In Christ: Know It, Live It - 49 (Unity through Diversity - 4)

The grace gifts that the Apostle Paul focuses on in Ephesians 4:11,12 are gifts given to the church for its EQUIPPING.

"And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry..."

Here we have 4 gifts that are specifically for the equipping of the saints for their work of ministry. EQUIP was used of refitting a ship or setting a broken bone. The idea seems to be that of getting something to a place where it can be useful again...where it can fulfill its intended purpose.

APOSTLES and PROPHETS were the two foundational gifts for the church. In Ephesians 2:20 we are told that the church is, "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone..." The apostles included the 12 and a few others such as Paul and Silas. Men such as Agabus (Acts 11:27), Barnabas and Simeon (Acts 13:1?) are specifically called PROPHETS in the NT. These two groups of men were used to give us the inspired Scriptures of the New Testament (in large part) and to pioneer the birth and early growth and maturity of the church. The foundation they gave to us is centered in every way on Christ.

Are there still APOSTLES, men who pioneer the birth and growth of the church on the rock of Scriptural revelation? NOT like those first apostles! The 12 and the few others named in the NT had a special call and authority from Christ Himself that was indeed foundational (Matthew 16:18,19). Are there gifts today that have a real apostolic function? We think there are, at least in terms of church planting, overseeing groups of churches, and taking the authoritative Word of Christ into pioneering situations.

Are there still PROPHETS today, men who speak the Word of God in an authoritative manner, sometimes a fresh revelation that focuses on God's will for particular churches and situations? NOT like the NT prophets! However, we do believe there are those men gifted to speak the ALREADY GIVEN and final Word of God to the church in a way that gives Christ's message in an authoritative way for particular situations and times. There is much discussion today about the GIFT of prophecy and even the ROLE of a prophet. These discussions seem to hinge on the issue of AUTHORITY. How do words of "prophecy" fit in with Scriptural revelation?

Whatever we believe regarding the continuity or discontinuity of apostles and prophets, we need to note that they WERE given to EQUIP the church for its service. And they were to equip the church with the WORD of CHRIST...HE alone is the cornerstone on which all rests and rises.

Tomorrow...EVANGELISTS and PASTORS and TEACHERS as EQUIPPERS.