FIVE is the number that signifies grace. The LORD has graced His people with mature Christians who make up a FIVE-FOLD MINISTRY until we all come to a “perfect man”. That’s when Yeshua the Messiah returns! When the LORD comes back, we then will be perfect! Up until then, we need the five-fold ministry!
1 JOHN 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, for we shall see Him as He is. (Emphasis added)
This Five-Fold Ministry is mentioned in the Book of Ephesians.
Ephesians 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;”
EQUIPPED & EDIFIED to EXTEND
As Christians, we all need to be equipped and edified so that we may extend His Kingdom on earth! So let us take this passage to heart!
This is a way (not my own but from various sources) to remember this Five-Fold Ministry:
1. an APOSTLE GOVERNS (a visionary and innovator);
2. a PROPHET GUIDES (hears clearly from God);
3. an EVANGELIST GATHERS (a communicator of the Gospel);
4. a PASTOR GUARDS the sheep;
5. a TEACHER GROUNDS them with Scripture.
APOSTLES
We tend to think of the apostles as “the Twelve”. When Judas hanged himself, the other apostles chose Matthias.
ACTS 1:26 And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
St. Paul was also an apostle and it says so in the first few verses of many of his letters. Also here:
1COR 9:1 Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3 My defense to those who examine me is this: 4 Do we have no right to eat and drink? 5 Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
NOTE: Some other apostles took along believing wives!
Now with Paul we are up to fourteen, the Twelve and Matthias! (Sometimes “the Twelve” may be used loosely, referring to the whole company of apostles. “Twelve” is the number of governmental authority.)
Barnabas was also an apostle! Now we are up to fifteen.
ACTS 14:14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out
So now we see from Scripture that there are more than just the Twelve.
It is also taught that an apostle may operate in any of these other giftings: prophet, evangelist, teacher, and pastor, at certain times as called upon by the Holy Spirit.
The apostle Paul acted as a prophet (Acts 27), operated in evangelism, and was a teacher as evidenced by his many epistles. He functioned as a pastor in that he cared for the sheep.
AFTER THE TWELVE
Now we see that the Scriptures mention more than the Twelve Apostles. Of course, we don’t want to narrow the influence of the Twelve Apostles whom the LORD used to build His Kingdom. Yet, there are other apostles. The LORD told the church at Ephesus:
REV 2:2b And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars;
Paul even mentions that there were false teachers, maybe acting as false apostles, in this epistle to the Timothy, written before his death (about 63AD – 67AD):
2TIM 2:17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, 18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection* is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.
* the resurrection of the just (Luke 14:14)
Heresies come in with false apostles and/or teachers. These were straying from the truth and were spreading lies. A lie is from the father of lies, so a church needs the gift of discerning of spirits!
MORE RECENT APOSTLES
The Strong’s definition is: “a messenger, envoy, delegate, one commissioned by another to represent him in some way, ESPECIALLY A MAN [or women] SENT OUT BY JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF TO PREACH THE GOSPEL; an apostle.” (Emphasis mine)
This is the definition that we should use in this instance: “one sent on a mission”.
Cyril and Methodius (815-885AD) were Apostles to the Slavs. https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/missionaries/cyril-and-methodius.html
John Eliot (1604-1690AD) was considered an Apostle to Native Americans. https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/missionaries/john-eliot.html
Hudson Taylor (1832-1905AD) and Gladys Aylward (1902-1970AD), both missionaries to China, may have been apostles, sent-ones, but that term (other than the Twelve) wasn’t popular at that point in time in history.
I’ve met a man in India who is an apostle in India, not that he would call himself that. He was the lowest of the low in their caste system which would have meant that he would be a street-sweeper or some menial task. However, he was taken in by some missionaries when young. Now, he overseas two schools, an orphanage, churches, and various ministries to the poor. Praise God! He governed these particular ministries. He certainly was a visionary and an innovator!
PROPHETS
Prophets hear clearly from God about certain matters. Smith Wigglesworth (1859-1947AD), is a fairly recent prophet. This prophesy was given in 1939. We are beginning to see it!
David Wilkerson (1931-2011), former pastor and prophet of Times Square Church in New York City, gave this prophecy in 1986 about the last day revival:
“I see a plague coming on the world and the bars and church and government will shut down. The plague will hit New York City and shake it like it has never been shaken. The plague is going to force prayerless believers into radical prayer and into their Bibles and repentance will be the cry from the man of God in the pulpit. And out of it will come a third Great Awakening that will sweep America and the world.”
This was the corona virus plague (2020) that did shut down NYC! Revivals have been happening around the world since, though you don’t see too much on them on mainstream media.
Yet, many prophets don’t necessarily prophesy to events in the future but they see God’s purpose in a person’s life and then they speak to it, calling it forth.
SCRIPTURE VERSES
HEB 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
Jesus Our Messiah is the mightiest Prophet, the one spoken of in this passage of Scripture:
Deuteronomy 18:18: I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.
However, this verse has often been used to say that there are no prophets today. Yet, the Book of Acts clearly shows that there are prophets in the New Testament:
ACTS 11:27 And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch.
ACTS 13:1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
ACTS 15:32 Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words.
Also,
1COR 14:1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. 3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. 4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification. …. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets…. 39 Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues.
EDIFICATION
This same passage of Scripture also encourages the prophets or anyone speaking to the assembly of believers to always be mindful of building up the church.
1COR 14:26c Let all things be done for edification.
Whatever is done, it should be for the uplifting of the church. This is the LORD’s intent to change us to become more like HIm:
2 COR 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
So where will you spend ETERNITY? https://carolynannevenable.hearnow.com/eternity
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