The Purpose of the 5-Fold Ministry

Ephesians 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

The 5-fold ministry is a gift of Jesus. It resulted from His ascension to Heaven. These gifts are gifts of men not things. Each one of these expresses the corresponding aspect of Jesus. That is, the apostle is the expression of Jesus as apostle in that person; the prophet is the expression of Jesus as prophet in that person, etc. The full expression of the ministry of Jesus requires the full 5-fold ministry to be in operation.

It is important that we recognize that these are manifestations (gifts) of Jesus not the manifestations (gifts) of the Spirit. The gifts of the Spirit are given to every man according to His will, whereas, the ministry gifts of Jesus are given to all men but there are only some of each.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. (8) For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; (9) To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; (10) To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: (11) But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

The gifts of the Spirit are tools for body ministry. They are primarily for believers and are to be used for the building up and edifying of the Body. Those who minister outside of the Body to unbelievers operate the gifts as signs following the proclamation of the Kingdom (usually, apostolically or evangelistically).

The 5-fold ministry operates structurally and deals with the Kingdom work of the Father. It is in the 5-fold ministry that the work of the Father (the Kingdom) is joined to the work of Jesus (the Church) to bring a unified whole to the purposes of God. The Church is in the process of becoming the Temple of God (built of living stones) for the Kingdom (rule of God). We have this in a mystical form now. It doesn't find full expression until the New Heavens and the New Earth.

The 5-fold ministries are men who have become tools of Jesus to establish His Kingdom and to build His Church. Because of this, there are certain requirements necessary for those who would enter these ministry areas. Jesus didn't enter His ministry until He understood His work in relation to the Father's purpose; until He could express the Father's heart to the point that He could tell His disciples that when they saw Him, they saw the Father. Do you think that anything less would be required of those who would express various aspects of the ministry work of Jesus?

I believe that anyone who would enter the 5-fold ministry must have developed a father's heart and an understanding of the work that the Father wishes to accomplish. This would eliminate those who would abuse the positions of authority that is entailed and eliminate those who have incorrect motivations for ministry.

The scriptures show us three levels of maturity: little children, young men and fathers. Each of these categories has its own characteristics. These must be important since John repeats them twice in the same set of scriptures.

1 John 2:12-14 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. (13) I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. (14) I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

Let's put what he is saying into a table so that we can see the characteristics of each category. The characteristics column lists each thing said in the verses even if it is repeated.

As you can see, John says the exact same thing about the fathers twice: “you have known him that is from the beginning.” The fathers have experienced the heart of Father God and understand His purposes. This is their mark, whereas, the mark of the young men is their strength in overcoming and the mark of the little children is that their sins have been forgiven and they know the Father.

One becomes a father when he has children. Paul told the Corinthians that he was their father in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 4:15 For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

Because he was their father, he dealt with them as a father would deal with his children. By doing this, Paul expressed the father's heart, which had been developed in him.

Just as in the natural so it is in the spiritual. A certain amount of growth and development is necessary before one is capable of reproduction in the physical. Having a child does not make one a father. Emotional development is also necessary before one’s attitude and mental outlook become that of a father.

The Church is in need of spiritual fathers. God recognizes this and is restoring the heart of a father to His sons. This is the doorway into the 5-fold ministry. As men come forth with a father's heart, we will begin to see the fulfillment of the completeness of Jesus' ministry as He gave it to us in Ephesians.