Ephesians 4: 11-13: 11So Christ himself gave the apostles, the
prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12to equip his people for works of service, so that the
body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and
in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole
measure of the fullness of Christ.
In our desperate need for political correctness we use different
terms and titles and churches who adopt the New Testament terminology for ministries are
looked upon as cults, sects, and wacko offshoots. Nevertheless, apostles are at
work in the earth.
Men and women moving in an apostolic ministry are possessed of a
keen revelation of Jesus Christ, a risen savior, Lord of Lords, God. They have
a deep sense of their calling and freely give in to the compulsion to serve;
they know the specific calling upon their lives just as Paul knew he was called
as apostle to the gentiles and Peter knew he was an apostle to the Jews (Gal.
2: 7-10). Apostles preach the message, ‘The kingdom of heaven is near’ (Matthew
10: 7-8) and they give witness to Jesus’ resurrection and the many ways they’ve
seen it in action (Acts 1:22). From their ministry arise pastors, prophets, teachers,
evangelists, and churches equipped to stand as witness to the ministry and the
enduring kingdom of heaven.
Often times those who participate in the apostolic ministry are
drawn to the mission field just as Paul had been. From Paul’s vagabond ministry
we have letters to churches and pastors and spiritual sons. Those letters
continue to teach, instruct, and equip pastoral and teaching ministries and
will do so until Christ’s coming again. The same can be said of today’s apostles.
I have had the occasion to hike in the high country with some of
these modern day apostolic ministers. I’ve watched others as they raised families
while they were here in the states formalizing their deep understanding of the
Gospel within seminary classrooms and libraries. I am blessed to have seen them
for their calling and thereby honored to pray for a bountiful harvest from
their labors in the field.
Ephesians 2: 19-22: 19Consequently,
you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s
people and also members of his household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles
and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21In him the whole building is joined together and rises
to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built
together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Others of the foundational ministries are active in our congregations
teaching, evangelizing, and pastoring and go without ordination by the
governing bodies of the churches in which they serve. Their ordination comes
from elsewhere. It’s not the title that is important, it is the ministry that
is paramount. Today’s foundational ministers would most likely agree and
continue on making disciples.
In His grip, jerry
