Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Five-Fold Grace
Statement: It is impossible for the Church to develop to fully develop and grow up into our
destiny without the input and contribution of all Five-fold ministry offices! Five-full ministry is
the maturity mechanism of the Church!
Apostle Governs
Prophet Guides
Evangelist Gathers
Pastor Guards
Teacher Grounds
Acts 4:33, And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
In the Scriptures. the Number Five is symbolic for grace.
The reason why the Early Church was so powerful in the First Century is because they were
experiencing the full measure of God's grace!
Without the involvement and impartation of all five-fold ministry, the Body of Christ will in fact
become asymmetrical.
We see this all the time:
Churches that make emphasize evangelism, but do not teach and disciple others in the
deeper life!
Some churches emphasize prophetic, at the exclusion of evangelism and teaching and
are constantly seeking the next word from God but never fulfill the last words of Jesus
Go into all the world and preach and demonstrate the Kingdom of God.
Other churches teach and teach and yet the people never witness the signs and
wonders that are manifested through the ministry of the apostle!
There is a better way! Through the input and of Five-Fold Ministry the Manifold grace of
God is released!
1 Peter 4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another,
as good stewards of the manifold [multi-faceted; many sided] grace of God.
2
A diamond has many-sides to it but a single side alone does not constitute a diamond. You
must have all the facets to have a whole diamond!
Foundation of the Church APOSTLES & PROPHETS
The New Testament declares that these dual offices are foundational to the Church:
Ephesians 2:19-20 - Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but
fellow citizens with Gods people and also members of his household, 20 built on the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief
cornerstone.
1 Cor 12:28 - And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second
prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps,
administrations, varieties of tongues.
Why are the offices of apostle and prophet given the preeminence in the New
Testament?
This is because they literally create the environment from which all other ministries
emerge as we will see in our further studies. They are the seed-bed of the church!
APOSTLE = Gk. apostolos, lit., "one sent forth" (apo, "from," stello, "to send").
Foundation/Demonstration: (1 Cor 3:10; 2 Cor. 12:12).
PROPHET: signifies "the speaking forth of the mind and counsel of God" (pro, "forth,"
phemi, "to speak")
Prophecy = Revelation/Proclamation - Know the mind of God and declare it!
Today, most churches in North America are not GOING reaching the lost. In fact, 70 - 80
% of our churches are in decline or recline [plateau]. Among the 20 % percent that are
growing, less than 5% per cent are growing as a result of reaching the unsaved. In other
words, they are growing through Transfer growth.
What is the problem? It has taken us over 2000 years and we still have not reached the world
with the Gospel even in a season of profound technological advancement in media and
communication.
Most of our churches are ingrown and insular. Our faith has become all about us and not
about fulfilling Gods agenda of demonstrating His glory and salvation to the world. We have
an escape-mentality that has paralyzed us from fulfilling the Great Commission. We are
waiting for Jesus to take us to heaven while along He is waiting for us to evangelize the earth
making disciples of all nations (Cf. Matt 24:14; Matthew 28:18-20).
I submit to us this day that we are guilty of creating a religious climate that has stifled the
church from fulfilling her one true purpose. We have embraced a Bless-me, event-oriented,
entertainment model that has resulted in church becoming a place where people are merely
spectators and are not released to advance the Kingdom of God on the earth!
It is my contention that the church return and embrace a New Testament ecclesiology
that that results in a paradigm shift from pastoral led churches that are maintenance
oriented to apostolic churches governed by Five-Fold ministry elders that are mission
focused!
Apostolic Governed Churches
The Early Church was a governing church. They preached and demonstrated to the people of
their time a Kingdom and a government. Often we have been guilty of preaching an
incomplete salvation message that focuses merely on forgiveness of past sins, but does not
raise up people to walk in the overcoming life and to do great exploits for God on the earth!
God is restoring to the Church today a government that will get the job done! Isaiah 9:7
describes this government as good government. It is an administration that not only will
cover the earth, but will bring peace and execute justice to its subjects, Of the increase of
His government and peace there will be no end. Upon the throne of David and over His
kingdom to order it and establish it with judgment and justice.
This government is foundationally apostolic and prophetic with Christ Jesus being the
cornerstone that holds the building together!
The term equipping literally means, to thoroughly furnish, to set in order, It is also translated
prepare as well as repair. In Matthew 4:21, the word is translated mend when referring to
James and John fixing their torn fishing nets!
performed through Jesus after his death and resurrection! We read in John 21 that the
disciples once more were completely unsuccessful in their efforts to catch fish. Jesus cried
out to them from the shore, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some."
So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.
Verse 11, Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred
and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken
This time the net is not broken! It speaks of the fact that the disciples were nor both repaired
and prepared to launch out and succeed at their life calling!
Conclusion: Little Bo-Peep vs The Good Shepherd
Most churches today are maintenance oriented and not mission-focused. They have
replaced the Good Shepherd with Little Bo Peep. The Good Shepherd goes after the Sheep
(Luke 15:4); Little Bo Peep modus operandi is,
Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep And doesnt know where to find them. Leave them alone,
And they'll come home, Wagging their tails behind them
The New Testament is clear that the purpose for God giving His church power is for
mission (Acts 1:8).