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The Five Ministries How can we function alone as a member and leadership in the body of the church when each member of the church is by the very ministry of the church dependent on each other and totally dependent upon our Lord as the head? In a real sense, there is no independent church member or leadership in the body of the church. The realization is that we are "a dependent member body church and a dependent member body in Christ's ministries to the world" depending upon each other. In this book, we will begin to discuss the spiritual gifts of the church operating in associating with each other. These gifts must be functioning in the body for the church to be growing and healthy spiritually. It must also be functioning for the holiness and approval of the Lord upon the His work of ministry, He has established in us. It is important for us to realized that as we look at the church's growth physically, business or in natural way in the world, this does not always indicate spiritual growth. Man's so called natural abilities are not always given to God to be used in His anointing. We must be under the anointing of God to bring about the ministry of the 'Kingdom of God' through the church. It must be the anointing upon us. "It is the anointing that destroys the yoke." This is one of the purposes of the Apostle's Doctrine.
The present ministry and operation of the Church in this century is the Apostle's Order and Procedures. The Office of the Apostle is demanded today for a 'Spiritual House' in the New Testament Church. The Spiritual House of the Church demands the anointing upon us operating in our spiritual minds, with spiritual offices of ministry and gifts. The 'anointing' is from God. The Kingdom of God is an anointed, spiritual kingdom. It is God's ruled (His Word, what God says, establishes, confirms, orders, provides, instructs, etc.). Again, we come to order. The effectiveness of Jesus' ministry demands the Order of the Five Fold Ministry in the New Testament Church: 1. Christ as the Apostle in the Church (Hebrews 3:1) 2. Christ as the Prophet (John 4:19) 3. Christ as the Evangelist (Luke 4:8) 4. Christ as the Pastor (John 10:11) 5. Christ as Teacher (John 3:2) Christ in us demands that the ministry of the church is found in Him. John 1:14,16 declares "and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.for of His fullness we have all received and grace upon grace." Christ is the founder of the church and laid the pattern for us to follow. Thus, we are governed by Christ's order discipline and structure of His Church. |
