One Body with Many Members 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For kin one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—lJews or Greeks, slaves4 or free —and mall were made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, nGod arranged the members in the body, each one of them, oas he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts,5 yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, pall rejoice together. 27 Now qyou are the body of Christ and individually rmembers of it. 28 And sGod has appointed in the church first tapostles, second uprophets, third teachers, then vmiracles, then wgifts of healing, xhelping, yadministrating, and vvarious kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But zearnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (1 Co 12:12-31). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society. THE SERVANT GIFTS TO THE CHURCH God has provided five special servant gifts to edify His people. The Bible refers to these offices as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. They are like five different types of trees.
They are all servants. They each provide for God’s people, but each in a distinctly different way. Each must think differently than the others. Each must have different tools, different revealed understandings of the Word. The pastor will always understand the Word as it relates to his office. The evangelist and the pastor may sit in the same conference, hearing the same Word from the same apostle, yet each will receive the part that feeds his calling. Ephesians 4:11-13: And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors, and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ. The apostle tends to see the overall larger picture. Often he sees it, first in the spiritual, and then seeks to bring it forth into the natural realm. The prophet quickly sees anything that is being done wrong and what the future results will be. He may demand change to lineup with what is right. The evangelist goes out to get the people to come to work on the vision. The pastor sees that all the people are well provided for, safe and as comfortable as possible. The teacher breaks the vision down into parts and begins to teach the specific details of each part. These gifts function in the church, in business, and in all walks of life. The apostle in business may be thought of as one who starts businesses from nothing and serves as C.E.O. In business a prophet might be a troubleshooter. A pastor might be a personnel manager. An evangelist might be a traveling salesman. A teacher might be a technical instructor. There are many other gifts, each having its unique function in God’s overall scheme. All gifts and parts are needed. And they all need to be in their proper places doing their particular jobs. One of the greatest hindrances to each one of the parts doing its job is the lack of understanding and acceptance of the role God has given to each one of them.
Often our temptation is to try to mold everyone into whatever we are. Pastors tend to seek to get everyone to function in pastoring. Evangelists want everyone to go out and gather. Apostles want everyone to come to the same level of spiritual understanding and commitment that they themselves must have to regularly work miracles to accomplish their purpose. We don’t need for everyone to be what we are. We need to help others to become what God has designed for them to be. We must resist trying to form people in our image and stop rejecting people because they are different. We must stop thinking that we are more important than others. We must learn to submit to the servant that God has sent in the area of spiritual grace God has gifted that servant in. Our ideas that we are superior because we have some status in the church or in a business can be a serious hindrance to our submitting to the one God has sent for a specific job. Pride in who we are and in what a great position we occupy is deadly. There are no big-shots in the kingdom of God. But when God sends someone with godly authority in a specific area, we must submit to them in that area and not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. The need to be a big-shot comes from “unhealedness” in our hearts. If we are healed by the ministry of Jesus, we feel abundance in our lives and don’t need to be bigger than our brother. We are free to allow the love of Jesus to flow to everyone. Love is the key that allows us to receive one another, to hear and see Jesus in our brother and to submit to the Jesus in them. Neither do we fear boldly stepping into the position of responsibility that He has called us to fulfill. In love, we serve one another. Love is the greatest principle or law of the kingdom of God. God is love. Love causes the body of Christ to fit together and to “flow life” from joint to joint. Love produces true unity, and unity leads to production and prosperity of life. Love is the power of the kingdom. It is the single greatest motivational force in the world. “Unlove” separates and starves the members of the body. It creates disunity which leads to a lack of production and poverty. Unlove flows death from joint to joint. Unlove is simply the lack of love. All sin flows from unlove. Love fulfills the law; unlove breaks the law. Every human conflict has its roots in unlove. Without unlove, there would be no church splits, no
divorces, no wars, no crime, no bitterness, no angry hostility, no depression, no fear, no false pride, no rebellion, no evil lust, and no need for hell. Our first and most important “part” in the kingdom is that of loving. Regardless of what our individual functions or offices are, we must be connected by love. Spiritual gifts, ministry, and good deeds are useless without the God kind of $unconditional love. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. If we refuse closeness to another person because he has a different balance of doctrine, or attends another kind of church, are we showing love or unlove? What if we withdraw from someone because of rumors we heard about him? What if we see a brother or sister in sin and don’t try to restore them? What if we think we sense something wrong about a brother or sister and talk to others about it, or maybe even preach about it, instead of honestly and humbly talking to the brother about it? Is that love or unlove? What if we refuse a spiritual gift from a brother because we don’t think he’s exactly right? Is that love or unlove? What does the scripture “bear one another’s burdens” mean? — Someone once said, “He ain't heavy; he’s my brother.” As God gives revelation of His kingdom to a person the individual’s focus moves from denominational doctrines and theological traditions that cause separation, and division. A revelation of the kingdom of God (kingdom of heaven) that Jesus taught in the Gospels will change one’s life forever. Focusing on the revelation of the kingdom brings great harmony to understanding the Scriptures and helps unify the many parts.
1. Another name for the five fold ministry is the ascension gifts. 2. The five fold ministry gifts were given to the church, by Christ. 3. The names of the five fold ministry include: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers 1. There is another name for the ascension gifts besides five fold ministry. What is it? grace gifts 2. Why are these gifts called post ascension gifts? They were given by Christ after his ascension 3. What did Christ choose the 12 disciples to be? They are the original 12 apostles. That’s different than the five fold ministry apostles. How does each five fold ministry gift function in the Body of Christ? 1. What does an apostle do? Governs the Body of Christ 2. What does a prophet do? Guides the Body of Christ 3. What does an evangelist do? Gathers those to become a member of the Body of Christ 4. What does a pastor do? Guards the Body of Christ 5. What does a teacher do? Grows the Body of Christ 1. What scripture in Exodus gives us a foreshadowing of the five fold ministry? Exodus 18:13-27 2. What is the first purpose mentioned for the five fold ministry (ascension gifts)? For the perfecting of the saints (Ephesians 4:12) 1. What is one major reason ministries benefit from using the five fold ministry model? Shared leadership What are 3 results ministries should see when the five fold ministry (ascension gifts ) are in place?
1. The Church is unified in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God. 2. The Church has grown to full maturity. 3. The Church has grown to the measure of the fullness of Church