11th
FUNDAMENTAL
TRUTH
THE MINISTRY
A divinely called and scripturally ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for the threefold purpose of leading the Church in: (1) Evangelization of the world (Mark 16:15–20), (2) Worship of God (John 4:23–24), and (3) Building a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son (Eph. 4:11,16).
The Church is more than an organization; it is a living organism. The head of the Church is Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:22–23), who nourishes the Church, giving it spiritual life. However, a living organism must have structure. Nothing is more highly organized in the natural world than the simplest living cell. In the Old Testament the tribes were organized for march as well as for encampment (see Num. 2 to 4). Similarly, the Church is also an orderly, structured arrangement of parts, an arrangement one discovers from examining the pattern of the Apostolic Church. The structure set forth in the New Testament was quite simple, the principle apparently being that only organization necessary for the ongoing life of the Church should be adopted. For example, they did not have deacons until they needed deacons.
A general principle in the development of the Church also seems to be that each local assembly was considered self-governing, without hierarchical connections beyond the local assembly. The exception to this principle is the special authority accorded the apostles, who did, as a matter of fact, exercise an authority over a number of churches. This, however, was because of their special relationship to Christ, and upon their death this apostolic authority ceased.1 For example, Paul in his missionary journeys conducted elections for elders and received the respect due one with special authority.2
There were two basic types of offices in the Apostolic Church. One was itinerant and charismatic; the other was local and elected. The first involved ministries rather than offices in the modern sense, and was itinerant because those who exercised this function traveled around, generally among a wide range of local assemblies. They were charismatic, given to the whole Church for the exercise of supernatural manifestations that would establish the churches and bring all the believers to the place where they could do the work of ministry (Eph. 4:8,11–14). The other type of office was local. Those who functioned in this category remained in one specific locality. They also were elected, chosen by the local congregation according to prescribed qualifications set forth by the apostles before the churches. (See Acts 6:3; 1 Tim. 3:1–13; Titus 1:6–9).
Itinerant and charismatic leaders were set apart and given ministry by divine direction. Paul introduces these ministries as Christ’s gifts by quoting from Psalm 68:18, “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men” (Eph. 4:8).3 Ephesians 4:9–10 is a parenthesis that identifies Jesus as the one who ascended on high. Then Paul goes on to show that the gifts given to men are apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers.
The primary group of apostles were the Twelve. They had a ministry in the initial establishing of the Church (Acts 1:20,25–26) and when Jesus sits on His glorious throne in the millennial kingdom, they “shall also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matt. 19:28). This marks the twelve apostles as a limited group. However, the New Testament indicates there were other apostles (Gk. apostoloi, “ambassadors, sent with a mission”) who were also given as gifts to the Church. These included Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:4,14) as well as Paul’s relatives Andronicus and Junias (Rom. 16:7).4 However, Paul speaks of those who were apostles before he was (Gal. 1:17). He also tells about how Jesus appeared to all the apostles, and “last of all” to him, “as to one born out of due time” (1 Cor. 15:7–8; cf. 9:1). “Thus it appears that the rest of those who are called apostles in the New Testament also belonged to a limited group of which Paul was the last.”5
The apostolic ministry had three distinct features. First, the apostles were commissioned by the risen Lord Jesus (Acts 1:2) and were first-hand witnesses to the teachings and resurrection of Jesus.6 Second, the apostles had the unique role of establishing the Church and producing Scripture. This role could not be duplicated after their death, since it was limited to those who had heard Jesus or were able to talk to those who had heard Jesus.7 The third feature, however, is an apostolic ministry (not office) of signs and wonders applicable to all ages (2 Cor. 12:12). This ministry was involved in the planting of churches. That apostolic function is similar to the task of the pioneer missionary today (2 Cor. 10:16). Paul’s journeys supply a vivid and practical pattern for our missionary enterprise.
Prophets were those in the Apostolic Church who had a special ministry of inspired utterance. While the apostles and evangelists took the gospel to the unregenerate world, the prophets exercised an edifying ministry to the various churches. For example, “Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers” (Acts 15:32). Their messages, however, were not to be taken as infallible, but were to be judged, or evaluated, by the other members of the local church (1 Cor. 14:29–33; 1 John 4:1).
The ministry of evangelist in a very real sense overlapped the ministries of apostles and pastors in the New Testament. The function of the evangelist was to be the first to bring the gospel to those who had not yet been heard. In this pioneer sense the function of the evangelist seemed to overlap that of the apostle, who also served in new territory, at the edge of the already evangelized field. The pastor in the New Testament was also exhorted to “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5). The term was also applied to a layman in the church, the deacon Philip, who exercised the ministry of evangelism and was called “Philip the evangelist” (Acts 21:8). His preaching of the good news was accompanied by miracles, healings, and deliverance from demons. Many in his audiences were saved, baptized in water, and filled with joy (Acts 8:6–8).
“Pastors” could also be translated “shepherds” (Gk. poimenas). Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd who gathers the flock, cares for them, knows them, rescues them when they stray, and lays down His life for them (John 10:2–16). He remains the Chief Shepherd (Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 5:4). Pastors are undershepherds, having the ministry and responsibility of caring for and protecting God’s flock as well as being worthy of their imitation (1 Pet. 5:2–3).
Teachers were given a special ability to explain and interpret the truth of God’s revelation (Matt. 28:19–20; Eph. 4:11; 2 John 10). Some were itinerant, going from church to church. However, Ephesians 4:11 seems to connect pastor and teacher as a twofold ministry. The shepherd needed to feed the flock. The very word “shepherd” in the Old Testament (Heb. ro’eh) is an active participle meaning, literally, “one who feeds.”
First Timothy 3:1–13 gives instruction in the selection of local and elected officers. The first of these officers was the “elder” (Gk. presbuteros), a term indicating age and maturity. This term was also used by the Jews to designate the person who was known as the “ruler” of the synagogue (Mark 5:35–38). In the Greek-speaking world of the New Testament, the term “bishop” was used as the equivalent of “elder” (cf. Acts 20:17 and 20:28). “Bishop” (Gk. episkopos) literally means “overseer” or “superintendent.” Acts 20:28 indicates that they were also expected to have the ministry of shepherd, or pastor. The duties of the office were similar to those of pastors as we think of them today. The elder, or bishop, was in a sense the president of the congregation and was initially elected out of the congregation and given the responsibility of seeing that preaching and teaching were done. The elder did not need to do all the teaching, but, as Paul wrote to Timothy, “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor [including financial support], especially those whose work is preaching and teaching” (1 Tim. 5:17).
The use of the plural, “elders,” may indicate that each house church had an elder and that the elders in a city met together for the guidance of all the churches. In the history of the Church, the leader of the principal church in a city eventually took the title of bishop and left the title of elder (Gk. presbuteros) to his assistants and the pastors of the smaller churches in the city. Later the word “elder” (Gk. presbuteros) was corrupted into “priest.”8 Since the Bible teaches the priesthood of all believers, we do not believe there should be a priest or shepherd standing between the believer and Christ so that the believer cannot go directly to Him. Jesus is the one and only Mediator between God and humankind. Our pastors serve as teachers, inspirers, and role models for the assembly. Ordination does not make them ministers, it simply recognizes the ministry God has already given them.9
The other group of elected officials in the Early Church were the “deacons” (Gk. diakonos), originally meaning “a waiter who kept the wine glasses full.” It then came to mean a servant who had various duties. Among Christians, deacons were following the pattern of servanthood set by Jesus (Matt. 20:26–28; 23:11; John 12:26). The term was soon used generally for those in the ministry, but then came to be used for an established group of workers elected by the local congregation. These people served as helpers to the elders, principally in the material and mundane matters relating to the assembly, such as the care of money tables for the sake of widows (Acts 6:1–4; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8–13). Church history shows too that they were busy caring for the poor, the sick, and the weak. It should be noted that women seem to have been accorded a role in this ministry, too, for women deacons are mentioned in Romans 16:1 and Philippians 4:3, as well as in 1 Timothy 3:8–11.10 The deacons, although their ministry was sometimes of a more secular nature, needed to minister spiritually to those they served and were therefore expected to measure up to a high set of spiritual and moral qualifications.11
The various ministers, whether apostles, prophets, evangelists, or pastor-teachers, are considered God’s gifts to the Church (Eph. 4:11). The varied tasks of this group of God’s servants may be summarized in the following ways.
First, the ministry in the Early Church was expected to lead the Church in world evangelization. The officials, whether itinerant or elected, were not expected to do all the evangelizing. Their task was to equip the believers in the church at large for this and other ministries. Ephesians 4:12 pointedly declares this truth. When persecution struck the Jerusalem church the laypeople were scattered abroad, but they had been so well instructed—and inspired by the Holy Spirit—that everywhere they went they fulfilled the ministry of evangelism. There were evangelistic rallies, to be sure, but personal evangelism was the principal means of extending the Early Church. It was expected that converts would be made through the normal concourse of daily encounter, and then they would be brought into the assemblies. The ministers, in other words, were to lead the entire Church in the task of world outreach. Were the ministers alone assigned this task, the world would never be evangelized.
The leadership of the Church also bore a special responsibility in cultivating a climate of worship and leading people into ministry to the Lord (John 4:23–24; Acts 13:1–2). Discipline of the local assembly in matters pertaining to worship, particularly the matter of abuses of the manifestations of the Spirit, occupies 1 Corinthians 11 to 14. In that passage, however, the Bible calls for moderation, not a moderator. The congregation as a whole, as well as the individual members, was to exercise self-discipline.
References to spiritual leadership appear in many places in the New Testament record. Principles that governed worship seem to be edification of the assembly and freedom of expression without quenching the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19). Of course, the strong assumption throughout the Epistles is that the assemblies were filled with members baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Instruction in spiritual worship includes the beauty of spontaneous expressions of praise and song, suggesting that in the Early Church there was a delightful freedom and sense of expectancy (Eph. 5:18–20). However, lest one imagine that there was a total lack of order, consider such passages as 1 Timothy 4:13, which strongly suggests a regular pattern of Bible reading, the centrality of preaching, and an emphasis on right doctrine (teaching), all within a context of public worship.
A third facet of responsibility charged to the leadership of the New Testament Church was the task of building up believers into mature saints. The stated reason for the various ministries in the Church being classified as “gifts” to the Church is specifically “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Eph. 4:12). The word “prepare” (Gk. katartismon) is the word used for “equipping,” “completely furnishing,” “training with a view of bringing to a level of maturity or full fruition.” In the next verse, Ephesians 4:13, the objective is spelled out: “Until we all reach unity in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” In this verse the word “mature” (Gk. teleion) emphasizes the idea of “enabling one to fulfill an intended destiny.” The sense of fulfilling God’s will for one’s life is strongly implied. This is also what being mature implies, for the meaning of that term points to the appropriate use of one’s energies, the marshalling of all one’s resources, for concentration on ultimate goals without the hindrance of scattered and diverted interests. The expression in this verse that describes the level of maturity the Christian is to achieve, “the whole measure of the fullness of Christ,” emphasizes that our model, our pattern, of full obedience to the will of God is the life of Christ himself. Ephesians 4:14–15 gives to us the result of this maturation process, which the Church is expected to produce in the believers through the various ministries entrusted to it.
In summary, one can describe the intended result as stability. The effective result of spiritual ministry in the household of God will be an assembly of saints whose feet are solidly planted, saints whose lives are not easily disturbed by the “waves, and … wind of teaching” (Eph. 4:14). Into such a solid fellowship it is expected that new converts will be accepted and that those who have suffered the agonies of broken lives will see in this delightful union of believers an attractive quality of life (1 John 1:3–4).
Paul carefully points out an important truth concerning diversity of ministry (Rom. 12:3–8; 1 Cor. 12:1–30). Within the wonderful unity in the body of Christ, brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit, there is a rich diversity. Not all have the same function, the same gift, the same ministry, or the same office. As the human body needs a wide variety of organs in order to function properly, so the body of Christ requires a diversity of ministries so that the Church may effectively do the bidding of Christ in this world. Out of this great truth of “diversity in unity” shines the concept of God’s concern for the individual. Regardless of function, gift, or office, regardless of how glamorous or hidden the task entrusted to one, in the sight of God all are important. Each believer will be rewarded according to individual faithfulness. This great biblical emphasis on the worth and integrity of the individual has tremendous implications for a proper understanding of people and society in the modern world—it militates against totalitarianism and collectivism, such as one finds in communistic societies.
How is it that God brings about the richness of the variety the Church needs? The answer lies in the call of God, sometimes called the doctrine of vocation. The field of toil, the lifework, is not a matter of personal choice for the believer. It is an obedient response to the calling of a sovereign God. God’s summons to himself is not only for salvation, but also for service.
In the Gospel record, Jesus is described as calling people with great frequency. His call was to discipleship, that is, to become learners, students. Following Jesus to learn from Him involved leaving the past and surrendering every aspect of one’s life to the Master Teacher. It included not only deliverance from sin, but it carried with it a whole new program for living. “Follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). Coupled with salvation was the call to service. In a very real sense we are saved to serve. Salvation is more than an escape hatch from hell, it is the gateway to fullness of life and usefulness in the kingdom of God.
In the largest sense all are called to service. All who know Jesus as Savior must continue to be disciples (“learners” who earnestly desire to learn to know and serve Him better). This large view is related to the concept known as the priesthood of all believers (1 Pet. 2:5,9; Rev. 1:5–6). Because Christ made a new and living way into the Most Holy Place (in heaven), all believers have access to the throne of God (Heb. 10:18–22). This is a privilege of the believer’s being in the family of God. The powerful implication of this great truth is that no human intermediary is needed to plead one’s case with God, for Jesus Christ is the Great Mediator—the one and only Mediator—and He has opened the way for the individual to appear before the throne of grace. In this important sense, then, each believer is a priest of God, each believer is a minister of God.
This shatters the medieval idea that salvation was to be dispensed through a special few: the hierarchy of the Church. The sharp division that arose between clergy and laity during this long dark night of church history was broken down by the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, when the New Testament doctrine of the priesthood of all believers was resurrected from the nearly forgotten apostolic past.12
However, let us not overlook a very important point here. Although the priesthood of believers gives everyone equal standing before God, not requiring an earthly sacramental system with its round of ritual and pageantry of priestcraft, nonetheless God does call individuals to particular functions in the Church for special service. Though there is no qualitative difference in the worth of the minister as distinct from the layperson, there is a difference in function. And although we should not wish in any way to minimize the calling of the laity—for that also is an important sphere in which a witness for God is made—the Bible does give special attention to the calling of those entrusted with spiritual oversight of the Church. Today, such ministers are usually ordained, which is the Church’s recognition that God has given them a ministry and that they are faithfully serving in their calling.13
Paul was keenly aware that his apostleship was not of his own choosing. He was aware also that in the providence of God he had been entrusted with awesome responsibility. It was God’s doing. God called Paul to be an apostle, making him a “servant” (Gk. doulos, literally, “slave”) of the Lord and of the Church, separating him to the special ministry of the Word of God (Rom. 1:1). Again, in writing to the Galatians, Paul underscored the fact that he did not assume this ministry himself, nor was it delegated to him by another person—it was God who put him in the ministry (Gal. 1:1).
Paul’s emphasis on servant leadership is in line with the example and commands of Jesus. On one occasion Jesus called a little child and had him stand among the disciples and said, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:2–4). Later, Jesus told them, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority [play the tyrant] over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:25–28; see also Luke 22:25–26). Those called to special ministry are not to seek to go to the top, nor are they to seek fame, worldly power, or special privilege. Instead, loving, faithful, humble service, giving themselves for the Lord and for others, will mark all they do. God will take care of their advancement, if it is His will.
That the proclamation of the gospel, its preaching and explanation, requires a special calling from God is evident from this account in the Book of Acts: The leadership in the church at Jerusalem found themselves encountering numerous mundane duties, so that their primary calling, the ministry of the Word and prayer, was being neglected. The appointment of deacons grew out of this awareness. Nothing was to hinder the ministry of the Word. “We … will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:1–4).
A final word should be added here regarding the call to the ministry. Indeed, it is God who sets His call upon individuals in a special manner for the work of the ministry. However, this does not preclude the aspiration of capable earnest young people to such a work. There is a divine-human cooperation evident here. “Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer [bishop, pastor], he desires a noble task” (1 Tim. 3:1).
Not all who desire—or even all who prepare for such a work—will be called by God. But it is commendable for keen, capable, energetic, moral, spiritual young people to present themselves before the Lord, making preparation for service and awaiting divine direction. In this age there is likely greater danger of young people shutting their ears to the call of God to the ministry than of finding themselves out of God’s will in such full-time service. How important not to mistake the voice of God, not only for one’s own personal well-being, not only for the world dying around us, but for the sake of God’s glory!
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. Some churches consider themselves free in the sense of not having any formal organization. Why is organization important?
2. Why should the itinerant, charismatic offices be considered primarily as ministries?
3. What were the qualifications of the office of apostle in New Testament times and how does that differ from what might be called apostolic ministry today?
4. What is the primary ministry of prophets in the New Testament Church?
5. How are the ministries of evangelism, pastor, and teacher related?
6. What was the function of the elder-bishop in New Testament times and how does that compare with the function of the pastor in your own local assembly today?
7. What was the function of the deacon in New Testament times and how does that compare with the function of deacons in your own local assembly today?
8. What do you learn about the nature of worship services in the New Testament?
9. How can we help each other become mature, stable saints?
10. What is the essence of a call to full-time ministry?
11. In what sense are all believers to be ministers?
12. Is it wrong to desire a call to full-time ministry? Explain.
_______________
1 Matthias was chosen to take the place of Judas because Judas lost his office, but when the apostle James was martyred, no one was chosen to take his place. He will be among the Twelve who will rule the twelve tribes of Israel in the Millennium (Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:30). The Bible gives no indication of any apostles, other than the apostle Paul, who were not commissioned by Jesus before His ascension.
2 See Acts 14:23, where the word “appointed” is the Gk. xeirotonēsantes, which means, literally, “conducting an election by a show of hands.”
3 The picture is taken from the ancient custom of conquerors taking captives, making them slaves, and giving them as gifts to their friends. The ascended Jesus took people captive to himself and gave them as gifts to the Church. Notice how Paul calls himself a servant, literally, a “slave” (Gk. doulos), of Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:1; Phil. 1:1).
4 Junias is a feminine name in the Gk.
5 Stanley M. Horton, What the Bible Says About the Holy Spirit (Springfield, Mo.: Gospel Publishing House, 1976), 265.
6 Notice how Paul defends his apostleship in 1 Cor. 15:8–10; 2 Cor. 12:12; Gal. 1:1,12,16; 2:8.
7 See the qualifications laid down for the selection of a replacement for Judas (Acts 1:21–22).
8 This is an unbiblical use of the word “priest” and draws attention away from the New Testament word (hiereus) used in Rev. 1:6, 5:10; 20:6.
9 See “The Assemblies of God View of Ordination,” in Where We Stand (Springfield, Mo.: Gospel Publishing House, 1990), 87–99.
10 In 1 Tim. 3:11 “their wives” is simply the Gk. gunaikas, “women”; therefore the verse itself is a parenthesis giving additional qualifications for women deacons. (See NASB margin.)
11 See “Deacons and Trustees,” in Where We Stand, 77–82.
12 The modern “shepherding” movement has fallen into the same trap of setting up another priesthood between the believer and God.
13 See “Assemblies of God View,” in Where We Stand, 87–99.