The Five Fold Ministry – All We Need Is Love

The Five Fold Ministry – All We Need Is Love

Five Fold Ministry, Ascension Gifts, or Equipping Gifts – regardless what you call them they all mean basically the same thing. None of these labels are found in scripture, but they all refer to the list of titles or offices found in Ephesians 4:11. Paul gives a list of “gifts”, according to what he called them, that Jesus gave to the Church after He ascended into heaven to be seated at the right hand of the Father. Look at these statements in context.

Ephesians 4:7-14 (ESV) But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

…

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds (KJV says pastors), and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, …

If this list were intended to be the foundation for Church government I believe much more would have been said about their qualifications, form, and function. Paul gave qualifications and a description of duties for deacons and overseers (or bishop, elder, etc. depending on translation) in one of his letters to Timothy (1 Timothy 3). He also explicitly referred to them as being an office in the Church.

Paul gives a different list of ministries in 1 Corinthians 12:27-31. Why is this list not considered when naming “offices” or “ministry gifts” to the church?

1 Corinthians 12:27-31 (ESV) Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.

Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

Which has more spiritual significance: Jesus giving gifts or God appointing people in the church? Here, eight different functions are mentioned, including apostle, prophet, and teacher, but omitting evangelist and shepherd (pastor). Added to the list from Ephesians are miracles, healing, helping, administrating, and tongues.

Paul then asks several rhetorical questions with the implied answer to each one being “No.” After listing most of the functions previously listed, he then urges his readers to desire the higher gifts. The implication is that none of these listed are the “higher gifts,” including apostles, prophets, and teachers.

As you know, chapter and verse delineations were not part of the original letters in scripture. They were added for ease of reference. In light of this, the very next thing Paul states after “desire the higher gifts” is 1 Corinthians 13.

1 Corinthians 13:1-2 (ESV) If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

Perhaps we have missed Paul’s focus of trying to explain the diversity of function while stating the singleness of purpose. If we cannot love one another it really does not matter what the sign says on our door. Instead of fighting over who is in charge let us learn to love our Brothers and Sisters in the Church, and find ways to serve them instead of severing our Lord’s Body.