In the foregoing message we considered the offices in both the universal church and the local church. In this message we shall cover the relationship between the four special gifts and the church.
An office has a position with the right to do certain things. A gift, however, is not a position, and it does not give one any rights. A gift is an ability. If one has a certain gift, he has a particular ability but not any position. A gift does not bring any position to us; it only gives us the ability to do certain things. According to Ephesians 4, there are four special gifts-the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the shepherd-teachers. Actually, these gifts are not merely abilities but gifted persons. We need to see the relationship between these four special gifts and the church.
In Ephesians 4:11 Paul says that Christ, the Head of the Body, has given four categories of gifts to the Body: apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers. These gifts are raised up by the Head and given by Him to the Body. They are not produced in a human way by education, selection, or ordination. Rather, among the saints who love the Lord and seek Him, some are gradually manifested to be apostles, evangelists, prophets, or teachers. They are produced by their manifestation in their Christian life and living.
The first of the four special gifts is the apostles. On the one hand, the apostleship is an office in the universal church; on the other hand, an apostle is a gift. Actually, the apostleship is more a gift than an office. For example, Paul had the office of apostleship, but he was also a gift. As an apostle, Paul was a gift more than he was one who had an office. He did not do much according to his office, but he did a great deal as a gift.
In their ministry to produce the churches, the apostles are a gift to the universal church, that is, a gift to all the churches. A gift is a present freely given to you. An apostle certainly is a gift to all the churches. Throughout the ages, certain ones have been raised up by God to be apostles and have been given to the church as a gift.
In 1 Corinthians 9:1 Paul asks, “Am I not an apostle?” The word “apostle” is an anglicized Greek word which means one who is sent. An apostle of the Lord is a believer who is sent out by Him with His authority to preach the gospel of God, to teach the divine truth, and to establish churches. Peter and John were such apostles among the Jews in the first section of the book of Acts, and Paul and Barnabas were such apostles among the Gentiles in the second section of Acts. Others, such as Silvanus and Timothy, also became apostles (1 Thes. 1:1; 2:6). As long as anyone has the power to preach the gospel, the gift to teach the divine truth, and the ability to establish churches, he is qualified and confirmed to be an apostle sent by the Lord with His commission and authority.
The apostleship is universal. When Paul and Barnabas were in the church at Antioch they were not apostles but prophets and teachers (Acts 13:1). However, when they went out to preach the gospel to establish the churches, they were the sent ones. A sent one is an apostle. They were prophets and teachers in the local church in Antioch, but by being sent out in the ministry they became apostles to establish the churches.
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