For many of us, when it comes to identifying and describing the gifts the Lord has given to the Church for leadership, we can identify most all of them, but we can only identify some of them. In fact, for many of us, there are unanswered questions that arise when dealing with two of the Leadership Gifts that we have traditionally known very little about or even talked about. Those Leadership Gifts are that of an Apostle and Prophet. Questions like: What are these gifts? What are they for? What describes their ministry? Is it still for today? What do they do? How will I know them if I meet them? This lesson is dedicated to trying to help us answer these and perhaps even more questions about the “Forgotten Leaders---Apostles and Prophets.
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, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until 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. NIV
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. NLT
I. CHURCH LEADERS.
a. Ephesians 4 informs us that the Lord has given to the Christian Body (the Church) 5-gifts for leadership.
i. They are commonly referred to as:
1. The “Ministry Leadership Gifts”
2. The “5-Fold Ministry Gifts”
ii. However, since all member of Christ’s Church are given gifts and since all members use those gifts for ministry, then a better title of these gifts might be… “The 5-fold Church Leadership Gifts.”
II. THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE LEADERSHIP GIFTS.
a. They are listed here in our texts as:
i. Apostles
ii. Prophets
iii. Evangelists
iv. Pastors
v. Teachers
b. Is there an “order” to the listing from the Apostle Paul?
i. We will answer this question after the lesson material.
III. THE CHURCH LEADERSHIP GIFTS DEFINED.
a. Evangelist: Is a specialized office and gifting where one is given the anointing to proclaim to those who are non-believers, the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Most Evangelists are “sent out” from a local congregation to reach the unsaved. Even though we all are commissioned to “preach” (proclaim) the gospel, and we all are commissioned to be “witnesses” to the truth of Jesus Christ, the gifting of an evangelist is a specialized office/calling/gifting.
b. Pastor: The Pastors, also known as “Bishops” and “Elders” are those who have been called and gifted to “disciple” and develop the Christian converts who have been saved through the ministry of those sent i.e. the Evangelists or the Church Body witnessing and proclaiming the truth of Jesus. The Pastor mirrors the O.T. and N.T. image of a Shepherd. They watch over the “flock” of Christ, guiding, leading, instructing, feeding, watering, and protecting them from “wolves” (in this sense, false teachers and teaching). They finish their task by leading them to “green pastures and still waters,” mimicking the Chief Shepherd, Jesus.
c. Teacher: Are those specifically called and anointed by God with in-depth knowledge of the Word of God and the Kingdom of God. They acquire that knowledge through a love of studying the Word of God and listening to His Spirit. They “deepen” and “develop” the Body of Believers in a church in the truths of God, His Spirit, and His Kingdom. They work in conjunction with the Pastors, and most all Pastors, also have the gift of teaching.
IV. THE “FORGOTTEN” CHURCH LEADERSHIP GIFTS.
a. Apostle:
i. The word “apostle” comes from the Greek word: apostolos which literally means “the sent one,” and refers to any messenger appointed and sent on a special mission.
1. Paul sent designated individuals that he sent to Corinth as “messengers” which literally meant, Apostles of the churches.
ii. So, the general meaning of apostle in the New Testament included people who had been commissioned and sent by local churches as missionaries, or sent with other special responsibilities (Acts 14:4, 14 and Romans 16:7)
iii. Professor French Arrington identifies the General meaning of Apostles in the following manner:
“They were believers whom God used in a powerful and effective way. As a result, they demonstrated remarkable spiritual leadership. They were anointed by the Spirit to confront directly the powers of Satan and darkness, and to confirm the gospel with mighty signs and wonders. They were also dedicated to establishing churches. They traveled extensively, preaching Jesus as Lord and risking their lives for the sake of His name (Acts 11:21-26; 13:50; 14:19-22; 15:25-26).
i. We will discuss two ways in which the term “Apostle” is used in the Scripture.
1. First, is the “Restrictive Sense” which includes a “specialized aspect of foundation ministry for the Church of Jesus Christ.
2. We are referring to the twelve Disciples of Jesus who were also designated as the Twelve Apostles.
a. Their designation of Apostle was in a specialized sense- Luke 9:10.
b. Luke 9 gives us a greater detailed look at the specialized calling of the 12.
c. First, they were given authority and commissioned by Jesus to proclaim the presence of the Kingdom of God and to cast out demons and to heal the sick. Vss. 1-2
d. Second, they served as direct representatives of Jesus, a function shared by others. (Luke 10:1, 17)
e. They were chosen from a larger group of disciples (Luke 6:12-16)
f. By the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the 12 formed a special group.
g. God gave them charismatic gifts, and they were recognized as having special ministry and a place of leadership. (Acts 1:20, 25, 26)
h. A major task of the 12 was the preaching of the Word of God, accompanied by signs and wonders.
i. The focal point of their preaching was their “eye-witness” account and telling of the resurrection of Jesus. (Acts 1:22)
ii. There were specific requirements given to these original 12 in the replacement of Judas who betrayed the Lord. They were:
3. The man must have been a traveling companion of Jesus throughout His earthly ministry.
4. He must have seen Jesus after His resurrection, the essential qualification (Acts 1:21-22).
iii. Matthias became the replacement for Judas, but after that no one replaced any of the 12. They passed away because of martyrdom and natural death.
5. They were, therefore, a limited group and had a special ministry in preaching, teaching and establishing churches, as well as baptizing converts and proclaiming Christ’s Resurrection.
6. They then had a vital role in laying the foundation of the Christian church. (Luke 9:1-2, Mark 3:14-15, and Acts 8:14-15 and 15:2)
7. Many were used by God to author the New Testament, which became the Scriptural “bedrock” of this new Body of Christ called the Church!
8. It is important to note that Paul never identified himself as one of the Twelve, but he insisted that he was an apostle.
a. Paul’s apostleship was supported by the fact that like the original 12, he had received a direct, divine calling from God and had seen the Lord.
b. However, there were other indicators that he was an apostle:
i. His success in preaching the good news of God’s saving love.
ii. His founding of churches
iii. The signs and wonders that verified his ministry.
1. See: Romans 15:18-19 and II Corinthians 12:11-12.
iv. The second aspect of the gift of Apostle, is a more “General sense.”
9. French Arrington, in His book: “Encountering the Holy Spirit” said this about the more General sense of the gift of Apostle:
“God set in the church apostles, prophets and teachers (1 Corinthians 12:28). These leaders and others received Spirit-given authority. Probably the most distinctive feature of the apostles is that they traveled---preaching, establishing churches and building up the body of Christ. Their ministry was not just to the local churches, but also to the church-at-large. In this broad sense, the ministry of the apostle continues today, especially the aspects of itinerant preaching and the establishing of churches. God still equips people for apostolic ministry.”
1. Bible scholar Arnold Bittlinger says this about the gift of the apostle: “The New Testament nowhere suggests that the apostolic ministry was intended only for the first-generation Christians. On the contrary, we constantly encounter people in church history whom we designate as apostles.”
Conclusion:
One of the vital missing elements of the Christian church today is the recognition, instruction, validation and support of the Spiritual-gift of the apostle. Without this gift in full operation, the body of Christ has suffered. We have suffered seemingly endless divisions and schisms, which have worked together to weaken our body, and our influence. Even in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles, we have been uncomfortable or reluctant to fully recognize, endorse and support the ministry gifting of the apostle, and henceforth, we have suffered this vital leadership element that we so desperately need. Now, a word of warning: Some have taken great delight in identifying themselves as an apostle. Pick up any copy of Charisma magazine and you will see people frequently using the term “apostle” as a title for themselves. For many of them, they use it as a title of significance and importance. However, those who are genuinely “called” and gifted to be apostles are not concerned with titles and recognition. They are about “service” to the body of Christ, bringing honor to Jesus, establishing and advancing the Kingdom of God, strengthening the Church and bringing about a genuine revival to Christ’s Bride, His Church!
Thank God that the gift and office of apostles are beginning to be recognized again, and their very important service seen as being absolutely necessary to the Body of Christ, especially as we prepare for the soon return of the Lord! To all the apostles out there who are reading this, be they male or female, Humble and consecrate yourselves wholly to God, serve the Lord and establish and strengthen His Church! To the denominational leadership who may be reading this article, endorse and promote the office of the apostle, Biblically define and identify their role, find a place within your movements for the office of the apostle, and God will dramatically build and support your churches!
God bless you!
Rev. Steve Gardner
NOTE: I have put this article in the format of a lesson. Please feel free to duplicate this and pass it out for the purpose of teaching. However, I do ask that you identify me as the author and this blog as the source on any and all of the copies, handouts or any reproductions of paper or electronic that you may use. Thank you and God bless you!
