Understanding Purpose in Christian Ministry (PART 5)

Sharing is caring!

By Pastor Raphael Adegoke 

To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. (Matthew 25:15)

Glory be to God for another opportunity of togetherness. May we receive grace to be positioned for all the Lord has packaged for us today! Amen!

Last week, emphasis was placed on the necessity for ministers to discover, know and study about their spiritual gifts. Also, to stay on it without deviation, but today we shall be examining ministry.

One of the major errors I see amongst growing believers is mistaking spiritual gifts for spiritual office. Just as the spiritual gifts is given by the Holy Spirit, so ministry (five-fold) by Christ and spiritual operations by God. A believer can have gift(s) without a ministry, but a believer cannot have ministry without gifts. Though every believer receives at least one gift, not every believer has got office(s) (Ephesians 4:7; 1 Corinthians 12:7, 11; Romans 12:4).

For instance, that you have a prophetic gift does not mean you have a prophetic office. That you have a teaching gift does not make you occupy the teaching office. Many people have made a shipwreck of their calling by falling into this error of turning spiritual gift(s) to spiritual office(s) or reducing spiritual office(s) to spiritual gift(s). They call or make themselves what God hasn’t called them or what Christ hasn’t made them. That is highly pathetic.

Though gifts and ministry are interrelated and have got almost similar functions, yet their functions are distinct. While Gift is more for the edification of the Body ministry is more for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry..
⁷ But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. ⁸ This is why it says: “When he ascended on high he took many captives and gave gifts to his people…….¹¹ So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up¹³ until 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.” (Ephes.4:7-11)

One of the ways we can understand this better is this. A man with the gift of prophecy will prophesy in the Church for the edification of the Body while the one that occupies a prophetic office will prophecy and as well be divinely placed in such a way that Christ uses him to raise other prophets or help people with prophetic gifts in the Church enhance their prophetic gifts. Also, while a believer with a teaching gift teaches, a believer with the teaching office does not only teach but is also used of Christ to raise teachers and helps the ones with the gift of teaching to enhance their teaching gifts.

So in exercising our gifts, we should understand the measure of the grace that Christ has apportioned to us. In doing this, we will be effective and won’t be stepping out of our boundaries, but stay within the confines of our gifts or offices.

Pastor Raphael Adegoke is a Pastor in Christ Apostolic Church (Nigeria & Overseas) and a Lecturer in Christ Apostolic Church Theological Seminary.