What Christ Gifts His Church (Eph. 4:11)

Series: Ephesians: Building the ChurchText: Ephesians 4:11

By: Shaun Marksbury Date: March 19, 2023

Venue: Living Water Baptist ChurchOccasion: PM Service

Introduction

We’re dwelling on one verse this evening because of how vital (and controversial) it is. Many groups within the past century or so have even launched themselves based on it. For instance, this verse is used to promote the church’s need for a five-fold or full-gospel ministry, where the offices of apostles and prophets are in operation today. While we would disagree with that interpretation, we certainly agree that we need all these roles in the operation of the local church.

This verse may also prompt you to wonder how well it fits alongside other spiritual gifts passages (Rom. 12:6–8, 1 Cor. 12:8–10, 28–30; 1 Pet. 4:10–11). Unfortunately, none of these passages fit together as neatly as we like. As we noted last time, these passages resist coming together to form one, definitive list of spiritual gifts. They each seem to contain different theological emphases, seemingly describing broad categories of gifting and having some gifts overlap. The best conclusion is that God didn’t intend we create a clean catalogue of gifts, but rather, that we would trust in the Giver as we seek to faithfully live.

For this verse, we need context to understand what we’re reading here — which is Christ regulating His church. The first words of this verse (“And He gave”) picks back up from Christ endowing His church with gifts in vv. 7–8. We saw in the following verses that Christ is head over the church and able to so endow it because He descended to earth, lived an obedient life, died a sacrificial death, proclaimed victory to the spirits in prison, rose from the grave, and ascended in triumph. Jesus, the victorious King who despoils the enemy, wins people who He now gives as gifts to His church.

As He is King and Lord over the church, we want to now consider these treasures as He has given them. So, in v. 11, we’re noting what (or rather, who) Christ gives His church. Next week, we’ll see why He gives gifts to the church, but these are such key gifts that we want to take this time to consider them. Even though we read in those other spiritual gifts passages that Christ gave more to the church than this, these are perhaps the more important gifts for the spiritual wellbeing of the church. Let’s consider the first couple first.

Christ First Gave Apostles and Prophets in His Church

These gifts are listed by importance or rank; similarly, in 1 Corinthians 12:28, Paul said that God appointed “in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers.” Considering that Paul also previously said in this letter, that apostles and prophets form the foundation for the church (2:20), it seems best to read it in this way — Christ first gave apostles and prophets to the church. Let’s consider the first of those.

Who are the apostles?

Churches sometimes identify leaders or ministers as lowercase-a “apostles,” likening them to missionaries. Other churches have capital-a Apostles, individuals who are supposed spiritual leaders. Some even say these apostles are the sort that demand our spiritual submission (groups associated with the New Apostolic Reformation). What should we believe about apostleship?

The term as applied to those occupying a spiritual office is an exclusively New Testament concept. The word apostle is one of ancient literature simply meaning “sent one.” If I send one of you with a message with a message to another church to invite them for an upcoming event, I could call you my apostle (I could call you that, but I wouldn’t!). In the New Testament, it’s most often applied to the Twelve, bringing us to the first, major point about apostles in Scripture.

First, Jesus appointed the apostles. Of course, that’s fitting in a verse where we read “He gave… apostles”). Back in Matthew 10:1–4, Jesus selected His apostles and sent them out with His authority. Jesus sends them out, utilizing them for delivering His message, authorizing them beyond His death to deliver God’s Word. In John 14:26, He said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you,” a promise that they would be able to accurately communicate the words and message of Jesus Christ. Indeed, we already studied back in 3:5 that the apostles and prophets revealed truth about the church age hidden in previous dispensations. These apostles were in a unique category that no one else fills.

Now, it’s true that the term “apostle” is also applied more generally to others in the church in the New Testament. Both Barnabas and Silas were also called apostles, for instance, but theirs was the separate category called messengers or literally “apostles of the churches” (2 Cor. 8:23). They were not “apostles of Jesus Christ” as Paul and the others identified themselves. The key to understanding the term, then, is not simply in the word apostle but in understanding who sent and authorized the apostles for ministry. The special category applies here in Ephesians 4:11 because Christ gave these apostles.

Second, Jesus appointed proofs for His apostles. Still, typical apostolic claims are authoritative, which means they fall under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. To testify to the validity of their claims, God worked signs and wonders through them, such as healing the sick the casting out demons. As Paul later explains, “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles” (2 Cor. 12:12; cf. Heb. 2:3–4); they were signs that a true apostle could perform. Apostles had to be able to work miracles to be true apostles of Christ.

Third, Jesus appointed only these apostles, plus two more. If the apostles are appointed and authorized by Jesus, then it would be right to wonder whether He replaced them. Indeed, after the ascension of our Lord, the apostles determined that someone must replace Judas. Note though that they said that the replacement must be someone who was a disciple from the “beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us” (Acts 1:22). The choosing of Matthias to replace Judas is one that students of Scripture debate, but it’s worth noting that they were only looking for someone who witnessed the entire earthly ministry and resurrection of our Lord (knocking out any potential modern-day replacements).

What about Paul’s apostleship? Paul is clear that his apostleship isn’t normative, but he still claims that he wasn’t appointed by the disciples, but by God (Gal. 1:15–17). It’s not that Paul was afraid to see the other apostles — in fact, he not only later meets them, but Peter recognized Paul’s divine grace (Gal. 2:9) and that Paul wrote Scripture (2 Pet. 3:15–16). Paul’s simply stating that he didn’t receive the gospel “from man… [but] through a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:12) — and he had the signs to prove it (2 Cor. 12:12). His was an apostleship of Jesus Christ, not of the other apostles.

Again, Paul himself acknowledged that he was an oddity as an apostle. While describing the post-resurrection appearances of Christ, he says that Jesus appeared to him “last of all, as to one untimely born” (1 Cor. 15:8). He then goes on to say that he’s “the least of the apostles” (v. 9). Given the previous requirement that apostles walked with Jesus throughout His earthly ministry, Paul’s self-designation of “untimely born” and “least” fits his situation; his was an odd and non-repeatable calling. As such, we should not expect someone to claim an apostleship of Jesus Christ through a modern-day Pauline experience.

Indeed, why should we expect it to be repeated? The apostles (and prophets) form the foundation of the church (Eph. 2:20). We shouldn’t expect God to continue pouring the foundation while constructing the rest of the building. From the earliest days of the church, we read that Christians devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles (Acts 2:42), but we never read of the apostles appointing other apostles (or prophets, for that matter). Rather, we read of them appointing evangelists and pastors who would then appoint other evangelists and pastors. The New Testament demonstrates a handing over of the baton for what would be normative throughout the rest of church history. The church has always experienced trouble when it departed from the biblical model. However, we are getting a bit ahead of ourselves; let’s consider the prophets.

Who are the prophets?

Prophets are those who speak the revelation of God, those with even more authority than the kings of Israel. Of course, in the New Testament, apostles also spoke prophetically, but they were of a special class in the church and served alongside prophets. In the Old Testament, God required the death penalty for a prophet who speaks without 100% accuracy to events and theology (Deut. 13:1–5; 18:20–22). There’s no indication that God changed the requirements for prophetic accuracy in the New Testament.

Why did He require such accuracy? It’s easy for someone with smooth words and lying lips to lead people astray. Yet, true prophets were penning Holy Scripture, serving as the foundation of the church (2:20). In the New Testament era, they were part of the revelation of God’s dispensation (3:5), so accuracy is vital. For example, the prophet Agabus accurately revealed God’s plan for famine (Acts 11:28) and Paul’s arrest (21:10–11), making prophetic claims during this period trustworthy. Their prophecy was subject to other prophets (1 Cor. 14:32) and was under the authority of the apostles (v. 37). While we certainly don’t read of God commanding the death penalty for false prophets in the New Testament church, one would certainly face church discipline in an effort to purge the evil from the midst of the people. We would be very weary today if someone came in here with claims of special messages from God.

Indeed, there’s no self-proclaimed prophet today who dares claim 100% accuracy in his or her predictions, and they typically demonstrate a poverty of theology that betrays their prophetic claim. For instance, we could consider Benny Hinn’s infamous revelation where he claimed God was a trinity of trinities (nine in total persons) a prophecy he later recanted. We would do well to ignore such men and women.

At the time when this was written, the church age was in transition — we see prophets serving alongside teachers in the churches (cf. Acts 13:1). Eventually, though, the foundational work would be complete, so the prophets and apostles would pass off the scene. Rather than continue seeking new prophecies from the apostles or prophets, the church now looks to the teaching of evangelists and pastors that rests on the revelation of the apostles and prophets. We see that in the next category.

Christ Then Gave Evangelists in His Church

The word for gospel, euangelion (“good news”), is the basis for the term “evangelist.” As such, an evangelist is someone who “gospels.” In other words, an evangelist is primarily someone who shares the gospel, that message that Jesus descended to the earth, conquered our sin, and ascended again. In Scripture, we also typically see evangelists also planting churches and engaging in general ministry.

When we first see evangelists in church history, it appears that God even worked signs through them. For instance, Philip, as he was proclaiming Christ, worked signs, exorcisms, and healings (Acts 8:4–8). He was initially appointed for ministry by the apostles themselves (Acts 6:5) and Acts 21:8 identifies him as an evangelist.

Another evangelist we see along these lines is Timothy. Again, we see an apostle (Paul) laying his hands on an evangelist and ordaining him to ministry (2 Tim. 1:6). Paul has him fulfill a prolonged pastoral role until he can turn the work over to locals (cf. 2 Tim. 4:9), encouraging him to “do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tm 4:5).

Unlike the previous gifts we’ve studied, Christ still raises up evangelists for His ministry. Since apostles and prophets serve as the foundation of the church, evangelists are no longer ordained by them (though their teaching should still align with them). As such, the miraculous gifts associated with apostolic ministry isn’t to be expected from evangelists anymore, though their gospel ministry continues by the power of Christ’s Spirit. Another group has a similar gifting.

Christ Also Gave Pastor-Teachers in His Church

There is some disagreement as to whether this refers to one or two categories. Certainly, there are teachers in the church who are not pastors. There are men and women who bless the church with their efforts.

However, there is good reason to read this as one category. The construction here in English; “And He gave some as … and some as … and some as … and some as pastors and teachers.” In such a construction, the “and” can mean that is; “pastors, in particular, teachers.” In 1 Tim. 5:17, Paul says that pastors are to be involved with “preaching and teaching.” That is why you see men like John MacArthur, for instance, listed as “pastor-teacher” on the website; that’s a more biblical term than say, “senior pastor.”

Let’s consider who “pastors” are — shepherds, those who care for Christ’s flock. This is a rare term of reference to this office, even though it’s the most popular in culture. More commonly, the Bible calls pastors presbuteros (“elders”) and sometimes “bishop/overseer” (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1–2). The designation “pastor” connects them to the task of the Great Shepherd (Heb. 13:20, 21; 1 Pet. 2:25). Pastors are those who tend and feed the flock of God.

This term is plural. In fact, this is usually the case with this office. The apostles always appointed “elders” (plural) in each church they planted. The Presbyterian form of government is built off this, where a local session of elders makes the spiritual decisions for the church, and that appears to be the most biblical model. Other models would have a single pastor directing the church, which could lead to his temptation or burnout, or the congregation making the decisions, which always threatens mob-rule.

Pastors are supposed to rule in the church, and rule well (1 Tim. 5:17). Paul says to the church that they “have charge over you in the Lord (1 Thes. 5:12). This is why one of the qualifications of an elder is that he can rule his household well (1 Tim. 3:4). This is why a church must take care to select qualified men for the role of elder, lest the elder board become leavened with unchristian personalities and sinful strife. There’s much more to be said about this, but let us now conclude.

Conclusion

Christ is in charge of His church, and He appoints gifted men as He wills for the benefit of His church. As such, apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors/teachers help to equip and mature His church. It starts with the revealed Word (which comes through the apostles/prophets), preached to unbelievers to their conversion by evangelists, who are then taught more about the apostolic and prophetic word by pastors. A pulpit that isn’t regularly proclaiming the Word of God robs the church of the gifts God granted to it.

Of course, a lone Christian with a Bible still receives the blessing of the apostles and prophets. However, a Christian that neglects the assembling of the saints cuts himself off from the other gifts that God has granted the church, namely that pastors-teachers. This is an important work of the Holy Spirit that Christ has given the church, so let us not neglect it.