DaMorgan
19th July 2005, 12:22 AM
God's ordering always:
(1) God always establishes a church in a locality.
(2) God raises up gifted men in a church for the Ministry.
(3) God sends some of these specially equipped men out into the Work.
(4) These men establish churches in different places.
(5) God raises up other gifted men among these churches for the Ministry of building them up.
(6) And some of these in turn are thrust forth to work in other fields.
Conclusion: The Work directly produces the churches, so the churches and the Work progress on-going. The Work always results in producing the churches and the churches always result in furthering the Work indirectly.
When they are in their own local church they are prophets and teachers (see Acts 13), and when they are sent to other places, they are apostles.
The ministries differ according to their sphere of service. The prophets and teachers, and pastors and evangelists, whose sphere is local, plus the apostles, whose sphere is extra-local, constitute the Ministry.
The former serve the churches, and the latter the Work. And the Ministry is designed to aid in both spheres. The Work is produced by the churches and the churches are founded as a result of the Work, as the Ministry serves both the churches and the Work. In Eph. 4 we see the sphere of the Ministry is the Body of Christ, which is expressed locally as the church functions, or extra-locally as the Work. Thus, the work of the apostle is quite different from the other three (prophets, evangelists, teachers). But all 4 belong to one Ministry, the sphere whose service is the Body of Christ.
These two groups are responsible for the work of the Ministry, one being gifted by the Holy Spirit that they may enable the church local, and the other called from amongst these gifted ones to serve Him in different places and given an office in addition to gifts.
Through these men God imparts His grace to the Church, from the Head to the Body. The Ministry we have prophets and other ministers using gifts for the local church, whilst apostles by their office and gifts, serve all the churches in the Work.
The Church of God is founded on the apostles and the prophets. Apostles hold no office in the church, but the elders occupy the chief place in the church. Apostles, on the other hand, hold the chief place in the Work (evangelists second place and in the Work only locally), whilst the elders have no place there. Apostles rank foremost in the universal Church and the elders rank foremost in the local church. Apostles hold the highest office in the Work, but the local church elders hold the highest office in the church, but as elders have no place in the Work. And they are both intricately linked together according to Acts 15.2,4,6,22,23.
In the local church there are two spheres of service - one relating to business management and the other to spiritual ministry. Elders and deacons hold the management of the church. Gifts exercised for the Ministry of the church are exercised by prophets and teachers (and evangelists). Elders take care of management; prophets and teachers concern themselves with the meetings. Elders rule the church, ministers serve the church ordained by God.
Elders are appointed for church government and not for meetings to edify the church. Elders do not come into view in 1 Cor. 14. When an elder also has gifts for the Ministry he acts in the latter capacity in meetings. 1 Tim. 5.17 shows us the usual capacity of an elder is to "rule", but some can be a minister and teacher too.
The churches are the Body of Christ expressed locally, the Ministry is the Body in function, and the Work is the Body seeking increase. The latter increase in the Work is done extra-locally by informal apostles, while locally is performed by evangelists. Apostles are informal because today the age we are in is the post-apostolic (after 1st century) so that we have apostles operating in like manner today, similarly selected from the Ministry operating locally from which them come out of, though directly commissioned by God.
The church cannot go on without receiving help of the Ministry and without giving help to the Work; the Work cannot exist without the support of the Ministry and the backing of the church; and the Ministry can only function when there is the church and the Work.
We should try to distinguish between them, but not sever them into separate units losing their inter-relatedness of the Body. They are all in the Church and move and act as one, for no matter what their spheres and functions, they are all one Body.
We differentiate them to understand them as we are related to the body. All must be on the ground of the body, not just a few here or there because of special ability, conscious to call or like-minded.
The church is the life of the Body in miniature; the Ministry is the functioning of the Body in service; the Work is the reaching out of the Body in growth. Neither church, Ministry or Work can exist by themselves. Each derives its existence from the others. All 3 are of the Body.
Without these truths everything is man-made and not God-created. The Body is the governing law of the life and work of the children of God today.
(1) God always establishes a church in a locality.
(2) God raises up gifted men in a church for the Ministry.
(3) God sends some of these specially equipped men out into the Work.
(4) These men establish churches in different places.
(5) God raises up other gifted men among these churches for the Ministry of building them up.
(6) And some of these in turn are thrust forth to work in other fields.
Conclusion: The Work directly produces the churches, so the churches and the Work progress on-going. The Work always results in producing the churches and the churches always result in furthering the Work indirectly.
When they are in their own local church they are prophets and teachers (see Acts 13), and when they are sent to other places, they are apostles.
The ministries differ according to their sphere of service. The prophets and teachers, and pastors and evangelists, whose sphere is local, plus the apostles, whose sphere is extra-local, constitute the Ministry.
The former serve the churches, and the latter the Work. And the Ministry is designed to aid in both spheres. The Work is produced by the churches and the churches are founded as a result of the Work, as the Ministry serves both the churches and the Work. In Eph. 4 we see the sphere of the Ministry is the Body of Christ, which is expressed locally as the church functions, or extra-locally as the Work. Thus, the work of the apostle is quite different from the other three (prophets, evangelists, teachers). But all 4 belong to one Ministry, the sphere whose service is the Body of Christ.
These two groups are responsible for the work of the Ministry, one being gifted by the Holy Spirit that they may enable the church local, and the other called from amongst these gifted ones to serve Him in different places and given an office in addition to gifts.
Through these men God imparts His grace to the Church, from the Head to the Body. The Ministry we have prophets and other ministers using gifts for the local church, whilst apostles by their office and gifts, serve all the churches in the Work.
The Church of God is founded on the apostles and the prophets. Apostles hold no office in the church, but the elders occupy the chief place in the church. Apostles, on the other hand, hold the chief place in the Work (evangelists second place and in the Work only locally), whilst the elders have no place there. Apostles rank foremost in the universal Church and the elders rank foremost in the local church. Apostles hold the highest office in the Work, but the local church elders hold the highest office in the church, but as elders have no place in the Work. And they are both intricately linked together according to Acts 15.2,4,6,22,23.
In the local church there are two spheres of service - one relating to business management and the other to spiritual ministry. Elders and deacons hold the management of the church. Gifts exercised for the Ministry of the church are exercised by prophets and teachers (and evangelists). Elders take care of management; prophets and teachers concern themselves with the meetings. Elders rule the church, ministers serve the church ordained by God.
Elders are appointed for church government and not for meetings to edify the church. Elders do not come into view in 1 Cor. 14. When an elder also has gifts for the Ministry he acts in the latter capacity in meetings. 1 Tim. 5.17 shows us the usual capacity of an elder is to "rule", but some can be a minister and teacher too.
The churches are the Body of Christ expressed locally, the Ministry is the Body in function, and the Work is the Body seeking increase. The latter increase in the Work is done extra-locally by informal apostles, while locally is performed by evangelists. Apostles are informal because today the age we are in is the post-apostolic (after 1st century) so that we have apostles operating in like manner today, similarly selected from the Ministry operating locally from which them come out of, though directly commissioned by God.
The church cannot go on without receiving help of the Ministry and without giving help to the Work; the Work cannot exist without the support of the Ministry and the backing of the church; and the Ministry can only function when there is the church and the Work.
We should try to distinguish between them, but not sever them into separate units losing their inter-relatedness of the Body. They are all in the Church and move and act as one, for no matter what their spheres and functions, they are all one Body.
We differentiate them to understand them as we are related to the body. All must be on the ground of the body, not just a few here or there because of special ability, conscious to call or like-minded.
The church is the life of the Body in miniature; the Ministry is the functioning of the Body in service; the Work is the reaching out of the Body in growth. Neither church, Ministry or Work can exist by themselves. Each derives its existence from the others. All 3 are of the Body.
Without these truths everything is man-made and not God-created. The Body is the governing law of the life and work of the children of God today.