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What we believe and teach - The ministry gifts - |
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The Lord
Jesus Christ gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and
some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of
the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ, till we all come to the
unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man,
to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no
longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of
doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful
plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him
who is the head – Christ. Whoever has received one of these ministries must
use it to serve others and not for his self-interest. He is a steward of the
mysteries of God and it is required in him that he be
found faithful. |
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The
apostle is one who is sent forth by God to preach the Gospel to a people (or
in unevangelized regions) and who founds some Churches; the prophet is one
who has received the gift of prophecy and revelation gifts (when the saints
come together, let two o three prophets speak, and let the others judge; but
if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent);
the evangelist is one who goes from one town to another proclaiming the
Gospel; the pastor is one who was called by God to shepherd the local Church,
and the teacher is one who has a very deep knowledge of the Word of God (therefore
he knows the doctrines of the Bible very well), and he has a marked ability to
teach the Word of God and refute false doctrines. |