Ephesians 4:7-16 Gifts Part 2

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ...from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

God gave gifts to the church which we recognize as offices of ministry.

• Apostles are emissaries or ambassadors of God sent out with a message. Besides the original twelve apostles, there are others in the church who are gifted and called to be an apostle.
• Prophets hear from God. They may sometimes predict future events, but mostly they give clarity and direction to the church.
• Evangelists preach the gospel to the unsaved. In the modern church, they may serve the church as evangelists or missionaries. 
• Pastors are shepherds. Their ministry is primarily to the saved people within church. The pastor will comfort the bereaved, visit the sick, and be an ear to those in need. In the modern church, we generally call the leader of a local church a Pastor. But the biblical definition doesn't bear that out. 
• Teachers study the Bible, find insights, and teach those insights to others in a way that they can understand. Their ministry is also primarily to believers.

This is not a complete and definitive list of ministry offices. There are more in 1 Corinthians 12:28. These are, however, the ones the churches define as "clergy". You don't generally see an ordination for "helps" and "administration".

There is a biblical precedent for ordination. Paul reminds Timothy, "Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery." [1 Timothy 4:14 NASB]. But I think the church has come to rely too much on "professional ministers", to the neglect of its members.

Bob the welder loves his job. He works 40 hours, has benefits, and gets paid well. He is also gifted as a pastor. This doesn't mean he should leave his job, go to seminary and become ordained. Bob can be a welder and visit the sick, or listen to the lonely man who needs someone to talk to. But he won't because his church has a professional "minister of visitation".

Don't think that I am opposed to full time professional ministry. I am not. But I think we need to remember why God gave the church these gifts: "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ."

The purpose of these gifts is to equip the saints to use these gifts.

We are trained to go to church on Sunday morning, maybe attend a prayer meeting during the week, and let the professional staff do the business of ministry. That is not the biblical model of a church.

Each member has a gift and a ministry. I want to see a church where the member are equipped to do the work of the ministry. Teachers learn, and in turn teach others. Pastors are trained and given opportunities to counsel, encourage, and walk alongside fellow members. Evangelists are sent out with the message of truth. Prophets are recognized and allowed a voice in the church. Apostles are recognized and sent out into the world.

Perhaps there are independent churches that operate this way. But the church overall does not.

Do you possess one of these giftings? If you have the opportunity, use it. If you don't see an opportunity to use your gift, pray that God will open the door for you do so. He is the one who called you. He is faithful, and He will open the door.