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HELEN SANDERS
7-1-2022
IS THE FIVEFOLD MINISTRY FOR TODAY?
I was raised in church, but there was not much teaching from the pulpit when I was young. There were a lot of political sermons, but as far as teaching the word of God, there was a lot lacking. There was never an altar call, and the need for salvation was never talked about. They taught that you were either predestined to go to heaven or predestined to go to hell.
I left church for a few years after getting married, but when I had my second child, I decided my children needed Sunday School and I started going back to church. They had a new pastor, and when he preached things were different. It was as if I were walking with Jesus when he delivered his message. I knew something was different with him and learned that he was Spirit-filled. He believed in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I moved away from Michigan when I was in my twenties, but years later on a visit back to my hometown, I talked with him about spiritual things. I figured he would have the answers. He directed me to many books about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He would not pray with me to receive it when I talked with him. He told me to read several books and then decide if this is what I wanted from the Lord. He used wisdom, and I will be eternally grateful for this. oly Spirit, and other things that I had asked
Growing up, I had heard of Evangelists because Billy Graham was all over the television. He was very highly respected in most all circles. But I had never heard of Prophets or Apostles, or Biblical Teachers other than what I read in the Old Testament. I had no idea that they were for today.
As I read the books this pastor led me to and studied the scriptures on my own, Holy Spirit guided me into the truth that I longed to know. He directed me to Ephesians chapter 4. There I learned about these five gifts that were given by Jesus to the Church. Now, I was a growing Christian, but the church I went to in Florida said that these gifts had passed away when the last of the twelve apostles died. It didn’t make sense, but when I studied Ephesians 4, I realized that the pastor of the church I was going to taught doctrine that was contrary to sound doctrine.
In Ephesians 4:12-14 it establishes why these five gifts were given. It says, “For the perfecting (equipping) of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying (building up) of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man (maturity), unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight (tricks) of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”
These five gifts were given by Jesus to the church to: 1. Equip or perfect the saints to do the work of the ministry. 2. To edify or build up the body of Christ. 3. To bring the body of Christ into unity. 4. To be able to know who the Son of God is.
When I learned this, I realized how far the “body of Christ” was from unity. I realized that the body of Christ (saints) were not being taught how to minister. For the most part, most Christians were taught that it was the Pastor’s job to minister. They had not been taught that to minister means to serve. Then, they were given to help us understand and have a personal relationship with the Son of God through acknowledging his divinity and our need for salvation. This was missing also. I determined that the five gifts; Apostle, Prophet, Evangelists, Pastors, and teachers were still necessary in the church, the body of Christ, because without them we cannot mature the way that God wants us to.
So, are these gifts for today? Absolutely. We need them today more than ever to bring us into unity for our soon coming Lord and Savior that is coming for his bride, his church that is to have no spot or blemish.
If your church or denomination does not believe these gifts are for today, then you are not receiving the full instruction/equipping that God wants you to have. I pray that you find a place to worship that recognizes each of these gifts so that you can be equipped, you can grow, and become all that God intended you to be.
I made the change, and I will never thank God enough for those that encouraged me to “want more” than a mediocre walk with God in my life.
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