The Body & The Gifts 14: God's Earthly Goal for the Church Part 2

Ephesians 4

Hebrews 5

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What is the Enneagram?

"The Enneagram teaches that there are nine different personality styles in the world, one of which we naturally gravitate toward and adopt in childhood to cope and feel safe. Each type or number has a distinct way of seeing the world and an underlying motivation that powerfully influences how that type thinks, feels and behaves." (pg. 24).

"The true purpose of the Enneagram is to reveal to you your shadow side and offer spiritual counsel on how to open it to the transformative light of grace." (pg. 31).

"I sense there’s a truer, more luminous expression of myself, and that as long as I remain estranged from it I will never feel fully alive or whole." (pg. 23).

"The purpose of the Enneagram is to show us how we can release the paralyzing arthritic grip we’ve kept on old, self-defeating ways of living so we can open ourselves to experiencing more interior freedom and become our best selves." (pg. 36).

"May you recognize in your life the presence, power, and light of your soul. May you realize that you are never alone, that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe. May you have respect for your individuality and difference. May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique, that you have a special destiny here, that behind the facade of your life there is something beautiful and eternal happening. May you learn to see yourself with the same delight, pride, and expectation with which God sees you in every moment." (pg. 230)

The Body & The Gifts 13: God's Earthly Goal for the Church Part 1

The Main Issue 

"Apostles" = Authority and NT Canon 

"Prophets" = Authority and Inerrancy

"Evangelists" = Authority and Ability

"Pastors" = Authority and Change

"Teachers" = Authority and Steadfastness

*ALL OF THESE ARE WORD-CENTERED*

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Throughout the Christian centuries, no principle of church life has proved more revolutionary—and more bitterly fought!—than the declaration of Ephesians 4 that the ultimate work of the church in the world is to be done by the saints—plain, ordinary Christians—and not by a professional clergy or a few select laypeople. We must never lose the impact of the apostle Paul’s statement that apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers exist “for the equipment of the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12).

Note that neither the apostles and prophets nor the evangelists and pastor-teachers are expected to do the work of the ministry! They are not even expected to do the work of building up the body of Christ! Those tasks are to be done only by the people—the ordinary, plain-vanilla Christians we often call “the laity.” The four offices of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher exist for one function and one function only: to equip everyday Christians to do the work God has given them—and gifted them!—to do.

Ray C. Stedman, Body Life: The Book That Inspired a Return to the Church’s Real Meaning and Mission, Revised Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers, 1995), 115.

Revelation 21 with Dr. Mike Stallard

The Gifts & the Body 12: The Gifts of Spiritual Leadership Part 7

Teacher- didaskalos

"one who provides instruction—‘teacher, instructor.’"

-Louw-Nida, p. 415.

*Used 48 times in the Gospels, mostly referring to Jesus.

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PROPHETS

Predictive

"Foretelling"

Future Events,

God's Will,

Possible Judgment

Call to Repentance

PASTORS/TEACHERS

Prescriptive

"Forth-telling"

Can be Evangelistic,

Exposition of God's already-revealed Word for the growth of the Church

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The Main Issue 

"Apostles" = Authority and NT Canon 

"Prophets" = Authority and Inerrancy

"Evangelists" = Authority and Ability

"Pastors" = Authority and Change

"Teachers" = Authority and Steadfastness

The Gifts & the Body 11: The Gifts of Spiritual Leadership Part 6

Pastor-  "One who is called to the soul-care of God's people."

The derivatives of this word involve leading, guiding, protecting, caring for, and nuturing.

The Gifts & the Body 10: The Gifts of Spiritual Leadership Part 5

"Pastor"-  poimēn 

1- one who herds sheep, shepherd, sheep-herder

2- one who serves as guardian or leader, shepherd

-BDAG-

"one who is responsible for the care and guidance of a Christian congregation"

-Louw-Nida-

The derivatives of this word involve lead, guide, protect, care for, and nuture.

"one who is called to the soul-care of God's people"

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The Main Issue 

"Apostles" = Authority and NT Canon 

"Prophets" = Authority and Inerrancy

"Evangelists" = Authority and Ability

"Pastors" = Authority and Change

The Gifts & the Body 9: The Gifts of Spiritual Leadership Part 4

FUN FACT

The Bible never speaks of "the spiritual gift of evangelism." 

It only speaks of the spiritual office of the evangelist (Eph 4:11).

EVERY BELIEVER IN CHRIST HAS THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION!

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Evangelist- "proclaimer of the gospel" -BDAG, 403.

"a bringer of good tidings... This name is given in the N. T. to those heralds of salvation through Christ who are not apostles." -Thayer, 257.

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The Main Issue 

"Apostles" = Authority and NT Canon 

"Prophets" = Authority and Inerrancy

"Evangelists" = Authority and Ability

The Gifts & the Body 8: The Gifts of Spiritual Leadership Part 3

Prophecy

"Prophecy is the ability to speak for God. It’s not merely foretelling, though some of that is included; it is forth-telling. It is speaking the Word of God." 

-Adrian Rogers

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PASTORS/TEACHERS

Prescriptive

"Forth-telling"

Exposition of God's already-revealed Word for the growth of the Church

PROPHETS

Predictive

"Foretelling"

Future Events,

God's Will,

Possible Judgment

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Prophet- prophetes- "a proclaimer or expounder of divine matters or concerns that could not ordinarily be known except by special revelation." -BDAG

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"Prophets," in partnership with "Apostles"

"Foundation" - Eph. 2:20

Revealers of Church Doctrine - Eph. 3:5

Gifts to the Body of Christ - Eph. 4:11

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"The Biblical category of prophecy seems to me to involve inerrancy and trustworthy authority, which modern-day prophets do not have and rarely even claim. When they do claim prophetic status, it seems to me that they often want the authority of the prophetic category without the corresponding responsibility."

Gerry Breshears, “The Body of Christ: Prophet, Priest or King,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 37, no. 1 (1994): 20

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"Grudem argues that the apostles and prophets are identical here. This is important to his view of NT prophecy: on the one hand, he holds to a high view of scripture, viz., that the autographs are inerrant; on the other hand, he believes that non-apostolic prophets both in the early church and today mixed error with truth." 

Grudem defines "prophecy as "an unreliable human speech act in response to a revelation from the Holy Spirit." 

-Wayne Grudem, The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today (Westchester, IL: Crossway, 1988), 95.

Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 284–285.

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The very nature of the Bible's accuracy shows that prophecy must be inerrant. Otherwise, we cannot trust the Scriptures.

"Historical data set forth in the original writings are inerrant, and prophecy not only discloses the oncoming events of the future, but provides unfailing assurance that all that is predicted will be executed by the sovereign and therefore irresistible competency of God. Thus has the divine authority of the Scriptures been demonstrated in the grand array of predictions already fulfilled, and thus it will be demonstrated in the plenary realization of all that is yet unfulfilled."

Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1993), 103.

The Gifts & The Body 7: The Gift of Leadership Part 2

Apostles- apostolos

"sent forth with orders" -Thayer, "delegate"- Unger

Secular Use- A fleet of ships sent out on a mission.

"sent one"- John 13:16

"messengers"- 2 Cor 8:23; Phil 2:25

68 out of 79 times in Luke/Acts & Paul

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"Apostles," in partnership with "Prophets"

"Foundation" - Eph. 2:20

Revealers of Church Doctrine - Eph. 3:5

Gifts to the Body of Christ - Eph. 4:11

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Qualification #1

From John's Baptism to Jesus' Ascension

Acts 1:20-26

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Qualification #2

Eyewitness of the Resurrected Lord Jesus

1 Corinthians 9:1

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Qualification #3

Gifted to Perform Signs & Wonders

2 Corinthians 12:12

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FALSE APOSTLES

Overview for "Apostles Today" 

by C. Peter Wagner

"Transformation of the city was the battle cry in the 1990s. What’s happening on the streets today? How far have we come since then? How do apostles fit into the urban landscape? How do they fit into God’s plans?

C. Peter Wagner, our generation’s greatest authority on the apostolic realm, has been writing on these subjects for a number of years. He now brings these topics together in one volume for an insightful look at the spheres of authority that are all around us. Wagner’s most authoritative book yet on apostles, Apostles Today looks at the progress of the New Apostolic Reformation begun in the beginning of the 1990s and continuing today.

This book is a call for apostles to assume their rightful place of work with God to see his will accomplished here on earth. Wagner relates his decades of experiences and those of others, which show the role of apostles not only in the traditional church, but also in the extended church. Apostles Today offers fresh vision for the role of apostles in healthy churches, workplaces, and cities."

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"The apostles were agents of God’s revelation of the truths that would become the Christian rule of faith and life. As such, and through Christ’s appointment of them as his authorized representatives (2 Cor 10:8; 13:10), the apostles exercised a unique and functional authority in the infant church. 

There are no apostles today, though some Christians fulfill ministries that are in particular ways apostolic in style. No new canonical revelation is currently being given; apostolic teaching authority resides in the canonical Scriptures, of which the apostles’ own writings are the core and the key. "

J. I. Packer, Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1993), 197.

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"The canon of the New Testament, by implication from the factors that formed it, should be viewed as closed. It is a reasonable view that the New Testament canon was completed by the first century AD, by which time all the apostles had died. On dealing with this issue, it is important to consider the passage in Hebrews 1:1-2, which states that God has spoken through Christ as final revelation."

Joseph M. Holden and Norman Geisler, The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House, 2013), p. 176.

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"One thing must be emphatically stated. The New Testament books did not become authoritative for the Church because they were formally included in a canonical list; on the contrary, the Church included them in her canon because she already regarded them as divinely inspired, recognizing their innate worth and generally apostolic authority, direct or indirect. 

The first ecclesiastical councils to classify the canonical books were both held in North Africa- at Hippo Regius in 393 and at Carthage in 397- but what these councils did was not to impose something new upon the Christian communities but to codify what was already the general practice of those communities."

F.F. Bruce, The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? (Bottom of the Hill Publishing, 2013), p. 25.

The Gifts & The Body 6: The Gift of Leadership