The Ministry Gifts

Ephesians 4:11-13, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ...”

These gifts that Paul wrote in Ephesians chapter four are what the church calls ministry gifts.  These gifts are Christ’s provision for His Church to build up, edify, and mature the saints.

People don’t call or appoint themselves with these gifts; they are given by God as He chooses. Notice that these are gifts that God has given to His Church.

Think about how you and I treat a gift when we know that someone has taken the time to thoughtfully consider what we need and want. We appreciate, value, and thank them for the gift, and we honour the person who gave us the gift by valuing the gift they gave us.

In the same way we want to honour and thank God for these ministry gifts that He gave to us by valuing and honouring these gifts.

Each one of these gifts God uses to make provision for His Church, so that His Church is well taken care of, well supplied for, and equipped to remain strong and established.

The Apostle God gave to His Church as a sent one. They are sent out with a commission of the Holy Spirit to start and establish churches.

The Prophet God has given to build up, encourage and comfort the Church.

The Evangelist has a direct endowment from the Lord to preach the Word for the salvation of souls.  

Pastors and Teachers are to shepherd God’s people through the teaching of the Word, not by natural ability but by divine ability from the Holy Spirit.

When we honour and value these gifts that God has given us, we ultimately are honouring the Lord. We can value these gifts by praying for these men and women of God.

It’s important to remember that the ultimate aim of all ministry is not for self-glory or to magnify people in any way; it is entirely to edify and mature the Body of Christ. It takes all the ministry gifts functioning together to edify and build up the Body of Christ.

Remember, we love you, and we are praying for you.

Blessings,

Chloe