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I'd like to invite comments about my own website that details at length my present understanding of the work of itinerants in the NT. I see these folk as a designed process by our Lord for the well-being of the church to face adaptive, growth, and problem-solving needs over time.
Technically, we might call this work in today's vernacular, "organizational and leadership development," but with the caveat that these are itinerant lay folk (as we all are!) without any special authority or power position. They either manifest a spiritual life that those who come to know them recognize, or they have no "place" of service among the saints. Both of these areas of labor among the saints are towards transmitting a mutual peer, relational, one-another servant basis (particularly emphasizing the presence and present headship of Jesus Christ in the Body rather than representative, mediatorial men in that role), not building wood, hay and stubble with a worldly, hierarchical, power-based model of organizational structure and positional leadership.
Take a look at http://www.church-task-force.com
I am open to discussion, other insights, differenct perspectives.
I ain't interested in buying any tall green arch bishop hats though.
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Dear Art, I agree with the lay emphasis - many people think that just because you fellowship in a home without a 'pastor' as such, that you are prone to special errors in doctrine and practice reserved by Satan just for you and yours... However, they neglect to see that this has already happened within their own IC denomination and many years ago to boot.
The five fold ministry giftings (I don't believe that God is handicapped and is missig a finger) are each representative of of a certain aspect of Christ's ministry. He was the evangelist, as he preached the gospel to the poor, he was the pastor (chief shepherd ala John 10) the apostle "as the Father has sent me, so I send you..." the teacher who taught Nicodemus that he must be born again and the prophet who could tell the woman at the well all about her sinful life (not to mention Matthew 24 etc).
In 'ascending on high, He gave gift unto men...' in other words, there was a spiritual divestiture of the ministry of Christ, amongst chosen members of His body, that has endured for each generation of the church. People often get mixed up over differences between offices (elders and deacons) and ministries (five fold gifts) and we can also be deceived (false prophets, apostles, teachers etc) as in these days, we don't see much of 'signs following the word' but rather 'people following the signs around, without any real word being preached' and so the church is prone to this kind of deception (false signs and wonders - antichrist spirit).
True ministries don't have long lists of letters after their names, as they are known rather for their simplicity of life and doctrine, and for the power that life and doctrine gives them to overcome and minister to others in need. How some people can say that such ministries were disbanded after the first century, in view of the church's dire needs of today escapes me.
Austin Hellier Downunder
PS: couldn't access your website from the Google search list - is it down at the moment?
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This is what I wrote recently on this subject. Your comments welcome.
Shalom saints,
God bless you one and all. As you may have already recognized, church, especially in the USA has fallen way short of expectations and potential in the last century. Why is that? Well there are a wide variety of reasons.
One deficiancy I want to focus in on is the deficiancy in our churches of Evangelists, Prophets, and Apostles. Where are they? Why is it that pastors rule thier kingdoms instead of re-presenting God's kingdom? Now and then you run across Teachers, but where are the rest?
Churches, when ran like commercial corporations, have a "CEO", Chief Executive Officer, a pastor. This is the "man at the top". Jesus said if we wanted to be at the top of His kingdom, we had to be a servant for the rest of the Body. From this ultra simplistic statement, we realize that it is infinitely more complex than stated, but let's keep it simple for illustration sake. Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers are the foundational stones that are set in place after the cornerstone. They support the rest of the body. They are not at some lofty position, they labor to serve all the rest.
Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:11 And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers.
These men are not elected by popular vote, they are given to us by God. If God has given them to us, where are they? Why are not all five more prominent among our church bodies? What have we done with these "gifts"???????
12 His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ's body (the church),
God's intention was to give all five to the church for the perfecting and fully equipping of the saints, that they should do the work of the ministry. Now this is quite clear. (Before you think about whether are not the saints are doing the work of the ministry, think about what ministry really is. For a clue, please pause here and read Isaiah 58 and Matthew 25:31-46). So ask yourself again, who is really doing the ministry in your church. Is it just one man and everyone else helps him with his ministry, or are the saints really doing the work of the ministry? Who is building up Christ's Body in your local body?
13 [That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ's own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him.
His purpose is to have a Body that is one, fully functional, not just one or two parts. He wants a church that fully comprehends Who Jesus Christ really is. Do all the members of your local body fully comprehend Who Jesus is? To answer that question, are they living their lives in such a way that the standard they hold too and live out in their everyday lives is Jesus Christ? Can others see Jesus Christ readily in the lives of the saints? If not, then we have not fully comprehended Who Jesus is. If we did, we would yeild our vessels completely to Him and walk in obedience. If all of this is so, and I know in most cases it is, then we still need Apostles, Prophets, and Evangelists functioning in our churches. Amen? Where are they?
14So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead.
Have you seen the saints tossed around to and fro? Have you seen them running after teaching and false doctrines of unscrupulous men? I sure have. Then we must still need the Apostles, Prophets, and Evangelists. But where are they? Has God failed to give them? If God has given them, have they been rocognized and received? If not, why not? What is our loss because of it?
Yes, I know that there are as many false prophets in the world, pehaps more, than there are real ones. Same thing for Apostles and Evangelists. Does this mean that at the mention of such a nomenclature, that we heave and run? Do you do that when "pastor" is mentioned? Let's be honest, if most pastors were following the Lord, they would welcome real Apostles and Prophets, Evangelist too. My Lord, it would sure make their job eaiser. But if their job is only a job, and their financial income relies on it, then they must keep themselves at the top of the pile and thier pockets at the bottom of the money chute that flows so freely in corporation church.
I'd like to share an object lesson with you to help you better understand. The object is found on your arm, that is if you have one or two of them. The object is your hand, considering that it has four fingers and a thumb. If yours does not, look on with someone who has all of them. Thank you.
The object lesson for this illustration is your hand. As you look at it, I hope it has 4 fingers and a thumb. I Ephesians 4, Paul tells us that God gave to the church Apostles, Evangelists, Prophets, Teachers, and Pastors for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry. This is commonly called the five fold ministry. This description is not exactly accurate, but let's not get distracted there right now.
As you look at your hand, the index finger represents the prophet because he points the way. The middle finger represents the evangelist, because he goes the longest distance. The ring finger represents the pastor, because that finger is associated with love, covering, and the heart. The small finger represents the teacher. Now, lets work our way back to where we started. The teacher works really well along side the pastor, but not the evangelist or the prophet. The teacher's make up and gifts are designed this way so that the the Teacher most benefits the Pastor and the congregation that the Pastor watches over. The pastor is located between the teacher and the evangelist. These are the two he works best with. One wins souls, the other trains them. The pastor oversees the process. A shepherd leads his sheep.
The evangelist is between the prophet and the pastor. Someone has to take in the new babes and feed them and shepherd them. The pastor and teacher are well equipped for this. The prophet provides insight for the evangelist and helps keep things pointed in the right direction. They hear from God and reveal His heart and purpose for the hour, not just the future.
Now the thumb represents the apostle. The apostle works best with the prophet, but it is the only member on the hand that can touch all the other fingers quite easily. The apostle helps keep a tight grip on the church and assists all ther other leaders in the training process. All the others depend on the apostle to hold things together. The Apostle is also capable of operating and working with all the others on a close and personal basis, and even filling in if needed for a short time. The Apostle is gifted in like ministry with all the other four. They are prophetic, evangelistic, pastoral, and capable teachers. The Apostle is responsible for unity among the local body, and local bodies. He presides over sound doctrine, and helps all the other four keep their grip on truth and love. He appoints leadership that is called of God, not elected because they are popular. Jesus was not popular, especially when it came to the religious crowd.
If your hand has only a ring finger on it, it is very limited in what it can accomplish, even though your ring finger may be a very hard worker.
The hand needs all the fingers and it's thumb to be effective in it's work. The church needs all it's faculties, Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers if it is going to be effective. I do believe that this lack in our churches over the past 100 years and even longer, is the one of the biggest contributing factors to the ineffectiveness of the church.
What are we going to do about it? Would you pray about that?
We are seeing what it must be like to be "vexed like just Lot" in Sodom and Gommorah--Lot's wife could not flee. This is also a good example of the longsuffering of the Lord.
God has had a remnant in every generation, sometimes just a few. The scripture does not teach the world will be won to Christ before He returns. There must still be more lost sheep out there--or we would not be here. God uses us to go find them and bring them--through the power of The Holy Spirit. If we do not enlist, i.e. volunteer, He will find someone else. There is no draft.
The basic problem with many so-called churches is they have unregenerated leading unregenerated, which always leads to the ditch--and the pit. "In vain they do worship, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
His sheep hear His Voice and they follow Him; another they will not follow.
Beware of wolves dressed like sheep. Remember Lot's wife.
Pray: God keep us in this time of iniquity which has been working for two thousand years. Even so, come Lord Jesus.
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