The Least of These

Ephesians 4:11-13 (KJV)
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; ¹²  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: ¹³  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Recently in one of our Gatherings there was a call for anyone that needed prayer to come forward.   This meeting was a time of worship and waiting on the Lord, no agenda or schedule.  A little girl came up to one of our worship leaders, Misti, and said her Mom needed prayer for peace.  The mother was asked to come forward by Misti.  Gently Misti knelt and asked the little girl if she believed God wanted to give her mom peace and heal her.  The little girl was sure that God wanted to and could touch her mother.  Misti then told her that if she believed then she should pray for her mom.  The little girl turned and put her arms around her mom and begin to pray.  Misti joined her, quietly praying.  When Misti looked up the mother was laughing and said,

 “I can hear you!”

This mother had been nearly deaf with only 12% hearing in one ear and 24% in the other.  Everything was fuzzy and she couldn’t understand people.  God had healed her right where she stood.  She could hear a whisper from twenty feet away.  Glory to God!

It was not a “professional” that laid hands on this woman it was a little girl that believed God could do anything.   This is confirmation of something that God has been impressing on me for some time.

Many of you have read my posts concerning the "professionalism" that has taken over the church and the "programs" that have squeezed out the Holy Spirit.  I believe that God is calling His church back to its earliest model, the body, with every member being used and functioning in the five-fold ministry.

I do not believe that the five-fold ministry is for a select few but is intended to be a part of the body with every member being used in one of these categories as the Spirit leads.  We have created a nightmare in the church by separating into the “professionals” and the “laity”.  The laity comes and watches the professionals minister and only those that are part of this professional class are considered to be part of the five-fold ministry. 

In Ephesians 4:11 Paul says, “some Apostles, some Prophets, some Evangelists, some Pastors, some Teachers.”  There are those that would have us believe this is exclusive and not inclusive.  That God only picks certain people out of the body to fill these “offices” and the rest are somehow left out.  Consider instead that Paul was looking at the local congregation and realized that the Holy Spirit would use them all!  Some as Apostles and others as Prophets, some as Evangelists and others as Pastors and still others as Teachers but everyone ministering to each other as the Spirit lead.  Not running off to make their own mark or start their own church but being used right there in the body.

I recently had someone ask me if another person in our church was a Prophet.  Yes, at times.  Sometimes he is a Teacher and other times he is an Evangelist.  I told my class that day we should resist the desire to label each other but instead know that each of us is used as the Spirit wills, moving in and out of these positions and doing the work we are given to the edification of the Body as a whole.  It is not about you!  It is not about titles!  It is not about honor or position but we serve a far more noble cause – The Body of Christ, and God can use the least of us as He sees fit. 

Paul stated that the purpose for these works in the Church was the edification of the Body of Christ and that we might all

“come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”

We watched last Sunday as the Holy Spirit used the least among us to heal a woman of deafness.  We were truly led by a child who at that moment was the hand of God in our midst.  Imagine the possibilities if the entire body of Christ were to embrace the work of the Holy Spirit and be used in the ministerial offices that God has intended for the edification of His people rejecting the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, the doctrine of men being lords over God’s people, and instead allowing the Holy Spirit to use even “the least of these.”