QUALIFICATIONS OF A DEACON

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KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Timothy 3:8 ” Likewise must the deacons be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;”

We would consider the qualifications of a deacon in detail. 1st Timothy 3:8-9 reads “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.”

Acts Chapter 6 introduces the basic qualifications of the deacon. Act 6:3 KJV 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. To be full of the Holy Spirit means one is controllèd by the Holy Spirit. The full dominance of the Holy Spirit is the one who enables the Christian to manifest all the Christian virtue.

The deacon must be grave. This means they should act honourably or be honest in all their dealings. They should be men and women of strong conviction about the importance of leading an upright life.

The next virtue is that they must not be double-tongued. This means they must say the same thing at all times. They should not call a thing ‘.A’ today in the presence of Mr. D and at another time in the presence of Mr. F he says it is B. This is not a trustworthy individual. It is the character trait of a serpent. He must always speak the truth. The tendency to say the truth at all times is what makes one to be trusted.

The third qualification is that they must not be given too much wine. In the qualifications of a bishop or an Elder, the Bible said he must not be given to wine. The qualifications of a bishop or pastor are no different from that of a deacon. It therefore holds that the deacon must likewise not be given to wine. In Leviticus 10:9 the Jewish minister was not to take wine in the service of God. Why should it then be any more proper for a Christian minister to drink wine than for a Jewish priest to stay away? Shall a minister of the gospel be less holy than the Jewish minister? Wine is addictive and I will always advise Christians to stay away from it.

The next was that he should not be greedy of filthy lucre. He should not be greedy about money. The deacons, by their functions, are the ones who normally handle church monies, and therefore, it is just right that they are people who are not greedy about money. Judas, one of the disciples of our Lord Jesus, betrayed his master because of his greed for money.

He must also hold the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. This means he must be sincere about the teachings of the bible. 2nd Corinthians 4:2 informs us that the Apostle Paul renounced all hidden things of dishonesty and, as a result, did not walk in craftiness.

PRAYER

Father, I pray for all deacons who serve in your house. May they be committed to you and discharge their roles to honour your name in Jesus’ name I have prayed.

FURTHER STUDIES.

2 Corinthians 4:2 ” But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God”.

1 Timothy 3:10. “And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless”.

THE DEACON

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KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Timothy 3:8 ” Likewise must the deacons be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;”

We continue looking at other services in the house of God. We consider deacons in this study. A deacon is defined as one who executes the command of another. Another meaning for a deacon is a servant or an attendant. Please note that no role played by anyone makes one more important or superior to another. For the sake of effective functioning and order in the body of Christ, God has instituted levels of honour. Each person must serve God and the people of God in humility and fear for God and love for God’s children.

In the book of Acts of the Apostles, chapter 6, there arose some controversies among the brethren concerning the sharing of food. The apostles decided that they would maintain their role in ministering the word of God and prayer, while others were to be chosen who would man the affairs of the food. (Acts 6:1-10). These men were the first deacons of the church.

In 1st Timothy 3:8-12 apostle, Paul made a list of the qualifications of a deacon. They were not very different from that of the elder or pastor. These qualifications talked about the character of the individual. I do not see any of the supernatural gifts being said here. Many people are very fascinated by the gifts of the Holy Spirit without taking time to let the fruit of the Spirit bear in their lives. Please note this; in every kind of service in the house of God, the pure or real servants are those who manifest or bear the fruit of the Spirit. There are cases of those who live sinful lives, yet the gifts manifest in their lives. If you are such a one, do not take that as God’s approval for your wrong ways. God, out of love for his children would allow the gift to manifest so his children who may be praying for healing would be healed, and those who need direction may receive a word of wisdom and have that direction they need.

Remember the story of Moses in Numbers 20:8. The Lord God asked Moses to speak to the rock, to give out water so the Lord’s name would be sanctified. Moses out of anger hit the rock. He did the wrong thing, yet water came. The Lord said to Him in Numbers 12:12 that because he did not obey His instruction, he would not go to the Promised Land.

Good godly character is the only criterion to have an acceptable ministry or service before the Lord. May every servant in God’s house take heed to these things.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I pray for all servants in your house, especially the deacons. May they understand your ways and yield themselves to you to serve you uprightly with no selfish motives.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Galatians 5:22-23 ” But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law”.

1 Timothy 3:11 ” Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things”.

MINISTERIAL GIFTS: THE TEACHER 2

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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”;

Great teachers are those who diligently search for the truth and practice what they teach. Ezra 7:10 reads “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach in Israel, statutes and judgements”. Somebody said talking is cheap. It is giving substance to what one says that gives the hearers something to hold and go by.

Ezra was a scribe (Ezra 7:6). This means he was a recorder of the biblical truths from Moses’ times. Ezra 7:10 says he prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it and then teach it. The order is SEEK, DO, and TEACH. This should be the practice of every teacher of the Bible.

Our Lord Jesus is the greatest teacher of all times. He gave great insight into the word of God and also demonstrated what He taught. He culminated it by offering His body on the cross for all humanity. Please look at the following scripture from the Easy English Bible. James 3:1 “My Christian brothers not many of you should be teachers. God will judge everybody. But at that time he will demand more from teachers than he will demand from other people”. This is a very serious message to all who teach. The Lord is only telling teachers to do as they teach or say.

Ezra’s decision and action is what every teacher must do. Ezra prepared his heart. It is a heart preparation culminating in a decision to be obedient. Many people pray, asking the Lord to make them obey the scriptures. Well, this is one of the deceptions of the enemy. God would put His word in your heart. He may even stir your emotions, but decisions and actions are the sole responsibility of an individual. This is the reason God holds us accountable for our actions. “The decision always rests with us”.

Actions are always a result of conviction. One may hold information, a thought, or an idea, yet he or she may not be fully convicted about it. Conviction comes by persuasion. Persuasion is a product of continual reflection or meditation. It is very necessary that every teacher of the word takes time to meditate or reflect on what he or she may be studying as well as what he or she teaches. This would enable him to be a doer of what he teaches.

PRAYER

Father, once again, I pray for every teacher of your word. May the Holy Spirit stir in them a desire to know you personally and to yield totally to your word and ways.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Matthew 7:24-25. “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock”.

James 1:25. “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed”.

MINISTERIAL GIFTS: THE TEACHER

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 4:8, 11 “Wherefore he saith, when he ascended 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 studies on the ministerial offices. This time, we look at the teacher. In all these discussions, I have tried to make it clear that none of these ministerial gifts is made in a classroom. The scripture said “He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men, and he gave some pastors and teachers. All these offices are divine gifts. Nobody makes himself one. Your availability and devotion to God would allow Him to place that gift on you.

Although none of these gifts is made in the classroom, schooling greatly polishes the gifts of God. One’s ability to present these truths clearly and understandably is all because of the training he obtained from school. Schooling, therefore, is very necessary, yet it is not schooling that makes anyone either an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, or a teacher.

A teacher happens to be placed at the tail end of the ministerial gifts, yet it is in no way the least. Please note this, a false teacher is more dangerous than a false prophet.

A prophet may deceive a person or group of people, while a wrong teacher will destroy generations. The teachings of Jehovah Witnesses about the Holy Spirit, blood transfusion, and the deity of our Lord Jesus have influenced and affected generations of people. Dying people have refused blood transfusions because of their teachings. Many of them died as a result of that.

Teaching is programming an individual or a group of people to think, and act in a particular way. It is a very important gift or office that God gives to men.

The Bible is the teaching material. Every teacher of the bible must know the scriptures exceedingly well. He must read the Bible very well. 2nd Timothy 2:15 says “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a Workman that need not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth”. The word study is not just telling you to read the scriptures. It is the Greek word “Spoudazo” and it means to be diligent, make haste, and exert one’s self. The teacher must be diligent in searching for the truths of the scripture. Many Bible teachers realise that after they have studied the scripture, the Holy Spirit keeps expounding on them even when they are not in their study times. The teacher receives a divine insight into the scriptures as the Spirit compares scripture with scripture.

Does the teacher function in any of the nine supernatural gifts of the Spirit? Yes, he may function in any of the gifts of the Spirit as he avails himself to the Lord in dedication and prayer. A diligent life of prayer is the simplest means for the Spirit to function freely in an individual. The teacher must communicate enough grace that would break satanic powers that hold the minds of people bound.

PRAYER

I pray for all teachers of the word of God to gain more insight into the word of God to bring out truths that would affect our world and the lives of many.

FURTHER STUDIES.
Ezra 7:10 “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.”

1 Timothy 1:7” Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

MINISTERIAL GIFT: THE PASTOR 2

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 4:8, 11 “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended 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 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 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 pastor cares for the sheep by feeding them with the word, guides them through wise counsel, and protects them spiritually as he prays and intercedes for them.

The Lord taught in John 17:19 that he sanctifies Himself that the sheep may be sanctified. This is the principle of like begetting 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.

 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

MINISTERIAL GIFTS: THE PASTOR

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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 most common 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 Bible schools? Is Pastor a name or title given to young men and women who have a zeal for God?

The idea that anyone who completes bible school is called a pastor gives our communities a large number of such people. The truth is that many such people have not been called into the office of a pastor.
This also comes along with many who are not ready for the high demands of the pastoral office.
The challenge of getting men and women as pastors to act rightly to an appreciable degree is made possible when certain right systems are in place to monitor the activities of such people. If a man or woman starts gathering people with no external supervision, it gives the tendency for excesses. Brethren who desire to raise a people for God must strictly submit their lives to the proper biblical standards. It is always wise for them to submit their lives and ministry to the supervision of other senior brethren who have a proven track record in the ministry.

To be a pastor is a divine call. Those who appoint people to this office must allow the Holy Spirit to give them an insight into the condition of the 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.)

Who is a pastor? The word pastor in the ancient Greek language is ‘poimen’. This means herdsman or a shepherd. As a shepherd, the pastor feeds cares, protects, and guides the sheep.
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 mature 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. They should be Blameless
  2. They should be a Husband of One wife.

3 They should be vigilant

  1. The pastor should be Sober
  2. Must be of good behaviour
  3. He should be given to hospitality
  4. The pastor must be able to teach
  5. He should not be given to wine.
  6. Not a striker or a brawler.
  7. He should not be greedy for money.
  8. A patient man or woman.
  9. He should not be a covetous character.
  10. Able to rule his house well.
  11. He should not be a novice.
  12. 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”.

MINISTERIAL GIFTS: THE GIFT OF THE EVANGELIST

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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)

Even though we are all to do the work of an evangelist, God, through His special grace, appoints certain individuals, either male or female, 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. Some evangelists are revivalists for the body of Christ, although their prime calling is to call men to 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 that normally confirms this calling with certain unique gifts of the Holy Ghost. The power gifts, which comprise a gift of faith, the gift of working miracles and the gifts of healing are the gifts of the Spirit that are seen in the ministry of an evangelist. Other gifts like the word of knowledge and the gift of discerning spirits can also manifest in an evangelist. Please note; that 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. Miracles signs and wonders have 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 were no miraculous signs to prove 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 the 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”.

MINISTERIAL GIFTS: PROPHETESSES IN THE BIBLE

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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, several women across the bible were prophetesses. I am putting this across because several people have resisted the place or the role of women 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 said 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 a 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 met for the master’s use. The Bible described Anna as a woman who married for only seven years, and her 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 are purely based on one’s dedication (Acts 10:34, 35). The male gender is indeed God’s first choice, yet God would accept the woman who avails herself to seek the Lord. At the resurrection story of Jesus, Peter and John with Mary Magdalene went to seek Jesus but these two gentlemen left when the angel told them Jesus had resurrected. Mary did not go but tarried there. The Lord appeared to her and asked her to give a message to the rest of the disciples. John 20:18 KJV ” Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.” Mary acted at this moment as a prophetess.” She was the available vessel for the master’s use

PRAYER

Lord, I pray that every child of God will set him or herself apart unto you so that you can 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”

MINISTERIAL GIFTS: GIFT OF THE PROPHET

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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 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 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 to this office. Every prophet must function in all the revelational gifts, which include, 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 can know into the past as well as see what is yet to happen in the future.

Many people are fascinated by 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 are any selfish tendencies in the prophet, he would easily manipulate you to be taking money 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 the 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.”

MINISTERIAL GIFTS: THE APOSTLE

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 4:8,11 ” 8‘ Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 11‘ 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 supernatural gifts of the Holy Ghost. We see in our key scripture another kind of gift. This time, it is ministerial gifts or ministerial offices.

A ministerial gift is a man or woman who is divinely endowed with the ability to function as an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, or a teacher to build the church of God. Each office has the 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 in detail. The Bible states clearly the purpose of these ministerial gifts:
Eph 4:12 KJV For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

An apostle ranks first in the order of authority and impact of operation among the ministerial offices. The word apostle means one 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 work for the Lord and therefore must be fully submitted and subjected to the Lord Jesus. An apostle normally functions in all of the nine supernatural gifts of the Spirit

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 why 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 a church without any outside help. He could also stay there to 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”:

Today, 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 to such offices. All things must be done well to gain the right impact in the body of Christ.

PRAYER

I pray that in these last days, the Spirit of God would raise more men and women with an apostolic grace to speed up 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”.

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