FIVE SMOOTH STONES - The Five Ascension Gifts in the Heavenly Shepherds Bag

FIVE SMOOTH STONES — The Five Ascension Gifts in the Heavenly Shepherd’s Bag

Hosea 4:6 “ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you.”

Although there were reformers before the time of Martin Luther, the great reformation really commenced in earnest with the teachings of Martin Luther. He is credited with restoring the theology of the Pauline Epistles including justification by faith and the priesthood of all who believe upon the Lord Jesus. But what also began to be returned to the Church at this time was a beginning of the understanding of the ministry of the pastor. The hierarchical priesthood was revealed as a counterfeit to the priesthood into which all believers are called to participate. Not only was a priestly clergy replaced by the service of each believer, but a process of restoring bib- lical pastors also began. Not that this happened overnight, as it is still occurring to this day, and will not be completed until all five ministries are functioning together from The Shepherd’s bag. Today there is not much opposition to the idea that there are pastors, teachers and evangelists in the Church. But there once was. When the Wesley brothers were used to help restore the office of the evangelist to the Church, the justification often used by others to persecute them was that there were no more evangelists since the first apostles died. As the Lord is currently calling men to serve as ministers representing all five of the gifts it is important that we understand that heaven will continue to hold the Lord and delay His second coming until He has completed the restoration of all these things (Acts 3:2). ENDNOTES: 3 Many Scholars have suggested that somehow the eleven apostles who chose Matthias to replace Judas Iscariot were somehow mistaken and the Lord really wanted Saul, who became known as Paul. However, this cannot be the case as Paul did not then nor ever fulfill the requirements as one of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb (Revelation 21:14). This title and the position of the twelve apostles was only available to someone who met the requirements laid out in Acts 1:21-22, only someone who was a disciple present with the company of Jesus from his baptism by John all the way until the day when He ascended as a witness with us of His resurrection. The apostle Paul and all other apostles after him do not fulfill these requirements.

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