The Origin of the Ministry Gifts

The Origin of the of the Ministry Gifts

Have you ever wondered how the gifts of the ministry came about?

Here I explain it to you.

In Ephesians 4:8-10, the apostle Paul speaks about the gifts of the ministry that Christ has given to his church. In this passage, Paul quotes Psalm 68:18 to explain how Christ has given these gifts. The Psalm says: “You ascended on high, leading captivity captive; you received gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell there.” Paul interprets this as a reference to Christ’s ascension and his exaltation at the right hand of God after his resurrection.

But what exactly does “leading captivity captive” mean? The most common interpretation is that it refers to when Jesus took the Old Testament saints who were captive in Hades to heaven. In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus, in which the rich man dies and is buried, while Lazarus dies and is carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom. The general consensus among theologians is that Abraham’s bosom is a figure of Paradise or the place where Old Testament saints awaited final redemption.

In any case, the Bible teaches that after his death and resurrection, Christ descended into Hades and freed the Old Testament saints, taking them to heaven with him. This is mentioned in Second Corinthians 12:2-4, where Paul speaks of a man who was taken to the third heaven and saw unspeakable things, and in Colossians 2:13-15, where it says that Christ “canceled the record of debt that stood against us” and “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

After ascending on high and leading captivity captive, Christ received gifts to give to his church. In Ephesians 4:11-12, Paul lists these gifts: “And he gave some as apostles; some as prophets; some as evangelists; some as pastors and teachers; for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”

These gifts are for the benefit of the whole church. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are called to equip the saints for the work of ministry and for building up the body of Christ. Each of these gifts has a specific function in the church. Apostles are sent by God to establish new churches and establish doctrine; prophets are called to speak on behalf of God and reveal his will; evangelists are called to proclaim the gospel and make disciples; pastors are called to care for and guide God’s flock; and teachers are called to teach and explain Scripture.

It is important to note that these gifts are not for personal glory but for building up the body of Christ. In Ephesians 4:13-16, Paul says that these gifts are necessary “until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to measure up to stature which belongs to fullness of Christ.” The ultimate goal is for whole church grow in unity and spiritual maturity.

In summary, according to Ephesians 4:8-10, ministry gifts come directly from Christ after his ascension and exaltation at right hand of God. These gifts are for equipping saints for work of ministry and building up body of Christ. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers have specific function in church should use their gifts for benefit whole church.

So now you know all ministry gifts including apostles still valid today possibly you one them.

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