The Nature of the 5-Fold Gifts

Having left the clergy-laity division and church hierarchy behind and moved closer to the coming of our Lord Jesus, we need to see what God is revealing in understanding of the "gifts He has given to men" for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry.

Let's begin, unexpectedly with the evangelist. The understanding of the true nature of this gift is the pattern for understanding the others. In times past an evangelist was one who spoke to many, through modern technology-millions. The heart of the gift is bringing people into personal relationship with Jesus Christ, introducing Brother Jesus to a new member of the family. In our time, increasingly, the evangelist is revealed as a one-on-one connector. Witness any evangelist in close conversation and this motive is revealed: to bring Jesus and the new one together for the first time.

As we look at the other gifts focus on the relationship and the heart revealed in the one-on-one interaction.

The next easiest to understand is the prophet. This one's heart is to bring a message of God to people. In close conversations the prophet speaks for God to the heart of another. The relationship is partially out of this world.

The teacher makes connections between God's word and the individual that all may understand what the written word of the Lord is. I believe a teacher may also make connections between prophetic words and the people.

A pastor's heart is for the personal good and growth of those around. His concern is God's work in hearts, that hearts would be warm and encouraged.

The apostle seems to want to build as many relationships as possible. Paul traveled and wrote to keep connections going between people. In close conversation the thrust is to get people together or disperse information. Beginning a church means putting people in contact with each other. Bringing messages from one person to another, or from one person to a group of believers seems to be the heart of this person. One modern day word for this is networker.

Supporting Vision
A day after recording these early morning ideas, I saw a picture of this while driving in a landscape with an extended view. It was a network of roads and nodes- the nodes being people, the roads their connections.

The evangelists were on the edges adding nodes and roads. The pastors and teachers were dispersed among the network with light going from them to others and for the pastors the light went back and forth to each individual. Some roads made connections to the adjacent nodes, some lines were longer. The prophets received shafts of light from above and defused light surrounded them, touching all the nodes the light could reach. Some very defused light went over vast areas.

It was as if the apostles were is several places at once, constantly adding more lines to each node, with some rather long roads and connections being made. For them there were also tenuous connections over vast areas to others. (11/92)

JM



Jean Moule email: moulej@ucs.orst.edu