5 Smooth Stones

George Washington it is doubtful whether these two men would have willingly been placed together, each being suspect of the other and each of them having serious questions concerning the others opinion on how the nation should be managed. In these three men we can symbolically see an example of the fi ve ministry gifts of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher. Je ff erson has been called the prophet of American independence, and was as zealous as any evangelist in this proclamation of the rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Later he was criticized for buying what was known as the Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon. However, in one move he doubled the size of the United States, and with prophetic proclamation wrote that there was land “with room enough for our descendants to the thousandth and thousandth generation.” Hamilton on the other hand was very suspect of the general population as a whole. He doubted their ability to watch out for their own needs and felt that their sel fi sh personal desires would be put over the needs of the nation as a whole thereby weakening the union for everyone. He was a proponent of control being exercised over the people for their own good. Like a shepherd, he felt the people needed to be cared for as they, for the most part, could not look after themselves. In general, shepherds and teachers are much like Alexander Hamilton, and more likely to err on the side of adding limits and control over people, albeit for their greater protection and safety. They generally will not neglect to supply the security and protection that God’s people need. Prophets and evangelists on the other hand, are more like Thomas Je ff erson. They see ahead, see the potential, and see danger in restricting the people and thereby their potential. They may, however, be unrealistic at times, or even idealistic about the actual character of the people with which they are working. While shepherds often harbor concern over a prophetic word which they fear might be incorrect or o ff ensive, prophets want God to be heard even if some tares must grow along side of the wheat. Evangelists want the Good News preached even if it shakes up the status quo. Shepherds are concerned for the security of the fl ock, and will often lay everything on the line to protect those they shepherd. Shepherds and teachers place order and harmony in high regard whereas prophets and evangelists tend to put vision and hope ahead of these. Because of these di ff erent views of how things should operate, shepherds and teachers often fi nd themselves at odds with prophets and evangelists whom they often consider rash, extreme, or even dangerous to the peace. However, as president, Washington was able to equalize the two 45