The Appointments
“And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after those miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.” 1 Corinthians 12:28
If we are serious about life and life more abundant, it has to start with order. Let’s look at what Paul says about the order of the church and why it is important. He makes it clear in 1 Corinthians that Yahweh has made some appointments in the church. He gives us a clear picture of how this is to be established in His Bride.
First apostles. What is an apostle? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, it is a person who initiates a great moral reform or who first advocates an important belief. Apostle is from the Greek word apostolos, and it means one sent on a mission. An apostle is one who has a father’s heart to see change. When we think of our children or the next generation, we desire nothing more than to see them be successful and happy. We want them to have a life full of the promises of Yahweh, right? That is an apostle. He desires to see the bride have what has been promised to her. We can look at how Jesus did this with those who followed Him. Jesus not only had His twelve apostles, but He sent out 70 in pairs of two to bring change for the Kingdom. You can read this story in Luke 10.
Second prophets. A prophet according to Merriam-Webster dictionary is one gifted with more than ordinary spiritual and moral insight. Prophets are held to a strict standard, their prophesies are expected to honor Yahweh, not themselves, always be in line with scripture, what they speak should come to pass, help people change, and NEVER contradict that Jesus is the Son of God.
Third teachers (evangelists). This is defined in the dictionary as a person who evangelizes. In other words, to preach the gospel.
The Body of Christ has shied away from these positions because of those who have abused them in American Christianity over the years. Like Pastor Tim mentioned Sunday, a real apostle will not call himself an apostle. We’ve seen the abuse of these incredibly honorable callings and because of it we’ve also seen damage to the Bride.
We have to learn truth in order to recover what Jesus came to teach us. Some say these are not important any longer, but I dare say they are. If Jesus taught us about them, they are still very relevant for us today. Hebrews 13:8 tells us Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Why is it important to have these in order according to the scripture? Paul points out to us what follows when there is order in the church. We will see miracles, healings, and people helping one another.
In Ephesians 4 Paul gives us a clear picture of the outcome this is to bring.
“And their calling is to nurture and prepare all the holy believers to do their own works of ministry, and as they do this they will enlarge and build up the body of Christ. These grace ministries will function until we all attain oneness into the faith, until we all experience the fullness of what it means to know the Son of God, and finally we become one into a perfect man with the full dimensions of spiritual maturity and fully developed into the abundance of Christ. And then our immaturity will end! And we will not be easily shaken by trouble, nor led astray by novel teachings or by the false doctrines of deceivers who teach clever lies. But instead, we will remain strong and always sincere in our love as we express the truth. All our direction and ministries will flow from Christ and lead us deeper into him, the anointed Head of his body, the church. For his “body” has been formed in his image and is closely joined together and constantly connected as one. And every member has been given divine gifts to contribute to the growth of all; and as these gifts operate effectively throughout the whole body, we are built up and made perfect in love.”
This is the goal. One body. One mind. Gripped with One Passion. We will see the change Jesus made available.
