The Five-Fold Ministry

Introduction: A Misunderstood Verse

Today I want to speak on one verse from Ephesians -- Ephesians 4:11. This is a verse that I believe a lot of people are using in a wrong manner. There are many people calling themselves apostles and prophets, and I want to show you that this scripture is actually the opposite of that.

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." -- Ephesians 4:11

The first thing I want to mention is this: you do not find anywhere in scripture where it gives the characteristics of an apostle, or the characteristics of a prophet, or an evangelist, or a pastor, or a teacher. It doesn't say that a pastor must be this and this, or that a teacher must be this and this. It does not say any of those things.

Church Leadership in Scripture

But when you go to Timothy and Titus, you see that churches are led by overseers and deacons, and then you have elders. You have overseers who must be men of excellent character, who are able to teach the scriptures. Then you have deacons who serve, and they also have to be of excellent character. And then you have elders in the church -- both men and women -- the women too must be able to teach the younger women, and their character is to be exemplary, to be an example to others.

We have a clear definition of the character of an overseer, of deacons, and of elders in the church. But we don't have anything like that concerning these five ministries. The reason for that is because these five ministries are contained within the other ministries -- they are fulfilled through overseers and deacons and within the church.

A Warning About False Apostles

There are many people calling themselves apostles and claiming to do great miracles, and a lot of them are preaching a false prosperity gospel -- a gospel that offers you everything: health, wealth, and happiness. But Jesus said, "If you suffer with me, you shall also reign with me," and that the trial of our faith is more precious than gold. Going through the trial is a wonderful thing when you see Christ changing us into the image of Jesus.

These prosperity preachers will come and offer you everything. They'll prophesy over you and what have you. But Paul warns us about these people:

"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 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." -- 2 Corinthians 11:13-15

We are warned about false apostles within the church. Now, we are being programmed in the church that you must never say anything critical about anyone in leadership -- but that isn't what the Bible says. The Bible says that we are to judge according to the scriptures. We are to watch, and we are to be careful, because there are false apostles and false prophets and false teachers that Satan uses to lead the church in the wrong direction.

The Apostolic Ministry: Doctrine, Not Government

When it comes to the apostles in the early church -- because of course there were apostles in the early church -- we see that in Acts 2:42 the believers gave themselves continually to the apostles' doctrine. The apostles were teaching doctrine. In actual fact, they were still discovering doctrine. They knew the message of salvation, but they didn't understand everything that Jesus had done for us. It was a process.

We see this in Acts 10, when Peter goes to the house of Cornelius. He doesn't want to go in, but the Lord says, "Don't call that unclean which I have cleansed." Peter is shocked because he sees that the same Holy Spirit that came upon them on the Day of Pentecost now comes upon these Gentile believers. Suddenly they see that the door is open with this gospel -- not just to the Jews, but to the Gentiles.

Then comes the question: what's the message to these Gentiles? Do they have to keep the law? There were people saying they must be circumcised. But the apostles meet together -- Paul comes down with Barnabas and they have a council in Jerusalem in Acts 15. That council was not concerning the government of the church; it was concerning the doctrine of the church -- what were they going to go and teach.

The apostles' primary objective was doctrine and teaching, not the government of the church. They would go and plant churches, but then they would put overseers within that church who would govern it -- overseers and deacons who would take care of the church.

Paul's Revelation and the One Gospel

Paul talks about this in Galatians 1:11-12, how he didn't receive his gospel from man. It wasn't something that was just given to him from a man. He said he received this by direct revelation -- the Lord was showing him the extent of this finished work of Jesus Christ.

Paul comes with this wonderful teaching of justification by faith in Christ alone. And Paul says that if anyone comes -- even if there's an angel from heaven -- and preaches a different gospel, let them be anathema, let them be damned. Because there is one gospel, and that gospel is that Jesus Christ has done everything for us.

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." -- Galatians 2:20

Paul is coming with this wonderful doctrine: it's Christ in us, the hope of glory. Christ living in me. I have the life of Christ in me -- not so that I can have health, wealth, and happiness, but so that I can be holy and righteous and walk in truth, knowing that I'm in right relationship with Jesus because He died for me, took my sin upon Himself, and I have new life in Him. That is the apostolic doctrine.

Timothy: An Apostolic Ministry Without the Title

Paul traveled with Timothy -- a young man -- and what was Timothy doing? He was learning the apostolic doctrine. So when Timothy was there as a leader in the church in Ephesus, he spoke as an apostle. I don't read in the Bible anywhere where it talks about "the Apostle Timothy," but he was speaking as an apostle because he had been with Paul. Paul said, "Don't worry about being young" -- Timothy had a message. Paul had trained him, Paul had equipped him, and now he went there with the same message Paul had: justification by faith alone.

The apostolic doctrine was in the mouth of Timothy, but I don't see anywhere that calls him an apostle. He had the ministry of an apostle because it had been passed down to him. That's how the ministry of the apostle is passed down to us through them -- so that I can speak as an apostle because I have the apostles' doctrine in the scripture.

If someone comes along with some new revelation, I can stand up and say, "No, I have the apostles' doctrine. And if anyone preaches any other gospel than this gospel, let them be eternally damned." That's what Paul said. There is no new revelation. If you have new revelation, it is false revelation. We have the revelation in the scriptures -- it has been brought to us through the apostles.

The Ministry of a Prophet: Proclaiming, Not Directing

When it comes to prophets, I see people going around with directive prophecy. I don't see that in the New Testament. There was Agabus, and Agabus said there would be a famine -- but he didn't tell them what to do. They decided that themselves. They said, "They're going to be in trouble in Jerusalem," so they went and took supplies to the church there because they knew through this prophetic word that there would be a famine. The prophet informed them; he did not direct them.

It was the same when Paul was going to Jerusalem. Agabus comes and takes Paul's belt and binds his hands and feet and says, "This is what's going to be done to the man whose belt this is." That was the word. Then others said, "Paul, don't go." And Paul says, "Why do you weep and try to break my heart? I'm ready not just to go but also to die." The Holy Spirit was telling Paul what was going to happen -- not telling him what he should do. Paul could work that out for himself.

In the book of Numbers, chapter 11, we have this wonderful story of when the Holy Spirit comes upon seventy elders and they prophesy. Two of them are among the people, prophesying among them. A young man runs and tells Joshua, and Joshua is all upset because he thinks this is an attack on Moses's leadership. But Moses says, "Are you concerned about me? Oh, that all of God's people were prophets, and that the Lord would pour out His Spirit upon them!"

What kind of prophets were they? They were proclaiming the word of the Lord -- talking about the goodness of God, the wonder of God, the nature and character of God, how great God is, and the wondrous things He had done and was doing. A prophet is a person who proclaims the word of God. We can think of a prophet more as a preacher than anything else.

Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers: Ministries, Not Titles

Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5, "Do the work of an evangelist." Did that mean Timothy could go and make a newsletter and put "Evangelist Timothy" on it? No! It's a ministry within the body of Christ. He was to preach the word -- be instant in season and out of season. Preach when people want to hear; preach when they don't want to hear. Preach heaven, but also preach hell. Preach life, but also preach judgment. Preach the whole word of God -- not just a fanciful, ear-tickling message. Do the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.

We do call Philip "the Evangelist" when he preached in Acts 8, and later when Paul sees him. But I think that's not a title -- they're saying, "You remember, earlier on he was the one that evangelized in Samaria, the one that went and spoke to the Ethiopian eunuch." That's Philip the Evangelist -- it's not a title you put before his name and blow him up as some great man of God. He was a man who loved Jesus, the same as all of us, and he was a man who fulfilled his ministry.

When you come to pastors, I don't see anywhere in scripture where it says a pastor is a person who leads the church. Churches are led by overseers and deacons -- you can read about it in 1 Timothy chapter 3. But the ministry of pastors was fulfilled within the office of overseers.

We see this when Paul is on his way to Jerusalem and stops at Miletus. The overseers from the church in Ephesus come and meet with Paul:

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock." -- Acts 20:28-29

Paul tells them to guard themselves and guard the flock -- and to feed them. Feed them with what? Feed them with the word of God. That's pastoral ministry: guarding and feeding. They were pastors, but they were overseers in the church. The pastoral ministry was happening within the office of the overseer.

And with teachers as well -- Paul says to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2, "Go and teach faithful men who will be able to teach others also." Not men that someone's come along and said have some special anointing. Paul was telling Timothy he should teach faithful men -- men of good character, who were faithful, full of faith, full of love -- who would be able to teach others the scriptures. They became teachers. But do you give them all titles? No! They were simply fulfilling the ministry of teaching within the body of Christ.

Conclusion: Ministries Within the Body

That is how it is with all the five-fold ministries. They are fulfilled within the body of Christ. Now that we have the apostolic teaching, which has been passed down from the apostles and we have it in the scripture, I am not interested in anything other than the sixty-six books of the Bible. I'm only interested in living in the New Testament.

Many of these preachers who call themselves apostles love to live in the Old Testament, because in the Old Testament you had the big preacher -- you had the Elijah, you had the Elisha. But in the New Testament, it says that the Lord has poured out His Spirit upon all the believers. Now we are one body in Christ, and it is the body that functions. We build ourselves up in Christ as a body together, and that is the wonderful ministry of the church.

These ministries in Ephesians 4:11 are taking place within the ministry of the overseer and the deacon and the elders. They are happening within the church. They are not titles that people should take and apply to themselves.

May the Lord bless you, and I hope to see you for the next Bible study. God bless you. Amen.