FIVE-FOLD WHAT??

That title refers to a doctrine known as the Five-Fold Ministry.  This doctrine was first spread through Pentecostalism by a movement known as the Latter Rain.  Today it is a major part of the New Apostolic Reformation.

The major emphasis is on the restoration of apostles and prophets to the Body of Christ, along with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, in order to produce a revival that will bring Jesus back to Earth.

Seems legit doesn't it?  Well, hold on to your Bible belts, muh frens...

But first, let's start with some Scripture:

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.  Therefore it says,

 “When He ascended on high, 

He led captive a host of captives, 

And He gave gifts to men.”

(Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also descended into the lower parts of the earth?  He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) And He Himself 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, until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ, so that we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming, but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is Christ, from whom the whole body, being joined and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the properly measured working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Ephesians 4:7 - 16, Legacy Standard Bible

Hmmm, that passage does mention apostles and prophets, but it doesn't say anything about restoration or revival or bringing Jesus back to Earth.  Well, those other parts are taken from cherry-picked verse elsewhere in the New Testament.  I might cover those later if I see a need.  That last part is actually very dangerous, as we shall soon see.

Now, let's break down this passage.

First we see that we have received grace "according to Christ's gift."  Thank God!  We often forget, or we don't know, that Christianity is by His grace.  We don't deserve it, and we can't do anything to earn it, or to make ourselves worthy to receive it.  It's all Him!

You should be able to see why I said that part about us bringing Jesus back is so dangerous.  It shifts the responsibility for His return onto us and off of Him.  As if we were capable of doing that!  No, the only contribution we can make is to trust and obey.

The verse that mentions apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists, and teachers, says He gave "some as..."  What does that mean?  Did He give men as gifts, or did He give men the gifts they needed to serve in the roles He called them to fulfill?  Which is more consistent with His grace?

Also, notice this passage doesn't contain the words five-fold or ministry.  We do see five roles, so that part is okay.

But, when we read or hear the word "ministry," we often think of clergy.  But ministry means service.  Not every member of the Body of Christ is called to one of the five roles mentioned, but we are all called to serve.

In the Gospels, Jesus said several times that "many are called, but few are chosen."  Sounds mysterious, doesn't it?  But to someone who worked in recruiting, it makes perfect sense.  A nation goes to war, and recruiters hit the streets, looking for bodies.  The branches of service compete for those bodies.  Young men and women sign up, and they go through a screening process.  Not everyone passes through the "screen." Many have been called, but few are chosen to continue in military service.

One thing I need to add here about the doctrine.  The proponents of the Five-Fold Ministry have labelled these roles as "offices."  They turn the whole concept into an authoritarian structure, with apostles at the top.  The ministers then become intermediaries between the people and God.  You need them to tell you what to believe, what to think, what to say or not say, who to marry, etc.  This just opens the door to abuse.

Contrast that with the rest of the passage.  The last phrase can tell if a congregation is lining up with this Scripture: "building itself up in love."

That's all I have for now.  I will post more about the "offices" later.

PROPHETS, PROPHECY, AND PROPHESYING.

I see a lot of confusion about these topics.  While this article is not going to go in depth, I hope it brings some clarity.

Throughout history, prophecy is the speaking or delivery of messages from the supernatural realm.  It mostly has been redarded a form of divination, a means to gain information about future events, or the outcome of planned events.  When one was curious about such things, they would seek out a prophet, a seer, a fortune teller, or a shaman, or some other kind of mystic.

Prophets in Christianity

We do see prophets in the Bible, in both the Old and the New Testaments.

Are prophets in the Bible the same as they are outside the Bible?  Yes and no.  In the early OT books, people viewed all prophets the same.  But the further we look forward through the Scripture, the more we see God speaking through His prophets, men who spoke only for Him. Those who spoke their own thoughts, or thoughts of unclean spirits, were exposed as false prophets.

Now, I am speaking in generalities here, because to provide chapter and verse for every act or word of an OT prophet would require a book.  We already have that Book; we just need to read it and pay attention.

God used the OT and NT prophets primarily to provide direction to His people.  Sometimes that meant information about upcoming events, but it often came down to one word: REPENT!

In the NT, things start out the same.  John the Baptist came preaching a message of repentance.  He preached it to the people.  He preached it to priests and Pharisees.  He preached it to King Herod.  The only one he didn't preach it to was Jesus.

After Jesus rose from the dead, things changed, even for prophets.  God still uses them to give direction.  However, the Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul has given clarity.  After the Gospels, the prophets spoke to the body of Body of Christ.  When prophesying to believers, the guideline is now this:

But the one who prophesies speaks to people for edification, exhortation, and consolation.  1 Cor. 14:3 NASB.

So, if you hear someone prophesying, or preaching, and their messages do not edify (build you up), exhort (tell you to do the right thing), or console (remind you of God's grace when things go wrong) anybody... Well, I'm not going to say they are a false prophet, but you will be right to not believe what they say, no matter what title they may hold, or how many visions, dreams, or angelic visits they claim to have had.

PROPHETS TODAY?

The previous paragraph brings up a point of controversy: Does the Body of Christ have prophets today.  Many believe not, but I do.  I could go into the Scriptures predicting restoratation, but I will leave that for another article.

I will address one question relating to this issue: do we need prophets today?

Jesus served as a prophet.  During his life, the Old Covenant was still in effect.  Through His life, death, burial, and resurrection, He fulfilled the requirements of the Old Covenant to establish the New one, which granted access to everyone, and not just the Jews.

In the time between His resurrection and ascension, He served as a prophet of the New Covenant.  So, He was the last OT prophet, and the first NT prophet.  Since Christ has the preeminence in all things (Col. 1:18), some say He is the last prophet they need.

But, the real question is: Is He the last prophet His Body needs?

Remember (or go back and read for yourself in John 13:26 - 17:26), what Jesus said about sending the Holy Spirit:

I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now...  John 16:12 - 15 NASB

We do see prophets in the Acts of the Apostles.  So the ministry of prophets was a real thing back then.  The early saints must have needed them.

But do we need them today?  Look at the news and social media.  Preachers accused of, and even arrested for, sexual or financial offences. False doctrines proclaimed from pulpits and over the airwaves, allowing for occultic practices to come into worship services and the personal lives of believers.  Shrinking attendance and donations lead to staff layoffs.  Even popular Christian singers have become embroiled in scandal.  Scandal has even touched a church related university.

Quite a number on ministers today claim to be prophets.  I doubt the validity of most of them.  WHERE ARE THE TRUE PROPHETS?