Apostles & Prophets: Their Roles in the Past, the Present, and the Last DaysSample

God’s Purpose for Fivefold Ministry

In Ephesians 4:12-14, Paul wrote that Christ has given all the fivefold gifts of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher for the perfecting of the saints, the work of the ministry, and the edifying of the Body of Christ. They are builders meant to assist in the building of the Church.

In verse 14, we see that the fivefold ministry gifts are given explicitly “that we henceforth be no more children….” The word “that” is a translation of the Greek word hina, and it means in order that or explicitly for. It points to the long-term purpose for Christ-given fivefold ministry in the Body of Christ. And the word “henceforth” means to be no more, no longer, or not even a little. In this context, Paul was saying we should no longer, in the slightest way be like immature children.

This phrase implies that because so many believers were spiritually childish, a transition from spiritual childhood to spiritual adulthood needed to occur. At the time Paul was writing, the Church was in its infancy, but now some 2,000 years later, the Church still has widely not reached a state of spiritual adulthood.

Ephesians 4:14 goes on to communicate that these ministry gifts are given for the purpose “that henceforth we be no more children.…” Paul was illustrating that the Church at large is, in many respects, similar to a child that is not ready for life or adult responsibilities. This was true in the First Century, and it is still true today. Although the Church has 2,000 years of history behind it, it still grapples with maturity issues. The Church should have reached adulthood by now, but it is still largely being “…tossed to and fro.…”

Because the Christ-given fivefold gifts over two millennia have not been fully recognized or embraced, the maturing process God intended for those gifts to help bring to the Church has been thwarted. As a result, the Church in many respects remains childish. But Paul stated that if fivefold gifts are fully released to do their work, God will use them to divinely assist the Church in leaving a childish and immature status and in growing up spiritually!

Questions to Discuss:

Based on Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:13, can you confidently express how long God intends for all the Christ-given fivefold gifts of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher to be operational in the Church?