And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representatives], some as prophets (who speak a new message from God to the people), some as evangelists (who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers (to shepherd and guide and instruct], 12[and He did this] to fully equip and perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service, to build up the body of Christ [the church]; 13until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity) Ephesians 4:11-13(AMP).
many churches claim to be a five-fold ministry. When you are a five-fold ministry, UNITY comes to the surface. Not only does the congregation of the church have UNITY, it also spreads among the land, among other churches and among the people of the land because Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church. Colossian 1:18 (KJV) says, “18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” Jesus never designed His churches to compete between one another, as if the bigger ones would win… Jesus never designed the five-fold ministry, where whoever is biggest is the best in the eyes of the Lord… Romans 2:11(KJV) tells us, “11For there is no respect of persons with God.” God shows no partiality among His children. God loves all His children. God is very proud of His children. The bible says in Luke 15:7 (KJV), “7I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” STOP putting people on pedestals! There is only one King, and His name is Jesus.
The job of the five-fold ministry is to equip the people to fulfill the Great Commission: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”. This is how UNITY is created among the people and among the churches when taught correctly. It is never about size… It is about spreading the Love of Jesus Christ. Jesus does not want to leave anybody behind, not one. We as believers are to do all we can do to go after that one.
Ask yourself: is there unity among the people you know, your family, your friends and the church you attend? UNITY brings the nine fruits of The Holy Spirit – The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. UNITY will bring the favor of God for the believer. The favor of God trumps everything, and it will come on you once you understand it’s not about you; it’s about the king of Kings. Many ministries claiming to be a five-fold ministry today totally “miss it” for one simple reason: the attitude that says, “we have it all and we are better than everybody else; our church is bigger; we have more people and we do more work.” No! God loves His children and all His children the same. Heaven rejoices over one repentance. The Bible never said, “Heaven rejoices over how big your church building is, how big your congregation is, how many mission trips you take, or the amount of your offerings”. The Bible says that Heaven rejoices over ONE repentance! For the ones who feel like you are not doing much because you don’t have the appearance of the big building or the large congregation: “you could be the one making Heaven Rejoice for what you are doing!”