Made in the Fire Ministries

Who are you serving? I mean we all serve somebody, right? You may say that I only serve myself. In all actuality that statement there indicates that you’re serving Satan. Consider these words “4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:4

To serve yourself is to serve Satan, in which there’s a blindness that results in wandering around and filling your appetites with all manner of this world’s delicacies. We cannot serve two masters. How many bosses do you really have? It’s hard enough trying to please one, but can you imagine multiple bosses? It sounds a lot like slavery to me. Consider Jesus’ words:

24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 — Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

Matthew 6:24-34

I want to hone in on verse 33, I added the context here to clarify the title of this blog post. Verse 24 Jesus talks about two masters, God and mammon. Mammon is the ‘god’ of materialism, possessions, riches, and the like, and then you have the Kingdom of God. Think about this you work your 9-5 to only spend for the things you want and need to only have to do it all over again week after week. Where’s the real satisfaction in all of this? Sure, you may have a few good days here and there, but it’s not lasting, and it’s not fulfilling.!

I know, because I have been in the retail industry over 36 years. However, if we seek God’s Kingdom and his righteousness, all “these” things will be free given to you. That’s right, you don’t have to work a hard and laborious job to scratch your way in this life! So, what’s the difference?

Mammon is a god. God IS God. Two distinct persons here. Both have their Kingdoms as well. Jesus here in this dialogue spells it out. What’s interesting about Jesus’ stance is that he is urging people to consider God’s Kingdom and not mammon’s. Why? One leads to freedom, and the other leads to bondage.

So, what is the Kingdom of God? Is it a place? Where is it at? The Kingdom of God is anywhere God is at. If you received Jesus as your Lord and savior, then the Kingdom of God is within you! (Luke 17:21). So how do these scriptures fit into my needs being met? God made deposits within you giving you gifts to have. (Eph. 4:1-7). More specifically, these gifts are spiritual abilities enabling you to serve God and help your fellow neighbor.

Alongside with the tithe, when you begin to examine what gifts God has given you and allow God to develop them, as you use them, you are being employed by God seeking (striving to look for) God’s Kingdom. His righteousness is adopting God’s holy standard for right living and conduct. Now’s the interesting part.

So, if you have done parts one and two, part three is next: all these things will be given to you. Just like David said in Psalms 23, “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life… ” In short, everything you need for a fulfilling and satisfying life are within you. Like any gift, you have to only open it up, read the instructions, and enjoy.

So, I’m going to ask again, which God are you going to serve?

The title is somewhat of an oxymoron in that these are the grace gifts of Christ given to the Church at large, but in institutionalized Christianity, they are big-time at odds against each other! I dare you to go up to any Pastor of any denomination and ask him or her what they think about an apostle. Go one step further and ask 50 or more and do the research yourself, I bet you’ll be shocked!

The time is coming where God had called the Pastor forward at the beginning of the second reformation that started with martin Luther, notice I put had as past tense. The time is coming where the Pastor will take the rightful place of caring and nurturing the Church, an idea that centuries gone by had scoffed at! Today’s Pastoral model is writhed with leaders burning the candle at both ends wondering where their next breakthrough is coming from, and they wonder why the weight of the world is all upon their shoulders.

This is partly due to the fact that for the last 60 odd years or so, the rest of the “team” had been living in obscurity and been shunned by the Church at large. However, times have changed, and God has called a shift in the Church’s paradigm leadership structure. Imagine if the Church has a team in place allowing for each member to flow and function within the gifting, gracing, and anointing level given them? It’d be a game changer, wouldn’t it? Please feel free to pass this info along to the poor and weary soul who is about to quit because they are completely burnt out.

Church, the time is now when the Spirit of God is hovering over the deep in your life and is beckoning you to follow Christ at all costs which means a complete surrender! We have been preparing and have had time to prepare for almost a decade or more! it’s now time to play ball!

I had been in ministry since 1997, but in 2013 in October, I remember the Lord tell me “It’s time to prepare yourself for ministry”. I was confused. I asked the Lord what do you mean? He went on to say, “things in your life are about to shift.” Less than 3 months later, they did. My back broke and I had to depend on God like never before. And 18 months later, God led me out of the ministry I had been serving for 18 years! Talk about walking by faith!

That year was 2015 and probably the most prophetic year of my life to date! All of my life had led me to that moment. I have been unpacking that moment now 8 years. I now see what the Lord meant. I said all that to say this: preparation time is not wasted time! But all that preparation has led you to now, it’s game time.

A full circle (Acts 1:11) moment is in effect and the mystery of jubilee is in full play which means the jubilee was always centered around the Messiah, consequently, Acts 1:11 was when Jesus was taken up, he will also come back soon. Prophetically, soon is typically referring to a 2,000-year span of time. Mathematically, Jesus was taken up AD 30 roughly, which puts us around 2030! This is all hypothetical in nature, and I never claim to know when Jesus will return so, please do not read what is not here! All I am saying is Jesus is soon to return so it is in all our best interest to be preparing ourselves and doing our part to prepare the world for Jesus “soon” arrival called the rapture.

Jesus said, “and he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.” Luke 19:13 There is so much work still yet to be done. What kind of work? Good question.

1. Occupy – To be doing, to be busy, occupied, to do business, to trade or traffic
2. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Matthew 24:14
3. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
4. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
5. 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:18-20
6. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
7. 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
8. 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:
9. 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
10. 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
11. 16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
12. Ephesians 4:11-16

This is not an exhaustive list, but I think you have an idea we still have so much more work to be done. If this blog has blessed you, would you consider sowing a seed of any amount to help me spread the good news of Jesus? How do you sow? Right here, follow the link and may the Lord richly bless you!

What kind of title is this? It’s the kind of title that makes a statement, a sort of pause and reflect moment. We have been hitting the religious spirit on several levels but now want to turn our attention to the solution and end of the rebellion. What am I talking about? Teamwork.

Imagine of a team mindset where you do not have a “boss” but rather a leader who is just as accountable to God as you. Imagine being amongst co-laborers instead of co-workers. Imagine that each individual of this team is just as valuable and important as the next AND there are no little “I”s and NO little “U”s! Imagine a well-oiled organism bent on serving Jesus AND reaching the lost through the giftings, talents, and callings of each believer.

Well, I am here to declare to you, such a mechanism exists, and it’s called the Church! What we have seen through time and history is only snippets, bits and pieces here and there of this grandiose body of believers that here shortly, the Holy Spirit will begin to unite on levels that of the book of Acts and greater. As God revealed to me about the Book of Acts, that scenario is a type and shadow of things to come.

The work God did through the Old Covenant till then was to lay a foundation for that “test run”. It worked so well that for 300 years the Church expanded everywhere! Now, take a reformed Church (now) and give it the power that God intended from the very beginning and what you have is an entity ready to harvest the souls of this world and give this world a witness they will never forget, and this my friend is just the beginning.

This realization became and came about one revelation after another over decades. So where are we at with things? Good question. From my perspective and experience, God is giving the Church a much needed chiropractic alignment. Meaning, God has called the apostles to the front then the prophets, we are yet to see the teachers come to the level that they will begin to work with the apostle and prophet according to 1 Cor. 12:28.

And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers,

1 Corinthians 12:28

Apostles are first, in the Greek is proton, meaning first in rank, in order, first in time.

Prophets are set second and in Greek it means to set secondarily in time, rank, order. It also means a second time implying they work along side the apostle as ‘foundation’ layers.

Teacher are set third and in Greek it means third in rank, time, and order. It also implies a third time as a set of times for example you call a person a first, second, and then a third time as a set of calls. This set are the agents used in laying the foundation of Jesus Christ in a believer’s life.

I didn’t even go deep with it, but saw some stuff here I never saw before, lol. This team can actually become an eldership tending to the local flock of God, however, I am of the impression God wants all 5 of them as the team model because Eph. 4:13,15 speaks about all the gifts of Christ working together building up the body as unto a perfect man, and to grow up the body so that we mature in Christ in all things pertaining to Christ.

Now you can see that we have so much work to do, but I do have some good news for you, I believe the Holy Spirit will accelerate this process exponentially once we grasp what He is doing right now in the Church. This means we get focused on what he gave us, get trained and placed and sent out reproducing after our own kind. Once this takes place, it’s game on. (This is just a hunch I’ve had my take on the Scriptures and study)

To conclude, prophetically, we do not have much time left on this Earth as we know so it behooves us to get the eye of the tiger kind of focused and put our hand to the plough and get to work. By the guaging of things, I do not believe there is a point where we can actually say no to where God will wait on us. I believe as God told me several years ago “all hands on deck” and he means what he said.

Till the next time! God bless.

If you have been following this thread for any length of time, you’ll pick up fairly quickly that there is a set sequence approach I am taking. It did not begin this way, however, the Lord got a hold of me and this is the direction we are taking. Last post we talked a bit about team work and the previous post we talked a bit about the Apostolic versus Pastoral. And what I mean here by versus is not an attempt to pit one against the other, no way Jose!

I am speaking in reference to Pastoral from around 1517AD to current and the reformation of the Church back to its Apostolic roots in Christ. With that said, we will be talking about the teams that surround each grace gift and how the structure was and is.

Let’s dive right in.

The “Pastor Only” model did not start out that way, but just like with time, things change and evolve into what they are today. Disclaimer: I love the Church and in no means bashing her in any way. I have over time witness and recognize some areas in which an alignment is sorely needed so the Church can function as intended by Christ.

The second reformation started by the famous German monk Martin Luther certainly sparked much frantic speculation, debate, and much doubt, but all truth be told, was the single most important catalyst needed to spark a revolution around the person and nature of Jesus. As we see in history, such sparks spawned people like Zwingly, Calvin, The Anabaptists, The English Reformation, John Knox and Scotland all of this in the 16th century alone!

Exploring Church History [1] Is an excellent resource for further study of this subject. From here the Chruch continued development of Pastors as primary leader was soon recognized. The ensuing giftings recognized that revolved around the Pastor was teacher, missionary, deacon, giving, mercy, and helps. History has taught us that this combination although incomplete, was a very powerful force to be reckoned with. They are, of course, Christ’s after all.

Now we turn our attention to the Apostolic Team. It first started with Jesus as Apostle and High Priest (Heb. 3:1). Knowing his time on Earth was shorter than most, he chose 12 more to take the same gift as a means of spiritual reproduction so the work could continue on. After Jesus’ death and ascension, Acts 2-7 show some much needed organization.

I call the book of Acts the “core” book because it primarily dealt with the grace gift of apostle and the role the gift would play in the role of the Church. Next, we see 1 Cor. 12:28 establishing the inner circle if you will of the ‘team’ that God would use to build the foundation of Christ in the believer’s life. Going back to Acts 6, we see another paradigm shift of the leadership structure. We see the introduction of the helps and government ministry arise.

The idea here was as growth continued; the helps ministry was given in order to help the Apostles fulfill the great commission. Next, we see in Eph. 4:11-16 the nature by which the 5-Fold ministry exists. It is best summed up like this: The 5-Fold ministry is the mantle of Jesus divided amongst 5 unique graces in order to see the full expression of Jesus in the Church.

Lastly, the gifts of the Holy Spirit can be seen in 1 Cor. 12, 14 with chapter 13 focusing on the main purposes of these gifts. Check out this graphic below:

Gifts of the Father – Rom.12:3-8.

Gifts of the Son – Eph. 4:11.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit – 1 Cor. 12, 14.

A side note is that the gifts of the Father are not offices but are part of the helps and government ministry set in the Church to facilitate a flowing pattern of love and good works. They can be added to as leadership sees fit and as needs arise. This text is proof in and of itself. The body as one are many members, thus as needs arise, so doesn’t this much needed gift of the Father. Thank you Dad! LOL.

Until next time, thank you for tuning in and following these topics and teachings. Please do not forget to drop a comment in the box below, and if this has blessed you, would you consider sow a seed in any amount the lord may place in your heart? All funds go directly into the work of the Lord and are greatly appreciated.

[1] Eckman, James P. 2002. Exploring Church History. Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

Ephesians 4:11-13

And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

1 Corinthians 12:28

And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord:

22 In whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:20-22

We can go home on this right here. The word is and will forever be enough, sadly, the word is not rightly interpreted(handled), and is not rightly applied in terms of full obedience to it. Now, I am not here to tell you everyone has it all wrong and I’m the only one who has it right, nope, cults do that, I am here to share a perspective in terms of seeing the word in a different way.

I am all about debating so long as we can agree to a few basic rules but that will be a talk for another day. Today we are delving into the Apostle. The Lord asked me years ago what I thought an apostle was. I had no clue, never seen one and couldn’t recognize one if I saw them. Little did I know then that Jesus wasn’t really asking me what I thought, more or less it was an invitation.

The scriptures I posted above share an acute insight to the role of an apostle and tagging along on what we’ve already been discussing previously, this will be an attempt to go deeper. This may also be a part 1, we will see.

The work God is doing now is calling forth an adjustment, a re-alignment of the body of Christ in order for her to function correctly as intended by the Lord. If you are wondering what kind of adjustment I am talking about, in my podcast, I am breaking all that down in some very heavy detail, so please go here to check that out.

As you can see in the scriptures above, the apostle is first and for good reason. Apostle: “The Lord chose the term apóstoloi to indicate the distinctive relation of the Twelve Apostles whom He chose to be His witnesses because in Class. Gr. the word was seldom used (Luke 6:13; Acts 1:2, 26). Therefore, it designates the office as instituted by Christ to witness of Him before the world (John 17:18). It also designates the authority which those called to this office possess.” Complete Word Study Dictionary.

Now, 1. Cor. 12:28 tells us apostle is first because of the authority the office was granted it carries. The Apostle is first in rank, and authority, and governance as well, however, the apostle must also be first in love, service, and humility. Jesus called the disciples first as apostles. (Luke 6:13) Isn’t interesting that Jesus didn’t call any other office first?

Why? And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

Acts 4:33

It stands to reason that the apostle was given power for the purpose of demonstrating Jesus’ grace in the Earth. Doesn’t it make sense if you want to remain hidden, you would take out the one who could do the exposing? Listen to what the apostle Paul has to say about this.

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

The Kingdom of God is in the demonstration of the Spirit of Christ so that your faith may be rooted in the power of God, the life sustaining grace of Christ, and not merely men’s fancy dancy way with words which holds nothing but hot air. You see, we were made for more than just a lukewarm semonette and a few hymns. We were made in God’s image and the apostle is commissioned by Christ to ensure the foundation of the person’s faith was laid correctly in Christ.

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like:

48 He is like a man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Luke 6:46-49

Christ is that foundation upon which a person’s belief system is built. The apostle Paul said “that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” In other words, all can witness and win people to Jesus, but only an apostle can solidify it. By solidify, I mean to set it in place, to make it concrete. To make it without a shadow of a doubt firm in the One who is called the Son of God.

Acts 8:4-17 tells of the instance where Phillip, an evangelist was sent by the Holy Ghost to Samaria to preach the gospel. Great signs and wonders were performed, and the Word was heralded with great vigor. However, when the apostles heard of it, they sent two apostles to seal the deal. You can read this instance for yourself.

Lastly, Ephesians 2:20 speaks in reference to this foundation. It roughly translates as revelation given them by Christ who in turn is the revelation from the Father. So, it then reads as this: and are edified by the revelation given to the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the One who is the first and last in everything foundational of faith in God.

Again, this is not an exhaustive study by which we can hang our hat and call it a day, it does provide some much-needed clarification in this area of Church history. You can see from a historical perspective the Church is not moving in the power she has been called to move in and why the Apostle must step up and take their rightful place as chief servant only to Christ, and yes, I said servant!

Until the next time, we will delve into the prophetic a bit. Thank you for reading.

This has certainly been a joy to write considering I was never a writer at any point in my life. However, when you are obedient to God, He will make you into things you have never dreamt of. I have 43 plus years to testify of. Last session we delved a bit deeper in this alignment the Lord is performing in the body of Christ, we looked at the first of the order of the foundational gift of the Apostle. Now we turn our attention to the second part of the foundation gift of the prophet.

The prophet is the oldest of all gifts with its introduction beginning with Abraham in Genesis 20:7. I have come to understand through deep study as well as professional Theological training that the Old Testament set into motion by way of patterns, types and shadows as well as many other things a system of revelation(s) to all believers and the world the plans and purposes of God. Deep, I know, lol.

This blog will not be an all-inclusive source to any teaching presented unless a discourse calls for it. Discourses can take weeks to write and months to read, that is not the aim here. With that said, God wanted to begin a trek with mankind to set a course for mankind to follow. The prophet here is nabiya. It means a spokesperson, or better yet, a representative. One who stood in the counsel of God to receive Gods message to another.

You can study Moses from start to finish as Moses’ call and process illustrated the full weight and impact of this gift. In the course of time, God would raise up many, many others as later on would be different expressions of this gift. One thing to note about the prophet, they do not contradict the word of God. Period. If there’s any contradiction, without reprovement, this person can wind up in serious error. Take a look at Balim.

Moving on to see a fuller expression of this gift, we see John the Baptist. The role he played is in my most honest opinion the most primary reason for this gift. That is to say, to reveal Christ and to turn generations around to Him. Matt. 11:11

Moving into the New Covenant, the prophet shifts a degree into what is called foundation. 1 Cor. 12:28. The 5-Fold ministry is actually the mantle of Jesus divided into 5 partitions set into place to bring the body of Christ into sonship. Sonship will become a theme from here on out. The purpose of the prophet in this regard is to shift the paradigm of the body of Christ’s thinking to a heavenly one. They complement the apostle.

Contrary to popular belief, some see the prophet as subordinate to the apostle. That statement is true and false at the same time. Reason being, 1 Cor. 12:28 is an introduction of a team pattern that no one person should do alone. The apostle as we have discussed previously is first. First in rank, humility, love, and service, but the word does not indicate that the apostle is a one man/woman show. In fact, the idea of the 5-Fold ministry team seems to suggest strongly of high accountability. If leadership cannot display and model it, then neither can the Church.

With all this said, the prophet gives a heavenly perspective to that of the Apostle so that the teacher with that gift can solidify doctrinally and practically just what Heaven’s mandate really is in every season. Now that we have gotten all the legal aspects of this gift out of the way, let us explore a bit some other things this gift does.

The prophet foretells as well as forth tells the mind and will of God. This means he can predict and also speak into existence just what God is thinking and saying and doing, of course by the Spirit of God. The prophet as well as the Apostle are the Lord’s ambassador who can address Kings and dignitaries when it is called for. For this reason, the preparation of these two gifts is extremely painful and arduous and many do not make it, but the ones who do experience the Lord like no other. And these are the ones who will turn the world upside down and inside out for Jesus.

Because of the nature of God being prophetical, the prophet as well as the Apostle are to re-align the body of Christ in right doctrine. 1 Tim.1:3, 10; 4:6, 13,16; 2 Tim. 3:16; 4:2, 3. 2 Jn. 1:9, 10. Just as in the days of the early Church with all the heresies, lewdness of lies, so are we in the same boat, so to speak. We must become a people of the word, a student, but even Moreso now than ever, we must become a disciple of Jesus Christ, an adherent to the word of God and to the leadership God is placing before them because they went through a lot to be in this position of teacher.

Have you ever wondered what the world needs to see from us in order to be saved? Yes, they need to see Jesus. Yes, they need to hear the word of God. Yes, they need to see the deliverance power of God. But the one thing all these things hinge on rests on us being one, being united, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

John 13:35

We haven’t seen this type of love truly since Acts. Sure, there may be pockets sporadically dotted all over the globe, but what will get the attention of the entire world than when we as the Church demonstrate the love of God just as scripture says! And the prophet plays a major role in this because they witness to the truth of Christ and reveal the very person of Christ!

I can go on and on and write books on this subject, but why recreate the wheel, again? There are many books on this subject by many authors, so which one has God you to read? I believe by next week, after dealing with the teacher will you my beloved reader will begin to see the beautiful picture God had painted when He thought of the Church as one united close-knit family all loving and serving and giving the glory to God!

If this blog has blessed you, would you consider sowing seed in this ministry? Many believe this to be good ground and all seed goes to the work of the Lord. May God bless you richly as you give to Him.

We are making some good progress with these teachings. As we continue to progress in the “team” that Christ gave the Church of himself, I want you to begin to think about what makes a person complete spiritually with the 5-Fold in mind. We will come back to that thought at a later time.

Of all the gifts and callings of God, the evangelist is the most mysterious of them all. It is only mentioned in the Bible 4 times: Dan. 12:3; Acts 21:8; Eph. 4:11; and 2 Tim. 4:5. We see the apostle through types and shadows used in the Old Testament of the Patriarchs. We also see the Prophet of the same way with Abraham, David, and of course the Prophets, lol.

The third building block of the Church as given to us by Christ, the evangelist much like the prophet and apostle, are sent out at the Lord’s command.

2099. εὐαγγελιστής euaggelistḗs; noun from eauggelízō (G2097), to evangelize. Evangelist, one who declares the good news (Rom. 10:15). An evangelist, a preacher of the gospel. He was often not located in any particular place but traveled as a missionary to preach the gospel. The gospel here is the Gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:16) which is core component of the Gospel of the Kingdom. Matt. 24:14.

Despite many in certain Denominational circles, they do not establish Churches, as noted in Acts 8:1-17. The very nature of this gift of Christ is the giving of Himself to all that would receive Him. (Jn. 1:12) This special gift, as all are special that reveals an aspect of Christ’s nature, is the part that brings life and light to all men. (Jn. 1:1)

The person who has in part this gift, or the full package are high energy, put all on the line mentality and most often or not, cannot keep their mouth shut until the Lord has his way in that person’s life. They are seen as too radical Jesus freak that like many sailors cussing, Jesus is just about every other word. They are outspoken, energetic and can strike up a conversation about anything to anyone, and it all ends up becoming a witness to and about Jesus.

They possess the boldness and tenacity of Jesus to preach Christ to either one or millions it doesn’t matter to them because of the burden of the Lord is so heavy on their heart. They are known for praying so long, and at times one might wonder why a crane is needed to carry the bags that are under their eyes, because of the burden for the lost is so real that they pay such a heavy price.

This person because this gift is given to either and both male and female, will have an extreme conviction of the reality of heaven and hell. Some the Lord has personally taken to either or both place, that they may persuade those to believe. You can tell a church whose pastor is an evangelist because most if not all the congregants are evangelistic by nature.

Signs, wonders, and miracles break out in the meetings where this gift is allowed to be released. after that miracles, then gifts of healings, 1 Corinthians 12:28.

are all workers of miracles? 30 — Have all the gifts of healing? 1 Corinthians 12:29-30. Even though evangelist is not spelled out, scripture is referring to it.

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.

6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, — hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.

7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.

8 And there was great joy in that city.

Acts 8:5-8

So now, we have discussed The Apostle, Prophet, and Evangelist. Imagine if all 5 gifts of Christ was elders at a local assembly, can you imagine what kind of people will be turned out? By this statement I mean: the revelation that would be shared and the impartations given to ensure a balanced person in the Lord is the result. This is the idea that Jesus set out to do by giving the Church of himself. Eph. 4:11-16 captures the essence of this idea

A perfect man, one who is matured and fully developed in love, word, and deed. This is my heart. This is my passion. This is my mandate. At Made in the Fire Ministries, we are setting out to do just that! We will have all 5 gifts, serving the congregation at the hub, imparting, training, and equipping the body of Christ so that we can be united together in love until the Lord Jesus calls us home, and until this happens, we still have so much work to do.

If you’re thinking what can I do? Drop to your knees and ask God this question. If the Lord is leading you to ask me, drop me an email and will set up a meeting to discuss just this very important Kingdom work that needs to be done.

We are almost done with the Lord’s trainers and equippers of champions. By this I mean to say Ephesians 4:11 is the Church’s internal government system. by them, they equip, train, and send according to Holy Spirit’s choosing. In these last days, the activity of the Holy Spirit will be seen even more than previous generations because time as we know it is winding down.

The Pastor is often called “the family man” (or woman) mostly because of the position this person takes. If you look at your left hand and start with the thumb being the apostle using Eph. 4:11 in order, the ring finger lands on the pastor. There are not many references in scripture for Pastor with the exception of Jeremiah 17:16. This word pastor here means: A preposition used to indicate from, out of, away from; more than: after, since; immediately; because of, since, so that; without; direction as southward, etc.). Its spelling varies according to its location and usage. Its basic meaning is from, away from, out of. Its basic meanings only can be noted here, but its exact meaning is easily discerned from its context: (1) With verbs, it expresses separation spatially or figuratively (Ex. 19:14; Deut. 22:8; Josh. 10:7). It can be used with a verb not indicating separation, e.g., to stay away..

Contextually, Jeremiah refers to this word v.16 as one sticking close to God and even broader than this v.14-18 specifically he is pleading with God to not abandon him because of his enemies. This is certainly a mystery as seemingly there is no traceably reference to this gift, right? V.16 of Jeremiah 17 gives a subtle hint here that Jeremiah will not stop following God because of his enemies. V. 14 gives us the clue we need to crack this case. Jeremiah is pleading with God to heal him.

The word to heal is rappa, one who binds up, and restores. One who guides and provides. One who leads by waters. Now we have a set of verses in Psalm 23 that fits this description. V. 1 of Psalm 23 puts the Lord as shepherd which fits the model given to us by Jeremiah. Look at the definition of shepherd.

A verb meaning to feed, to tend; to be a shepherd. It means in general to care for, to protect, to graze, to feed flocks and herds (Gen. 30:31, 36; 37:2; Ex. 3:1; 1 Sam. 17:15). In its participial form rō‘eh, it can mean shepherd (Gen. 4:2); sheepherders (Gen. 29:9). Shepherds pasture, lead the sheep, flocks to eat (Job 24:2). It is used figuratively of God as the Shepherd of Jacob and his people (Gen. 48:15; Isa. 40:11; Hos. 4:16). The king of Israel was to shepherd the people for God (2 Sam. 5:2; 7:7; Jer. 3:15). The masculine participle refers to the leaders of God’s people (Jer. 2:8; 22:22; Ezek. 34:2, 3, 8, 10). God is pictured as the one who shepherds an individual soul, a person (Ps. 49:14[15]). It is used figuratively to describe the lips of the wise as shepherding the people (Prov. 10:21). It is used figuratively of the land of Israel, the pastures of the shepherds mourn or dry up (Amos 1:2). It indicates the grazing, feeding of animals, flocks, herds, cattle (Gen. 41:2). Fools feed on folly, not wisdom (Prov. 15:14). A verb meaning to associate with, to be a companion, to be a friend. It indicates a relationship of friendship between persons (Judg. 14:20);

Now we begin to see a picture of the Lord himself caring and tending our very needs which puts Ephesians 4:11 into contrast with respect to the other gifts given. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Matthew 23:37

Thus this scripture concludes the Lord himself given of himself as a gift within men to care for and tend the flock of God. Jesus emphatically stressed the importance of this to Peter. So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. John 21:15-17

Now we can properly define Pastor found in Eph. 4:11. noun. Shepherd, one who generally cares for flocks.

(I) Particularly (Matt. 9:36, “sheep having no shepherd”; 25:32; Mark 6:34; Luke 2:8, 15, 18, 20; Sept.: Gen. 4:2; Num. 27:17).

(II) Metaphorically of Jesus as the Great Shepherd who watches over and provides for the welfare of the Church, His flock (Matt. 26:31; Mark 14:27 quoted from Zech. 13:7; John 10:2, 11, 12, 14, 16; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25; Sept. of the Messiah: Ezek. 34:23; 37:24). The spiritual guide of a particular church (Eph. 4:11; Sept.: Jer. 2:8; 3:15; Ezek. 34:2, 5).

This is such a beautiful picture just how much the Lord cares for his people and all people! This job in particular is especially important because of the care needed and the grace needed to ensure that people are properly tended to. If Christ laid down his life for us, then we must lay our life down for one another.

Can you see how this fits in with the rest of the gang? Our final topic next time will be The Teacher, and we will see a fuller picture of the grace of Christ in respect to his dealings with the Church. As a disclaimer, this is not an exhaustive study of the subject as there are many implications and applications yet to be explored. The purpose of this study is to give a general overview of each specific gift of Christ to help the body of Christ to be advanced in knowledge and understanding and wisdom.

I hope this helps, and I pray that you’d be blessed my the reading and studying of God’s word. That’s all for now, God bless you!

And so here we are, the last grace gift of Christ pertaining to the 5-Fold team, the mantle of Jesus divided into 5 unique expressions of himself for the sole purpose of unifying, edifying, sanctifying, and keeping the flock of God. In Ephesians 4:11, the Teacher is placed last, but this is not by design, the apostle was ‘rattling’ off from the top of his mind the 5 graces of Christ. Verses 11-16 was a thought that he interjected in the midst of the flow of the subject to Christ and the Church. (v.1-10)

In scope pertaining to the order of the 5-Fold, 1 Cor. 12:28 tells us exactly the order of the ranking. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

1 Corinthians 12:28

This is the order of the 5-Fold ministry of Christ. The apostle, prophet, and teacher can constitute a presbytery. (see also Acts 13) The word ‘teacher’ here is a little different than in Romans 12. The dictionary here defines teacher in Rom. 12 more common than the one spoken in Ephesians 4:11 and 1 Cor. 12. Accordingly, in context with each of these scriptures, one can deduce the reasoning as to why there’s a difference. Here’s my two cents.

God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit gave us gifts (21) so that we can be united as one, and they are one. 1 Cor. 12, 14 are the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4 are the gifts of the Son, while Romans 12 are the gifts of the Father. Ephesians 4 is the government of the Church while 1Cor. 12, 14 is the flow and power of the Church. Lastly, Romans 12 are considered to be the functionality of the Church.

It is within this context that teacher “didasko” is rendered, a more common usage of this gift is a one-to-one ratio such as a classroom, discipleship, or training scenario. In reflection, this gift has the ability (grace) to teach in such a way as to instruct or even disciple those who listen. These have an ear to hear, but their hearing is different than the rest of the body because it works closely to the gift of discerning of spirits and the gift of faith.

This aspect of Christ at work in them these people are keen and astute, like the Berean Church (Acts 17:10-13), they are renowned for their skills of discerning the truth from a lie through research, investigations, and diligent study. The Bereans didn’t take the Apostle Paul’s word alone, but searched the scriptures to see if what he said was so.

“To them fell the duty of giving progressive instruction of God’s redeeming purpose, a function which, according to Eph. 4:11, may have been united with poimḗn (G4166), pastor, in one person. Notwithstanding, linguists have debated the precise relationship between teachers and pastors in that text. There is a growing consensus that pastors are a sub-group within the larger body of teachers. This seems to be true also for the expression “apostles and prophets.”

Notwithstanding, these gifts originate from the same source (Christ by the Holy Spirit) it makes sense that they would have a particular flow. Moving on to a weightier aspect of teacher is diaskolos. Eph. 4:11, and 1 Cor. 12:28. This set of scriptures seem to lend themselves to a higher functionality and responsibility of the gift. Both contexts are within respect to other “offices” and the government of the Church.

With that said, the office gift of teacher as seen in 1 Cor. 12:28 as described before, are to provide the Church with progressive teaching so that the rest of the Church can grow in one united body of believers. It is the fact that the teacher here is in close proximity to the Apostle and Prophet suggesting that the revelation (foundation, themelios) that proceeds from them (Eph. 2:20) are to be developed by the teacher into substantive and qualitative doctrine (teaching) so that the body of Christ locally and abroad may benefit.

Within this study, there is not much difference between the office and those who possess the gifting with the exception of anointing levels and maturity. With that said, we all must learn to stay in our lane but strive for perfection in the Spirit. Our earnest desire should be to better the lives we are around, to use our gifts at every stage of our lives to train and equip those we serve.

This concludes our study on the 5-Fold Ministry team as Jesus gave to us. I hope you are now beginning to see just how each of these gifts play a vital role in the life of the corporate body of Jesus.