apostles

BLESSED REDEMPTION – EQUIPPING HIS CHURCH: HE GAVE MINISTERIAL GIFTS TO MEN!

Jesus GAVE MINISTERIAL GIFTS to perfect and mature His people spiritually as found but not limited in the scriptures of Ephesians 4:7-16. These MINISTERIAL GIFTS are: APOSTLES, PROPHETS, EVANGELISTS, PASTORS and TEACHERS and such likes as may be found in the Holy Writ.

In COURSE and CAUSE of our PASSOVER, our Saviour-King and Lord – Jesus Christ, did not only RECEIVED GIFTS for us in His REDEMPTION DEED, He also GAVE MINISTERIAL GIFTS to us, to enhance and enable the building up to maturity and perfection of His Church, in fulfilment to God’s eternal PLAN, PURPOSE and PURSUITS.

For in Christ Jesus we ARE REDEEMED, we ARE BEING REDEEMED and we SHALL BE REDEEMED. It thus indicates the essence of us being GIVEN MINISTERIAL GIFTS to help us live meaningfully, purposefully And fulfilling as His Church to display His glory and wisdom on Earth.

Hence the need to know full well that when Jesus led captivity captive, He did not only RECEIVED GIFTS for men but He also GAVE GIFTS to men to fulfill Father God’s intent for His people in order for them to walk in KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING of Him and to be secured from falsehood, adulteration, alteration and ignorance that the ENEMY and COHORTS of our FAITH in Christ Jesus will Pose. Meaning the GIVEN MINISTERIAL GIFTS was and is to EQUIP HIS CHURCH. Anything contrary is not just BONDAGE but FALSEHOOD and MAN-MADE MAKE BELIEVE leading to HELL. Hence I love this unknown author publication writ, which reads:

“BUILDING the CHURCH merely on MIRACLES makes the Church a SUPERMARKET: people come and shop for their miracles and leave.
If you BUILD the CHURCH merely on HEALING you make the Church a HOSPITAL: People come to be HEALED and leave.”

And if you BUILD the CHURCH merely on the PROPHETIC, you make the Church a PSYCHIC and DIVINATION CENTRE: People come to be READ and leave.

“BUT if you BUILD the Church PURELY as A WORD BASED CHURCH, every other thing people seek naturally just happens” – Author Unknown.

Dear friend, know for sure that Jesus GAVE MINISTERIAL GIFTS to FEED God’s people with KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING, thereby to EDIFY, PERFECT and MATURE His people spiritually. So if you must go to a place of fellowship and worship, ENSURE your total well being in Christ is firstly in place as found in the scriptures as written:

“And I will GIVE you PASTORS according to mine heart, which shall FEED you with KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING” Jeremiah 3:15.

“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and GAVE GIFTS unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

11 And he GAVE some, APOSTLES; and some, PROPHETS; and some, EVANGELISTS; and some, PASTORS and TEACHERS; 12 for the PERFECTING of the saints, for the WORK of the ministry, for the EDIFYING of the body of Christ: 13 till we all come in the UNITY of the faith, and of the KNOWLEDGE of the Son of God, unto a PERFECT man, unto the MEASURE of the STATURE of the fulness of Christ: 14 that we henceforth be no MORE CHILDREN, TOSSED TO and FRO, and carried about with EVERY WIND of DOCTRINE, by the SLEIGHT of men, and CUNNING CRAFTINESS, whereby they lie in wait to DECEIVE; 15 but SPEAKING the TRUTH in LOVE, may GROW UP into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16 from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the EDIFYING of itself in LOVE” Ephesians 4:7-16.

Further Scriptural Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:27-31. Romans 12:3-8. Hosea 4:6; Isaiah 5:13-15.

Rev Chukie MORSI

Demetrius was a silversmith whose business in the making of silver shrines of Artemis. (Acts 19:24) When Paul came to teach the truth that man-made gods were no gods at all – this threatened Demetrius’ business. It may have been the truth but this teaching of The Way was jeopardising the reputation of his business and his ability to make money. He wanted to make sure by any means that this teaching from Paul would do no further harm. He plotted against Paul and brought many against Paul in an attempt to stop the teachings.

Jesus is the Way, the truth and the life

In the same manner people tweak & alter the doctrine to suit that which they are doing. In Acts 19:11-12 God performed miracles through Paul whereby handkerchiefs that had touched him touched those who needed healing and deliverance and they were healed and delivered. Some present day preachers want to use hankies routinely to get people to send donations in exchange for the hankies. The use of hankies is fine if that’s what the Holy Spirit directs one to do.

The other case was the one of the slave girl possessed by an evil spirit that did fortune telling, (Acts 16:16-18), who followed the Apostles around saying,

“These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved”

Paul discerned that this was by an evil spirit, got annoyed and he cast the demon out of her. Her owners who were making money out of the existence of this evil spirit were not pleased. How are they supposed to make money now. They wanted to get things back to the way they were including the evil spirit – as long as they got what they wanted.

We need to have a personal relationship with God, we need to know what He says, have no doubts about what he says, study the Word so that we are not deceived and taken to and fro with every wind of doctrine.

Sometimes we take a path, while we’re making progress, we learn that we are not in the right path. Stop, get off and follow the right path. Seek first the kingdom of God and all else will follow. Material wealth is temporal. No amount of embarrassment or financial expense warrants you tweaking what the Word of God says in order to make you look right. It will never be worth it. It always pays to let God be the guide – He’s always right after all.

Are there any ‘gods’ , any items of so much importance in your personal life that you would die for, that seem to take precedence over the Word of God in your life – they need to move. Moved to where they belong. Don’t lose sight of God even in prosperity.

Faith MORSI