Episode 4
The Fivefold Ministry: Is It Time for a Comeback?
In this thought-provoking episode, renowned speaker Glenn Bleakney explores the church's post-pandemic reality, examining why traditional attendance metrics have declined while the need for meaningful connection has increased. The conversation centers on a powerful biblical framework: the five-fold ministry gifts outlined in Ephesians 4—apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher.
Bleakney makes a compelling case that these gifts, perfectly embodied by Jesus himself, aren't merely historical roles but essential functions for today's church. When properly understood and integrated, they equip believers, cultivate authentic unity, and enable effective kingdom impact in an increasingly disconnected world.
The discussion challenges prevailing corporate, department-based church models, advocating instead for a return to relational, family-oriented structures where all five gifts operate in harmony. Particularly relevant for reaching relationship-oriented generations like Gen Z, this biblical approach emphasizes the importance of mutual honor, submission, and collaboration among diverse ministry expressions.
Join us for an inspiring exploration of how embracing the fullness of Christ through these complementary gifts can revitalize the church's mission and restore its transformative influence in our complex cultural moment.
Takeaways:
- Post-COVID, church attendance has dramatically shifted, requiring significantly more touch points to engage potential attendees effectively.
- The church is facing a multifaceted crisis, including isolation among leaders and a disconnect with the younger generation seeking authenticity and community.
- A shift from institutional metrics of success, such as attendance and budgets, to a focus on deep discipleship and relational ministry is crucial for revitalizing the church.
- The fivefold ministry is not merely an organizational structure but a divine strategy designed to equip the church for impactful mission and community building.
- Gen Z's affinity for spiritual authenticity challenges churches to foster genuine relationships rather than merely institutional connections.
- Restoration of the fivefold ministry gifts is essential for healing the church and preparing it for future growth and effectiveness in community engagement.
Links referenced in this episode:
Transcript
Foreign.
Speaker A:Let's talk about the challenges that we're facing in the church right now.
Speaker A:There's several challenges.
Speaker A:We are, I believe, at a critical crossroads.
Speaker A:And it's interesting that post Covid, things have changed significantly.
Speaker A:We thought that once we get out of COVID many of us, like people are going to, oh, I just want to run back to church again.
Speaker A:And, you know, I miss church so much.
Speaker A:I miss the family.
Speaker A:I miss being in God's presence and worshiping together.
Speaker A:And even though that's true to a degree, there's still a lot of people that are not, have not returned to the church.
Speaker A:And some places, it's.
Speaker A:It's the opposite.
Speaker A:Churches are thriving.
Speaker A:But you know, Brazil, for example, it's amazing.
Speaker A:But I'm telling you, in certain places, and there was a study done recently that said that prior to Covid, it took on average three to five touch points for an individual to be convinced to attend a local church.
Speaker A:So in other words, three to five interactions could be something they saw on social media, discussion they had an email, some an invitation, whatever.
Speaker A:But it did.
Speaker A:It would take three to five.
Speaker A:Now it takes anywhere from 10 to 15 touch points, some say even more, for the average person to want to, you know, to feel comfortable enough to attend a church and, and to connect with the church.
Speaker A:So things have really changed.
Speaker A:And, and that's a definite challenge that we live in because spiritually there is a great hunger.
Speaker A:You know, Gen Z is.
Speaker A:Bible sales among Gen Z is just unbelievably high right now, but yet there's also this widespread aversion or skepticism towards institutions.
Speaker A:So we must ask, is the church really functioning in the way that God intended it to be?
Speaker A:Are we equipped to face the challenges that are before us with divine effectiveness?
Speaker A:Or are we just watching our influence slowly wane?
Speaker A:So the evidence points to a concerning reality.
Speaker A:Churches are experiencing a multifaceted crisis.
Speaker A:What I've already mentioned about isolation in terms of silos, ministers just not working together, collaborating, but in silos, Gen Z, that type of thing, you know, that people are looking for more.
Speaker A:So the corporate mindset has obviously for decades infiltrated our sacred spaces.
Speaker A:And churches have operated more as organizations and pastors more as CEOs.
Speaker A:But the Lord seems to be saying, hey, it's time to move away from business metrics that prioritize, you know, efficiency over relationships, systems over souls, and programs over people.
Speaker A:We often in this institutional model, we measure success in attendance numbers, budget increases, while failing to evaluate the depth of discipleship and transformation.
Speaker A:Family is the biblical Pattern.
Speaker A:We had a zoom meeting just recently with Dr.
Speaker A:Michael Rodeux where we talked about moving from institutionalism to family.
Speaker A:We actually did two sessions and we'll be doing another one in May with Dr.
Speaker A:Broderm.
Speaker A:How do we actually shift into that model?
Speaker A:So another thing, ministry burnout is at an all time high with leaders collapsing under unsustainable expectations.
Speaker A:The celebrity pastor culture has led to, I think, pressure and, and on, on pastors.
Speaker A:I'm not excusing sin, I'm just saying it has not helped and just God is doing a deep work and, and there needs to be a recalibrating of the church.
Speaker A:And these are not minor inconveniences.
Speaker A:They literally represent existential challenges or threats to the church's mission and how we will potentially impact our generation or not.
Speaker A:So they demand not incremental adjustments, but a fundamental reimagining of how we function as the body of Christ among this or right in the midst of this these daunting challenges, Scripture reveals a timeless solution.
Speaker A:A timeless solution, A solution that addresses each one of these issues directly and effectively.
Speaker A:The proper functioning of the fivefold ministry gifts described in Ephesians 4, Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, shepherd and teacher were given to Christ or by Christ to equip the saints, build up the body, bring the church to maturity, and obviously see God's kingdom advance as we all use our gifts.
Speaker A:So this isn't some ancient religious concept that is out of touch with today's leadership needs and structures and church and so on.
Speaker A:But no, this is a timeless strategy, timeless principles that are relevant to us today.
Speaker A:So as I mentioned, we've got this current church landscape which is in a crisis of disconnection.
Speaker A:Churches that are operating in models where we've got individuals, leaders, doing things, leading, and, and I understand the senior leadership model.
Speaker A:And I'm not saying we shouldn't have senior leaders.
Speaker A:I'm saying that we need to recognize that our gifts, if we're an apostle, for example, for a prophet, or maybe we're a blend of two or three, we're still limited and we still need one another.
Speaker A:And that doesn't just mean the other fivefold gifts.
Speaker A:We need other apostles.
Speaker A:If we're an apostle, there's different kinds of apostles.
Speaker A:There's apostles that are more mature than other apostles, that help mentor, develop those who are emerging.
Speaker A:So it's very important.
Speaker A:And this fragmentation of the five old ministry has led to an incomplete expression of Christ's ministry.
Speaker A:See the apostolic vision Often I see this.
Speaker A:There's a sense in which apostles are just the way they're wired and called.
Speaker A:They're not necessarily called to pastor people in the sense of just spending time with people.
Speaker A:And I think that's unreasonable that we even try to thrust that on apostolic leaders.
Speaker A:But there's a sense in which we still have to recognize that we need the entire fivefold operating in the church to holistically and, and comprehensively take care of people, training, quip, caring, all of that.
Speaker A:So it's, it's really, really important.
Speaker A:So we move away from the corporate model as well.
Speaker A:Spiritual fathers, mothers, really really important.
Speaker A:Spiritual burnout.
Speaker A:Do this on our own.
Speaker A:We weren't called to fish one person to use a single fishing net and to catch all the fish.
Speaker A:No, it's not about that.
Speaker A:So the divine blueprint we know, as I've already stated, is actually in the restoration of the five fold ministry.
Speaker A:And I want to be clear that the restoration of the fivefold ministry in many, many places, in the majority of places, has not been done in a healthy way.
Speaker A:Unfortunately, it's not been done in a healthy way.
Speaker A:This isn't just another leadership structure like, oh, this is cool, you know, this is something we can do.
Speaker A:Oh, let's have the fivefold ministry in our church.
Speaker A:Like, this is the most recent fad or trend in church leadership.
Speaker A:No, it's God's pattern and it actually represents Christ himself.
Speaker A:And we'll see that.
Speaker A:So let's start by looking at this.
Speaker A:In the Hebrew language, the fifth letter of the Alphabet.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:It's a letter, hey.
Speaker A:It's spelled in English, H, E, I.
Speaker A:And it's very important.
Speaker A:It's very significant.
Speaker A:Hey represents a number of five.
Speaker A:And it speaks of divinity, it speaks of God himself.
Speaker A:For example, the sacred name of God, which is Yahweh.
Speaker A:It's a tetragrammaton.
Speaker A:Y, H, W H actually has two letter haze.
Speaker A:It's, it's significant in the Hebrew, the Jews refer, they won't call his name, but they say Hashem.
Speaker A:Hashem means the name in Hebrew and it literally is derived from this letter as well in Genesis in Hebrew, there's actually a place where it says that the earth was created by hey.
Speaker A:That's what it actually says in the Hebrew language.
Speaker A:It's very powerful.
Speaker A:Hey also means to view can mean a window.
Speaker A:And it implies full insight, revelation.
Speaker A:And it really obviously is insight in who God is.
Speaker A:Hey also represents spirit and breath.
Speaker A:Spirit and breath is, is really significant.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:That we understand this and we'll, we'll show you in a moment.
Speaker A:So Ruach In Hebrew, the letter hey is comprised of two letters.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:It's on the right side is Dalit and on the left side is the Yod and this vertical and horizontal line, so Dalet is like this, okay, and, and the yard is like this beside it.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:So the vertical and horizontal lines of the dalit represent the physical world or earth, while the Yud or the Yode signifies heaven and the divine presence.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So therefore, Hayes symbolizes the combination of physical and spiritual realms.
Speaker A:In other words, the heavenly and the earth coming together.
Speaker A:It's a perfect representation of ministry that bridges heaven and earth.
Speaker A:What are we called to do?
Speaker A:Your kingdom come, your will be done right on earth as it is in heaven.
Speaker A:So let's talk about hey, the fifth letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, because we're saying why is it the fivefold?
Speaker A:Why not sevenfold, ninefold or 12 fold?
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Okay, so it's a good question.
Speaker A:So one of the most profound examples of Hay's transformative power is seen in Genesis 17, Genesis 17, when God changed Abraham's name to Abraham.
Speaker A:So Abraham is four letters, Aleph, Bet, Resh, and Mem.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:And he changes his name to Abraham.
Speaker A:So Abraham means father many nations, and it consists of Allah, that Resh, hey, and Mem.
Speaker A:In other words, what he did, the Lord did, was he simply added the letter or inserted the letter hey into Abraham's name and it literally shifted him from exalted Father as Abraham means to the father of many nations.
Speaker A:Similarly, the same thing was done with Sarah.
Speaker A:Her name was Sarai, meaning princess.
Speaker A:But God inserted the letter hey into her name, Sarah, which means now princess or noble woman, but for all peoples.
Speaker A:So exchanging the Yode for the letter hey in the case of Sarah.
Speaker A:Now this is really important because as I said earlier, the letter hey actually implies breathing.
Speaker A:So it's can be pronounced, you know, in Hebrew there's obviously accents and, and they don't have vowels.
Speaker A:So the, the way they do it, of course, is they, they insert these words or, or symbols, etc, accents that help you to know how to pronounce it.
Speaker A:And plus there's, there's other things.
Speaker A:So it can actually be ha as well.
Speaker A:And the idea is it's like a breathing sound.
Speaker A:Huh?
Speaker A:Okay, so it's Abraham.
Speaker A:Okay, Abraham.
Speaker A:So Abraham or Abraham, we say Ibrahim.
Speaker A:The idea is there's an ah that's added in Sarah is Sarah and it means the breath of God was inserted.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:They're not just.
Speaker A:This isn't just like a name change, but it's a divine impartation of God's own breath, his spirit, and his presence.
Speaker A:And by adding the letter hey, God infused and activated Era Sarah and Abraham into their true identity and destiny.
Speaker A:Powerful.
Speaker A:Okay, so hey represents the breath or the spirit of God, and it empowered them to fulfill purposes that they were humanly impossible, having a child in their old age and becoming progenitors of nations.
Speaker A:So how does this relate to the fivefold ministry?
Speaker A:Well, the same pattern is echoed in the divine impartation of the fivefold ministry.
Speaker A:Gifts to the church where God breathes upon the entire church, imparts his life, his, the character, who he is.
Speaker A:Remember, it literally means to create a window or a view so that we fully experience and see the fullness of who he is, that he might fill all things.
Speaker A:As we've already mentioned in Ephesians 4:10, there's a lot more we could say about this.
Speaker A:It's absolutely powerful.
Speaker A:The number five is very significant in Scripture, isn't.
Speaker A:Five sacrifices were made by Abraham in Genesis 15, five types of offerings in the Old Testament, five books of the law or the the Torah, the five ingredients that were used in the anointing, oil and incense, and the construction of the tabernacle, where many instances of the number five appeared.
Speaker A:We know David used five stones to slay Goliath on and on.
Speaker A:Now, in the Greek, the number five refers to the grace of God, as 1st Peter 4:10 says, as each one has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Speaker A:So the multifaceted grace of God.
Speaker A:That's what manifold means.
Speaker A:It's a.
Speaker A:The grace of God, but it has different facets to.
Speaker A:Has different expressions and different appearances and revelations.
Speaker A:But the entire body of Christ needs to recognize that God gave out of his grace, Ephesians 4:7 gifts to others.
Speaker A:Okay, and that includes the fivefold.
Speaker A:But the fivefold is to impart into the entire body of Christ.
Speaker A:So the number five sets the stage for understanding how the fivefold ministry represents God's intentional strategy for his church.
Speaker A:Not a random selection, but a deliberate divine pattern.
Speaker A:Now, the first thing that we have to obviously recognize is that Jesus, when he was on the earth, was the quintessential perfect expression of the fivefold ministry.
Speaker A:He embodied all of the fivefold gifts.
Speaker A:Hebrews 3:1, he's referred to as an apostle.
Speaker A:In Luke 7:16, he's referred to as a prophet.
Speaker A:And in Mark 1:14 and 15, Jesus is clearly seen as an evangelist and then a Shepherd.
Speaker A:In John 10, verse 11, he is known as a teacher.
Speaker A:Many Many places.
Speaker A:You know, he's a great rabbi.
Speaker A:He uses his gift.
Speaker A:He's been.
Speaker A:He was addressed as teacher or Rabbi Rabbonite.
Speaker A:So obviously he had all five.
Speaker A:So the perfect integration of all five ministry expressions in Christ provides the blueprint for how these gifts should function in his body today.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:What Jesus united in himself, he later distributed among his followers, intending that together they would continue his ministry as a unified whole rather than as fragmented parts.
Speaker A:This is so important.
Speaker A:So we're often so busy that we.
Speaker A:We just don't have time.
Speaker A:We say, you know, to.
Speaker A:To be part of a community where we can grow together, learn together.
Speaker A:A community where we can receive from one another's grace and.
Speaker A:And we just continue to chip away and do the same old things and experience often the same old results.
Speaker A:Except it's becoming even more and more difficult to experience even what we once had in.
Speaker A:In the kingdom.
Speaker A:Things are changing and God is resetting and recalibrating the church, and we have to embrace what he's doing.
Speaker A:I've said this many times, but it's something I'm very passionate about.
Speaker A:When we're in a season where revival is trying to make its comeback and great things have been happening and there still is a move of God in nations.
Speaker A:We believe in revival 100%.
Speaker A:But Moses didn't not only cry out that God would show him his glory, Exodus 33, but he also prayed something else that a lot of people have missed, a lot of leaders have missed.
Speaker A:He said, show me your ways that I may continue to please you and find favor.
Speaker A:Show me your ways.
Speaker A:Not only your glory, but your ways.
Speaker A:I want to know your ways.
Speaker A:Kai Derek in Hebrew means a pathway, a roadway.
Speaker A:Teach me the way to walk before you teach me how to, how to understand, you know, your, your patterns, your blueprints, what, what you require and what, how to build, you know, as divine architects, apostles, First Corinthians 3 are called to be architects, and they have blueprints, right?
Speaker A:So how do we build?
Speaker A:So it's really important that we recognize this.
Speaker A:The fivefold ministry gifts need to be restored, but we need to take time to honor one another.
Speaker A:We need to begin to build relationships, cross, pollinate, interact.
Speaker A:And it literally means there's certain things we probably have to lay down if we're going to really do this.
Speaker A:Well, now we'll have time to Q A.
Speaker A:And I'm not saying that every church or ministry has to have the five fold inherent in that.
Speaker A:We'll talk more about that.
Speaker A:But there's definitely a place.
Speaker A:There's value, there's, it's critical that all of the fivefold graces are being released to the entire body of Christ.
Speaker A:And if you over, if you're responsible and steward a congregation leaders movement, it's really important that you take responsibility for making sure that happens.
Speaker A:So there's a lot we could say about this.
Speaker A:We, it breaks down silos, five fold ministry, right.
Speaker A:And it literally is a challenge.
Speaker A:I met with some pastors not too long ago who told me they were very clear.
Speaker A:They said we'd love to, we believe in a five hole ministry, we believe it's biblical, but if we try it, we're afraid that someone will split our church.
Speaker A:And you know, they said we've had this happen.
Speaker A:And so there's this whole thing of fear, there's this whole thing of well, what's going to happen with the money?
Speaker A:Does that mean I'm not going to get paid anymore as the pastor of the church?
Speaker A:You know, then there's the whole fear of man thing.
Speaker A:Oh, if we do that, the congregation's not going to like it, the people aren't going to like it.
Speaker A:You know, I'm their pastor and blah blah, blah.
Speaker A:So we understand that that also requires perhaps for some of us making some decisions like really, am I really called to past at church?
Speaker A:Or maybe I am called, maybe I'm, I'm called to do something in the marketplace.
Speaker A:Maybe I'm called to do something apostolic more in the sense that I connect with and work with others and in the body of Christ in, in raising up others too.
Speaker A:So when the five gifts operate in mutual honor, submission and value, they create this beautiful tapestry that reveals the fullness of Christ.
Speaker A:So just picture circle and it's like a chart, a pie chart.
Speaker A:And you've got apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher.
Speaker A:So each one is 20%.
Speaker A:So if your ministry, even your personal life, is only receiving impartation from a prophet or a pastor, for example, that's 40% at the most.
Speaker A:But when the whole body of Christ is being activated in the fivefold, then ministry not only to the people of God, but to even us as leaders, it's really critical.
Speaker A:We need that.
Speaker A:We need to stay focused because we can lean in a particular way.
Speaker A:We can go off kilter and be asymmetrical where all we talk about is for example, the prophetic.
Speaker A:You have prophets of lead churches on the churches prophetic.
Speaker A:And they're really not reaching people necessarily with the gospel.
Speaker A:They're not training, equipping, they're not so so you can see that there's something's missing.
Speaker A:And there are obviously prophets that have great teaching gifts.
Speaker A:There are apostles that have great teaching gifts.
Speaker A:They're those who function in the apostolic and the prophetic graces.
Speaker A:I get that.
Speaker A:I'm just saying we need to make sure that it's comprehensive and all inclusive in all the fivefold ministry gifts.
Speaker A:Fivefold ministry is very appealing to Gen Z.
Speaker A:Did you know that Gen Z is considered actually, you know, the first unreached generation and Gen Z actually really likes five fold ministry.
Speaker A:We've got some Gen Z's that are part of our ministry here in Australia now and they're in their early 20s, mid-20s, some of them late 20s.
Speaker A:And the interesting thing is they really see it but not as an hierarchical kind of institutional thing, but more as in a family where everyone, you know, uses their gifts.
Speaker A:So think about it this way.
Speaker A:What is Gen Z looking for?
Speaker A:Well, they want spiritual authenticity.
Speaker A:They also want direct connection with God.
Speaker A:This is powerful.
Speaker A:Prophets help with that.
Speaker A:Their emphasis on hearing God's voice speaking truth uncompromisingly resonates with a generation that's tired of religious performance.
Speaker A:Apostles provide mission, purpose, world changing vision that inspires Gen Z.
Speaker A:Their ability to actually help them participate in something meaningful.
Speaker A:Shepherds help create safe, nurturing family environment.
Speaker A:They're looking for family, they're looking for real community, not institutions, but family.
Speaker A:And that means as leaders we have to take time.
Speaker A:If we're going to raise up Gen Z, we're going to have to take time to meet with them, to spend time with them, to have meals with them, pray with them, to disciple them.
Speaker A:Evangelists, wow.
Speaker A:Passion, joy, let's reach people with the gospel.
Speaker A:You know, this contagious enthusiasm for God counters the cynicism and the detachment that often characterizes kind of the ethos of Gen Z right now.
Speaker A:So it's really important.
Speaker A:Teachers help them with intellectual depth, biblical foundation that satisfies Gen Z's hunger for substantive understanding.
Speaker A:Together these gifts represent a multifaceted expression of Jesus and how he lived.
Speaker A:Look at how he lived when he was on the earth.
Speaker A:What did he do?
Speaker A:I mean these guys were young, his apostles, his disciples were very young.
Speaker A:So it's all about restoring family.
Speaker A:The fivefold ministry.
Speaker A:Grace helps override institutionalism, also helps prevent burnout by sharing the load.
Speaker A:And you can get more done.
Speaker A:A lot of churches simply aren't growing because pastors, leaders don't have the bandwidth.
Speaker A:And we have to empower others.
Speaker A:But we have to recognize not only just randomly, but we have to be intentional in empowering others.
Speaker A:It's very important.
Speaker A:Let's talk a little bit about fivefold growth for a moment.
Speaker A:The Bible's clear that we're to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker A:2nd Peter 3:18.
Speaker A:That's actually a very interesting term because the idea there, it's in the, in the perfect present tense in Greek, which means to continually grow in grace.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:In Luke 2:52, Jesus himself says he increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
Speaker A:So the word favor in Greek is, is carries, is literally charis is the same word for grace.
Speaker A:So Jesus grew in grace.
Speaker A:And it's saying that his whole life, it's actually in the present imperfect tenser.
Speaker A:And it's saying that his whole life is a life where he was growing, growing, growing.
Speaker A:If you watch the trajectory, he's always was growing in grace in favor with God and man.
Speaker A:So that means that we have a responsibility to steward the fivefold ministry.
Speaker A:What is your gifting?
Speaker A:When you know what that is and you're dominant, you can have obviously more than one five fold grace.
Speaker A:But if there's two or three that you're particularly strong in, then understand this, that you have a responsibility to steward that.
Speaker A:And different seasons and assignments sometimes mean you have to lean into one more than the other.
Speaker A:So that's really important.
Speaker A:So there is a growth journey there as well.
Speaker A:Growth is continuous.
Speaker A:Growth is also present focus while we plan for future maturity.
Speaker A:The actual work of growing happens in everyday choices.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:Our present choices, our relationships, our practices, okay?
Speaker A:And then growth is relational.
Speaker A:We grow through interaction with others, particularly those who express different gifts than our own.
Speaker A:And we realize and recognize there are people, leaders around the world that are doing great things.
Speaker A:But I feel so strongly it's important that we come together, we learn from one another.
Speaker A:That's why we're going to be bringing others on these zoom meetings and also having round tables where we can actually learn from one another.
Speaker A:There's things that I need to know and learn.
Speaker A:So there's also this whole idea of the equipped, the purpose of equipping.
Speaker A:Now let me just share very quickly what that means.
Speaker A:Some of you have heard me teach on this before, but equipping, equipping the saints, right?
Speaker A:Ephesians 4:12, he gave the fivefold, the apas, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, the building up of the body of Christ for effective kingdom work.
Speaker A:Essentially what till we all come to the union of faith, the knowledge of the Son of God, right to a perfect man talks about the fullness of the stature of Christ Jesus.
Speaker A:So the idea is a perfect man, a person, the body of Christ, okay?
Speaker A:Not just individuals, not just simply body parts functioning in silos, doing their own thing, but a part of the body being a single body that's come together on the earth.
Speaker A:So, equip in Qatar, Titus Moss literally means.
Speaker A:It's used in Hebrews 11, when God brought the universe into order.
Speaker A: In Hebrews: Speaker A:In Luke 6:40, it refers to a disciple being perfectly trained.
Speaker A:And in First Corinthians 1:10, it describes being perfectly joined together in unity.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:Now, most Significantly in Matthew 4:21, Karatizo describes James and John mending their nets when Jesus called them.
Speaker A:Now, this fishing metaphor provides the most vivid picture of what equipping ministry involves, okay?
Speaker A:And that is repairing what's broken to prepare it for its intended purpose.
Speaker A:Want to say that again?
Speaker A:Equipping is all about prepare, repairing or mending what is broken in order to prepare it for its intended purpose.
Speaker A:So discipleship, equipping is about bringing people on that journey.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:Now, just as broken fishing nets can't hold a catch, a broken church, broken ministers, broken members, can't effectively hold the harvest that God brings in.
Speaker A:And this becomes evident in the contrast between two fishing stories in the Gospels.
Speaker A:There's two fishing stories in the Gospels.
Speaker A:The first one is in Luke 5 and the second one is in John 21.
Speaker A:So in the beginning of Jesus ministry, he calls the disciples.
Speaker A:You know, he goes under the boat, launch down into the deep.
Speaker A:Peter lets down a net and there's this abundant catch of fish.
Speaker A:So it actually says when they call the net, when they haul the net in, the nets break, okay?
Speaker A:Really important, the nets were broken, okay?
Speaker A:So they were unprepared for the harvest.
Speaker A:Their nets couldn't handle God's blessing.
Speaker A:The second catch, three and a half years later, after Jesus resurrection, ascension, the disciples again experiences miraculous catch.
Speaker A:But this time they go fishing.
Speaker A:Jesus tells them to let the net down on the right hand side of the boat, speaks of authority, resurrection.
Speaker A:And it says, although there were so many large fish, 153, the net was not broken.
Speaker A:Now, just comment on the number 153.
Speaker A:According to St.
Speaker A:Jerome, there were 153 known species of fish in the world at that time.
Speaker A:So it represents all of humanity.
Speaker A:Well, that's his theory.
Speaker A:I'm not sure if it's true or not.
Speaker A:But regardless, that's significant, and it's a significant catch of fish, okay?
Speaker A:But this time, the net is not broken.
Speaker A:The net doesn't break.
Speaker A:The net is able to contain and hold this.
Speaker A:So I really think there's a powerful lesson here.
Speaker A:God is teaching us that we're literally called to move from a place of brokenness, of being repaired, into being prepared.
Speaker A:So that's what equipping is all about.
Speaker A:So apostolic mending restores proper spiritual foundations.
Speaker A:You know, apostles build foundations.
Speaker A:Prophetic mending addresses woundedness through God's word.
Speaker A:Now think about that.
Speaker A:You can counsel someone, but when you operate in the prophetic boom, something's revealed, and that helps people totally get free.
Speaker A:You know, there's.
Speaker A:There's a word of knowledge, there's a word of wisdom.
Speaker A:Something happens.
Speaker A:Evangelistic mending renews our experience of gospel transformation.
Speaker A:Pastoral mending nurtures relational healing through compassionate care.
Speaker A:Being in a healthy family, community, very important, brings healing.
Speaker A:Obviously, teaching mending replaces faulty thinking with biblical truth.
Speaker A:So the goal is not merely to heal the past, but to prepare for the future function.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:Nets are mended not as an end in themselves, but to prepare for the next catch, right?
Speaker A:You don't just mend a net and then put it on the wall so everyone can look at it and go, what a.
Speaker A:What an amazing net.
Speaker A:No, you want to use that.
Speaker A:So it's really important.
Speaker A:So mending churches, ministries, the fivefold, fully functioning will bring a complete healing and mending to the entire body of Christ.
Speaker A:We need it in each way, okay?
Speaker A:Blending.
Speaker A:So blending.
Speaker A:I've already mentioned in First Corinthians 1:10, where it actually says, there'll be no divisions among you.
Speaker A:Be of the same mind, same judgment, you'd be perfectly joined together.
Speaker A:Those three words, perfectly joined together.
Speaker A:It's a single Greek word, Carter, Tidzo, which is translated mend.
Speaker A:It's translated equip, as I've already mentioned in Ephesians 4.
Speaker A:So the idea here is that there be a coming together, okay?
Speaker A:So that we're not just mended individually, but we're also as, what, parts of a net, okay?
Speaker A:So we're not, by the way, called as Christians to gather, okay?
Speaker A:We're called to assemble.
Speaker A:Now, somebody says, well, that's just semantics.
Speaker A:No, I want you to think about it for a moment.
Speaker A:You can gather together, but then you can assemble.
Speaker A:What's the difference?
Speaker A:Everyone comes into a building, into a room, into a home, to pray together, whatever.
Speaker A:But then there's something that happens by the Spirit where we assemble.
Speaker A:We Become one.
Speaker A:It's like Lego, right?
Speaker A:If you take Lego, a box of Lego, and throw it on the floor, on a carpet or something, it's just pieces strewn everywhere.
Speaker A:But when those pieces are joined together, that's assembling.
Speaker A:That's what it's all about.
Speaker A:We're not to forsake the assembling together of ourselves, not just the coming together.
Speaker A:There's an assembling that takes place in the spirit.
Speaker A:It's really important.
Speaker A:So through this blending process, it helps us find our proper place within the body of Christ.
Speaker A:Discover our unique design and calling.
Speaker A:Recognizing your need for others, gifts, taking our place without overreaching or underperforming.
Speaker A:Like, just be comfortable with that, who you are, and allow people to.
Speaker A:To use their gifts.
Speaker A:We need one another.
Speaker A:Okay, so this relates directly to the fishing net analogy.
Speaker A:Now think about this.
Speaker A:A net is not a collection of individual strands, but an interconnected system where each knot contributes to the overall effectiveness.
Speaker A:Similarly, we grow in our own fivefold grace by receiving fivefold grace from others.
Speaker A:How do you grow in your fivefold grace or other fivefold graces?
Speaker A:By receiving from the others fivefold graces.
Speaker A:So no believer is meant to develop in isolation.
Speaker A:It's really important.
Speaker A:Blending.
Speaker A:Okay, lastly, sending.
Speaker A:Sending.
Speaker A:So that's about mission and impact.
Speaker A:The sending process activates believers for kingdom impact.
Speaker A:Receiving clear direction, authority.
Speaker A:There's a sense of delegation of authority that happens spiritually.
Speaker A:Being equipped with spiritual resources, knowing your metron, your assignment, what has God called you to do, your spiritual gifts, obviously all of that's really important.
Speaker A:Functioning as Christ's ambassadors rather than those who just show up to it.
Speaker A:Building.
Speaker A:No, you're actually coming to be trained and equipped as you go out.
Speaker A:You're Christ ambassador, you're on kingdom assignment, and you bring kingdom transformation to environments and people.
Speaker A:So the harvest that Jesus wants to bring in is too substantial for any individual leader, Christian, or even church to do alone.
Speaker A:Ministry.
Speaker A:It requires coordinated effort in the same direction.
Speaker A:So think about it this way.
Speaker A:If you need someone who can break things open with signs and wonders and miracles, maybe there's someone that you're believing that you've come across that needs healing in their body.
Speaker A:And you're like, all right, so what do I do?
Speaker A:Well, if we have these relationships, we go, well, this person really operates strongly in the gift of healing, gifts, of healings, whatever.
Speaker A:So we have that, right?
Speaker A:And a lot of times what we do is we go, yeah, well, I should be able to pray for the sick and they recover.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:We want that but ultimately we do have to recognize that they're gifts and that, you know, even certain five fold leaders have strong gifts in that space as well.
Speaker A:The net actually perfectly captures the collaborative nature of God's design.
Speaker A:So we're not fishing with individual rods.
Speaker A:Ancient fishing required coordinated teamwork.
Speaker A:Many strands joined together, each essential to the net's integrity.
Speaker A:Multiple fishermen working in synchronized movements.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:Can you imagine if we began to synchronize things?
Speaker A:Collective effort required to handle large catches.
Speaker A:Yeah, we'll bring in a large catch if we do that.
Speaker A:Different roles, all vital to the overall success.
Speaker A:On and on.
Speaker A:There's so much we could say.
Speaker A:So let me just say this.
Speaker A:For fivefold ministry, for each and every one of us, we need the impartation of the graces of fivefold ministry.
Speaker A:We need it for a personal development.
Speaker A:We need it for professional development.
Speaker A:So whatever your field or profession, the fivefold gifts provide complementary perspectives that enhance effect, enhance effectiveness.
Speaker A:So you have fivefold ministry in speaking into the business space.
Speaker A:For example, apostolic thinking drives innovation.
Speaker A:Shepherding ensures team care.
Speaker A:It's amazing.
Speaker A:Even putting people in the right place in business, okay, it's powerful.
Speaker A:So embrace the grace, okay?
Speaker A:Let's break down silos.
Speaker A:Let's fulfill God's design.
Speaker A:Embrace the grace.
Speaker A:The journey to a fully functioning fivefold ministry begins with this profound Insight from Ephesians 4:10.
Speaker A:He ascended higher than all the heavens in order to fill the whole universe.
Speaker A:So the remarkable statement precedes the giving of the fivefold gifts, showing us their ultimate purpose, that Christ might fill all things.
Speaker A:So apas gifts were never meant merely as church offices or leadership positions, but as divine graces through which Christ himself was fill his church and through it, the entire cosmos.
Speaker A:So what are the signs of an apostle?
Speaker A:Do you have the signs of an apostle?
Speaker A:Or is this just a new business card?
Speaker A:Or is this just, well, hey, I'm an apostle now.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:And are you interacting?
Speaker A:And are you literally taking time out to connect with other fivefold ministers while I hang out with other apostles?
Speaker A:Isn't it interesting?
Speaker A:We have prophetic networks, apostolic coalitions, and yet evangelists get together.
Speaker A:All the evangelists get together for training, equipping.
Speaker A:And I'm not saying that's wrong, but I'm saying it's not enough.
Speaker A:Why don't we bring the entire five fold together to conferences, do online zoom meetings?
Speaker A:We need one another.
Speaker A:Not just all the apostles with the apostles, the prophets with the prophets, pastors with the pastors, etc.
Speaker A:We need the entire five fold.
Speaker A:Hey, what would happen if we did that well, the fullness of Christ would begin to be manifested and we would grow in our own grace and knowledge.
Speaker A:Christ would fill all things.
Speaker A:That's a vision of His Kingdom.
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