Spiritual Gifts – Part Three: Fully Equipped

Last week I continued this series on “Spiritual Gifts” that is serving as segue between the series on “Changing Our Thinking,” and the series on “Leadership,” which will begin next week. It is important to recognize the different spiritual gifts, how they operate, and their respective purpose(s), because God often uses spiritual gifts in the leadership of others. Further, the ascension gifts of Eph. 4, which are the topic for this week, ARE leaders themselves in the body of Christ, and thus they need to be recognized as well.

Before I begin to discuss the ascension gifts in earnest as part of this week’s installment, lets review what I covered last week. I believe, along with our different personalities, that God has “wired” each of us as believers with different spiritual gifts, so that we can serve and edify (and if we’re in five-fold ministry), equip the body of Christ. Four key passages identify specific spiritual gifts: Romans 12:3-8, 1 Cor. 12:1-11, 1 Cor. 12:27-31, and Eph. 4:7-16, and last week I covered extensively the two passages in 1 Cor. 12. The first of these two passages, 1 Cor. 12:1-11 (NKJV) says, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are diversities of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one in the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” Paul begins here by saying he doesn’t want the believers at Corinth to be unaware of spiritual gifts and he admonishes them that “no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” Paul’s point here is that the Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus Christ with any manifestation that the Holy Spirit brings. The gifts Paul mentions in this are manifestations of the Holy Spirit by their very nature. Paul also emphasizes in this passage that the Holy Spirit works these different gifts in each believer who has received the gifts as enduement of power for service. I also noted last week that the Greek word that Paul used for these gifts in 1 Cor. 12:1-11 is the same Greek word, “charisma,” which Paul used in Rom. 12. All these gifts are essentially graces that God gives us when we receive the baptism in (or infilling of) the Holy Spirit, subsequent to our salvation. However, the specific gifts in 1 Cor. 12:1-11 are manifestations, i.e., graces for the Holy Spirit to manifest Himself in us and to others through the gift. Thus, the purpose for these gifts is not only to serve the body, but also to edify, which means to build up. I then went through and discussed each of the gifts mentioned in 1 Cor. 12:1-11, and discussed them in further depth. I encourage you to go back and read that portion of last week’s installment if you missed it.

After I discussed the manifestation gifts, I also began to discuss the various gifts that Paul lists in 1 Cor. 12:27-31 (NKJV), which states, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.” Last week, I addressed a few general aspects of this passage. Not everyone has all of the gifts. Not everyone is an apostle, prophet, teacher, or a worker of miracles. Not all have gifts of healings, or even deliver messages in tongues (this is different than using one’s prayer language) to someone else that needs interpretation, and even not everyone will be gifted to interpret. However, God has appointed gifted believers differently, and we should earnestly desire the best gifts (like the gift of prophecy) and do all this in love. But, I believe that because the Bible interprets itself, one cannot read this specific passage in a vacuum. One must read this portion of 1 Cor. 12 in the context of another significant passage, Eph. 4:7-16 (NKJV), which states, “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: ‘When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.’ (Now this, ‘He ascended’ – what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ – from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” The purpose of this passage is to explain that the ascension gifts, which are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, are Christ’s gift(s) to the body of Christ. Conceptually, unlike the serving gifts of Rom. 12 and the manifestation gifts of 1 Cor. 12:1-11, both of which are given by the Holy Spirit, these five specific gifts in Eph. 4 are given by Jesus Christ to His body. They were given when Jesus ascended to heaven and the overall purpose of each of the ascension gifts is to fill all things and equip the saints for the work of the ministry. That’s why the subtitle of this week’s installment is “Fully Equipped.” Without the ministry of the apostle, the prophet, the evangelist, the pastor and the teacher, no believer can be fully equipped to do the ministry and service that God has called him or her to do. Nor will any believer be completely edified and perfected (matured) so that there is unity in the body to the extent that the body of Christ will be the new man it is destined to be. Instead, without the ministry of the ascension gifts, believers will be mere children and spiritually immature, “tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine,” and simply will not grow. Thus, these five ascension gifts are necessary so that the body of Christ may be made complete and so that the body can edify itself in love.

Before I discuss each of these five ascension gifts in turn, I must make another important distinction between these gifts, and the gifts that Paul lists in Rom. 12 and 1 Cor. 12:1-11. Not only does Jesus Christ Himself, in contrast to the Holy Spirit, give these gifts, but also Paul uses a very different word for “gift” in this passage. Rather than using the Greek word “charisma,” which Paul used in the other two passages, Paul uses the Greek word “doma,” which essentially means the thing (or in this case the person) is the gift itself. Thus, the gifts are not graces or manifestations of the Holy Spirit, but persons that Christ gave to the body of Christ so that we may be made perfect, complete, and mature.

Now, the first gift that Paul mentions specifically here in Eph. 4 is the gift of the apostle. Before I discuss how this gift operates, it is important to remember that it is the person himself who Jesus has gifted as an apostle that is the gift to the body of Christ. Further, it is also important to understand that the gift of apostle is for today; God still has apostles who function in the body of Christ. Some Christians will say that the gift of apostle has ceased in the body of Christ, and that Jesus no longer has dispensed this gift. One of the arguments given for this erroneous conclusion is that there are no more persons in the body of Christ who qualify to be an apostle. According to the proponents of this theory, there are certain scriptural signs or “marks” of an apostle, which all apostles must have, or else they are not a true apostle. The Scripture reference used as a proof-text for this argument is 2 Cor. 12:11-12 (NKJV), which states, “I have become a fool in boasting; you have compelled me. For I ought to have been commended by you; for in nothing was I behind the most eminent apostles, though I am nothing. Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds.” Basically, some say Paul infers certain “signs of an apostle” here that confirms his apostleship is true. To a certain extent, this thinking is correct. Paul does mention “signs and wonders” here, and that is his real point, that apostles and prophets will confirm their validity with signs, wonders, and the miracles. However, nothing in this passage indicates other “signs,” “marks,” or “qualifications” for an apostle, such as the qualification that apostles must be eyewitnesses of the risen Lord. Some scholars do teach based on Acts 1:21-22 that being an eyewitness of the risen Lord is a qualification. But that isn’t what Acts 1:22 teaches. Acts 1:21-22 (NKJV) actually says, “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” According to verse 22, the quality of becoming a witness is something that occurs after the apostle is chosen, not beforehand. In other words, once the person is chosen as an apostle, then such a person becomes a witness of the resurrection. However, there is also a second reason why being an eyewitness of the risen Lord is not a qualification for a true apostle. The word here is “witness,” and not “eyewitness.” According to Acts 1:8, we’re ALL called to be witnesses to the resurrection as a testimony to the world; the same word used for “witness” in Acts 1:22 is the same word used in Acts 1:8. So, the only real mark or sign of an apostle is that signs, wonders, and miracles as a demonstration of God’s power accompany his ministry.

But how does an apostle actually function? How does the gift of apostle edify the church today? Eph. 2:19-22 (NKJV) states, “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Thus, apostles, along with prophets, whom I’ll discuss later, are responsible for laying a foundation in the lives of believers. Apostles are to functionally equip the saints for the work of the ministry as an ascension gift unto Christ’s body. But apostles also have other functions as part of their role to equip the saints. The Greek word for “apostle” in Eph. 4 is “apostolos,” which literally means according to Thayer’s Lexicon “a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders.” So, apostles will have specific functions for specific groups of people. Not everyone is an apostle to everyone. If the New Testament provides a biblical model, like it should, the apostle Paul was specifically an apostle to his spiritual sons, Timothy and Titus, and thus one can conclude that apostles will plant and oversee various churches, and be pastors to pastors and church leaders. This is their specific function in laying a foundation in the lives of the saints, and they are seasoned ministers in that regard.

The second ascension gift that Paul mentions in Eph. 4 is the gift of the prophet. Again, it is the person himself who Jesus has gifted as a prophet that is the gift to the body of Christ, and thus this gift is to be distinguished from the gift of prophecy, which is a grace and/or manifestation of the Holy Spirit, given by the Holy Spirit, to minister to believers in order to edify them. The purpose of the gift of the prophet, like the other ascension gifts, is to equip the believers so they can fulfill that which God’s called them to do. Paul uses the Greek word “prophetes” for this ascension gift, and “prophetes” means according to Thayer’s “one who, moved by the Spirit of God and hence his organ or spokesman, solemnly declares to men what he has received by inspiration, especially concerning future events, and in particular such as relate to the cause and kingdom of God and to human salvation.” More specifically, the gift of the prophet in the New Testament, according to Thayer’s, “are associated with the apostles; discern and do what is best for the Christian cause, foretelling certain future events; and in religious assemblies are moved by the Holy Spirit to speak, having power to instruct, comfort, encourage, rebuke, convict, and stimulate their hearers.” So, prophets equip the saints by laying a foundation in the lives of the saints (Eph. 2:20), and do so by instructing, comforting, encouraging, rebuking, convicting, and stimulating those who hear them.

The third ascension gift that Paul mentions in Eph. 4 is the gift of the evangelist. It bears repeating that it is the person himself who Jesus has gifted as an evangelist that is the gift, and thus there is no gift of evangelism. All believers are called to evangelize, but it is the purpose of the evangelist to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, which in part involves being a witness and evangelizing the lost with the Gospel. The Greek word that Paul uses for this ascension gift is “euaggelistes,” which according to Thayer’s means, “a bringer of good tidings,” and so it is an evangelist who is not only gifted in winning the lost to Christ, but also training believers in doing the same, as every believer is called to go out and win the lost as well.

The fourth ascension gift that Paul mentions in Eph. 4 is the gift of the pastor. Now some Christians teach that there are only four gifts in Eph. 4, and it is the gift of pastor-teacher. However, 1 Cor. 12:28 recognizes a specific gift of the teacher, separate from the pastor. At the conclusion of this week’s entry, I will discuss how the various gifts in 1 Cor. 12:28 interact with the ascension gifts of Eph. 4. But for now, because teacher is distinguished in 1 Cor. 12:28, I cannot conclude it is a gift of “pastor-teacher” in Eph. 4. Instead, I will treat pastors and teachers as two separate gifts. The Greek word that Paul uses for this gift is “poimen.” Thayer’s offers two definitions for this term: “A herdsmen, esp. a shepherd, he to whose care and control others have committed themselves, and whose precepts they follow;” and “The presiding officer, manager, director, of any assembly: so of Christ the Head of the church.” Thus, the pastor is one who equips the saints for the work of the ministry by being a shepherd and spiritual leader, and one who essentially is the presiding officer, manager, or director of a local congregation. Biblical examples would be Timothy and Titus, who oversaw local churches, and who related to Paul as their apostle.

Lastly, the fifth ascension gift that Paul mentions in Eph. 4 is the gift of the teacher. This gift is also mentioned in 1 Cor. 12:28. It is the person himself who Jesus has gifted as a teacher that is the gift, and thus this ascension gift must be distinguished from the serving gift of teaching, which is a grace of the Holy Spirit available to all believers. The Greek word that Paul uses for this gift is “didaskalos,” which according to Thayer’s means, “one who teaches concerning the things of God, and the duties of man; of those who in the religious assemblies of the Christians, undertook the work of teaching, with the special assistance of the Holy Spirit.” Thus, the teacher is one who equips the saints for the work of the ministry by teaching the things of God and the duties of man. It is such a person that is a more seasoned minister than one who operates with the serving gift of teaching.

Now, before I close this series on “Spiritual Gifts,” it is important to discuss how the gifts in Eph. 4, the ascension gifts, interact with those that Paul mentions in 1 Cor. 12:28. Again, 1 Cor. 12:28 (NKJV) states, “And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.” We’ve learned through that series that apostles, prophets, and teachers are ascension gifts that were given by Christ to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. We’ve also learned that the gifts of miracles, healings, and tongues are manifestation gifts given by the Holy Spirit, i.e. graces of the Holy Spirit that allow for the Holy Spirit to manifest the gift in the life of a believer. But, two obscure gifts are listed here and nowhere else in the Scriptures: the gift of helps, and the gift of administrations. How do these two interact with the other gifts? The Greek word that Paul uses for the gift of helps is “antilepsis,” which according to Thayer’s means “to aid or help.” Specifically, Thayer’s mentions as an example “the ministrations of deacons, who have care of the poor and the sick.” Now, I do not believe this gift is really a gift at all. To me, “helps” is a ministry, and not a gift, and like the manifestation gifts listed earlier in 1 Cor. 12, the “gift of helps” is a gift available to all, except those who are ascension gift ministers (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers). The reason why I draw this distinction is found in Acts 6:1-4 (NKJV), which says, “Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of disciples and said, ‘It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.’” Another definition that Thayer’s offers for “helps” in 1 Cor. 12:28 is “a laying hold of, apprehension, perception, objection of a disputant.” Those who serve in ministry of helps are to lay hold of, apprehend, and perceive in order to solve a dispute, or a problem, as to effective render aid to those who are senior church leaders. It is the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers who are to give themselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the word. Yet the saints are to do the work of the ministry, in the case of Acts 6, to meet these other needs, and attend to a disputed matter. So what then is the gift or ministry of administrations? The Greek word that Paul uses in 1 Cor. 12:28 for “administrations” is “kubernesis,” which according to Thayer’s means “governing, government, rendering wise counsel, to steer a ship.” I believe the gift of “kubernesis,” or “governments,” or “administrations,” is essentially the same as eldership in the local church, or pastoral ministry. Many people have asked me why the gift of pastor is neglected in 1 Cor. 12:28, since three other ascension gifts are mentioned. The reason why perhaps could be Paul’s inclusion of “kubernesis” instead, because one of the definitions for “poimen,” the Greek word that Paul uses for “pastor,” is “the presiding officer, manager, director, of any assembly: so of Christ the Head of the church.” Conceptually, there is no difference between one who presides and one who governs, renders wise counsel, or steers the ship of a local church. It is the senior pastor who sets the vision for the local church, who oversees and governs the affairs of the local church, who steers the ship of the local church metaphorically. Thus, anyone who is an ascension gift minister under Eph. 4 would be considered an elder in the local church body and would have the gift of administrations or “kubernesis” to effectively give themselves to “prayer and the ministry of the word.”

So that concludes our series on “Spiritual Gifts.” Next week, I am going to begin a new series on “Leadership.” The concept of leadership is different compared to eldership. Elders are essentially ascension gift ministers, but leaders are those who have influence in the local church body. There is a difference between senior-level church leadership, who are essentially church elders, and church-wide leadership, which is a broader group. I will discuss these concepts further next week, and fill in some of the gaps as well, as I begin a new series on “Leadership.”

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