There are 9 gifts of the Spirit that are mentioned in 1 Cor. 12. These are imparted by prophecy and the laying on of hands as referenced in 1st and 2nd Timothy and in Romans. Everything of value is a gift from God, but these are spiritual gifts, χαρισμα, charisma, pronounced khar'-is-mah. This is a misused word in today's society. The Bible is very careful in its use.
Ephesians tells us that when Jesus ascended He gave gifts to men. Then it says that He gave some apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Four of these are mentioned in other parts of Scripture as being ministries. They appear to be the four ministries of apostles. For this reason, we call them ministry gifts. The word, apostle, means one sent. There are actually two offices in the Church, elder and deacon. An apostle can be either an elder or a deacon, but, in either case, they tend to travel from local church to local church. There are local elders and deacons. The husband is the elder of the home and the wife is the deacon of the home. Local elders are commanded to pastor (care for as a shepherd cares for sheep) the church. There is to be no preeminent or singular local elder. There is to be no independent or preeminent traveling elder.
The order of Scripture is harder to understand because it is common to use words, such as pastor or charisma, in a non-scriptural way. The word, pastor, is only used as a noun once in Scripture and it is not used in the context of a local church but rather in the context of the church as a whole. It is used in association with the word, apostle. In the culture, it is common to use the word, pastor, in non-scriptural ways such as a title of a person who governs or controls the local church.
Author/Compiler
Last updated: Oct, 2011
What are the gifts of the Spirit and how are they received?
Bread Crumbs
Home
>
Meaning
>
The Pattern
>
Pattern Overview
>
Spiritual & Ministry Gifts
Main
Foundations
Home
Meaning
Bible
Dictionary
History
Toons & Vids
Quotations
Similar
What is God's way to come to full maturity in Christ, and how can I know it is the right way? By the Church. By that which every joint supplies.
What is God's plan for building the church?
How can the church come to the full glory God has planned for her?
Is there really any pattern in Scripture for the Church? Yes. Most people don't like it.
Baptisms
The Real Church is Not Only God's METHOD to Bring Us to Fulfillment, but it IS the Fulfillment
How do works that are by faith relate to seeing Christ in each other and being transfigured by the Holy Spirit?
The Reality of Christ, the Head of the Body
The Spiritual Gifts and Ministry Gifts
What do the Scriptures teach how God designed the Church?
Being Set Into Your Ministry By The Laying On Of Hands And Prophecy Of The Presbytery Will Build You Up
Fulfillment Through Understanding and Practicing The Power and Authority Of Righteous Prayer
What is God's way of bringing the Church to unity and to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ?
The Will of God
What are the strengths and weaknesses that can be seen in the Church?
Fulfillment: Understanding What It Is To Be a Christian and Understanding Christianity
Can Spiritual Gifts, Offices, And Ministries Be Counterfeited?
Are All Who Call Themselves Christians Free from Religious Systems of this Age?
What is the meaning of the word, Evangelical?
Why is the 5-fold ministry of the Scripture so unpopular?
What is Great Babylon and How is it Falling Today?
Why have so many Christians rejected the traditional church organizations?
What Is the Problem with Forbidding the People of God to Partake of the Power of the Spirit of God?
What Happened To the Church that It No Longer Follows the Biblical Pattern?
Questions and Answers: Isn't God's way like a smorgasbord where you can pick and choose what you want or don't want? No.
Misconceptions About the Church
Questions and Answers: What is the Church; How should it be governed?
Questions and Answers: What is the role of the deacons in this situation?
Recent
Home
Answer to Critic
Appeal to Possibility
Circular Reasoning
Argument to the Future
Insignificant Cause
Word Magic
Love Between a Man and Woman
Author/Compiler
Colossians 2
Righteousness & Holiness
Don't Compromise
Sin
Proof by Atheism
Scriptures About Marriage
Genuine Authority
The Reason for Rejecting Truth
Witness on the Internet
Flaky Human Reasoning
How Do You Know?
Featured
The Real Purpose of the Church
The Real Purpose of Life
From Glory to Glory
REAL Faith--What it IS & IS NOT
REAL Love--What it IS & IS NOT
How to be Led by God
How to Witness
Wisdom: Righteousness & Reality
Holiness & Mind/Soul
Redemption: Free From Sin
Real Reality
Stories Versus Revelation
Understanding Logic
Logical Fallacies
Circular Reasoning-Who is Guilty?
How Can We Know Anything?
God's Word
God's Process
God's Pattern
Mind Designed to Relate to God
Answers for the Confused
Fossil Record Says: "Creation"
Avoid These Pitfalls
Public School's Religion
Twisting Science
Evolutionism
Public School Failures
Twisting History
How can we know anything about anything?
That's the real question
|