Installing The Government

The Body of Christ is very similar to the nation of Israel as they came out of Egypt. We are the people of God, a holy nation unto God. Just as the Lord installed overseers to teach His laws and ways to His people, the same is true today. THE BODY OF CHRIST IS NOT WITHOUT GOVERNMENT. This government is a group of men and women chosen by God to teach the Body of Christ the mind and heart of the Father. They are instructed to contend for the Faith of the common salvation that was ordained from the beginning of the world.

Hebrews 5:1-4

1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:

2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

God is the one who chooses men to do whatever He wants done in His Body. It is an honor to serve the Lord and to work in the Body of Christ. God only installs men and women who have His heart and His mind; regardless of what you see operating in the Church today. No one takes this honor unto himself. This means that we do not choose what we want to be in God.

Ephesians 4:11-15

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:

Now we will read the Amplified version:

Ephesians 4:11-15

(Amplified Bible)

11And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers.

12 His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ's body (the church),

13 [That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [[a]full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ's own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him.

14 So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of [b]unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead.

15 Rather, let our lives lovingly [c]express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

Let us look at the purpose for this government. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry These gifts were placed in the church by Christ to perfect the saints. Perfected means matured or brought to completion. You are perfected when you can walk in the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20

18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

I want to go back to Israel and look at the two million people who came out of Egypt. Remember that Moses was basically the chief overseer and in the place of an Apostle. He sat at the gate and judged the people all day long. He established Aaron, the priesthood, and later the seventy elders who helped in ministering to the people. This was the government of the people. Whatever they said was law, because God was speaking through them. Remember, those whom God installed had to render His heart and mind inside of a situation.

If the leader speaks God’s heart and God’s mind, it is as if God Himself is speaking. If you are part of the Body of Christ, you are subject to that law; whether you submit to it or not. There’s a difference in being subject to a law and being in submission to it. God is the one who subjects you to that law. “Till we all come into the unity of the faith.” The purpose of the fivefold ministry (Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Evangelists, and Teachers) is to point the people to God; and to bring them into a right standing with God. These offices or gifts are Ministries of Reconciliation. “And of the knowledge of the son of God.” The fivefold ministry teaches us how to walk in the Spirit, and the ministers must be examples of the Word. This is the only way you can teach the knowledge of the Son of God.

Ephesians 4:13-14

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;

What we were missing in the Church was systematic teaching. We needed a word that progressively brought us from point A to point B. It is the responsibility of the fivefold ministry, the government of God, to run the house. God’s Government keeps order in the house and sin out of the house.

Hebrews 4:12-13

12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

‘Quick’ means that the Word is alive. Powerful means it can do what it was sent to do. It is the Word that scans and knows what is in your soul. It knows your thoughts, emotions, desires, will and imagination. The Word knows what you are intending to do. It is the Word that is dealing with what is in your heart. Leaders must work with the Word. A leader must accommodate whatever the Word wants to accomplish. The passages above identify the ministries placed in the Body to oversee its development. They are the apostles, the prophets, the evangelist, the pastors and teachers; the governing Body of the Church. These gifts represent the spiritual government installed by the Father to develop and govern His people. They are charged with bringing the Body to perfection, or in other words, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Sitting under these tutors should not leave us as children who are easily impressed by false doctrines or the cunning craftiness of men that are contrary to the truth.

SETTING THE ORDER

Ephesians 4:5-11

identifies the government of God as the five-fold ministry gifts. However, the Lord takes this Governmental Body a little further in the book of 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 12:28

28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly (and fourth), teachers (pastors & teachers) after that), (fifth) miracles, then gifts of healings (evangelists), helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

In this passage, the Lord reveals the order in which the gifts are placed in the Church. First the apostle, which means that the apostle’s anointing is the foundational gift and head of the Body government. Now let us go back to Ephesians the 3rd chapter.

Ephesians 3:1-5

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;

Here Paul confirms the order in which the revelation of the mystery of God was given to the Church. God revealed it first to His apostles and secondarily to His prophets. It is the apostle who wears the mantle for the ministry. It is the apostle who installs, establishes and maintains the order in the Church. This can be seen in all the writings of the New Testament epistles. The following is a brief recap of the gifts to the Body.

The Apostle: Establishes and maintains the order and ordains the other gifts.

The Prophet: Confirms the word given to the church.

The Pastor: Feeds the Word to the church congregation.

The Teacher: Further piece-meals the Word to the Body.

The Evangelist: Compels men to come to Christ Of course, there is more to these gifts than the points stated above; but these are the most essential distinctions.

It is important that the principle of apostolic order be understood. I want you to visualize the human body. God has created the government in the Body of Christ in similar fashion to that of the human body (please see Figure I at the end of this lesson).

CHRIST the head, the APOSTLE as the backbone, the PROPHET - one arm, the PASTOR - the other arm, the TEACHER - one leg and the EVANGELIST - the other leg. Please make note here that the head is attached to the backbone alone. Then the rest of the limbs are attached to the backbone. This illustration symbolizes the fact that the revelation of Christ is given to the apostle first, confirmed by the prophet and fed to the rest of the Body by the pastors, teachers and evangelists. Beloved, this is the order of God. It is His government. He will not exclude, overlook or disregard His government. The manna from heaven is going to come through the apostle first. This is the method by which God chose to structure His government.

A FRAGMENTED GOSPEL

Apostolic Order is God’s method for governing His Body. However, this method is not being followed by the Body today; which explains why there are so many different belief systems in the Body of Christ. When there is no apostolic order, pastors, teachers, evangelists and others can only rehash the same word over and over again (please see Figure II at the end of this lesson). They do not receive new and deeper revelation of the scripture. Therefore, men are defining Hebrew and Greek words and calling that revelation.

The prophet is hearing His God and his own mind; because he has nothing to confirm or bear witness to. The apostles are running from church to church preaching, but never establishing any order or government. Not being able to see an end result of the message in the people he preaches to, the apostle becomes frustrated with his own ministry. Another misfortune seems to overtake the apostle, the prophet, the pastors and teachers when there is no apostolic order: spiritualizing. Spiritualizing is a term used to define an erroneous interpretation of scripture; often carrying whatever they have heard in the spirit to a dimension that borders, and in some cases, crosses the line of heresy. It is important for every minister of the gospel to know that this is the order of God and that He is not going to deviate from it.

THE TRUE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST IS GOING TO COME THROUGH THIS ORDER ONLY. Anything else is simply a fragmentation of the gospel. A fragmented gospel can get a sinner saved, but will not enable them to endure to the end. The fragmentation of the five-fold ministry has caused the Body of Christ to fail in its purpose; to glorify the Father. The world is not sure of the Church being the manifold wisdom of God. It has seen division, wars, sin and iniquity that equals its own. ALL SPEAKING THE SAME THING It is the government of God in the Body that will bring order and unity. Apostolic order guarantees that all will speak the same thing and come into a singleness of heart, mind and purpose (1 Corinthians 1:10).

The early Church all spoke the same things. The gospel was not fragmented. The apostles set the order and delivered the revelation of the mystery of God. They produced power in the people they ministered to. Many of the early Christians had power to become martyrs for the sake of the gospel. They denied themselves of the things of this life, and submitted to a life of suffering and degradation when need be. Moreover, they demonstrated the power to live holy. Pastors, I challenge you to take a good look at what you preach and at what it is producing.

Are you really receiving fresh manna from heaven, or are you teaching the same messages that have been taught for years with an added twist or flare? Have you been able to teach God’s people how to live and walk in His Spirit on a daily basis? Be honest with yourself. Are you experiencing what seems to be a void in your knowledge and your service to God? Have you noticed that there is something missing, but you cannot seem to pinpoint it? Do you find yourself desiring more, but it seems to elude you? There may be a word inside of you that you cannot seem to articulate.

You may even teach bits and pieces of revelations that you have never heard anyone mention. Believe it or not, this is good. The Holy Ghost has created a hunger and thirst in you for the deeper things of God. If your motive for wanting to know the deeper truths is pure, God will lead you to the fountain that flows continuously with the manna from on high. He will lead you to apostolic order.

► LESSON ASSIGNMENT

Below you will find questions that pertain to each of the lesson objectives. You are asked to thoroughly answer each of them in your own words. Once you have done so, compare your answers to those in the section of the lesson entitled “Objectives and Suggested Questions for Class Discussion”.

1. What is apostolic order?

2. Why are these gifts placed in the church?

3. What are the five-fold ministry gifts that God has set in the Body?

4. Where is the order of these gifts found in scripture?

5. What is the function of each of these gifts?

6. How has God structured His government as a human body?

7. What is the criterion for God to install you in the Body of Christ?

8. How are the gifts placed in the Body?

9. Where is it found in scripture that God sets the members in the Body as it pleases Him?

10. What are six things that happen in the Body when apostolic order is not in place?

11. When apostolic order is in place, what is guaranteed to be prevalent in the Body of Christ?

► OBJECTIVES AND SUGGESTED QUESTIONS FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

These questions are simply suggestions of ways to stimulate student-teacher interaction and also ensure that the objectives of this lesson are understood. Encourage responses from the students. Be careful to listen for

1) errors in perspective,

2) understanding,

3) motive and intent, as it relates to their course of study.

This will prove extremely helpful as the Holy Ghost begins to destroy any erroneous mindsets in this or other lessons.

1. Explain the importance of the Church being established in apostolic order.

• What is apostolic order? Apostolic Order is God’s government or God’s order in the Body of Christ. It is comprised of the five-fold ministry gifts which are given to men and women chosen by God to teach the Body the mind and heart of the Father. These individuals are instructed to contend for the Faith of the common salvation that was ordained from the beginning of the world.
• Why are these gifts placed in the church? These gifts were placed in the church by Christ to:
• 1) perfect the saints.
• 2) point the people to God.
• 3) bring them into a right standing with God.
• 4) teach the Body how to walk in the Spirit.

-What are the five-fold ministry gifts that God has set in the Body? In Ephesians 4:11

we find the five-fold ministry gifts. These gifts are the

1) apostles

2) prophets

3) evangelists

4) pastors

5) teachers

1. Discuss the function of and the order in which the five-fold ministry gifts are set in the Body of Christ. • Where is the order of these gifts found in scripture?

In the following passage, the Lord reveals the order in which the gifts are placed in the Church. 1 Corinthians 12:28

And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly (and fourth), teachers (pastors & teachers) after that), (fifth) miracles, then gifts of healings, (evangelists) helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

• What is the function of each of these gifts?

O The Apostle: Establishes and maintains the order and ordains the other gifts.

O The Prophet: Confirms the word given to the church.

O The Pastor: Feeds the Word to the church congregation.

O The Teacher: Further piece-meals the Word to the Body.

O The Evangelist: Compels men to come to Christ

• How has God structured His government as a human body? CHRIST the head, APOSTLE as the backbone PROPHET - one arm PASTOR - the other arm TEACHER - one leg EVANGELIST - the other leg

1. Using scriptural support, explain that God has placed every member in the Body of Christ as it pleases Him.

• What is the criterion for God to install you in the Body of Christ? God only installs men and women that have His heart and His mind; regardless of what you see operating in the Church today. No one takes this honor unto himself. This means that we do not choose what we want to be in God.
• How are the gifts placed in the Body? God chooses who He wants and places them where they are to work.
• Where is it found in scripture that God sets the members in the Body as it pleases Him?

1 Corinthians 12:18

But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him

1. Discuss the detriment of not having apostolic order in the Body of Christ?

• What are six things that happen in the Body when apostolic order is not in place?

1. The gospel that is preached will be fragmented.

2. There will be many different belief systems in the Body of Christ.

3. There is no new and deeper revelation of the scripture.

4. The apostles preach, but are never able to establish any order or government. Consequently, they become frustrated because he/she does not see an end result of the message in the people he serves.

5. The prophet hears God and his own mind because he has nothing to confirm or bear witness to.

6. Ministers follow a pattern of spiritualizing that gives an erroneous interpretation of scripture; often carrying whatever they have heard in the spirit to a dimension that borders, and in some cases, crosses the line of heresy.

•When apostolic order is in place, what is guaranteed to be prevalent in the Body of Christ? Apostolic order guarantees that all members in the Body of Christ will speak the same thing and come into a singleness of heart, mind and purpose (1 Corinthians 1:10).

LESSON THREE INSTALLING THE GOVERNMENT SELF-EVALUATION

The Self-Evaluation is designed to serve as a tool for you to examine how you are applying that which is taught in the lesson to your own individual life, and/or to further probe your knowledge and understanding of the lesson. Please answer honestly and thoroughly.

1. Having studied this lesson often carrying whatever they have heard in the spirit to another dimension that borders, and in some cases, crosses the line of heresy, why is God’s five-fold government in the Body of Christ necessary? What has been the effect of the Body when it is not in place?

2. Give an example wherein the operation of your gift revealed a negative character trait in you. What was your reaction?

1. How has this lesson challenged your mindset or ideology about:

(a) leaders and

(b) the purpose of God for your life?