| Chapter
13
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THE NINE MINISTRIES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Jesus Christ was perfect in ministry
and is an example to the Church in all of the nine ministries.
Jesus Christ is the perfect Apostle.
Hebrews
3:1
"Wherefore,
holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider
the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ
Jesus;"
He
is the perfect Prophet .
He
is the perfect Teacher.
He
is the perfect Shepherd.
He
is the perfect Evangelist.
All
members of the Church are built upon the Ministries
and they are built upon Jesus Christ.
1
Corinthians 3:11
"For
other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which
is Jesus Christ."
Ephesians
2:19-20
"Now
therefore ye are of the household of God;
And
are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;"
After
Jesus ascended into Heaven, the Holy Spirit assumed
the responsibility as Administrator of the Church and
appointed Christians, selected by Jesus for a specific
ministry.
Ephesians
4:11
"And
he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;"
The Ministries in the Church have two main functions:
To perfect
the Saints.
2.To build the Church.
Ephesians
4:12
"For
the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ:"
The
Ministries will finally bring about a Church that is
united, perfect and in the full stature of Christ.
The
ministries are the mortar > that keeps the
bricks together. They are the joints > that hold the members of the
Body of Christ together.
Ephesians 4:16
"From
whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted
by that which every joint supplieth."
These
Ministries hold the members together with two different
bands:
Love
Colossians
2:2
"That
their hearts might be comforted, being knit together
in love."
Peace.
Ephesians
4:3
"Endeavouring
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
These
nine Ministries are divided into two groups:
The Global
Church ministries are:
Apostles.
Prophets.
Evangelists.
Miracles.
Gifts
of healing.
These
Ministries are mobile and are used wherever they are
needed.
The local
Church ministries.
They
are:
Shepherds
(Elders).
Teachers.
Deacons.
Helps.
Administrations.
The
Ordination of Ministries:
All
ministries of the Church are selected and ordained by
the Holy Spirit. Church Leaders are directed by the
Holy Spirit to lay their hands in prayerful dedication
upon the ministry candidates, to ordain them.
Acts
13:2
"As
they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost
said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto
I have called them."
Let
us look at each of these nine Ministries:
Apostles:
The word Apostle, means "one sent forth".
It is also translated "messenger".
The
names of the first twelve Apostles are:
1.Peter.
2.Andrew.
3.James.
4.John.
5.Philip.
6.Bartholomew.
7.Thomas.
8.Matthew.
9.James.
10.
Lebbaeus.
11.
Simon.
12.
Judas.
Matthew
10:2-4
"Now
the names of the twelve apostles are these; Simon, who
is called Peter, Andrew his brother; James the son of
Zebedee, and John his brother;
Philip,
and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James
the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was
Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot."
After
Judas committed suicide Matthias took his place.
Acts
1:26
"And
they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon
Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles."
After
the day of Pentecost an additional twelve Apostles,
were appointed by the Holy Spirit, namely:
1. Paul -Acts13:4
2. Barnabas - Acts 14:14
3. Timothy - 1 Thessalonians 1:1
4. Titus - Titus 1:5
5. Silas - Acts 15:40
6. Adronicus - Romans 16:7
7. Junia - Romans 16:7
8. James - Galatians 1:18-19
9. Joses - Matthew 13:55
10.
Silvanus - 1 Thessalonians 1:1
11.
Judas - Jude 1
12.
Apaphroditus -Philippians 2:25
Since
that time, the Holy Spirit has appointed others into
this office, as He has deemed necessary.
Apostleship
was the highest office appointed in the church.
1
Corinthians 12:28
"And
God hath set some in the church, first apostles."
There
is no scriptural evidence of Apostolic succession.
No person has ever had the right to claim
the office of Apostleship or appoint Apostles. It is
a Divine appointment.
Acts
13:2
"As
they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost
said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto
I have called them."
There
have always been false Apostles.
2
Corinthians 11:13
"For
such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into the apostles of Christ."
It
is therefore necessary to test the claim of someone,
who say's that that they are an Apostle.
Revelation
2:2
"And
thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and
are not, and hast found them liars:"
There
are three things that prove Apostleship:
1. Godly character.
2. Signs that follow an Apostles ministry.
3. Mighty miracles that follow an Apostles ministry.
The
Apostles main task:
An
Apostles task is establish, organize and properly set
in order Churches.
Acts
14:23
"And
when they had ordained them elders in every church,
and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to
the Lord, on whom they believed."
An
Apostle is a "Master Builder."
1
Corinthians 3:10
"According
to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise
masterbuilder,
I
have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon."
This
was the seal of Apostleship.
1
Corinthians 9:2
"If
I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am
to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the
Lord."
There
are levels of Apostleship:
Some
Apostles have a higher office than others.
2
Corinthians 11:5
"For
I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest
apostles."
2
Corinthians 12:11
"For
in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles,"
There
are different areas of Apostleship:
Peter
was an Apostle to the Jews and Paul to the Gentiles.
Galatians
2:7-8
"But
contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision
was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision
was unto Peter:
For
he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship
of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward
the Gentiles:"
Apostles
worked together in teams:
Acts
8:14-15
"They
sent unto them Peter and John who when they were come
down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy
Ghost:"
2. The Prophet.
A
prophet is a person who speaks a word from God to man.
There
are three things we need to know about Prophets:
1.
Prophets stand before God:
1
Kings 17:1
"And
Elijah said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth,
before whom I stand."
2.
Prophets stand in the counsel of God:
Jeremiah
23:37
"Thus
shalt thou say to the prophet, what hath the LORD answered
thee? And, what hath the LORD spoken?"
3.
God shares His secrets with the Prophets:
Amos
3:7
"Surely
the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret
unto his servants the prophets."
There
are eight Prophets mentioned in the book of Acts:
1. Agabas - Acts 11:28
2. Barnabas - Acts 13:1
3. Simeon - Acts 13:1
4. Lucius - Acts 13:1
5. Manean - Acts 13:1
6. Paul - Acts 13:1
7. Judas - Acts 15:32
8. Silas - Acts 15:32
Prophets
of God have to meet certain conditions:
Jeremiah
15:16-19
"Thy
words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was
unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am
called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
I
sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced;
I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled
me with indignation.
Therefore
thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring
thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou
take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be
as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not
thou unto them."
These
conditions are:
1. They must be called of God.
2. They must love and enjoy being Gods mouthpiece.
3. They must be dedicated to God for service:
4. They must be willing to stand alone in doing Gods task.
5. They must believe and passionately give Gods message.
There
is a distinct difference between the Office of Prophet
and Gift of Prophecy:
a.
Only some are called to the Office of a Prophet.
Ephesians
4:11
"And
he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets;"
b.
All Christians may exercise the Gift of Prophecy.
1
Corinthians 14:31
"For
ye may all prophesy one by one."
The
members of the Church may judge their message.
1
Corinthians 14:29
"Let
the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge."
Prophets
are beneficial in three ways:
a.
Prophets can predict future events and warn Gods people
about impending danger:
Acts
11:28
"And
there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified
by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout
all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius
Caesar."
b.
Prophets edify the Church.
1
Corinthians 14:3-4
"But
he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification,
and exhortation, and comfort.
He
that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself;
but he that prophesieth edifieth the church."
c.
Prophets may minister to unbelievers.
1
Corinthians 14:24
"But
if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth
not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is
judged of all:"
3. The Evangelist.
The
word Evangelist means - "one who proclaims Good News".
It
is a noun and is only mentioned three times in the Bible.
However
the word "evangelize" > is mentioned fifty times in
the Bible and means to do the work of proclaiming the
Gospel which is Good News.
The
task of the Evangelist is to preach salvation, introducing
people to their savior the Lord Jesus Christ.
Those
saved need to be water baptized and receive the Gift
of the Holy Spirit.
Acts
2:38
"Then
Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized every
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Evangelism
can be to one person or many people:
The
Ministry of Phillip the Evangelist is described in Acts
8:4-40.
Part
of this scripture shows Phillip ministering to crowds
of people at Samaria. Thousands were saved, baptized
and filled with the Holy Spirit. It also shows Phillip
reaching out to one person, the Eunuch in the Desert
and how he was saved and baptized.
An
Evangelist Ministry is always attested:
When
people receive healings, miracles and deliverance the
ministry of an Evangelist is attested.
Evangelists
are commanded by Paul to make full proof of their Ministry.
2
Timothy 4:5
But
watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the
work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
Evangelists
minister from place to place:
Acts
8:5, 40
"Then
Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached
Christ unto them.
But
Philip was found at Azotus: passing through he preached
in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea."
The
ministry of an Evangelist is directed at lost souls:
This
ministry is not to Christians. It is to unconverted
Souls. It is to create and build local Churches.
4. The Teacher.
A
Teacher is a Christian who is called to understand the
doctrines of scripture and teach them to others.
There
are two areas of teaching:
a.
Teaching Christians on a national or international scale.
These
teaching Ministries are often linked with >Apostles
and Prophets.
Acts
13:1
"Now
there were in the church that was at Antioch certain
prophets and teachers;"
1
Corinthians 3:6
"I
have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase."
Apollos
was an expositor of the Bible and where the Apostle
Paul ministered, Apollos followed with a teaching ministry.
Acts
18:24-28
"And
a certain Jew named Apollos >, born at Alexandria,
an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures,
>came to Ephesus.
This
man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being
fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently
the things of the Lord.
And
when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren
wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who,
when he was come, helped them much which had believed
through grace:
For
he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly,
shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ."
b.
Teaching Members of a local Church.
1
Timothy 5:17
"Let
the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double
honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine."
2
Timothy 2:2
"And
the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses,
the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able
to teach others also."
5. The Shepherd.
The
word Shepherd is derived from the Greek word "Poimen"
and means "Pastor".
Another word used for a Shepherd is Elder and its Greek word is "Presbyteros
".
These
Elders are always referred to in the plural:
There
was more than one Elder in each local Church and one
of these Elders was recognized as the "Overseer", derived
from the Greek word "Episkopos" which means the Head
Elder.
1
Peter 5:1
"The
elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an
elder."
Here
Peter refers to his office as Overseer of a local Church.
Shepherds
care for Gods Flock:
The
local Church is the flock and the Shepherds have the
responsibility of caring for Gods Children in the local
Church.
They
do this in three ways:
1. Taking oversight of them.
2. Feeding and taking care of them.
3. Being brave and protecting them.
Here
are other scriptures that refer to the work of a Shepherd:
John
10:1-28
Psalm
23
Ezekiel
34:1-6
When
do Shepherds assume responsibility?
The
moment a local Church is set in order by an Apostle.
Elders are ordained and appointed to take oversight.
Without an Elder, a Church is incomplete.
The
qualifications of a Shepherd:
Paul
outlines the qualifications of an Elder:
1
Timothy 3:1-7
"This
is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop,
he desireth a good work.
A
bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife,
vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality,
apt to teach;
Not
given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre;
but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
One
that ruleth well his own house, having his children
in subjection with all gravity;
For
if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall
he take care of the church of God?
Not
a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into
the condemnation of the devil.
Moreover
he must have a good report of them which are without;
lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."
An
Elder must be:
1. Blameless.
2. The Husband of one wife.
3. Vigilant.
4. Of good behavior.
5. Just.
6. Holy.
7. Temperate in all things.
8. Given to hospitality.
9. Faithful to the Word of God.
10. Able to teach sound Doctrine.
11. Sober, not consuming alcohol.
12. Gentle.
13. Free of a love for money and covetousness.
14. An effective Ruler of their home.
15. Proven and not a novice.
16. Respected in the Community.
17.
One who associates with good people.
6. The Deacon.
It
is a great honor to be appointed as a Deacon.
It
is described as attaining a Good Degree.
1
Timothy 3:13
"For
they that have used the office of a deacon, well purchase
to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ
Jesus."
Deacons
were appointed by Apostles as the need arose for their
specific type of Ministry, in a local church.
Acts
6:1-6
"There
arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews,
because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
Then
the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto
them, and said; It is not reason that we should leave
the word of God, and serve tables.
Wherefore,
brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest
report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may
appoint over this business.
But
we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to
the ministry of the word.
And
the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose
Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost,
and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and
Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
Whom
they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed,
they laid their hands on them."
A
Deacons task:
A
Deacons task is to assist the Apostles in practical
matters of daily administration and the material needs
of church members.
Their
appointment:
After
being selected by a local Church, they are appointed
by the Apostles.
The twelve qualifications of Deacons:
1. To be of honest report.
2. To be full of the Holy Spirit.
3. To be full of wisdom.
4. To be grave. (Dignified)
5. To be sober not using alcohol.
6. Not to love money.
7. To be strong of faith.
8. To be pure of conscience.
9. To be blameless.
10. To be a husband of
one wife.
11. To rule their home
effectively.
12. Deacons wives must
have the same qualifications.
1 Timothy 3:8-12
"Likewise
must the deacons be grave, not double tongued, not given
to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; Holding the
mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
And
let these also first be proved; then let them use the
office of a deacon, being found blameless.
Even
so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober,
faithful in all things.
Let
the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their
children and their own houses well."
7. Miracles.
1
Corinthians 12:28
"And
God hath set some in the church ... miracles."
There are those members of the Church
that the Holy Spirit selects and endues with a special
ministry of Miracles. They demonstrate the resurrection
power of Jesus Christ.
8. Gifts of Healing.
1
Corinthians 12:28
"And
God hath set some in the church ... gifts of healings."
There
are specific gifts of healing directed at any of the
thirty-nine different categories of sickness.
These
Gifts bring healing to Christians and lost souls.
9. Helps.
The
Greek word used here for helps is "Kubernosis".
It
means "a Shipmaster" or those who steer a ship.
Help
Ministries in the local church, keep it functioning
correctly and moving it in the right direction.
The
highest form of these Help Ministries can best be described
as Governments or Administrations.
1
Corinthians 12:28
"And
God hath set some in the church helps."
There
are different kinds of helps:
1
Corinthians 14:26
"How
is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one
of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue,
hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things
be done unto edifying."
These
are seven different kinds of helpers in the Church:
Romans
12:6-8
"Having
then gifts differing according to the grace that is
given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according
to the proportion of faith;
Or
ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that
teacheth, on teaching;
Or
he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let
him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence;
he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
Christians
may help by doing the following:
1. They speak the Word.
2. Do tasks to help others.
3. Teach others.
4. Encourage others.
5. Are financial givers.
6. Are leaders.
7. Show mercy.
Every Ministry from the least to the greatest, plays a vital role in the success
of the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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