KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 4:8, 11 “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,pastors and teachers;”

The pastor is a shepherd He is a shepherd of the flock of God.

Our Lord Jesus is the chief shepherd. We would just do well to learn from him. In Matt 9:36, the Lord said”But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them,because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd”.This is the heart of a Pastor. He was moved with the need they had. He was not considering what they would give to Him.     

 The Lord Jesus said the following about the good shepherd in John 10:11″I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep”.This virtue is the great line separating good shepherds from ordinary shepherds and hirelings. The Lord said the good Shepherd lays his life down for his sheep. The word is sacrifice. Sacrifice means willingly giving out something dear, expensive or costly.

The Lord also talked about the hireling, the man who is working for his pay or what he would earn. The Lord said   in  John 10:12 “But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep”. This man or pastor is separated from the sheep. He is not ready to lose anything for the sheep. What concerns him is that which would satisfy him.There are so many such pastors these days.

The Lord taught in John 17:19,that he sanctifies Himself that the sheep may be sanctified. This is the principle of like gives birth to like or teaching by setting the right example.Most children take after their father or parents. Pastor, don’t live secretly in sin and think you can produce holy children. It does not work that way.                                                                                         

  The Lord also taught that when the blind leads the blind they all get lost. The pastor must search the scriptures to feed himself first and then feed the flock of God as well.

     PRAYER.                              

    Heavenly father, I pray for all pastors.Give them the heart of the good shepherd. Bring great transformations to the body of Christ, through the effective roles of all pastors.     

 FURTHER STUDIES.

John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine”.

Matthew 15:14 “Let them alone:they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: .Ephesians 4:8, 11 ” Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,pastors and teachers.”

 Pastors are indeed one of the commonest ministerial gifts that one may find around. Anytime a man or a woman completes bible school, he or she is called a Pastor. Are pastors made from the Bible schools? Is pastor a name or title given to young men and woman who have a zeal for God?

The challenge of getting the men and women as pastors’ act rightly to an appreciable degree is made probable when you have systems that has been put in place to monitor the activities of such people… In the event that a man or woman start gathering people with no external supervision, then the tendency for excesses becomes very great.

To be a pastor is a divine call.Those who appoint people into this office must allow the Holy Spirit to give them an insight into the condition of heart of the individuals they seek to appoint as pastors. Individuals who also decide to gather people for meetings must do so not based on any selfish motives. It is rather unfortunate to hear scandal after scandal about persons who call themselves pastors. The following lamentation from Apostle Paul depicts what I am talking about and the ultimate effect on the lives of such people. Philippians 3:18-19  ( For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ :

 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

The bible gives us standard qualifications that pastors must have..1 Timothy 3:1 “This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work”. This verse says. It is a good thing for a person to desire to be a pastor. Pastors,shepherd people using God’s word to instruct and help them grow in their faith to become matured Christians. It is a good thing for any man to desire to play the role of a pastor. The scripture gives us certain qualifications that pastors must have. (1st Timothy 3:2–7)

These qualifications are as follows:

1. Blameless

2.  Husband of One wife.

3   Vigilant 

 4.   Sober

 5.  Of good behavior

 6.  Given to hospitality

7.  Able to teach

8. Not given to wine.

 9. Not a striker or a brawler.

10. Not greedy about money.

11. A patient man or woman.

12. Not a covetous character.                              

 13. Able to rule his house well.   

14. Not a novice.    

15.   Has a good report from those outside. (For an in depth study into this topic, please get my book titled: Biblical Qualifications of a Pastor)  

    PRAYER                                                                                               

 Heavenly Father, I pray for all pastors especially the very young ones in ministry. May your grace strengthen them to play their roles as pastors more effectively and overcome the deceptions and schemes of the evil one.   

   FURTHER STUDIES.  

Jeremiah 3:15 “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding”.John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 4:8, 11 ” Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,pastors and teachers;”

 The next ministerial gift or office to consider is the EVANGELIST. Every Christian is called to be an evangelist.  We are all commissioned by the Lord to go to all the world and make. Disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19&20)

 In spite of the fact that we are all to do the work of an evangelist, God through His special grace appoints certain individuals, either male or females to be evangelists.

The evangelist is a proclaimer of the gospel. This is the main reason for his or her calling. His message is about the love and forgiveness of God, and calls on men to accept His salvation.There are some evangelist who are revivalists for the body of Christ although their prime calling is to call men unto salvation

 An evangelist is a gift from God. No one goes to a bible school to become an evangelist, yet through one’s dedication to God in prayer and holiness, the Holy Spirit may appoint an individual to become an evangelist. It is by divine appointment for God normally confirms this calling with certain unique gifts of the Holy Ghost. The power gifts, which comprises, gift of faith, gift of working of miracles and the gifts of healing are the gifts of the Spirit that is seen in the ministry of an evangelist. Other gifts like the word of knowledge and the gift of discerning  of spirits can also manifest in an evangelist. Please note; the Holy Spirit may choose to manifest these gifts yet one’s dedication to God in prayer, fasting and holiness is very paramount in allowing the Holy Spirit to manifest these gifts. Miracle signs and wonders has a special role in publicizing the gospel. Evangelist T L Osborn could not convince the Indians to accept the gospel when he went there as a missionary because there was no miraculous signs to proof the authenticity of his message. He later encountered the resurrected Lord Jesus, through fasting and prayer and the miracles started. Multitudes now started going to his meetings.  

 The Lord may call you into the office of an evangelist,yet it would be up to you to wait on the Lord in prayer and fasting to activate the power in you.               .

      PRAYER 

Heavenly Father may you stir up the hearts of your children, to arise in power of the Spirit with signs and wonders following as they share the message about the Love of God.

 FURTHER STUDIES

2 Timothy 4:5 “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry”..Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint”.

KEY SCRIPTURE Ephesians 4:8, 11 ” Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some, apostles; and some,prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;”

As we consider these ministerial gifts I wish to state that women are also keenly involved. In the office of the prophets, there are a number of women across the bible who were prophetesses. I am putting this across, because a number of people have resisted the place or the role of women being in the front line to do God’s work.

 Shall we go through the bible and consider some of the women who were prophetesses..

 Exodus 15:20 “And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances”. As a prophetess she exercised, some level of authority over some of the people.

The next one is Deborah. She was a judge in Israel. Judges 4:4 “And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. “In those days judges carried so much authority.They were like kings.

2 Kings 22:14 ” So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her”.

 Isaiah 8:3 “And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz”.This woman was Isaiah’s wife

In the New Testament was Anna.Let’s see what the scriptures talked about her. Luke 2:36 “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity”;

Please let us note that God is not a respecter of persons. Anyone who would purge himself or herself from sin and dedicate himself or herself unto God would be a vessel meet for the master’s use. The bible described Anna as a woman who married for only seven years and the husband died. From then she lived in the temple fasting day and night for eighty four years.(Luke 2::37)If a person dedicates herself this way won’t the Lord  visit her and tell her secrets that other men may not know?

 God’s dealings with people is not according to gender but purely on the basis of one’s dedication. Acts 10:34, 35

PRAYER

Lord I pray, that every child of God will set him or herself apart unto you so that you could likewise use them for whatever you intend to.

FURTHER STUDIES

Luke 2:37  “And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day”.

2 Timothy 2:21 ” If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour,sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 4:8, 11 ” Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;”

We continue with our study on the ministerial gifts. Please understand that the Bible said “and he gave some apostles, some prophets …..” The scripture teaches that the Holy Ghost gave gifts to certain men and women that made them function in certain unique offices,as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Although these people received supernatural gifts to function in these offices, they themselves became gifts unto the body of Christ.

 These ministerial gifts are stewards of the mysteries of the gospel 1 Corinthians 4:1” Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God”. As a steward of the mysteries of God, he or she is to serve the rest of the body of Christ with the gift given to him or her. (1st Corinthians.4:1)

The next ministerial gift to look at is the prophet. The prophet is the second in rank to the apostle. This office is not entered into by an election or one’s decision to become. It is the sole prerogative of the Holy Spirit to appoint someone into this office. Every prophet must function in all the revelational gifts, which includes, word of wisdom, word of knowledge and discernment of spirit. Some of the prophets may have all the power gifts. No prophet operates in all the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. Any man who operates in all nine gifts of the Holy Spirit ceases to be a prophet but an apostle.

   The prophet in the Old Testament is called a seer (1st Samuel 9:9).The prophet has the ability to know into the past as well as seeing what is yet to happen in the future.  

Many people are fascinated about the ministry of the prophet .They want to know what the future holds. They therefore put a lot of pressure on these prophets to give them messages concerning the future. A person with such an attitude becomes dependent on the prophet. If there is any selfish tendencies in the prophet, he would easily manipulate you to be taking monies unduly from you. Everyone ought to learn to live by the word of God.

 The prophetic office is such an important office if he or she functions well. He or she is a great blessing to the body of Christ and even the nation as a whole. Whenever the church or nation is getting out of touch with God, it is the prophet who normally tells the mind of God to the people.     .

A prophet should be very bold since some of the messages about certain individuals are very difficult to talk about. They must also be very prayerful to be very sensitive to the voice of the Spirit. A prophet must not allow the love of money to influence him. He should be careful about extorting money from his audience. May the Lord help every true prophet of God.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father I pray for all true prophets of God to be faithful to their calling and resist various temptations that come their way.

FURTHER STUDIES

1 Kings 22:26-27  “And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son;  And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace”.

1 Kings 17:1 “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 4:8, 11 ” Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;”

In 1st Corinthians 12, we learnt about the nine a supernatural gifts of the Holy Ghost. We see in our key scripture another kind of gift. This time it is ministerial gifts.

A ministerial gift is a man or woman, who is divinely endued with abilities to function as an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor and a teacher. Each office has its unique supernatural gifts that go with it.

 The Bible says such men are gifts to the body of Christ that is the church. We would consider the office of an apostle into detail.

An apostle ranks first in the order of authority and impact of operation. The word apostle means one who has been sent with full power of attorney to act on behalf of another.   He is sent to act on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Ghost. An apostle is not called by man or made by man. No one also makes himself or herself an apostle. It is purely divinely appointed Galatians 1:1  Paul,an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)He is sent to do a work for the Lord and therefore must be fully submitted and subjected to the Lord Jesus.

Some people also claim there are no apostles in our times, and rather it ended with the apostles in the bible.God still raises apostles in our days. The apostle is different from the other four offices because he has the ability to function fully in any of the other offices. This is the reason the apostle is ranked first in the ministerial offices and not the prophet. Any person,whether a man or woman with an apostolic calling has the ability, the authority and the anointing to raise up a church without any outside help. He could also stay there establish a school and send them forth to go and play various roles in the body of Christ. He can also set up a governing board for the church.Titus 1:5 “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee”:

In our day the title apostle has become common with one not having the gifts and divine authority that go with it. 2 Corinthians 12:12 ” Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds”.

I pray the church of God would be circumspect in the way we go about giving these titles or appointing ourselves into such offices.

   PRAYER

I pray that in these last days the Spirit of God would raise more men and women with an apostolic grace to speedup the end time work of the church of God, in Jesus name I have prayed.

FURTHER STUDIES

Acts 4:33 ” And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all”.

Acts 9:27. “But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 12:2.  Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.

We continue with our study on the counterfeiting of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The gift of healing is one gift that Satan has counterfeited so much. The danger with this one is that anyone who seeks healing from a false or demonic healer is contaminated with the devil or demons. Sicknesses can be very distressing so anyone in a desperate condition is tempted to go anywhere that promises relief.

We see a lot of these demonic healers all over. They even advertise their activities both on print an audio-visual media. They put up their posters and signboards throughout the nation. Many people including some Christians patronise these healers. I wish to state that there are a number of herbal medicine practitioners that have no relationship with any occult (hidden) powers. They have studied the practice and use them without any rituals to heal. Christians, don’t seek healing from fetishes or Mallams. These are clear demonic agents, who would get you filled with demons.

I read about a cult in the Philippines that perform surgery without a knife. They do surgery without any incisions on the body, with just their fingers. These healers have been patronised by swarms of people from England, Canada, Australia, the United States of America and many others who travel to the Philippines for treatment.

There is a story of a brother of a medical Doctor who claims his gallstones were removed without any incisions made, nor leaving any scar. When this doctor asked his brother for an X-ray examination, the results showed that the gallstones were still there.

Most of these demonic healing cults only deceive their patrons. There are cases of people who go with a kind of condition, I will call it  problem A,only to find out that problem A is no more there but he now has problem B. The truth is that they do not give permanent and lasting healing Jesus heals excellently. There are countless cases of both terminal and demonic diseases that have been completely wiped away by the power of God.  Medical reports always prove the condition is gone. A pregnant woman who was healed from ovarian cyst in one of our meetings was confirmed healed and is still well. God performs it totally.

    PRAYER

Father, I pray for all Christians to know and trust you when suffering from some ailment so they would not visit fetish and occultist homes for help.

FURTHER STUDIES:

2 Chronicles 16:12 ” And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians”.

1 John 4:1.”  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Exodus 7:12 ” For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods”.

Every child of God must be very much aware that the devil always seeks to counterfeit the gifts of God. He does this to confuse men about the power of God and that of the devil.

In our key scripture Satan through king Pharaoh of Egypt caused his magicians to work a miracle to challenge God’s power and hardened the heart of the king. In this instance Moses’ rod which had become a serpent swallowed that of the magicians of Egypt.God would always overpower the devil if only Christians would stand for him.

The following story illustrate how the devil counterfeits God’s power.

A village in Java a town in Israelis dominated by mostly Christians. The following story explains how it happened so.

Some years ago a young Dutch Christian lady missionary came to that village preaching about Jesus and his power to save. A witch doctor confronted her, telling her to leave the place because both of them could not live on that land together. He explained that he works miracles there and she can’t also come and talk about miracles. This lady missionary said she was not going anywhere. The witch doctor said they should go into a contest to prove who was more powerful implying the winner takes over.

They announced this contest to the neighborhood, whilst this witch doctor fasted for three days and the lady missionary did her normal activities of preaching in the village. On the fateful day the villagers gathered, whiles the two people met in the arena. The witch doctor asked the lady to act first to prove how powerful her God was, but she declined and asked the man to go ahead. This witch doctor lay on the floor and instantly began to rise like a log of wood lifting itself from the floor.He got to about a knee high and remained there.

The lady did not know what to do.She asked the Lord and He told her to go push him down with her foot and cast the devil out of him. She did exactly that. The demons in him came out and the man came to his normal senses asking where he was?  He had been filled with the demons for so long a time that he had lost touch with the real world. This man accepted Jesus with the whole village.

All the miracles he did were demonic Satan is still using his agents to counterfeit the miracles of God and many are deceived. The lady needed courage to stop him. We have to also stop these people canvassing for people to come for money rituals etc. Christians have the true power and must be bold to confront these people with the gospel and the power of God.

   PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I pray for boldness for all Christians to arise and boldly preach the gospel stop these witch doctors deceiving many.

FURTHER STUDIES:

Acts 13:9-11.  Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, And said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?  And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.

Acts 8:9. But there was a certain man, called Simon, which before time in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:    

KEY SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 11:13 ” For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ”.

As much as we learn and talk about the gifts of the Holy Spirit we ought to be aware of the devil counterfeiting these gifts.

Our key scripture tells us clearly that, there are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. These false apostles abound in our times. In deed there are many genuine prophets in our times, yet there are quite a lot who are messengers of the devil.

The gift of the word of wisdom that is to know what would happen in the future is one of the gifts that these false prophets may counterfeit. The Bible tells us to test every spirit; 1st John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone into the world”. I believe the scripture is very emphatic about this. Try every spirit. How do we try them?

1. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart with the still small voice or let the peace of God check the things you are hearing and seeing. (Colossians 3:15)

2. You shall also know them by their fruits: Matthew 7:20: Check out for these signs: Do they exalt themselves? Are their moral life anything to be inspired about? How do they speak about their fellow ministers?

3. If his or her prophecy does not come to pass he is not speaking by the Spirit of God.  There are some who would rightly call out people’s names and give word of knowledge about them yet the predictions they make about the future does not come to pass.

4. Any prophet or man of God, who makes merchandise of the gospel by charging certain amounts before praying for the needy is very questionable. 1 Corinthians 9:18,   what is my reward then? “Verily that,when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel”.

5. Any prophet or man of God who tells you to buy certain objects to be used to pray or perform certain oblations (offerings) is questionable

Please note; the Lord Jesus offered His blood to make an eternal redemption for us and no more offerings for our sins. (Hebrews 9:12).  May we be careful lest we are deceived by the cunning deceptions of the devil and his agents.

 PRAYER

O heavenly Father, open our eyes of understanding so we would know the tricks and schemes of the devil and his agents.

FURTHER STUDIES.

2 Corinthians 11:15.  “Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

Matthew 7:20. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them

KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 12:10. To another the working of miracles …”

We now consider the gift of the working of miracles as the last of the supernatural gifts to look at. It is also the last but not the least of the power gifts for us to consider.

The working of miracles is always linked up to the gift of faith. In actual fact the gift of working of miracles is a product of the gift of faith.

Miracles are the intervention of the supernatural God in the affairs of men. Miracles are the normal happening of the supernatural, and faith is always the trigger for the supernatural to manifest. Galatians 3:5 “He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith”.

Miracles always publicized the gospel. Everywhere in the world, even among the atheist, people would throng wherever miracles are occurring. Acts 8:6 “And people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did”. Every church and every pastor must desire and pray for the manifestations of the miraculous. It always brings Christianity alive.

When the gift of working of miracles is in operation, it does impossible things. By this gift, the dead is brought to life again, short people are made taller, and even some people can have certain organs which has been removed medically from their bodies restored.

Miracles are always wrought by doing something in line with the word. When Lazarus was in the grave, the Lord began declaring he would rise up again. John 11:23 “Jesus said unto her,thy brother shall rise again”. Inspire of all the statements of unbelief that went on around Him, Jesus kept assuring them that they only needed to believe and they would see the glory of God. Faith for miracles persist even in the midst of contrary situations. The Lord asked them to role away the Stone.This was the climax of the acts of faith leading to the miracle. (John 11:39).At that instant they were unbelieving, yet he kept declaring that if they were to believe they would definitely see the glory of God.. The stone was rolled away and then he finally commanded the dead man to rise up. You cannot see miracles if you do not put actions to your faith. Miracles are always worked out.

Do you want to see a miracle in any area of your life, start acting or working it out by your faith.  As your faith goes into operation miracles would be the result.

  PRAYER

Thank you heavenly Father for the revelation of your word. I pray that the Holy Spirit would stir the hearts of all believers to desire and also take actions to see the manifestation of these gifts in their lives and respective ministries.

FURTHER STUDIES.

John 2:5. His mother saith unto the servants, whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

Acts 3:7.  And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.