In John 14:6 Jesus said the He would pray the Father and He would send another comforter who would abide with us forever. The Word tells us the Holy Spirit is the teacher of the Church. The Holy Spirit teaching the church results in revelation knowledge. This is as Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:18: "upon this rock (the rock of revelation) He will build His Church". This is the plan designed and implemented by the Father Himself.
In Matthew 10:1-2 we see that Jesus called His twelve disciples together and sent out twelve apostles: He gave them specific instructions. He told the apostles that He had to leave and the Spirit of Truth (the Holy Spirit) would come.
On the day of Pentecost the Church or the Body of Christ was born. We see in the book of Acts the plan and purpose of the Father. As the Gospel of the Kingdom was preached many believed and were saved. Acts records 3,000 believers at one time and 5,000 another in another account. They became part of the Body.
How do we know they became part of the Body? In Acts 2:44 we read: "And all that believed were together, and had all things common;" and then again in Acts 4:32 we read: "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common."
The book of Act is written to believers. Thus when the author writes to those who believed he referred to a group of people who believed something specific. You might be a believer reading this article. Some will believe what you have read and therefore you are part of those who believe. Not all the believers referred to in the above-mentioned verses believed.
To continue with Acts 2:46-47: "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."
When you read about those who believed you get a sense of much greater unity than you do when you look at the church today or even when you read other parts of the Bible dealing with the church. There was a tangible bond and unity among the early church.
The Apostles did what Jesus told them to do. They followed His direction and were guided by the Holy Spirit. These apostles did the works that Jesus spoke of in John 14:12: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."
God finally had a people that would make up the Body of Christ. This Body was on the earth with Jesus as the Head of the Body. God’s purpose in appointing the apostles was to guide them by the Holy Spirit and bring the Body together as a functional unit. They were to coach the body and be a nanny to the newborn Body of Christ.
God’s primary plan worked for a while. Fear entered the church via the Ananias and Sapphira incident. Saul met the Lord and became Paul. Paul was trained by the Lord and began to address issues that never should have happened. In his letter to the Galatians he starts out by asking, "Who has bewitched you?" That is a pretty strong supposition. Then he goes on to say in Gal. 3:3: "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" The people stopped depending on revelation from the Father and attempted to build the church from their understanding. Fear entered into the believers and the foundation shifted from Jesus the Rock to sand.
The Father prompted Paul in Eph. 4:11 to write "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." Now instead of just the apostles God added four additional gifts to the Church. God’s plan was to use these gifts to establish the Body of Christ. Now the body had five additional types of nannies to get those who believe in Christ to the place of maturity. When we are brought to maturity these five gifts will not be needed.
As we look around today we see that God’s plan for this five-fold ministry group did not happen. Quite simply people did not implement these ministry gifts in building the church. In today’s church some give mental accent to the fact that God gave these gifts. These people do not know who to apply and use the gifts in their church. However many do not acknowledge the gifts. The church suppressed the functioning of these gifts for a variety of reasons:
Lack of understanding of how to apply them to the local Body.
Current leaders (pastors) are unwilling to relinquish individual control and share equally with the other four ministry gifts as a "plurality" of leadership.
Trying to understand this enablement of God via one’s own understanding instead revealed wisdom from the Father.
Lack of Agape Love for God’s people.
No revealed understanding from the Father that all these gifts are essential for the Body to enjoy a well-balanced spiritual diet.
Lack of understanding that the spirit of the believer needs to be strengthened and the revealed knowledge is how to the spirit is fed.
We need to have the five-fold ministry working as God designed in the Body of Christ. God’s purpose for the Body of Christ follows: Eph. 4:12: "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:" The question is then how long will these gifts be necessary? Are any of these gifts intended to be permanent? Eph. 4:13 states: "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ…" The answer is obvious: No! There is a time-line that God intends to follow.
The contemporary church is like a dismembered body with only the Head functioning precisely as designed. There are many non-functioning parts strewn about. Jesus, the Head, has been patiently waiting for His body to come together in order for it to move and do His will. As the five fold becomes active the Body will obey and do the Father’s will. When this begins to occur it will not take long for the Father’s will to be completed. The Father has prepared the bride and she is ready for the Bridegroom. Jesus is the Bridegroom and we are His body. We are ready for the wedding day.
When we reach "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (His Body functioning together) the five-fold ministry will be unnecessary. We will be in the place where the finger does not say to the leg, "I don’t need you." We will be fully functional and focused only on His agenda. When the Head gives instructions the body does what it is told to do. All parts move toward the same goal seeking to accomplish the vision. So it is with the Body of Christ.
Are you a vital functional member in the Body of Christ? Take this information to the Lord and ask Him. Please don’t accept or reject this information before you hear from the Father. It is much too pivotal Truth to ignore.
Blessings.