Every five-fold ministry grace that is operating accurately according to the pattern and principles of Christ will make these following objectives their primary goal, and they will function with an authentic apostolic spirit that fulfills them in the body of Christ.
It is imperative to understand that according to Ephesians 4:11-16, the ultimate purpose for the five-fold ministry is to produce the following fruits in the saints and corporately in the universal Church by:
1. Perfecting and equipping the saints so they should do the work of the ministry toward building up and edifying the Church, which is Christ’s body – Verse 12.
2. Developing the body of Christ until we all come to the unity of the faith – Verse 13.
3. Bringing the saints to the full and accurate knowledge of Christ, who is the Son of God – Verse 13.
4. Bringing the saints to a “Perfect Man” – Growing spiritually to a completeness of personality, which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ’s own perfection – Verse 13.
5. Bringing the saints to the measure of the completeness and of the fullness of Christ – Verse 13.
6. Stimulating the Church to love – speaking the truth in love and building itself up in love. Love is the underlying basis of the Church’s function and it is the reflection of Christ’s nature – Verse 15 & 16.
7. Building the body to be closely joined and firmly knit together so that each part is working properly in all its function, causing a corporate activation ofthe saints working effectively as ONE BODY in fulfilling its purpose – Verse 16.
Every ministry gift must give priority and focus to fulfill this purpose. When this is fully accomplished, it means that the Church has attained the full stature of spiritual maturity, which is Christ Himself, but until then the five-fold ministry gifts (grace) will continue to function in the body of Christ.
Remember, the full measure and stature of maturity is CHRIST. We can only attain to this height through the comprehension of the FULL and ACCURATE knowledge of the Son of God.
“The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership” – Harvey S. Firestone.
If the ministry is not prioritizing to produce these fruits and fulfilling the ultimate purpose of God in fully equipping and perfecting the saints to the complete stature of the fulness of Christ, then something is wrong with the patterns and principles being applied and imparted to the saints through our teaching and preaching.
That is why the effective functioning of the office and ministry of the five-fold gifts is needed in the Church today. There is an urgent necessity for true Kingdom apostolic leaders and ministries according to Ephesians 4:11-16, to rise and travail for Christ to be formed again in His Church. This is a clarion call for the reintroduction of CHRIST to His Church so that we might know Him and grow into Hisfullness.
