as an equipper. Gifts are best identified by their fruit.

SHEPHERDING IS A GIFT, NOT A PROFESSION

In NT times, there was a plurality of leadership in the Ekklesia, allowing men and women to remain intentional in their faith pursuits. In our contemporary church, the entire burden falls on one man. No wonder there is mass exodus of young pastors from the church due to burn out. This is because many of them are in it as a profession or a career rather than as a vocation or a calling. The pastor is a much-admired or much-maligned individual, depending on his circumstances. However, there is no doubt that there is great confusion in the church about his role. Some want him to visit them regularly, whilst others expect great sermons, and yet others want him to be a jack-of-all-trades.

A shepherd who is not feeding them with high protein spiritual fodder to bring them to reproductive maturity, then he is a hireling and not a true a shepherd. The shepherd is the fivefold-ministries team member that equips the saints to be workplace minsters. Where this is understood and practiced, Ekklesias sprout in farms, factories, offices, schools, hospitals, the marketplace or wherever. Then the Ekklesia is edified, growing both in faith and in numbers (Eph. 4:12; Acts 16:5). 

In every Ekklesia there are men, women and many young people who have shepherding gifts. They would gladly visit the sick, comfort the hurting, encourage the faltering, admonish the wayward, feed the pure Word of God to the hungry, and reach out to the lost of this world. Nonprofessional shepherds are real assets to the Ekklesia. Pastors drawing megabuck salaries are pathological specimens.

A TRUE SHEPHERD FEEDS THE SHEEP TO PRODUCE MORE SHEEP

David was a true shepherd who personally took care of the pregnant ewes because that is where his flock multiplied. “God took David from following the ewes that give suck, to feed Jacob His people” (Psa. 78:70-72). Needless to add that the Shepherd must pay special attention to those with potential to advance the Kingdom. This will prevent the young crossover generation leaving the church in droves. The Lord released His disciples by explaining, “As the Father has sent me so I send you.” One virtually never hears a pastor bellow the same blessing from his pulpit. Herein lies the great divide between a true shepherd and a hireling (John 20:21; 14:12; Heb. 6:1-2; Col. 1:26-29).

TEACHERS

Of the 90 times Yeshua was addressed directly in the Gospels, 60 times he was called “Teacher”. He said, “You call me Rabbi (teacher) and Lord and so I am” (John 13:13) He had no academic degrees and yet He is known as the greatest teacher of all times because His teaching not only informed but transformed. The soldiers who went to arrest Him, came back empty handed astonished, “never a man so spoke” (John 7:46). Nicodemus a ranking scholar himself, said, “We know that you are teacher who has come from God” (John 3:2). He never wrote down His lectures, but everyone remembered verbatim whatever he taught. Yeshua never entered a classroom, yet 2000 years later His teachings are being taught in classrooms the world over. 

His greatest instruction, “Teach them to obey all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19). He sent the Holy Spirit,” who will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you” (John 14:26).

The Greek word ektithemi used in the context of Pricilla teaching Apollos, a formidable teacher, does not mean standing in front and lecturing, but expounding, exposing, laying out, explaining or even simply passing on information. It is also used in the sense of nourishing a baby, not only with food but also with knowledge (Acts 7:21). Many believe that the Greek construction of Eph. 4:11 is such that the pastor and teacher gifts are combined such that, in fact, there are only four ministry gifts. However, we know that a good teacher is not necessarily a good pastor or care giver, and vice versa.

A teacher is like the big middle finger of your hand. His contribution to the perfecting of the Ekklesia is crucial, for he searches the Scriptures and exposes its deep, hidden meanings. The Scripture is like an ocean, and without gifted teachers, we will not be able to navigate its mysteries. Every believer must grow into a teacher. Depending entirely on someone else to feed you the Word of God all the time would make you a milk-sucking baby (Act 17:11-12; Heb. 5:12-14).

A TRUE TEACHER IS LIKE A PERENNIAL WATER SOURCE

Fruiting and flowering trees depend on their roots to bring in the nutrition they need. A teacher of the Scriptures is like the hidden source of water near the roots of a tree, continually supplying the resources necessary for the believers to grow, mature and bring forth fruit. He keeps the believers ever green and fruitful. Keep in touch with a good teacher, so that you too can become a fruitful tree (Psa. 1:3).

SEARCH AND DESTROY OR BE DESTROYED

Searching the Scriptures is not just a weekly activity but an everyday affair. We are exhorted to “Hear His voice every day, while it is today so that our hearts may not be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:7-8, 13). If we are not constantly nurtured in the doctrines of Yeshua, then it is easy to fall into the doctrines of demons (1 Tim. 4:1).

A TRUE TEACHER MULTIPLIES HIMSELF

A gifted teacher of the Word will help the Ekklesia to grow and multiply (Eph. 4:11-12). A true teacher will multiply himself many times over, so that his disciples can do the same. One important qualification of an elder is the ability to teach. (2 Tim. 2:2). 

SMALL EKKLESIA CAN EASILY IDENTIFY THE GIFTINGS

Another great advantage of house Gatherings is their flexibility, for one does not feel boxed in. Budding shepherds, teachers, evangelists and others can be easily identified. The mystery of making disciple of Gentiles is revealed primarily to the apostles and prophets, who may have other gifting as well (Eph. 2:20; 3:46). This is another reason for which churches should remain small, so that gifts can be easily discerned, nurtured and shared. All churches desperately need these free gifts given by the Lord Himself, to come to maturity and unity in faith.

LOCAL CARETAKERS DO NOT REQUIRE FINANCIAL SUPPORT

All of the fivefold ministries, including that of shepherd, are itinerant. Local caretakers over the flock sometimes raised support for their itinerant ministers (Phil. 4:15-19). Normally, all ministry workers remain bivocational, earning their own living and working for the Ekklesia as volunteers. In contrast, a modern pastor is expected to be a jack-of-all-trades for a paltry sum of money. Ninety percent of the tasks assigned to him could be handled by others. The shepherd should be relieved from mundane duties and made primarily responsible for equipping his flock on finding lost sheep and nurturing them into reproductive maturity, rather than wasting time on old goats. 

YESHUA RESTORED ALL THAT ADAM LOST 

• Adam lost intimate relationship with the Father (Gen 3:24).
• Yeshua made us the temples of the living God (1Cor. 3:16).
• Adam lost eternal life and became mortal (Gen. 3:19).
• Yeshua came to give eternal life (John 10:27,28).
• Adam lived by the sweat of his brow (Gen. 3:17-19).
• Yeshua came to give us abundant life (John 10:10).
• Adam lost the sonship of God (Gen. 2:7).
• Yeshua gave us the right to be the sons of God (John 1:12).
• Adam lost his priesthood (he worshipped God with the works of his hands) (Gen. 2:15).
• Yeshua made us Royal Priests to reign on earth (Rev. 5:9,10).
• Adam lost his kingdom (dominion) (Gen. 1:28).
• Yeshua’s blood makes us priests and kings (Rev. 1:6).
• Adam lost his authority over the demons (Gen. 2:15).

Yeshua gave us power over all the power of Satan (Luke 10:19).

Yeshua came to seek and save ‘that’ which was lost. The Son of God became the Son of Man, so that the sons of men become the sons of God and have eternal and abundant life (Luke 19:10)

ADAM, DESIGNED FOR WORK AND FOR WORSHIP

“The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to work and guard it” (Genesis 2:15). The Hebrew word for Work, ‘avodah, means both worship and work. Adam worshipped or served God by working with his hands, taking care of the Garden and protecting it from the predator. When he failed to protect his workplace, both he and his workplace perished. Similarly we need to protect our workplace from the predator, be it home, office or workplace. Regular prayer walks in and around the place, binding strongholds, can take care of the place (1 Tim. 2:8; 2 Cor. 10:3-5).

GIFTS ARE FREE, FRUIT ARE EARNED

“The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.” They are free and we cannot do anything special to earn them (1 Cor. 1:6; Rom. 11:29). However, gifts are also temporary. Gifts of knowledge, miracles, healings, prophecy, tongues, and all the other gifts, will cease in the new dispensation (1 Cor. 13:8-10). Having a fruitful tree starts with planting a seed, watering, manuring and protecting it until it becomes fruit bearing. All kinds of livestock, crops and the fruit were offered at the Altar, the result of hard work. Similarly, we have been given free gifts to go bring forth abundant reproducing fruit with its seed (DNA). A seedless fruit is of no use to the fruit-growers. We will not be judged by our gifts but by our fruit bearing (John 15:8, 16; Matt. 7:16, 20).

RECOGNIZE YOUR OWN SPECIAL GIFTS AND CALLING

Sometimes our gifts can be recognized by others even before we do. God revealed to Ananias a disciple in Damascus about Paul’s apostolic ministry even before Paul had any idea about it, “The Lord said unto Ananias, for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel, for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake (Acts 9:15,16).

Ekklesias plant Ekklesias. Only a Bride can reproduce a bride; hands and feet alone cannot do so. Only sheep can reproduce sheep. The goal of preaching is not just winning individual souls but transforming communities, who then act as leaven, leveraging the expansion of the kingdom. We can ask for the highest apostolic and prophetic gifts, or any of the other multiplicity of gifts, and God will gladly give these, because He needs us to declare His glory among the nations. Then the Father will restore the years of your life, which have been consumed by locusts and caterpillars while you were a passive member of the church (Joel 2:25). In this way, “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14).

GEMS: 

• When Adam disobeyed, the Spirit of God left him desolate and defunct. When Jews disobeyed, the Spirit of God left the Temple desolate and defunct. Similarly, when we disobey Yeshua’s commandments, the spirit of God leaves us desolate and defunct. But when we obey Him the Spirit of God returns. (John 14:15-17)
• Adam worshipped God with the works of his hands. Jews worshipped God by offering animals as sacrifice. Paul worshipped God with the works of his hands making tents as well as healing the sick and casting out demons and offering Gentiles as sacrifice.  
• “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29).
• “You see your calling, how that not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (1 Cor. 1:26-27).
• It would be difficult for sinners to go to hell, if all the city Ekklesias together, pastored the entire city (Titus 1:5).
• The weekly one-man-show is repugnant to the scriptures as it violates the concept of “Priesthood of all Believers” and an infringement of basic right of Godly men and women, to be the Ekklesia.
• The gifts and calling of God are not gender specific but are equally available to men, women and even children (Acts 2:17-18).
• Fivefold ministry-gifted equippers enhance the gifts and talents of the saints. Saints are those who make a covenant with God by offering broken and contrite hearts as sacrifice (Psa. 50:5; 51:17).
• There is an abundance of disciples (mathetes=learner) in the gospels and in the Book of Acts, but none in the Epistles as they had all matured into saints who save souls.

Copyright © 2023 Dr. Victor Choudhrie

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