THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE HOLY GHOST

Let us continue by looking closely at some very familiar passages of scripture that may give us a deeper insight into the mind of God concerning the ministry

gifts. We shall begin with the writings of the Apostle Paul.

Ephesians 3:1-7

1. For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

2. If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

3. How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote

afore in few words,

4. Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

5. Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

6. That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

7. Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

I really feel it is noteworthy for us to examine this declaration of the apostle. For he declares: He was made a minister. This making was by the gift of God.

And finally, the gift came by the effectual working of God’s power (grace), in the life of the apostle. To further understand these observations, we must further define the terminology used in Paul’s testimony. Please open your spirit and hear what the Spirit wants to reveal to you concerning the making of a minister.

MINISTER: One who executes the commands of another, a servant. One through whom God carries on His administration upon earth. A dispenser of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A steward of the gospel, whose only interest is to advance the spiritual growth of others, even at the sacrifice of one’s own life.

We need to discover in more detail, the total purpose for the making of a minister. For this truth, let us allow the Holy Canon to serve our need.

Ephesians 3:8-11

8. Unto me who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

9. And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10. To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

11. According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

So far, we have discovered a minister is one who will, at all costs, execute the commands of his master. In our case, Jesus is the master and we are to dispense the gospel of our Lord to a dying world. A minister is one who has become a steward of the words of life. His only focus must be to bring someone else into the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. However, we also see he is one whom God uses in his administration on earth. What is the administration of God in the earth realm should be the next question. The answer is found in the letter to the Church of Corinth.

1 Corinthians 12:4

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

We need to examine the difference between diversities of gifts and administration of gifts. When Paul says there are diversities of gifts, he is referring to the different manifestations of the Holy Ghost. He goes on to describe these nine manifestations to be:

• THE WORD OF WISDOM
• THE WORD OF KNOWLEDGE
• FAITH
• HEALING
• WORKING OF MIRACLES
• PROPHESY
• DISCERNING OF SPIRITS
• DIVERS TONGUES
• THE INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES.

These are the manifestations of the Holy Spirit that everyone, who is born of the Spirit of God, has access to. However, when we speak of Administration of the Holy Spirit, we make reference to not only the service rendered (minister), but also to the OFFICE through which the service is dispensed. These offices are listed in the 28th verse of I Corinthians 12 but are best seen in Ephesians 4:11-13.

Ephesians 4:11-13

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 fullness of Christ.

What is the implication here? Could it be that the Holy Ghost who is manifested in the dispensing of healings, miracles, utterances and knowledge is the Chief Administrator of the offices by which these manifestations are channelled. Therefore, He is the administrator of the prophets anointing, the evangelistic anointing, the pastoral anointing, the teacher’s anointing and finally the apostle’s anointing. It is ultimately His administration of these ministering gifts.

To look in retrospect, it was the Father who determined upon whom this grace would be given. He declared He would pour it out on His servants and His handmaidens. Why the distinction between servants and handmaidens? Because a handmaiden is a female servant, a bond woman, a female slave and one who gives herself wholly to another’s will and whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing His cause among men.

The same definition is given for the word servant. Yes, the Father declared that any male or female who would give themselves wholly to His influence in their heart would be used by the Holy Ghost in the administration of His Son’s church.

The mind of the Father is perfectly rendered here, and those who would rebel against such, will seek only out of their pride and impure motives. Beloved, open your spirit to receive the plan, purpose, design and objective of the Father. At this point, He is not interested in your natural gender as a man which carries absolutely no authority in itself as it pertains to the things of the kingdom. The Father will use you in the government of the church only if He sees you have been influenced by

the character of Jesus Christ and that character is reflected in your life.

The Father has reverted back to the very beginning: “male and female made He them and called them man,” and now, male and female placed He them in Christ Jesus and called them servants. It is not the man He’s looking to use but the servant. God will use any man or woman who will serve in the fulfilling of His purpose.