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Several years ago I met one small man. He was a young university student and, at first sight, didn’t make so great impression among his collaborators from the local students’ church. However, when this small man opened him mouth, it became clear to all that he was not yet another good orator, pastor or presbyter. Was it really clear to all?
I do not know, but I saw Jesus, the Apostle, in him. Small, an apostle not known to anyone, just born… And immediately it became clear to me – this is the young Barnabas who needs to be trained and mentored in his gifting.
I invited him with a few other brothers and, after we prayed at length, I was trying to define his gifting. The bitterness that was growing in him that he was not successful in just one single thing, but that he was drawn by several things at the same time, made me use the old famous scheme of the five fingers of the hand that illustrates the five-fold ministry.
Soon we bid goodbye and I didn’t know that we will meet again.
Several years later we heard each other again and I learned about his new heart-aches – the lack of perseverance and commitment in the people attending the students’ church. This made me think about how many of the people operating in any of the five-fold gifts of God need coaching… need someone who can define what happens and why. (I will later mention what the problem of this young apostle is and the solution.) I remembered that the greatest gifts in history, like Elisha, had double portion of the leadership and of the anointing only because they allowed someone to train them.
“Coach” perhaps is world’s term for defining the fivefold gift of the prophet. In other words, every prophet, if taught, could qualify to be a trainer of leaders. But, of course, not every coach can be a prophet. This is a calling and a gift of the Holy Spirit, a ministry that the Bible itself qualifies as… training.
10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:10-16 (NKJV)
The fivefold ministry has one single purpose – TO TRAIN the Body of Christ in order for the saints to be perfected.
The fivefold ministry and, in this case, the training prophet is responsible to train to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Woww…
Is this possible? Yes, the good trainer prepares unselfish, committed disciples who minister with and in the gospel in order for the whole Body of Christ to grow.
Therefore, this blog was created with the purpose of training leaders, who can use their measure in Christ to the fullness in order to help with building up God’s people.
In other words, this blog is our gym. Spiritual muscles are being made here… so that we are able to wash feet. Wisdom is being given to the wise so they can become wiser; this is a place for discipling… teachers and other trainers.
