Unveiling the Crucial Role of the Five-Fold Ministry: How Do You Contribute to the Body of Christ - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) February 16, 2024

On Tuesday, we learned that the Lord has a structure He uses to administer His kingdom purposes here on earth. We looked at Ephesians 4:11-13 which revealed a five-fold ministry that includes apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Then we prayed for God's revelation about which ministry He wants to plant us in.

Today, we continue with this topic but focus on why being planted in our Kingdom position is crucial.

Ephesians 4:11-13 - 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 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 to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

These verses reveal the objective of the five-fold ministry. Individuals must work within their designated capacity to prepare all believers to serve the Lord. This way, the entire body of believers will grow in their faith in Christ and in their knowledge of Him to become mature Christians.

Therefore, God's kingdom structure builds up individual Christians and the entire body of Christ. As a result, we each have a responsibility to step into our positions so the Lord can use us to strengthen others and thereby strengthen the greater group of believers on earth.

Ephesians 4:14 explains how dire it is for us to be part of that kingdom structure. Ephesians 4:14 - Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Think of the Body of Christ today, is it not being tossed about via deceptive teaching from wicked people who claim to be servants of God? Despite God's clear word, lies and deception are widely tolerated. It is the same with adultery, divination (palm readers, horoscopes), the blending of false religions into the faith (yoga, New Age practices), and xesual immorality (fornication, homosexuality). False pastors are bringing and allowing the world to dilute God's words, leading their flock astray.

If we want to protect ourselves from such individuals we must step into our rightful positions in God's plan. We can't be satisfied with thinking 'Well, I'm not under deceptive teaching.' Our faith requires that we love our neighbors and be responsible for them the way Christ loves and is responsible for us. There's no room to be selfish in our thinking because we are called to contribute to the spiritual liberty of others and the body of Christ as a whole.

Did the Lord reveal your role in His kingdom business? Have you started praying and warring for your position? You need to, because your calling will enable you to honor God with your life and enjoy the benefits of service. We'll talk a bit more about those benefits next week. For now, ponder on today's post and prepare for fellowship at Noon EST. God bless you.