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The Five-Fold Ministries In-House Churches
In this session, we are discussing the practical functions and roles of the fivefold ministries in house churches. The five-fold ministry in the organized church does not align with its intended role.
The fivefold ministries operate and function in a completely different way within house churches.
In reality, the fivefold ministries are all itinerant workers. They are continually planting new house churches and regularly visiting existing ones to help them grow and develop in Christ. They all work together. The apostles plant the house churches. The evangelists are involved with the gathering of the new converts, but they are not really involved with the planting of churches or the development of the congregations, which is primarily the responsibility of the apostles and other members of the five-fold ministry.
The prophets, teachers, and pastors are sometimes involved with the planting of the churches. They are always involved with the spiritual development and equipping process of the house church congregations, ensuring that members are nurtured in their faith and prepared for active participation in church life.
The evangelist liaises with the apostles, pastors, prophets, and teachers when he goes out on outreaches. There is no logic in leading people to Christ without incorporating them into house churches. This is why the evangelist liaises with the other members of the fivefold ministry. After his work is done, he hands over to the apostles, prophets, pastors, and teachers who plant new house churches and who start the process of teaching and developing the new converts and the new congregations. Occasionally, the evangelists help existing congregations to expand by arranging evangelical outreaches in their areas.
So the apostles either do this without an evangelist’s help or take new converts from them after outreach.
Whatever the case may be, it is the function of the apostle to lay the right foundation. He needs to ensure that he lays the same foundation that Jesus Christ did and the early apostles did.
To thoroughly understand the functions of an apostle, I need to explain the different types of apostles:
Ephesians 4:11-12
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.
What does the word “apostle” mean? It means a person who was sent. Sent to do what? Sent to put something in place. The first apostle that we need to know about is Jesus Christ. He was sent by the Father to put something in place. Jesus Christ was sent to plant the global or universal church.
The Apostle Jesus: So in a nutshell, an apostle is a person who plants churches and who teaches people how to function as a church or a congregation. Jesus Christ was the first Apostle ever sent, and He is the first type, or first level, of apostle. We read about that in Hebrews 3:1
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.
Jesus Christ is the only person who is part of the first type of apostle.
He is the only planter of the global church, and He has been and will be involved from start to finish.
Apostles of the Lamb: The second group, or level, of apostles was the twelve disciples. They were personally called by Jesus Christ when He was walking this earth, and they were eyewitnesses to the ministry of Jesus Christ on earth and His crucifixion and resurrection. The Bible calls them the apostles of the Lamb in Revelation 21:14
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Like Jesus Christ, they were known as fundamental apostles. This means that they have laid the foundation of the church. The easiest way to identify fundamental apostles is by acknowledging the fact that they have played a major role in laying the right foundation for the first time in their area of influence when it comes to church planting and the development of the church.
These apostles have written parts of the New Testament, or they have functioned according to those principles in a time when the New Testament was not officially available yet. By either writing the New Testament or teaching the early churches the same principles one-on-one, they demonstrated to the early Christians how to lay the right foundation, thereby establishing themselves as fundamental apostles.
They provided the know-how, either by on-the-job training or by writing material that later constituted the New Testament.
Other fundamental apostles:
This leads me to discuss another category of apostles, specifically the fundamental apostles of the New Testament.
They were not part of the group called the apostles of the Lamb, but their ministries were also fundamental pioneer work, contributing significantly to the spread of early Christianity and establishing foundational teachings in the New Testament.
These people were the third level of apostles, and they were no different from the second level of apostles, except that they were not personally called by Christ whilst He was still walking this earth. They also did not witness his ministry on earth, his crucifixion, and his resurrection.
Some of them did write part of the New Testament, like Paul, James, Mark, and Luke. They also taught and demonstrated to people how to plant churches and develop congregations within the church of Christ.
Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit inspired and taught the twelve apostles, ensuring they laid the right foundation.
Barnabas was part of this group of apostles, despite not writing any of the Bible.
When the Bible refers to “the foundation that the apostles have laid” or to “the doctrines of the apostles”, it is referring to the work of the fundamental apostles, the level two, and level three apostles.
Acts 2:41-42
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Non-fundamental apostles: Non-fundamental apostles are the house church planters of the Bible, and everybody who plants house churches, even today. These non-fundamental apostles included individuals such as Apollos, Titus, Épafras, Timothy, Silas, Gajus, Aristárchus, Secúndus, Tíchikus, Trófimus, and Sópater, as well as all house church planters who base their work on the Bible.
Even contemporary house church planters fall under this group. You may know one. These are all part of the fourth level of apostles.
They planted house churches exactly like Jesus Christ did and exactly as the fundamental apostles did. When a person is sent by the Holy Spirit to plant a new house church, that person is sent to implement exactly what Jesus Christ implemented right in the beginning.
So an apostle is sent out to put something in place. He must go and plant house churches. He cannot plant a church like he wants to. He must plant it as Jesus did. He must lay the right foundation. Before an apostle can lay the right foundation, he must know the right foundation. How do we know the right foundation? We must look at what the Great Apostle, Jesus Christ, did and at what the fundamental apostles did. If we stay with the doctrines of the fundamental apostles, then we are planting pure house church congregations.
So what about all the apostles that we see in the organized church today? If they lay any other foundation than the one that Jesus Christ and the fundamental apostles have laid, then they are not truly Biblical apostles.
A biblical apostle plants house churches according to the structures and principles that have been discussed in this session and the previous sessions of this series, ensuring that these churches adhere to the teachings and foundational beliefs established by Jesus Christ and the original apostles.
So contemporary apostles stick with the doctrines of the early apostles, they plant churches like they did, and they develop the congregations as they did. I have heard people say that the ministry of the apostle does not exist anymore. This belief suggests that the apostolic ministry is a relic of the past.
According to them, this function ceased even in Biblical times. That is not true. Does God still send people to plant churches? Does He expect them to lay the right foundation? Does He expect them to teach and develop the congregation according to the doctrines of the early or fundamental apostles?
Of course, only people who are called, taught, equipped, and developed can plant churches and lay the right foundation.
The fundamental apostles showed the non-fundamental apostles how to plant and develop house church congregations, and that process never ceased. We call it discipleship. “Go and make disciples and teach them what I have taught you,” Jesus said. Yes, fundamental apostles no longer exist, but the function of the apostle will never cease until the end of time.
We will always have a group of people who will go out and plant Bible-based house churches by laying the right foundation. We will always have the prophets who need to ensure that house church congregations and the church, in general, stay on the right track.
We will always have teachers who help develop the house church congregations spiritually by teaching the church the pure word of God.
We will always have the evangelists who lead new converts to Christ. We will always have the pastors who look after the well-being of the house church congregations and their members. Were any of the fivefold ministries made obsolete or abolished by Christ or the apostles? No, the function of the apostles is just as important today as it was in Biblical times, as they continue to provide leadership, guidance, and foundational teachings that are essential for the growth and health of the church.
This is what this series is all about. It is equipping you to go out and to make disciples. It is equipping you to go out and plant house churches by laying the right foundation and to develop the congregations biblically, which includes understanding key biblical principles and practices that foster spiritual growth and community engagement.
This series of teachings aims to develop effective apostles who can establish the right foundation, just as Jesus Christ did.
So God calls an apostle, and then He sends him out to go and plant new churches. A congregation also sends forth an apostle.
If God calls a specific person to serve as an apostle, the congregation will acknowledge this fact.
They will equip and develop such a person until the day that he is ready to start his ministry, providing him with training, mentorship, and resources to ensure his success in spreading the gospel.
The congregation will send him out, and he will go and plant churches like the one from which he came. He saw and experienced everything that happened to him and in the congregation that he came from, and now he goes out to do the same by applying the teachings and practices he learned there to establish new communities of faith.
Such an apostle goes out, and he plants a new house church just like the one that he was part of.
This is how biblical equipping is done. It is all practical training. The apostles go out and show other people how to do it. Paul and Barnabas went out together, but it does appear that Barnabas had a bit more experience than Paul. So he taught Paul. Paul taught about twenty other disciples. The other apostles did the same. If this way of equipping had not been destroyed by Constantine and the Orthodox-Roman Church, there would have been no need for me to write an article or present this series of teachings.
We would have learned in our house church and gone out to plant new ones.
Unfortunately, house churches were replaced by the organized church, and so for many years, people did not know the principles and structures of authentic, Biblical-based churches.
Just like the pure gospel of Christ, like salvation by repenting, like the baptism for the remission of sin, and like the baptism in the Holy Spirit, house churches were also forgotten for quite a time. Through the years, God restored the message or the reality of true salvation through grace, the pure Biblical baptisms, and the Biblical experiences of faith and Pentecostalism, and now He is doing the same with house churches. God is restoring his church, and he is using people to do so. If you support house churches, then you are among the individuals whom God is using to restore His true, authentic will, word, and ways in this context.
So how does an apostle plant a church, and what does he teach the congregation? First of all, he teaches them how to fulfill the Great Commission. He shows them how to heal the sick and free the enslaved.
He instructs them to find a man of peace, go to his house, heal everyone there, teach them about Christ, and baptize them all in water; then, he lays his hands on the man and his family to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
He plants a church right there in the man of peace’s house, and he starts with the process of developing them spiritually. This includes showing them how to flow in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He shows them how to address crises and challenges. He teaches them how to serve each other, help each other, support each other, and experience Christ Jesus together as a closely knit community. He shows them how to share and experience a community life together. He teaches them how to make decisions biblically. He teaches them how each member of the congregation should function and how they should interact with each other. He teaches them how to deal with the five-fold ministry, which may not always be as trustworthy and honorable as expected.
He teaches them how to disciple and deal with out-of-control church members who act in ways that are not acceptable, such as being disruptive during services or spreading gossip within the congregation.
So the function of an apostle is no different than it was in Biblical times. He has to lay the right foundation, and he has to develop the congregation the right way. If he does, the congregation will grow spiritually, and they will become strong. Such a congregation will stand in times of crises and challenges. The crises and challenges will come, and so the labor of the apostle will be tested, revealing whether the congregation has been adequately prepared to withstand them through faith and unity.
If he did build the house of God according to the biblical principles that we have discussed in this series, the house will stand. Without a proper foundation built with wood, hay, and stubble, the congregation cannot face the challenges surely heading their way.
The “fire”, which is symbolic of the challenges and crises, will consume the wood and the hay and the stubble, and the house will fall.
1 Corinthians 3:12-15
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
So the apostle prepares the congregation for the day that he will leave it permanently. If he laid the right foundation, he would not be worried or concerned. He did not make the congregation dependent on him. He did not take the place of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. He taught the congregation to be dependent on Christ, the head of the Church. He showed the congregation how to be led by the Holy Spirit and how to be managed by Christ Jesus himself. He knows that they would be alright. He knows that although they might struggle a bit, depending on the severity of the challenges that they might face, they will stand and not fall.
And so the day does arrive, and the apostle gives them his last advice; he exhorts them for the last time, and then he disappears from their lives for a time. The congregation is, in a sense, left leaderless to function as a vibrant living organism led by the Holy Spirit and managed by Jesus Christ. The apostle has taught them to gather around Jesus Christ and not around him. The congregation is accustomed to following Jesus and being guided by the Holy Spirit.
So they are completely capable of functioning as a young congregation on their own, as they should. The foundation that was laid is Jesus Christ. So if the apostle can say what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, he knows that the congregation will be able to stand.
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he builds thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
So the apostle leaves the congregation so that it can be tested. When he hears of struggles and challenges, he notifies the rest of the fivefold ministries that the congregation is struggling with something. They visit the congregation, and they start to build upon the foundation that the apostle has laid. They exhort the congregation, and they teach and develop the congregation so that they can withstand any challenges, including those posed by external pressures and internal conflicts that may arise within the community.
And believe me, there will be many challenges and even persecution. The devil will try to destroy the congregation, and he will use people to do that, often by sowing discord, spreading falsehoods, or inciting division among its members.
People will come with lies and false doctrines, and they will attempt to stop the flow and the gifts of the Spirit, and they will attempt to cause division and dissension, which can lead to confusion and weaken the faith of the congregation.
The congregation will stand on the apostle’s strong foundation and overcome all challenges.
They will sometimes need the help of the fivefold ministry, which includes apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, to guide and support them in their spiritual journey.
They will visit the congregation from time to time.
The prophets, teachers, and pastors will monitor for deviations, false doctrines, and any influences that have infiltrated the congregation and are not aligned with God’s teachings.
Somebody might have introduced the congregation to something un-Godly, or they might have caused the congregation to do something or to embrace something un-Godly.
The prophets, teachers, and pastors monitor these deviations during their visits to the congregations and assist them in returning to the correct path.
They can’t force the congregations to do so, but they teach them the right doctrines and show them God’s word, will, and ways.
They always leave the congregation after a visit, praying that they will take heed of what they have shared with them. They have done their job. They did what they were supposed to do, but now it is up to the congregation to do what is right.
The function of the prophets differs quite a lot from that in Biblical times. The Old Testament prophets pointed to the coming of Christ. Many of them prophesied about Christ and his ministry. The Old Testament prophets kept the nation of Israel and the kings of Israel updated with the will and the ways of God, ensuring that they understood their responsibilities and the importance of following God’s commandments.
The prophets and the priests were links between God and the people. The children of Israel were servants. Because they were not born of God or the Spirit of God, they could not contain the Holy Spirit in their spirits.
They were not new creatures like we are today. So the priests and the prophets had a critical function in Biblical times.
They revealed to people what God’s will was about certain issues, events, and incidents. God spoke through the prophets in many ways, like through the Urim and Thummim, dreams, visions, and even speaking directly to and through the prophets and the priests. People were led by asking God for signs like the “putting out of the fleece” and so on. People did not have the “Holy One” and could not be led by the Spirit as we are today.
So the function, or the ministry, of the prophet changed quite a lot. God gave the church many and clear instructions on what is expected from them, including guidance on moral conduct, community support, and the importance of spreading the Gospel.
God has already told the church what to do. God established His plans once and for all when Jesus Christ gave His last instructions just before ascending to heaven.
Jesus commanded us to follow His example and do what He has done.
You will see that Jesus, the apostles, the disciples, and all the other Christians in the Bible were all focused on the same thing.
They were all focused, and they all did the same thing. They never deviated from the task that God gave them.
This is what the Bible says that we must do:
Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 4:19
And he says to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Mark 16:17-18
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
These Scriptures tell us what God wants us to do. He wants us to go out to preach the gospel of Christ, deliver people by healing them, cast out demons, and make disciples.
This is the core function of the church. This is what we should do. This is what Jesus, the apostles, the disciples, and all New Testament believers did.
Nobody was involved in any other activities. Even those who did not have a miracle-working faith all did the same thing. Although they could not deliver people, they did everything else. They preached Christ’s gospel, cared for, supported, and made disciples of people.
There are no gray areas in this regard. Even the institutional church acknowledges that true church life extends beyond the activities that occur within those four walls on a Sunday.
Most of them agree that the church should be in the streets or wherever we discover people.
We should all be busy fulfilling the great commission. We should all be part of house churches. We should all be busy with the work of the ministry.
We do not need a prophet to tell us what the latest move of God is. There is no latest move. We are supposed to be busy with what Jesus started. We should focus on what Jesus instructed us to do, as well as the actions and teachings of the apostles.
People are constantly running after all sorts of new moves of the Spirit, new plans, and new strategies. There are no new moves, plans, or strategies.
The church is supposed to do what Jesus instructed us to do. Nothing else. It should be our only focus and strategy.
The organized church has implemented many things in the body of Christ that are not from God.
Examples include a special word or spiritual theme designated for a specific year.
Similarly, the organized church has instituted special spiritual movements or words for specific years.
I do not believe that this is Scriptural. Where is it written in the Bible that God moves differently in any situation, let alone from year to year or season to season? So am I supposed to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, or should I put in place or act according to what the year’s special word or special move prescribes?
The church does not need these types of man-made things, methods, and ways. The church needs to act according to the instructions of Christ and the leading of the Holy Spirit. We do not need themes and programs. It is not from God. It will never change. If a prophet visits your congregation and prophesies a new move of the Spirit, you will have to be very careful, as such claims may contradict the belief that God does not do new things and could lead to confusion among the congregation.
We often hear that God is doing a new thing. I get what they’re doing, but God doesn’t do new things.
Christ Jesus was the New Thing. The Great Commission was the new thing. The planting of house churches was the new thing. The shared community life of the ekklesia of God was the new thing, emphasizing mutual support, worship, and fellowship among believers.
It is still the new thing today. We deal with all these things exactly as Jesus and the apostles did. Nothing changed.
Contemporary prophets should never change any of the things that I have discussed in this series. There is no new move of the Spirit. Contemporary prophets know the will, word, and ways of God.
They visit congregations and compare their path to God’s word, will, and ways.
They help the congregation to get back on track when they have lost their way by providing guidance, teaching, and encouragement based on the principles of faith and scripture.
When a prophet in house churches exhorts the congregation through prophecy, we appreciate his truly prophetic ministry.
God will reveal the future of the congregation to a prophet. He will show them what challenges they are about to face. He will show the prophet that the congregation is about to make a wrong move. He will show the prophet that an attack by people who want to sow dissension is about to happen.
God will use the prophet to warn the congregation about these things, advise them, and exhort them.
The prophet will prepare the congregation for the coming challenges, and he will ensure that they are ready to face such challenges.
I once visited a house church congregation, and the Lord showed me a goat entering the room and moving from one person to the other during the meeting. I immediately knew that a person with a goat-like attitude would soon be part of the congregation. In dreams and visions, a goat symbolizes a person who is stubborn, undisciplined, or disobedient.
It speaks of a person wh14 pto is guilty of stubborn reasoning and disorderly conduct. They usually follow their own ways, and they refuse to be led or to follow. It speaks of stiff-necked people who are untrained, untamed, undisciplined, and stubborn. I warned them about this threat, and I reminded them that they will have to confront this person when he comes, or he will cause division and dissension among them.
We already discussed how to deal with such individuals in the previous session.
So the prophet has a critical function in house churches.
They can help the congregations tremendously in dealing with undesired events and by making sure that they are not misled and taken away from their core functions.
He also ministers to individuals in the congregations. He prophesies over individuals, and he helps them to stay on track regarding their personal ministries by providing guidance, encouragement, and accountability to ensure they fulfill their spiritual callings.
In-house churches, the five-fold ministries evaluate all facets of church life and community life. The five-fold ministries participate in meetings, join congregation members on evangelical outreaches, and engage in the ekklesia when congregation members share their lives with one another.
They are involved in everything, meet everyone, interact with everyone, invest in everyone’s lives, and exhort and equip everyone.
They look for deviations and shortcomings, and they help individuals and the congregation as a whole to develop spiritually by providing guidance, resources, and support tailored to the specific needs of the members.
The teacher acts and functions exactly like the prophet, but he is focused on doctrines. He observes the congregation while he is visiting them.
He goes out on outreaches with them, and he does on-the-job training when he sees deviations and shortcomings. A teacher usually evaluates and assesses all the important doctrines when he visits a specific congregation or congregations in a specific area. He identifies the most critical shortcomings, arranges for special training sessions, and teaches the right doctrines. Occasionally, such teachers invite all the different house churches in the whole city or town, and they hold a series of training sessions in a school hall or a guest house with conference facilities.
2 Timothy 2:2
And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
The teacher in house churches does not preach. He teaches the word of God. He presents the word of God similar way to the way that I am teaching this series, using practical examples and engaging discussions to help the congregation understand and apply biblical principles in their lives.
He does what 2 Timothy 3:16 prescribes. He teaches doctrines, he reproves, he corrects, and he instructs in righteousness. He does it all with a humble attitude. He is serving the congregations by teaching them the true word of God. By doing so, he helps the congregations to do the same and to be obedient to Christ.
The only Biblical reference to something similar was Paul teaching people in the school of Tyrannus.
Acts 19:9-10
9 But when divers were hardened and believed not but spoke evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.
10 And this continued for the space of two years, so that all they who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
The pastor visits house church congregations exactly like the prophet and the teacher. However, his focus is on the well-being of the congregation. He is not so much focused on the meetings, although he does take part in the weekly gatherings. He is not so much focused on the evangelical outreaches, although he does accompany the members of the congregation when they go out to expand the congregation and when they lead people to Christ.
The pastor’s primary focus is on the congregation’s spiritual and physical well-being, as well as the members’ community life.
He takes part in everything, and he evaluates everything. He specifically checks if the orphans and widows are cared for. He ensures the care of the congregation’s poor and less fortunate members.
He helps them find jobs. He makes sure that the congregation has methods and programs in place that are aimed at making sure that all members are provided for, including initiatives for financial assistance, counseling services, and community outreach programs.
The pastor aims to teach the congregation to care for each other. He shows them how to live the shared community life, how to honor each other, how to pray for each other, help each other, live in peace with each other, exhort each other, build each other, confess their sins to each other, lay hands on each other, motivate each other, and care for each other.
So as you can see, the work of the ministry is not only the fulfillment of the Great Commission. It also includes the duties and responsibilities that arise from a group of people living together in a community and supporting each other.
God decided that each member would provide support to all the other members. We read that in Ephesians 4:16
From whom the whole body, fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
The body of Christ is a uniquely closely knit unit. We are all members of one body, with Christ as the head.
Every individual is a living stone, and together we are one building, the temple of God. As one body and one building, we are currently in a very hostile environment called the world, where we encounter various challenges and temptations that test our faith and unity.
Together, we are facing life in an earthly body called the flesh. We are not yet in the same glorified body as Jesus Christ.
We are still in an earthly vessel that experiences life quite differently from how Jesus does.
This earthly body feels hunger and pain and emotional disappointment, just like Jesus did before He ascended to heaven.
Jesus led a virtuous life, entirely dependent on God, and accomplished the crucifixion of the flesh, all while leading an obedient life fully dedicated to God.
He served the Father with all his might and power and soul. He showed us the way.
Now the body of Christ has to do the same, and it is not simple.
Together we face life, together we crucify the flesh, and together we learn to live a holy life of faith and commitment just as Jesus Christ did. We help each other with this. Together as a united body, we pursue holiness, and we build ourselves up in faith and obedience. We do it together as a community. Each member helps the other members. We support each other, and we teach each other, and we exhort each other.
This does not happen automatically. We are all naturally inclined to live and care for ourselves.
This is not how it is supposed to be. This is not how it is done in the ekklesia of God, where members are called to prioritize the needs of others and foster a community of mutual support and service.
We are supposed to live together as the family of God, supporting each other in love and peace. Like the natural family, we are supposed to help each other. As I said, this does not happen automatically. We need to be taught how to live like this.
This is where the ministry of the pastor comes in. He teaches the congregation how to be a family. He shows them how to look after each other. He shows them how to intervene in each other’s lives with the sole purpose of building each other up and supporting each other. This is what the shared community life is all about. We carry each other’s burdens. We make everybody’s business everybody’s business. We do it in love. We learn to cry together and to laugh together.
The elders in the congregation are very much involved with this as well. They are the congregation’s elders and have learned to live in community over the years.
So the pastor liaises with them a lot. They are the mature and experienced members of the church. The pastor first teaches these mature and experienced members, who then assist him in teaching the rest of the congregation the principles that govern their shared community life.
This causes the congregation to love each other more and more. They rely on each other, and they depend on each other. When someone is sick, the others pray for and support them.
When one receives a promotion, the others are there to celebrate with him or her.
They learn how to live the shared community life, and they learn to love each other.
It is critical to understand that the five-fold ministry and the elders of the congregation have no authority over the congregation.
Every function in the body of Christ or in the church is a role, not a position.
It is not like the organized church, where the functions of the fivefold ministries were changed into positions or offices, which can create a hierarchy that undermines the principle of mutual service and equality among all members of the congregation.
The fivefold ministries and the elders all serve the congregation. Everybody serves everybody. Everybody submits themselves to everybody else. They all know that they are all equal in the eyes of God.
Nobody may control anybody else in any sense. The five-fold ministry and the elders of the congregation cannot make any decisions when it comes to church matters. The elders are ordinary church members, and together with the rest of the members of the congregation, they make decisions about church matters. They do it through the process of consensus, which is the biblical method of decision-making in the church.
The fivefold ministries are all led by the Holy Spirit and function under Jesus Christ’s headship.
There is no hierarchical system of leadership in the church at all. What we see in the organized church is not biblical at all, as it often reflects a hierarchical structure that contradicts the principles of equality and mutual submission emphasized in the New Testament.
This concludes this session, which was a summary of the functions of the fivefold ministries in house churches.
Assignment: House Church Training 3
