5 Smooth Stones

Chapter Two

FPRESENT DAY MINISTRY GIFTS

L et us look at the present day availability of all of the fi ve ascension ministries listed in scripture. According to scripture these are apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers. There are other ministries, or means of service, such as giving, benevolence, music ministry, healing and many others. But there are only fi ve listed as ascension gift ministries. They are also often called governmental gifts or fi ve-fold gifts. They di ff er from other gifts in a number of ways, with perhaps the main di ff erence being that there are gifts a person may have, while these ascension gifts are gifts that one becomes. As an example, one may have a gift of prophecy, and that should be desired and sought after (1 Corinthians 14:1). However, every individual who has a special ability to bring forth a prophetic messages is not necessarily called to be a prophet. One who is called to the prophetic o ffi ce, or ascension ministry, is one whose life has been given as a gift to the church, called as a prophet. The same would be true for the teaching ministry. There are many who may teach. The scriptures even require the basic ability to teach as a prerequisite for an overseer in the church (1 Timothy 3:2, 2 Timothy 2:24). Yet to be able to teach does not automatically make a person an ascension gift of a teacher. A gift of teacher would be one who has had his life given to serve the church as a teacher by the Lord, and so it would be with the other ascension ministries. There are still some who are not convinced that the Lord is presently calling men and women into these gifts today. It is important to be convinced that the Lord is still doing the same things today that He did in the past or we will, at the least, miss the blessings that He intends for us. And at the worst will not be able to carry out His will upon earth. He is the Lord, and He does not change what He did do, He still does (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8).

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