Tag Archives: Apostles

Make Us One, Lord!

28 Jan

And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13 NASB

When I first dedicated my life to the Lord and began studying I wondered how long it would take me to start making sense of my Bible. Everything seemed so complicated, and the King James Version Language had a whole learning curve of its own. Everyone around me in the classes and services seemed to have it all figured out. I was truly at a loss. Little by little things became clearer and the scriptures started to come alive. The detailed stories of the Old Testament and the promises and journeys of the New Testament. Bible reading first thing in the morning, Bible reading last thing at night, and pondering it all during the day.

How did I fit in??

I remember when I first read Ephesians 4 and all that it teaches about the”Business Management” of the church, so to speak, I was in awe of the thought of how it all worked and how “special” those people must be for God to choose them to lead. I was convinced that they had to be very spiritual, anointed and wise to be placed in those positions. I never, ever thought that I could measure up to any position in the church. Clearly, it was for the favored of God!

I loved the scriptures and God’s presence so much that I studied, studied, studied. Hours every day. I quit my full time job and found work that I could do in my home so that I could spend the entire day and part of the evenings studying. When I wasn’t studying I was praying. I wanted to get closer and closer to understanding everything about the scriptures and the nature of God. I wanted to know where I fit in this mighty Kingdom of God.

I remember people talking about the 5 fold ministry. Apostle. Prophet. Evangelist. Pastor. Teacher. Each with their own specific duties to bring the perfect message to the Kingdom of God. I needed to find out what that was all about.

The Apostle is to Govern the church, be the visionary for growth and balance. He is the envoy, the one commissioned to go forth as a representative of a body with a specific mission planted in his spirit by God.

The Prophet is to hear the voice of God and guide the other 4 ministers in what they are being called to do in that particular season. The prophet is one who speaks forth, is divinely inspired to communicate with God’s will and give that message to others. They are seen as God’s spokespersons, delivering warnings, guidance or revelation. Sometimes they foretell future events or provide insight into God’s plans and purposes.

The Evangelist is to gather people into the church through powerful messages and direction. The Evangelist is a missionary, a bearer of good tidings, a herald of the Gospel. The Evangelist is someone specially gifted and called to spread the message of salvation through Jesus. The Evangelist directs them toward the Church and the body who can lift the people up and help them understand the place they have in the Kingdom.

The Pastor is the Shepherd, He is the feeder, protector, and ruler of the flock. He cares for those who come into the church and keeps the day to day workings of the church running smoothly. He is the presiding officer, manager, director, overseer and Head of the Church.

The Teacher works throughout the week, preparing lesson plans and bringing the Gospel to the body in a format that is accurate and easily understood. The Teacher is an instructor of the divine truth of the Scriptures, teaching spiritual and doctrinal concepts.

Each function of the 5 fold ministry is critical and equally important! Each function is like the gears in a watch, all of the gears are needed for the clock to show accurate time. But – what about the rest of the verse???? “For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.” Who are the Saints and what is their function?? And who are the Body and what is their function?

The concordance says that the Saints are holy, set apart, for a special religious or spiritual purpose. Were they the Disciples?? The concordance says that the Disciples are followers who most commonly learned from the teachers. Disciples follow a teacher or philosopher to learn their teachings and way of life. Or were the Disciples the Body??

The concordance says that the original meaning of the word Body was to save or preserve. Taken metaphorically it could indicate the Saved Ones or the Preserved Ones. Saved by Grace!! Preserved for God the Father’s use in the Kingdom, perhaps to, one day, become an Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor or a Teacher!!

Therein still remains the question – where do I fit? Which cubicle do I fit into?? If I am part of the Body then I can aspire to be a Disciple! If I am a Disciple I can aspire to be a Saint! If I am a Saint I can aspire to be a Teacher! I can aspire to be a Pastor. I can aspire to be an Evangelist. I can listen for the voice of God and see if I am called to be a Prophet or an Apostle. I am a part of the BODY of God! That’s where I fit. There are so many opportunities for growth and so much honor to be chosen for ascension. That’s where YOU fit too. We are the Body – we are Kingdom Disciples. We Are One!!!

Through all of that study and dividing and interpreting there is really only one thing that is important, one place where we all fit, one place where we are all equal! We are, first and foremost, a Child of God – and that is priceless.

** A Journey Through Ephesians – Chapter 4, Part 5

By Linda J. Humes – 1-25-2025

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The Promise In Jesus Christ

28 Aug

Mystery

(The Mystery) “which in other generation was not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to wit, that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and fellow-members of the body, and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,” Ephesians 3:5-6

We all love a good mystery. We are given a certain set of facts and circumstances and we try to figure out why and how something “did” happen, or is “about” to happen.

I was late in dedicating my life to God and the ministry. I always knew about God, I prayed all the time, I talked to Him and He talked to me, but I never made the personal commitment and dedication of my life to study and ministry until I was 38 years old.

Nine months after my commitment, I made the decision to leave my job of 19+ years, work part time, and dedicate my time to Biblical study and Kingdom Ministry. I worked from home and learned to balance my schedule which included my 5-year-old son, work, study, and prayer. Unfortunately, my income barely covered my bills. Trips anywhere were carefully calculated and groceries purchases were tough. God provided for us in very unusual and “mysterious” ways.

One day, my next door neighbor came by with several big boxes of dented cans; no labels. He had heard that we were struggling and wanted to help. He wasn’t sure what was in each can, only that it was food. We gratefully thanked him and started our new adventures of “mystery meals!” My son would choose 2 cans every night and whatever was inside was dinner. We had many good laughs over green beans and peaches, or spinach and pears.

One day a friend brought us several packages of deer meat from his previous year’s hunt as he had just been successful in the current year hunt and needed the freezer space. Mystery dinner with a deer roast!

I remember sitting at the table, finished blessing the food, and took a bite of the roast. It was wonderful. Then the big smile on my face quickly turned to tears as I said, “Lord, forgive me, I’m eating Bambi!” For the first time I heard God laugh. It wasn’t a little snicker or chuckle, it was a full belly laugh. I figured that must have meant that it was okay to eat, we enjoyed that meal for days. A “mystery” with a delightful blessing.

I find it odd that they call the acceptance of all people into God’s family as a Mystery (Col 1:26). God created all men and women. There are examples of non-Jews all through the Bible that found favor with God as they followed His ways and blessed His servants. All people were born from the lineage of Eve (Gen 3:20). All came from the lineage of Noah (Gen 9:1, 18-19). Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Tribes that became Jerusalem, all started from the same lineage.

The question I struggle with is, how did everyone and everything get separated out to begin with? People made decisions, choices and cultures based upon their physical locations. Circumstances and events separated them, and somehow the nations and “religions” changed with it (Gen 10:5). One bad decision led to another, a door was opened to evil, father-son-mother-daughter at war within the family and with others in their country. Boom, the divisions occurred – Jews and Gentiles. It was never meant to be that way. It was a condition of the heart. It was a condition of the soul. It was the consequence of free will.

In Ephesians, the Apostles are trying to explain how all people, Jew and Gentile, were God’s children and all have the opportunity at eternal life, with their acceptance of Jesus Christ. ALL PEOPLE. No preferences of peoples or tribes. No more divisions. Back to the way God intended it to be from the beginning. Mystery solved.

Thank you for loving us and tucking us back under Your wings when we stray (Ps 91:4). Thank you for the mysteries in life and the abilities You give us to solve them and move past them. Thank you God for believing in me and breaking down the walls men put up, so many years ago, as I was born a Gentile, but grafted back into Your kingdom by grace.

** A Journey Through Ephesians – Chapter 3, Part 2

Written by Linda J. Humes

11-7-2015

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