EPHESIANS 4:11 – SPIRITUAL GIFTS

Part One

A Pillar In The House Of Yahweh

Welcome and thank you for joining us as we embark on the disciple ‘ship’ series of the Spiritual Gifts for use in ministry.  This series is related to a previous post called “T.R.A.S.H. Talk, The Command To Build God’s House” and it is one of the seven pillars of which Wisdom has built her house and has hewn out her seven pillars (Proverbs 9:1) Click on above link to read the full blog post. For those of you new to this website, T.R.A.S.H. is an acronym for ‘Truly Redeemed And Sanctified In Him’.

The Spiritual Gifts series is designed to introduce you to the various ministry gifts that you read about in the Bible, specifically in Ephesians 4:11 (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher), Romans 12:4-8 (prophet, servant, teacher, exhorter, giver, ruler, mercy), and 1 Corinthians 12:7-13 (word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healings, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, interpretation of tongues). 

We call this the disciple ‘ship’ series because that is exactly what it is. It will take time and dedication on your part to learn, understand, and apply the gifts in your walk with Yeshua in the ministry He has given you.

Are you a minister of the gospel of Yeshua HaMashiach? Yes, you are! Does this mean you are suppose to stand at a pulpit and preach to a congregation each week? Probably not. The reality is that you are a minister of the gospel if you are a believer in Yeshua. It doesn’t matter if you go to school, are a stay at home parent, work for someone else, have your own business, or have been called into a specific type of ministry, every human being created by Yahweh has been created for the specific purpose for the salvation of mankind, destroying the works of the devil, and to worship Him in Spirit and Truth. 

Whatever your life calling may be, as a Christian, you are called to be an ambassador of our Lord and Savior, Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ) in all you do. To learn more about discipleship, leadership, and sonship, read Batten Down the Hatches of the (Ship)

You were given a unique personality when you were born into this world which began to emerge as you grew. You are uniquely designed by our Heavenly Father with every good thing you need including spiritual gifts and they also should emerge and be used for His glory as you grow and mature in your walk with Him. He himself gives us spiritual gifts to help us fulfill His purpose for mankind. They are part of our spiritual DNA. 

This two part post will focus on the five spiritual gifts that Paul speaks of in Ephesians 4:11. These are gifts distributed by Yeshua for certain persons within His body (aka, the body of Christ). In modern day Christianity, they are referred to as the five-fold ministry gifts.

The word of Yahweh stands on its own authority. While there is contention and misuse of spiritual gifts, we have been warned by Yeshua, in His word, that this would happen. Neither negate the fact that the gifts are real and are to be used for the kingdom of heaven here on earth.

The rejection of the gifts is damaging to the body of Yeshua. Not only is it a form of grieving the Holy Spirit but it is blasphemy. Yeshua calls blasphemy of the Holy Spirit the unpardonable sin.  There are men, women, and children, sitting under these doctrines that are confused and trying to understand why they have prophetic dreams and visions or are hearing directly from the Holy Spirit if He doesn’t operate today in the gifts. There is a great deception happening.

Matthew 12:31-32 – 31“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

Luke 12:10 – “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.

Blasphemy Definiton: Strong’s Concordance #987 blasphēméō(from blax, “sluggish, slow” and 5345/phḗmē, “reputation, fame”) – properly, refusing to acknowledge good (worthy of respect, veneration); to slander, to speak lightly or profanely of sacred things.

Holy Spirit means the sacred or set apart breath of Yahweh. When He pours His spirit upon you, He is breathing (imparting) something so sacred into your very being that you can not deny it. His Spirit gave us life to begin with and the gifts of His Spirit are given to equip us for life in Him. 

In this two-part series, you will learn:

1. The definition of each gift and you will be provided scriptural demonstrations of each gift revealing Yeshua as our perfect role model. You will also be shown an example of someone from scripture who also walked in the gift.
2. It is absolutely possible for Yeshua to give a person all five of these gifts, or three, or two. Never is it just one of the five because they must work hand in hand. Also, never will Yeshua make anyone to be a one-person show because the body is designed to work together in unity. He will send others to come along side you.
3. Every person given a gift of leadership among the body of Christ has been given spiritual gifts for ministry spoken of in Romans 12:4-8, and they have been tested and approved by Yeshua, for the role. Anything less is not from Him.

As a disciple of Yeshua, you are responsible to know about all the gifts so as to help create more unity and at the same time be able to discern when they are being misused among the body. Yeshua doesn’t call the prepared, He prepares those He has called.

Paul writes:

Ephesians 4:1-16 – 1I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8Therefore He says:

“When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”

9(Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

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. 

In the above passage of Ephesians, Paul is emphasizing unity of the Faith within the body of Christ and he immediately lays out the importance of the fruit of the spirit as works of faith to help achieve it. It is walking and living in the Spirit that will make your walk worthy of the calling you are called to. Again, it doesn’t mean you have to stand in front of a pulpit to have a calling. Beloved, your life is a calling. Paul’s analogy of a prisoner of the Lord (or bondservant) tells us that He has had that life transformational encounter with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and he will serve them with everything he is. Fully committed unto Yeshua.

Paul then goes on to remind us of the gift of grace that has been given to us by the sacrifice Yeshua made on the cross. When He ascended on high, the scripture says “he lead captivity, captive and gave gifts to men.” This means that He overcame death and defeated the works of Satan (who keeps us in captivity) so that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. By our fruit Yeshua and others will know us. 

Then Paul introduces the gifts. v.11“And, He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.”

For What Purpose?

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.

The word is clear! Beloved, there is a work to be done and most of the Christian leadership has not been obedient to the word to equip the saints for the work of ministry. Imagine what the world and body of Yeshua might look like today, if we were not tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men and their cunning craftiness, all of which is orchestrated by the demonic forces of Satan. Have we forgotten his works were defeated on the cross?

I pray you will seek the Holy Spirit of Truth and develop a hunger and thirst for righteousness so that you may be filled. Yeshua is our perfect example of each of the Spiritual Gifts so it fitting to begin with Him. As you learn about the five gifts, keep their original Hebrew-Paleo definition in mind. Knowing the definitions help in discerning the spirits.

Paleo-Hebrew Definition:

1. Apostle – Messenger; one sent with a message
2. Prophet – Puts Seed in Hand (Seed is His Word)
3. Evangelist – Supports Truth with Authority
4. Pastor – Authoritative Understanding of Covenant
5. Teacher – Brings Truth to the Ear

Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ), The Apostle

Hebrews 3:1 – 1Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.

John 12:42-50 – 42Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. 44Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. 47And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

Yeshua was sent to earth by Yahweh with the message of Salvation and hope. He preached the good news, He taught His disciples the Way, lived it, and offered up His life for us, so that we may believe in Him and the Father and have eternal life with them. He was predestined before the foundation of the world for His mission. He is the good news. Read verses 46 through 48 again.

Peter was one (of many) of His disciples who was given to be an apostle. Yeshua Himself called him, trained and equipped him for his office for three years. Even after three years of walking with Yeshua and giving his life to Him, being the first person to acknowledge Yeshua as the Son of Yahweh, the Messiah, Peter had not yet been filled with the Holy Spirit because Yeshua had not yet been glorified. Yeshua showed Peter how hard it would be to fulfill the call, even to the point of having to be rebuked for letting Satan into his thoughts (Matt 16:23), and Peter denying knowing Him three times before He died (both fear and pride had to be dealt with). He was instructed to wait for the Holy Spirit to fill him before venturing out into ministry.

Peter was given great responsibility for the sound doctrine of Yeshua, not only as an apostle but as a shepherd told to feed Yeshua’s sheep. Because he was predestined by Yeshua as a messenger for the gospel, it was Peter of all the disciples at that time who Yeshua chose to be the first to preach the good news of salvation to the multitude in Jerusalem (Acts 2), upon his baptism by Holy Spirit.

Peter walked in the Fruits of the Spirit (Love, peace, joy, long-suffering, goodness, kindness, faith, humility, self-control); He also walked in all seven of the redemptive ministry gifts (Prophet, Servant, Teacher, Exhorter, Giver, Ruler, Mercy); and was given all nine of the manifested spiritual gifts (word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gift of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, and interpretation of tongues).

Paul’s encounter with Yeshua was radically different than Peter’s, and yet he too was predestined and sent by Yeshua with the message of good news to the Gentile nations. He would be sent to stand before kings and the children of Israel preaching the good news. Yeshua would also show Paul how much he would suffer for the sake of the Gospel going forth to the nations. In Gentile nations, Hebrew was not the native language but they listened to Paul’s message and they recognized that he had been sent to them by the power and authority of Yeshua and Yahweh to share the good news of salvation. They called him an apostello, which is a Greek term.

an apostle, 
ἀπόστολος (apostolos)
Noun – Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong’s Greek 652: From apostello; a delegate; specially, an ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ.

Yeshua trained and equipped Paul for three years to be His ambassador/apostle, while in the Arabian desert. Unbeknownst to him

Paul had been predestined to serve Yeshua and unbeknownst to him it happened at the time it pleased the Father. Yeshua stopped Paul in his tracks on his way to Damascus to persecute believers and spoke to him. While it was three years before Peter would be baptized by the Holy Spirit (because Yeshua had not yet been glorified), Paul’s baptism by the Spirit was immediate.  For the first three days of encountering Yeshua, the Holy Spirit poured into him and sent another to help him. He was given great responsibility to steward the gifts for the sound doctrine of Jesus Christ and he was responsible for those who were sent to accompany him and help him in ministry journeys. Paul walked in the Fruits of the Spirit (Love, peace, joy, long-suffering, goodness, kindness, faith, humility, self-control); He also walked in all seven of the redemptive gifts (Prophet, Servant, Teacher, Exhorter, Giver, Ruler, Mercy); and was given all nine of the spiritual gifts (word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, gift of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, and interpretation of tongues.)

Of all whom Paul, Barnabas, Mark, and the others selflessly shared the Gospel with, out of obedience and reverence to Yeshua with the gifts given them, we can rest assured that there were multitudes who would continue to be called by Yeshua to be sent to carry the message forward to the nations, for the equipping of the saints, for the works of ministry, and for the edification of His body. So it continues to this day. If others had not been sent, we would not have the true gospel continuing to go forth. True apostles of Yeshua are known by their fruit. 

Today, most people are blessed to have a Bible or have access to one, but there are still nations with people that have never seen the Bible or heard the message of salvation, never heard about the Holy Spirit, nor the true gospel of Yeshua.  Until the great commission is complete, there will be those given as apostles. Yeshua will see to it because His word never fails and does not return void. The main message here is that those whom Yeshua has chosen to send with a specific mandate, He will train and equip them and make sure they are filled with His Holy Spirit before sending them out as His ambassadors.  He will also send others to stand with those he is sending and they will be given the same anointing so as to be like minded in the call.  He has a divine order.

All those given to be apostles for Yeshua HaMashiach will have other spiritual gifts operating in and through them for the edification of the body of Yeshua and to glorify Yahweh and His Son. For example, one will not be sent out to share the gospel if they are not equipped with the ministry spiritual gifts of teacher, servant, and ruler, at the very least. Also, one cannot teach if they have not be given the gift ‘words of knowledge’. The five-fold office gifts and ministry gifts work together to train and equip the saints for the edification of the body of Yeshua. 

How about you? Have you or someone you know been called by Yeshua when you/they least expected it, given a commission so large that only by and through Yeshua’s grace and direction it could be accomplished, and then the next thing you/they knew had began an intense Holy Spirit filled training and equipping course with Yeshua? 

Apostle: One sent with a message; a messenger

Yeshua HaMashiach, The Prophet

Prophet – Puts Seed in Hand

^{Jn 4:16} He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” ^{Jn 4:17} “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 

^{Jn 4:18} The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” ^{Jn 4:19} “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.

^{Jn 6:14} After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

He Prophesied His Death and Resurrection

Matthew 20:17-19 – 17Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, 18“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, 19and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.”

He Prophesied Destruction of The Temple

1Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

40 Years later the temple was in fact destroyed. Since the time of the destruction, more than 1900 years ago, that Jesus had foretold, the Temple has never been rebuilt.

Jesus Prophesied His Betrayal 

Matthew 26:20-21 – When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” 

22And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?”

23He answered and said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 24The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”

25Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Rabbi, is it I?” He said to him, “You have said it.”

A short time later, Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. The betrayal was followed by the arrest, trial, and execution of Jesus. Judas ended up taking his own life because of the great sorrow he felt for betraying the Messiah.

Yeshua Prophesied His Death, Resurrection, and Second Coming

The greatest Prophet who ever lived prophesied the end of the age and His second coming in Matthew 24 and again in Revelation in a vision to the Apostle John. In fact, John says that the works and miracles that Yeshua did, if they were written by one, that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. (John 21:25) 

Agabus was one of many who was given to be a Prophet. He walked in the fruit of the Spirit and his dominate ministry gifts were Prophet, Server, Exhorter, and Ruler. His spiritual gifts were ‘word of knowledge, faith, prophecy, discernment, tongues and interpretation of tongues’. Scriptures say: 

^{Ac 11:27} During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.  ^{Ac 11:28} One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)

^{Ac 21:10} After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.  ^{Ac 21:11}Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’

We encourage you to read the full story in the book of Acts. Yahweh will not do anything but first he tells it to His prophets. 

Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist was a Prophet, as was John the Baptist:

Luke 1:67-80 – 67Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

68“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, 69And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David, 70As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began,
71That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us, 72To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His holy covenant, 73The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
74To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, 75In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

76“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, 77To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, 78Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; 79To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

80So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

Not only was John the Baptist predestined to be a prophet of the Most High, he was also an apostle – a messenger of Yeshua HaMashiach. The office of Prophet is a huge responsibility, comes with a cost, and is not one of glamour, fame, and fortune. 

Yeshua has saints predestined walking in the office gift of prophet today throughout the world, just as He has since the beginning of time. However, there are not as many in the high numbers as one may think.

Followers of Yeshua who abide in Him and Him in them have the gift of prophecy which is different from office of prophet, because Yahweh has poured out His Spirit upon men, women, and children and given them prophetic dreams, visions, and many are given prophecies to speak.

The office of Prophet definitely includes the gift of prophet and prophecy, but theirs is a more serious calling. Think of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Elijah, John, etc. It is not a gift to be taken lightly. You will know them by their fruit. The role of a Prophet is to bring Yahweh’s word (or seed) and place it in the hand of the people so as to bring them back to Him. Think about that for a minute.

As a quick example, Ezekiel was called by Yahweh to be a sign to the exiles, by demonstrating what they should do. He was given a command through revelation that was extremely difficult for him personally and came at a great cost, but was designed to get the Israelites attention to turn back to Yahweh. He prophesied of the One True King who would be coming one day to rule the nations and demanded those who attempted to mount the throne prematurely to “remove their turban, and take off the crown.” The majority were not a fan of Ezekiel or the message He gave. Whereas, John came to prepare the way and present the One True King, Yeshua in the flesh. He called for repentance, baptized many, and told of the coming judgement for all mankind. He knew he must decrease so that Yeshua could increase and was adamant that Yeshua is the way, the truth, and life, and that He would baptize with the Spirit. Both prophets focus were on Yeshua.

Many men and women today who have the gift of prophecy think they have been given the office of prophet because they went to a school to learn how to prophecy; or because a false apostle appointed them as one, but Yeshua has not ordained them. You will know the false prophets by their fruit if you know the fruit by which they should conduct themselves. They’ll prophesy to itchy ears just about everything but repentance and they have hoodwinked the masses into believing them for things of this world rather than things of the kingdom of Yahweh. They may walk like and talk like a prophet, but at the end of the day they are just ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing. Their day will come according to Yeshua in Matthew 7.

Matthew 7:15-23 – 15“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Beloved, your job is not to despise the office, but to learn to understand it so you can test the spirits of others. You have no idea if you or someone near and dear to you may be the next Paul on his way to Damascus to receive your/their predestined assignment. Don’t be so quick to judge that which you do not know, but rather lean into the Word and learn to seek the Holy Spirit of Truth in the word and in your prayers. He will come and teach you the truth.

We will continue the teaching on the remaining three Spiritual Gifts of Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher in the next post. Until then, be blessed and know you are loved.

Please subscribe below to be notified of new posts/teachings.