SPIRITUAL GIFTS AND THE GIVER (PT 1)
In our last post we discussed how to begin sorting out what the bible says about spiritual gifts. We mentioned that while there are three major lists of gifts given in the New Testament, there is one that seems to be a foundational list that applies to every church and every person. In Ephesians 4:7, 11-13 we are told that...
"7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it... 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 up 13 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." (ESV)
This passage names 5 specific roles / callings / vocations / functions / purposes that are given to individuals for the sake of the Church. These roles are Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, and Teachers or APEST for short. APEST: THE FIVE ROLES/GIFTS GIVEN TO THE CHURCH
DESCRIPTION OF THE 5 GIFTS/ROLES
Alan Hirsch in his book 5Q gives some great definitions of what each role does.
APOSTLES: "The apostle/apostolic: In Greek, the term apostle literally means “sent one.” As the name itself suggests, it is the quintessentially missional (from missio, the Latin equivalent) ministry... It is very much a pioneering function of the church, the capacity to extend Christianity as a healthy, integrated, innovative, reproducing movement, ever-expanding into new cultures. It is also a custodial ministry … a guardianship. This ministry is therefore also profoundly interested in the ongoing integrity of the core ideas (DNA, organizational principles, or meta-ideas)"
I like to call the Apostles KINGDOM ARCHITECTS. They are people that God sends to start, design, and build new things, and pull people together to make it happen.
PROPHET: Those who are given the gift and role of prophets "are tasked with maintaining an abiding loyalty and faithfulness to God above all. Essentially, prophets are guardians of the covenant relationship that God has with his people. The prophetic is also passionately concerned with living a life morally consistent with the covenant—a simple and authentic life of justice, holiness, and righteousness. The prophet proclaims God’s holiness and calls for a corresponding holiness in his covenanted people (1 Peter 1:16)."
A name that I will often use is KINGDOM ACTIVISTS. These people are constantly bringing to light the need for holiness and justice. They speak out about sin and speak up for the hurting.
EVANGELIST: Those given the gift and role of evangelists are "responsible for the proclamation of the good news that is at the core of the church’s message. Evangelism is therefore all about the core message and its reception in the hearts of people and cultures. As such, the evangelist is the storyteller, the all-important recruiter to the cause, the naturally infectious person who is able to enlist people into what God is doing in and through the church."
These people can also be called KINGDOM ATTRACTORS. They are constantly inviting and recruiting others into the kingdom. They are contagious and enthusiastic and love sharing how Jesus changes everything.
SHEPHERDS: Those given the gift and role of shepherds are "responsible for maintaining and developing healthy community and enriching relationships. This involves a commitment to form a saintly people, nurture spiritual maturity, maintain communal health, defend the community against breakdown, and engender loving community among the redeemed family of God."
You could call these people KINGDOM ADVOCATES. They are driven by the desire to come alongside people who are part of God's family and care, nurture, and protect others. They are passionate about creating community where everyone feels loved and knows they belong.
TEACHERS: Those given the gift and role of teachers are "concerned with the gathering and spreading Godly wisdom and understanding. This is the naturally philosophical type that brings comprehensive understanding of the revelation passed down to the church. It is a guiding and discerning function. In the biblical tradition, emphasis falls on wisdom and not simply on speculative philosophy. Teaching, of course, also involves integrating the intellectual and spiritual treasure of the community and encoding it, in order to pass it on to others and to the next generations."
Teachers are KINGDOM ARTICULATORS. They help others learn to live with not just knowledge, but wisdom. They teach us what it means to live in the Kingdom. They explain how to love our King with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to practically love others the way our King calls us to.
We'll unpack these more in posts on each individual role. However, before we look at the roles individually, it's important to start with the big picture. We look at God first, Jesus second, and then the Spirit empowered body of Christ third. We see that God himself does all of these things in creation and in human history. Or to put it another way...
THE GIFTS SHOW US US WHAT THE GIVER IS LIKE!
GOD IS APOSTOLIC: He designs, creates, founds, and establishes the world. He gives meaning and defines everything and everyone's purpose and mission. He then sends others to be part of his mission, and ultimately sends Jesus to build his kingdom.
GOD IS PROPHETIC: He is holy (good, pure, praiseworthy) and calls us to be like him. Everything he does is right and holds us accountable. He is personal in nature and binds himself in relationship to us and binds us into relationship with others. He calls us to right relationship with him and each other. He doesn't tolerate injustice and cares a great deal for our well-being. He not only speaks out about sin, but sent Jesus to deal with it.
GOD IS EVANGELISTIC: He seeks out and saves those that are lost. He is the one who offers mercy and forgiveness. He invites us into relationship with him. He pursues people and gives them purpose. He has given us the message of salvation through Jesus.
GOD SHEPHERDS: He is the definition of real community. He exists in perfect relationship of community as Father, Son, Spirit. He is a comforter to those who are hurting and involves himself in creation. He desires to be known and loved and to know us and for us to experience his love. He is known as a father to us, so he creates community and family.
GOD TEACHES: He is the source of all knowledge and the revealer of wisdom. He reveals wisdom through creation, through his works, and through his spoken and written word. He wants us to know him as well as to live for him and has gone to great lengths to speak to us and to teach us.
When we learn to live into these roles and functions, we are not simply exercising a gift, but learning to be like our heavenly Father. We are seeking to do the things that he does.
To wrap things up on this post, we gave a brief overview of the 5 gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4; Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, and Teachers which we call APEST. We then saw how God himself does all 5 of these functions. Our God is a designing, creating, building, sending God. Our God is a Holy, covenantal, just God who holds us accountable. Our God is a good news sharing, grace filled God who invites us into relationship with him. Our God is a communal God who creates, grows, and protects his family and community. Our God is a revealing God who shows us wisdom and guides us into understanding and partnership with him. Most surprisingly, when we each individually lean in and learn to fulfill the responsibilities of our roles and put them together, we are doing the things our heavenly Father does.
As we talk about spiritual gifts, we need to first look at big picture and see God in them. In our next post we will look at how Jesus is the perfect example of what each gift looks like.
