Course 112: The Ascension Office Gifts (Five Fold Leadership Gifts) - Lesson #13

Office of Five Fold Teacher

The Office of Teacher

At the beginning of this course, we listed the five offices of Christ in His Office as Head of the Church. As Chief Teacher, His teachings were radical. Yet, He taught in such a way that had depth and was illustrative. He taught with great authority, so much so that on one occasion, those sent to arrest Him were so enthralled with His words that they forgot their assignment! Matthew 7: 28, 29; John 7: 40 - 47.

When He ascended to heaven, Jesus took captive all the powers of Satan which cast a covering cast over humanity and gave gifts to men. Among the gifts He released are the fivefold office gifts to lead and guide His Church. The collective purpose of the fivefold is to perfect the saints and equip them for the work of the ministry. Ephesians 4: 7-11-16.

What it is not

Teaching is not just the ability to speak or preach. There are many fine preachers who are merely exhorters. Their words may sound nice and attractive but they are not able to convey the mind of God concerning the principles of His Word. The person who can only tell the saints what they want to hear or what will enable them to "live successful lives", meaning acquire money, influence or power may be an exhorter but not a teacher. A teacher will not be one sided with the truth! Teaching is not the ability to rehearse the doctrines or building blocks of the Word of God.

What it is

Teaching is rather the systematic presentation of the Word of God in such a way that the letters are understood within the context of the purpose and intention of God (the Spirit of the Word). It is the process of expounding the Word so that the saints learn, line by line and precept upon precept who God is; how they should live as citizens of the Kingdom of God on earth with contrasting cultures of the world and Satan all around them; what kind of life they can validly look forward to when Jesus returns to establish the fullness of the Kingdom and life in the hereafter. These principles, which cover every conceivable aspect of life on earth are enshrined in the Constitution of The Kingdom which is the Holy Scriptures. The Holy Scriptures are therefore the principal equipment of The Teacher called by Jesus Christ! He or she cannot even imagine a situation where a principle of the world or religions of the age take pride of place in spiritual formation of saints!

The Charge of Peter

In an extraordinary charge to Elders of the Household of Faith that is of great application to Pastors particularly, Apostle Peter exhorted "Care for the flock of God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly - not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don't lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never ending glory and honour".  1 Peter 5:1-4. If we break down this exhortation, the following elements are unchanging principles:

1. The flock is entrusted by God to the Pastor.

The saints are the people of God and members of the Body of Christ. They are not members of the Pastor, denomination or the local assembly! A Pastor should never lose sight of this foundational truth! No Pastor 'owns' any brother or sister! We are all children of the same Father, citizens of the same Kingdom having the same Lord and baptised with the same Holy Spirit!  Getting this truth into the deepest cavity of the human heart will enable a Pastor to walk in sincere appreciation of the privilege of being called to be an under-shepherd of Jesus.

2. The saints are to be cared for. It is about them, not the Pastor.

The flock is the basis of the office of Pastor, just as any good businessman knows that customers are the reason for being in business! If Pastors allow this paradigm shift to occur within their psyche, they will succeed in ministry. No matter how good, bad, ugly or difficult the saints seem to be, they are the reason for the Office of Pastor to exist! A Pastor who sets out therefore expecting an easy ride in ministry may well go for a mental check up. It is the very things we call dysfunction in the saints that occasion the need for God to specially empower Pastors with the grace to, with great humility, focus and sensitivity apply the healing balm of Jesus on their wounded souls and show them the way to worship God in Spirit and in truth.