Apostolic & Prophetic 5 Fold Government (Divine Government)

(Ephesians 4:11 - 16:¹¹And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Eph 4:11 The Gifts Christ Gives, SPIRITUAL GIFTS. Distinguishing among the gifts of Rom. 12:6-8 (from the Father), the gifts of 1 Cor. 12:8-10 (from the Holy Spirit), and those here, which are explicitly given by Christ the Son (v. 8), is pivotal in comprehending the whole scope of spiritual gifts. An elaboration of this and related themes appears in the study article on page 2018, "Holy Spirit Gifts and Power."

Eph 4:12 equipping, katartismos (kat-ar-tis-moss); Strong’s #2677: A making fit, preparing, training, perfecting, making fully qualified for service. In classical language the word is used for setting a bone during surgery. The Great Physician is now making all the necessary adjustments so the church will not be "out of joint."

Eph 4:12 The Greek word for equipping implies: 1) a recovered wholeness as when a broken limb is set and mends; 2) a discovered function, as when a physical member is properly operating. The work of ministry is the enterprise of each member of the body of Christ and not the exclusive charge of select leaders. Taken together, vv. 11, 12 reveal that the task of the gifted leader is to cultivate the individual and corporate ministries of those he or she leads.

Eph 4:13 A progress in maturity (v. 13), stability (v. 14), and integrity (v. 15), taking place in every individual member’s experience, results in the whole body’s growth (numerical expansion) and edifying (internal strengthening).

and 1 Corinthians 12:28 - 31:²⁸And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. ²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? ³⁰Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

1 Cor 12:28 apostles, apostolos (ap-os-tol-oss); Strong’s #652: A special messenger, a delegate, one commissioned for a particular task or role, one who is sent forth with a message. In the NT the word denotes both the original twelve disciples and prominent leaders outside the Twelve. Marvin Vincent records three features of an apostle: 1) one who has had a visible encounter with the resurrected Christ; 2) one who plants churches; 3) one who functions in the ministry with signs, wonders, and miracles.

1 Cor 12:28 The Administrative Leader, LEADER TRAITS. The NT seems to recognize three basic types of administrative leadership: 1) The Servant Leader or Deacon: Greek diakonia means "service or ministry" (2 Cor. 8:19, 20; 9:1, 12). These "deacons" were patterned after the men set apart in Acts 6:1-6 to serve the widows in Jerusalem. 2) The Steward Leader or Manager: Greek oikonomos or oikonomis means "steward," such as today’s pastor. The word literally means "household manager," a slot often held by a slave in the first century. It refers to those who "manage" the church (1 Cor. 4:1, 2; 2 Tim. 1:7). 3) The Steersman Leader or Overseer is found in the office of apostle or bishop. Kybernesis is a Greek term borrowed from seafaring, and is used to designate the steersman or pilot who holds the ship on course. The word is rendered "governments" (1 Cor. 12:28) where Paul speaks of the spiritual gift of administration.

and Acts 15:⁶Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. ⁷And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: "Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. ⁸"So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, ⁹"and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. ¹⁰"Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? ¹¹"But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they." ¹²Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. ¹³And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men and brethren, listen to me: ¹⁴"Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. ¹⁵"And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: