Introduction 060725
Apostle - Greek scholars tell us that ‘Apostle’ means ‘sent one’ so Apostles are missional always extending the scope and reach of kingdom.
• Jesus was very apostolic, He was missional, always looking to extend kingdom. In Mark 6:7 we read Jesus sending out the twelve. In Luke 10:1 we read of Him sending out seventy-two and He leaves us with the great commission in Matthew 28 ‘Go and make disciples of all nations…
Prophet – maintains a faithfulness and loyalty to God. Guardians of the covenant relationship that God has with His people. They are passionate about living and having a morally consistent life. They are concerned about God’s holiness and call the people of God to holiness.
• Jesus fulfils all the requirement of a prophet in title , word and deed. The ultimate prophet who is the very word of God Himself.
Evangelist – Proclaims the good news at the core of Jesus’ message. They are storytellers concerned with bringing people to the cause of Christ Jesus. • Jesus Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
• Phillip the evangelist – In Acts 6 He was one of the Seven chosen to care for the poor of the Christian community in Jerusalem. He preached and performed miracles in Samaria and met and baptised an Ethiopian eunuch Acts 8, on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza
Shepherd – Develops healthy community and enriching relationships. Committed to nurturing spiritual maturity in people.
• Jesus in John 14:9,21 ‘Whoever has my commandments and keeps them…’
Teacher – Concerned with the passing on of wisdom and giving understanding. Giving simple understanding of the revelation that has come to the church through Jesus.
Matthew 7:29 teaching as one with authority… Mark 6:34 When He went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.
• Come back to the question: Which is the most important?
• In the way that the natural body cannot function when it is missing a vital organ, so too the church which is the body of Christ, cannot function or work in a healthy way if it is absent of any of the five grace gifts talked about in Ephesians 4
• Often Church has functioned on just 2no. gifts Shepherd & Teacher.
• That is not a healthy picture of church and that to be who God purposes us to be, we need all five at work in the body.
• God in His grace gives the gifts to the body not for personal edification, not to make you some super Christian, not to set you apart from everyone else but to v.12 ‘…equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.’
• Equipping the saints -You and I were never called to the stands but to be on the pitch, in the game.
• Paul in Ephesians 4 reminds us that the grace gifts mentioned in this chapter are for the purpose of equipping the saints…for what? for ministry.