Ephesians 4:11-12 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.
The twelve apostles, excluding Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, and Paul, are apostles in a stringent and most precise manner because they fulfilled the principles and conditions of the Bible, in that they all saw Christ Jesus after His resurrection and furthermore, God used them to write the New Testament. God used these twelve individuals to set up His church on earth and to shape and chart the spreading of the Gospel to the ends of the Earth (Acts 1:8). In this day in age, we are living in the term apostle still means "sent ones"; however, the word "missionary" is a more applicable designation for the sent one in this modern age.
Before Christ Jesus came to earth, the term "prophet" was those sent to guide the Children of Israel and remind them of the promises of the coming Messiah that began in the Garden of Eden. The term "Prophet" means one that brings forth God's Word. In the days before God became flesh and dwelt on the earth, the "prophets" recorded God's Word for the world. When Christ came to the earth, these writings were part of who the Jewish nation was. The "apostles" helped the Jewish people understand that Jesus was the true promised Messiah. Some would not believe that was true, but some did believe that Jesus was God in the flesh who He said he was. The last words that Jesus spoke on the Cross before He left His earthly body were "it is finished" (John 19:30). The question in many minds is just what God finished. First, the Old Testament prophets' fulfillment concerning the promised Messiah's coming was complete and finished. The redemption of all humankind, faith, and belief in Jesus and what he did on the Cross of Calvary is the only way to eternal life with God. Moreover, the power of Satan died, Jesus defeated Satan at the Cross, and His powers were ended and finished. Today all Satan can do is flash illusions before our eyes, everything from him is a lie because he is the father of lies (John 8:44)
We fast forward to evangelists, pastors, and teachers that Paul tells us are to "equip his people for works of service, so God can build up the body of Christ" The question then is just who these evangelists' pastors and teachers are. The church does need trained, called by God, leaders to shepherd the flock. However, every child of God is responsible for spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth. As children of God, we should never get the idea that all we have to do is warm a pew on Sunday morning. The worship service, Sunday school classes, and Bible Study classes are where we get the fuel to propel our ministry of reflecting the light of Christ Jesus out to a lost, dark, and dying world. One last thought, we are all saved to serve.
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