DAY 23: CHARACTER AND CHARISMA VI- SPIRITUAL GIFTS C (THE MINISTRY GIFTS)

 30 DAYS DEVOTIONALS WITH PREACHER SAM

THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY

SEPTEMBER 23, 2022.

TOPIC: CHARACTER AND CHARISMA VI- SPIRITUAL GIFTS C (THE MINISTRY GIFTS)

BIBLE READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 12:27-31

VERSE FOR MEDITATION: EPHESIANS 4:11 NASB

And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers.

The last group of the spiritual gifts is the ministry gift. This gift is different from the gift of men, as it helps in the church growth and development while the ministry gift is an office gift for administration and equipping (Eph. 4:11-16).

In the gifts of men, there is a place for prophecy and in the ministry gift, there is an office of the prophet. These two are different as we have shared two years ago. But just to add to it, the gift of prophecy can be manifested by all believers (1 Cor. 14:31), but the office of a prophet is a calling from God, and appointed and sent by Jesus (Eph. 4:11; Mk. 3:14).

Not everyone is called to be a prophet. And before a called prophet can become a sent prophet, he must have received his jurisdiction, a strategy to carry out his assignment and finally being empowered for the work of the ministry. This is also applied to all other offices.

No man calls himself into any of these offices. Jesus does the sending, and the believers confirm the call of God on that fellow (Acts 13:1-3).

No spiritual gifts are for self-profiting, they profit the body of Christ. The apostles establish God’s government in a territory and equip the saints on the apostles’ doctrine- the teachings of the kingdom (Acts 1:3; 2:4). The prophets build on what the apostles had started by educating the church on how to live out the God-life; living the supernatural life naturally (Jer. 1:5-12). The evangelists get men saved and added to the church and encourage the church to do the same (2 Tim. $:5). The pastors continue from where the evangelists stopped in shepherding God’s people and oversee their growth (Jer. 3:15). And finally the teachers, bringing to the body of Christ doctrinal balance (Eph. 4:11-15). Again the gift of teaching is different from the office of a teacher. A teacher is sent by Jesus and he is in the right position of correcting the errors flying around. A man operating in the gift of a teacher does not have the right to correct errors, because the offices come with levels of authority. An example in scripture is Aquila and Priscilla who were both teachers of the Word (Acts 18:26).

So God appointed in the church; first apostles, to establish His government in a territory, then secondly the prophets to build up on what the apostles had started. These two are God’s custodians of His divine mysteries (Eph. 2:20; 3:3-5); they are the only two sets of people assigned by God to explain His divine mysteries. A teacher cannot, except he has an apostolic call.

PRAYER:

FATHER, PLEASE HELP US TO LOVE THE BODY AND ACCEPT THE MEN THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN TO EQUIP US. IN JESUS’ NAME. AMEN!

DECLARATION:

I LOVE THE BODY, AND I REFUSE TO FORSAKE THE ASSEMBLING TOGETHER.

JOURNEY THROUGH THE CHRONOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST:

MARK 11, 12; JOHN 12