Greetings Beloved!
I am believing you are enjoying the study of Our Heavenly Gifts and finding your heart encouraged.
Let's continue in Ephesians 4:11-15
11-13 So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the whole body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14-15 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
Ministry Gifts - the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers.
Ephesians 2:19-22 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you are also being built together for a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
The Gift of Apostle - means "sent one." Apostles govern in the church, the body of Christ. They are Leaders of Leaders and ministers of ministers. They are Fathers in sense of Elders in the body of Christ. With a heart of the Great Shepherd they raise up new leaders, and instruct the seasoned, who will run the race with patient endurance. An apostle is one who has a mission or mandate from above. They are pioneers. They are planters of new ministries and churches, often traversing beyond cultural differences, to find themselves in challenging situations to preach the good news where it hadn't been heard before. Signs and wonders also accompany this gift as a sign and testimony of the risen Christ to unbelievers. It is not unusual for the gift of apostle to oversee multiple ministries and churches. The gift of apostle is one of the foundational gifts given to the body of Christ by Jesus himself, as we read earlier. This gift is necessary to the growth of the body of Christ worldwide. We must recognize this gift, give way to and encourage others that may have an apostolic gifting and spirit in our world today. The body of Christ is in lack without its operation.
I must say at this point that there are believers in the body of Christ today that have an apostolic gift stirring in their hearts. They also have a pioneering spirit. They seem to be bold and courageous willing to go outside of the four walls of the church buildings and pave the way to gain ground in the local area, stretch out the tent pegs and bring the lost in to the glory of God. They have received the vision of the house. The mandate the Pastor believes he has received of the Lord, for that particular part of the body of Christ and area or region, and they are more then willing to run with it to the glory of God. We need this gift to be encouraged and cultivated in the church today. We must allow this gift to rise up and set a pace for the rest of the body to follow. They are trailblazers!
Prophetically speaking by the Spirit of God, we will see an apostolic people and generation rise up in the midst of our local assemblies. They are spiritual dare-devils. Not unlike the Joshua generation. They have no fear or intimidation. They know in whom they have believed and will run with fire setting the world ablaze for cause of Christ. Glory to God!
I pray the Lords grace and power rest upon you and yours. In the matchless name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth!
Some study information for this article was gathered from jeffcarver.com
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