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Body, Soul and Spirit
Chapter 9: Ministry
The Principle of Ministry
The Greek word DIAKONOS is translated as minister or servant. To minister is to serve others.
Spiritual ministry does not consist only of actions and words, it is an impartation of life, where truth is communicated or demonstrated from one person to another. Godly character comes from the presence of Christ in our spirit, and it is from here that motivation and unction for ministry arises. What takes place in those who receive ministry may occur in their body, spirit or soul, but it must have its origin in the Spirit of Christ if life is to result. Ministry is not a sovereign act by the Holy Spirit; it requires obedient faith by the one whose spirit-senses have been anointed to minister what has been quickened to him. The intended recipient also requires faith and a hunger to receive what is being offered to him.
Satan can counterfeit gifts of the Holy Spirit; therefore, we dare not accept ministry only on the basis of supernatural demonstrations. True ministry will produce righteousness, exalt the Lord Jesus and bring His purposes to pass in lives. This will never be counterfeited by Satan.
Similar to fellowship, ministry can occur at three different levels as illustrated in Figure 13. Ministry in the body realm can take the form of sharing material things such as food, shelter, clothing or even a glass of cold water. Such acts of ministry are not insignificant, they are a vital part of Christian life when given in the spirit of love and compassion. We are taught of God to share our worldly goods with one another when such needs arise in the assembly (James 2:15-16). If we are not first committed to this level of service, we will have very little else to offer in ministry.
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Another dimension of ministry is the impartation of knowledge and instruction at the soul level. This educational process serves to develop wisdom and understanding in recipients’ minds and soundness in their emotions.
Facts, concepts, principles, associations and information, when imparted to children’s minds over time, help to develop adult mentalities. Education depends on communication, and it is greatly reinforced through observing how truth is practiced by others, especially those who do the teaching, Our life is a book read by those around us. What we say and how we act conditions the knowledge and influence that others receive from us. This is why godly character is so very important. What we are speaks louder than our words.
Truth begins with revealed knowledge. No matter how true it is, knowledge by itself does one little good. Knowledge alone can lead to pride unless the heart of the recipient is conditioned to apply the knowledge toward godliness. This is where the Holy Spirit does His work. God’s life flows in the realm of our spirits. If there is no such flow of the Spirit between hearts, even when there is a valid impartation to the soul or body, there will be no spiritual ministry. Evil men can do deeds of kindness, but that is not ministry. Ministry must be anointed by the Holy Spirit if it is to bring life.
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”
Isaiah 61:1-3 presents a wonderful overview of what exemplifies true spiritual ministry. These are the verses that Jesus used to identify His mission of redemption on earth.
Acts of the Holy Spirit represent a multifaceted diversity that is implicit in the will of God. Although His acts cannot be confined to theological definitions, there appears to be three general classes of spiritual ministry through which the Lord builds His church. The first of these are “ministries of relationship.”
Ministries of Relationship
Every believer possesses the Spirit of God, and therefore has a ministry; a place of service in the body of Christ. Ministry is simply the Spirit expressing Himself through the spirit, soul and body of believers. This does not take place by compulsion, but through a willing obedience to promptings or leadings of the Holy Spirit. When the saints gather together in fellowship, there will arise occasions when some will be prompted by the Holy Spirit to reach out and encourage or exhort others. Since such personal interactions develop relationships, I have chosen to call them “ministries of relationship.”
There are important guidelines on how believers should assemble in order to facilitate such ministry. For example, the freedom and opportunity for developing relationships is obviously much better in small group environments. This is undoubtedly a reason why the early church met so often in homes. The following are three beneficial characteristics of small groups: simplicity, informality and freedom to share. These provide a non-religious environment where one can learn from mistakes; where practical person-to-person interactions can promote spiritual growth because believers are free to be honest with one another and to remove make-believe facades. It is an atmosphere where accountability can grow. The central focus of meetings should always be the Lord Jesus and seeking to hear His voice.
The following is a list of biblical ministries of relationship. These activities can take place in one-on-one situations or in group meetings.
Hospitality
Be hospitable to one another without complaint.
When we come to Christ, we bring not only our hearts but all that we possess, and this includes our home. Being hospitable is how we offer it to Him. Hospitality is essential in building the relational fabric of church life since it so largely depends on family lives that make up the church.
Making friends
Be devoted to one another ....
Faithful are the wounds of a friend ....
When correction comes from a true friend it is more likely to be received, even though it may hurt at the time.
Table fellowship
Breaking bread together in the sharing of meals is an excellent means of building friendships. This was a common practice in the early church, as well as in the ministry of Jesus with His disciples.
Encouraging others
Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another ….
But encourage one another day after day … lest anyone of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Identifying with the emotions of others
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
Comforting the afflicted
Blessed be … the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
It is in our trials and difficulties that we experience the comfort of God. Through this we learn how to comfort others. We cannot give something that we do not possess. Only if we have experienced the lifting of a heavy burden in our lives by the Lord are we likely to be constrained through compassion to bear the burdens of others.
Being a peacemaker
One of the most precious ministries for building relationship is that of a peacemaker. We may think a peacemaker is one who comes between warring parties and stops the fighting. We equate God’s peace to an armistice, which is not the case. Peace is not a passive absence of conflict, it is the active government of God in lives. There is peace wherever He reigns. The role of peacemaking is to bring each heart into submission to the Lord, who is the Prince of Peace.
And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
The ministry of helps
Helps is not limited to the service of deacons. It expresses how to support one another in the church through one’s presence, time or possessions. God has designed us so that we cannot make it alone; we need each other!
And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
Helps is how to share in and support the ministry of others, and to nullify the spirit of competition.
The following verses of scripture are specific expressions of body ministry where members build up one another in the life and love of Christ. A key requirement is the group dynamics where there is freedom and opportunity to express and practice these exhortations.
Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble … see to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.
(Hebrews 12:12, 15)
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.
And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another….
Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
It is apparent that, while ministries of relationship involve the spirit, soul and body of believers, it is the qualities of godly character in the heart (spirit) that the Holy Spirit uses to impart life and truth to others. To give counsel without such character can be to simply meddle in lives. The following scripture endorses this truth.
And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.
Finally, it is good to remember how our words and our conduct will affect those who we are in relationship with.
Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
The second category of ministry that we will address is that of spiritual gifts.
Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Paul’s apostolic writings emphasize the importance of spiritual gifts in the life of the church.
For I long to see you that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established.
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware (uninformed).
Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
In his epistle to Corinth, Paul identifies nine gifts which are distributed to individuals according to the will of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). Although spiritual gifts may be manifested through human faculties, they are initiated by the anointing of the Holy Spirit on one’s spiritual senses. Three of these relate to specific manifestations of the power of God: the working of miracles, the gifts of healing, and the gift of faith. Three gifts concern unique operation of the Holy Spirit in the minds of believers: the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, and the discerning of spirits. The remaining three gifts concern specific operations of the Holy Spirit in vocal utterances: the gift of prophecy, speaking in tongues (unknown languages), and the interpretation of tongues.
Two of the more important tools in pastoral work are the gift of the word of knowledge and the word of wisdom. The gift of the word of knowledge is a supernatural deposit of knowledge by the Spirit through the spiritual sense window of the believer, who then must have faith to recognize and accept it. Such knowledge will be important for some person or situation. It will generally not involve much information, but is a word of knowledge, something that is critical to specific needs of a believer or of an assembly at the time. Examples in the New Testament include the story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-5); the Samaritan woman at the well to whom Jesus ministered (John 4:17-18); and the Lord’s instruction to Peter that he would find sufficient money for their taxes in the mouth of a fish (Matthew 17:24-27). When Paul visited Ephesus he knew by the word of knowledge that it would be the last time he would see them (Acts 20:25, 38). He also knew in the Spirit about the division that would later occur among them, and warned them accordingly. A word of knowledge was the reason why Paul knew he would survive the trip to Rome from Crete, but that the ship and cargo would be lost in the storm (Acts 27:10). This particular gift is indispensable in the counseling, overseeing functions of an eldership. It is not related to one’s natural knowledge. The spirit of divination is a satanic counterfeit of the word of knowledge.
The word of wisdom has nothing to do with natural wisdom, whether abundant or scarce. It comes to pass when the Lord anoints the mind of a believer through his spiritual senses to impart a word of supernatural wisdom for a situation where natural wisdom is inadequate. Jesus often manifested this gift in His times of confrontation with the religious leaders (Luke 20:21-25; Matthew 21:24-25). A good example of this particular gift is found in the story of the woman who was taken in the act of adultery and brought to Jesus for stoning. To keep the Law, which He was required to do, meant that He had to support the act of stoning. However, He came to reveal the mercy and forgiveness of God. He did not know what to do or to say, for there was no obvious answer. Therefore, He did nothing, but stooped down and wrote on the ground waiting for His Father to give Him direction. The answer came, a perfect word of wisdom:
He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.
(John 8:7)
The word of wisdom will be exactly correct for a given situation.
How often we answer out of our rational wisdom instead of seeking God for a word of wisdom.
The gift of discerning spirits is similar to the word of knowledge since it involves an impartation of supernatural knowledge concerning the presence and/or identity of an evil spirit in a person (Acts 16:16-17). Neglect of this particular gift can allow Satan to gain access and influence in the church through counterfeit ministry that eventually could divide and hurt the saints. He can come as an angel of light and be accepted by many if this gift is not present. This possibility must be guarded against, especially in the days of conflict that lie ahead (1 Timothy 4:1-3). An individual who accepts Christ without confessing and renouncing any earlier participation in the occult may need deliverance from demons. This gift would reveal such a condition, and prevent the person from introducing confusion into an assembly.
The gifts of utterance are revelatory or prophetic in nature since they are expressions from the heart of God for His people at that time. When accompanied by interpretation, the gift of tongues is essentially equal to the gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:5). The gift of prophecy is to edify, exhort and comfort the church.
God’s people are to be a prophetic people in the earth, and these three vocal gifts are a means for this to take place, We will fall short in the church if we build only on traditions of the past. Of course, we are to judge all revelation in the light of the written word, for it is our foundation for accuracy and stability. However, we must know the heart of God for today. It is vital to build and move forward on the basis of what God is currently speaking to us. We are to hold as precious the truths of our foundation in Him, but we are to walk in the truth that He is revealing today. The past is the foundation upon which we build the present and future. We are living in an exciting era of restoration in the church (Acts 3:21). It is not primarily a matter of major truths, for the Lord desires to speak to us of the little things that hinder our walk with Him. If we require the daily encouragement and exhortation of friends, how much more do we need to hear His words of encouragement and admonition! Prophetic gifts should never take away the preeminent place the scriptures have in our lives; the opposite is true, they should reinforce and endorse the written word. A prophetic people will be a people of His word, a people whose lives and utterances express His word. The more we grow in our knowledge and likeness of Him the more prophetic we will become. Once there exists a fluent prophetic flow in an assembly, it can become very easy to take it for granted. We must frequently remind ourselves of the great honor it is to hear the word of the Lord, and the responsibility we have to obey Him.
Do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good
The three vocal gifts require an exercise of faith to speak what the Spirit gives us to utter. In the gift of tongues, the speaker’s mind is not anointed to understand the sense of what is spoken. The opposite is true in the interpretation of tongues and in prophecy, for the speaker in these instances does understand what he or she is saying. Many may speak in tongues, but not all will have the gift of tongues or of interpretation. Likewise, all believers may have the spirit of prophecy, but not all will have the gift of prophecy (Revelation 19:10; 1 Corinthians 12:10). And fewer yet will be prophets, which is a foundational (or ascension) gift ministry in the church (1 Corinthians 12:28).
The three “power” gifts are frequently demonstrated during the preaching of the gospel to the lost when the Holy Spirit brings an anointing for the supernatural. From the history of the early church it is apparent the Lord placed two emphases in the gospel He has commissioned the church to preach to the nations.
First of all, it is a proclamation of the good news of salvation; the gospel of His kingdom.
Secondly, it is a demonstration that what is proclaimed is indeed true, as God works in signs and wonders to prove that Christ was raised from the dead. There is nothing apologetic about the gospel of the kingdom when the sick are healed, demons cast out and lives are transformed. Although we may not see it today, miraculous signs and wonders should be the norm in church life.
The church is to be an expression of the character of God, the words of God and the acts of God. There will only be proper demonstration of His acts in an assembly when all the saints are equipped for service, with each member having a vital and unique part to play in expressing the Lord’s life through gifts of His Spirit.
For just as we have many members in one body and all members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly ....
The third and last category of ministry to be addressed concerns the five-fold, or ascension gift ministries.
Ascension Gift Ministries
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.
The word “equipping” is translated from the Greek word KATARTISMOS which means “to complete,” “to prepare” or “train fully.” Implicit in this scripture is the truth that a diversity of ministries is required to properly equip the saints; no minister can accomplish this alone.
In addition to ministries of relationship and spiritual gifts, these ministries possess specific grace and anointings with which to equip and disciple believers. They are the Lord’s bond-servants representing Him in word and deed by their service and the example of their lives.
The names given to identify these servants of the Lord are not titles, they simply denote ministry functions. It is important to properly recognize the function of such ministries in the way that Christ intends to represent Himself through them. For instance, one does not receive an evangelist as a pastor.
He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophets reward....
It is important to honor, not the minister, but the grace of God in the ministry; we should not compare one minister with another, but love each one as a servant of the Lord. These principles are how to esteem them in love because of their work. Let us examine the unique grace and gifting of each ministry.
Teachers are necessary to instruct the saints about the Lord and His ways and to equip them to teach, encourage and edify others. A teacher has grace to bring instruction from scriptures in a manner that develops a hunger and appreciation of God’s word. Part of the reason is a logic of overall perspective that integrates revelations into concise summary expressions of truth. (The graphic models of this book are such an example.)
Pastors care for the saints, counseling and equipping them by example to love, care for and to admonish others. We are to be our brother’s keeper. A pastor has grace to accomplish this because of his love for the people of God. He is able to reveal the heart of God to the saints by his love and commitment to them. Training the people of God with His word involves more than imparting knowledge. It includes counseling that deals with perceptual and behavioral problems where a clear distinction must be made between what is soulish and what is spiritual.
Evangelists impart the Lord’s heart of compassion for the lost and equip the saints to evangelize. A church without a vision and strategy for outreach will be a failure. Evangelism is not some technique for delivering a message; it is a witness or presentation of divine life. We are to be witnesses of the life of God. Prayer is an essential component of evangelism.
Prophets have grace to hear and to express the heart of God to individuals, to congregations and even to nations. They play a significant role in the impartation of vision to a church, equipping the saints to be a prophetic people. Prophets bring a greater awareness of the heart and direction of the Lord to His people. Their words endorse the way of righteousness and point to what lies ahead. Without such vision, the saints tend to look back to the past and to traditions of yesterday. The anointing for prophetic insight can come into a prophet’s mind, through the window of his spiritual senses, either as words or in a vision. The latter is why prophets in the Old Testament were sometimes called “seers.” A prophet will serve to ignite prayer and intercession on issues that are vital to bring God’s purpose to fruition in the church. With apostles, they jointly equip, appoint and confirm spiritual gifts and ministries in the saints.
The following are some guidelines for judging personal prophecy; an appraisal where spiritual senses are important.
The Holy Spirit should bear witness with our spirit that it is a word from the Lord.
The spirit, character and accountability of the prophet should be judged.
Except for prophetic words that are unconditional, prophecy requires faith and obedience by the recipient to be fulfilled.
Personal prophecy should exhort, comfort and edify as well as confirm or establish vision and calling. It will occasionally (by a seasoned prophet) warn or direct about the future. It will always glorify Christ and never contradict the Lord’s written word.
Prophecy will never manipulate or seek to control a person.
Prophecy usually points to a future fulfillment. One should be cautious of prophecy that sets specific dates.
Personal prophecy should always be presented under local church oversight; or submitted back to the local church if received from an outside source.
The word, “apostle,” means “one sent on a mission.” The word is sometimes used by religious bodies to identify a specific position of leadership among them. However, a biblical apostle denotes one whom the Lord Jesus has given to the church with grace and anointing to represent Him in ministry. The first apostles saw themselves representing Christ as His bond-servants. This was the heart of their apostolic calling (James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Revelation 1:1; Jude 1:1).
Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle ....
They sought no self-grandeur in title or offices; they were bond-servants of Christ. All five ministries are uniquely a matter of God’s grace. There is no difference in greatness or importance between ministries of the Spirit; there is only a difference in grace (Romans 12:6; Ephesians 4:7; 1 Corinthians 15:10). Apostles will have grace to function in one or more of the other four ministries. They also have grace to see the “whole picture” more clearly, and they have a unique grace to lay foundations for the church. Paul describes his apostolic ministry by the word “masterbuilder” (1 Corinthians 3:10). This word is translated from the Greek word ARCHITEKTON from which the English word “architect” is derived. ARCHITEKTON is made up of two root words in Greek, one meaning “to begin” and the other meaning “craftsman.” This precisely describes the mission of an apostle; he is one sent by the Lord to lay foundations for local expressions of His body. He will not evangelize and build a following of converts around himself; he will establish them in union with Christ as their Lord and Head. When one lays a foundation upon which to construct a building, the resulting structure will be determined by the intended purpose of the building. A tool shed will not be built like an apartment tower. The purpose defines the structure, which in turn dictates the foundation. A proper foundation must anticipate all that will be built upon it. The Lord has one central purpose for His house; it is to be the place of His presence. It is to become His dwelling place from where He can express the fullness of His glory to all creation! To fulfill this purpose, the foundation must be built upon the cornerstone that God has laid for His house, which is Christ Jesus Himself (Isaiah 28:16). This foundation makes Christ central to all ministry activity in the church; everything purposed by the Lord flows out of Him as head of the church. He is the builder of the house, the foundation of the house and the head over all things in the house. The church is a spiritual organism; it is not a religious institution! Implicit in the foundation will be all the fundamentals of salvation such as, faith, repentance, grace, water baptism, worship, prayer, spiritual gifts and ministries, fellowship, family order, etc. In the end, the importance of all these truths is not the knowledge they represent, but how well they serve to build the saints together into a suitable dwelling place of God through the Spirit.
… having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
The fact that the revelations and teachings of the first generation apostles and prophets have been passed down to us in scripture, does not mean that one can plant “New Testament” churches by simply following a list of biblical procedures, good as they may be. We require the ministry of the Holy Spirit in all the gifts and ministries that Christ has given to the church. We must remember that it is He who is building the church! Just as every believer needs a personal revelation of truth, so each generation of the church requires apostles and prophets, who are anointed by the Holy Spirit with grace and revelation to build local expressions of the body of Christ in their day. An apostle will not wander around as a “lone-ranger.” He will be a man sent out by the presbytery of a local church to whom he will be accountable. He will recognize the sphere of his ministry, and he will normally travel with co-workers, which will include some who are being discipled. The pattern for apostolic team ministry is found in Paul’s translocal ministry described in chapters 13 to 20 of Acts, and in his epistles to the churches that he established on his travels.
The graphic model of body, soul and spirit can be designed to address additional ministry truths. Four examples are illustrated in Appendix A.
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