Qualifications of a Fivefold Minister – Part Eight

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We are continuing to look at the qualifications for those in Christian leadership and especially the character qualities needing to be apparent in the life of fivefold ministers … These are found in 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus.

A character trait of a fivefold minister is that he loves what is good. God is good, therefore a fivefold minister’s desires are focused on the good things of God. He is a godly person, hates sin, and has a compassion for those whose lives are entangled by sin. With a no nonsense approach to sin, he takes a clear stand on sin issues because he loves that which is good and he hates that which is evil.

Fivefold ministers enjoy seeing the enemy defeated in other people’s lives. When someone else, individually or as a congregation, experiences victory, they experience victory. They see the good in others and in situation that are less than desirable. Since they see some of the negative things within a church, they also have the ability to see the good that can come out of these situations. They have a strong desire to see others succeed. They know that as others in the church succeed, they in turn succeed!

Because they frequently travel, they experience a wide range of situations, and not everything that they witness is good. They see some of the flaws in the Body of Christ because they are “up close.” But they never use this knowledge and insight to shed a bad light on the local church. They do not repeat things that should not be mentioned to others who are not part of the problem or solution. Philippians 4:8 is their guide: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

A fivefold minister is also upright and holy. Being upright and holy is doing what is right in God’s sight regardless of the circumstances. It is doing right when no one is looking or listening. It is having a heart that is pleasing to God. David said, “As a deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” ((Psalm 42:1). That is holiness.

Fivefold leaders follow through on commitments, making good their word, even if it costs them financially. David in Psalm 15, “He who swears to his own hurt…” In other words, I cannot violate an agreement simply because it will be a loss to me. Otherwise, the Name of the Lord will be tainted.

If there are changes that need to be made, a fivefold leader appeals to the ones to whom they made the commitment, asking to be released or to readjusted so as not to cause a problem, because they are there to serve. They are good to their word.

 

Qualifications of a Fivefold Minister – Part Seven

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As we continue our look at the character and life-style of a fivefold minister we continue in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 …

“This is a faithful saying:If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober- minded, of good behaviour, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”

To serve the Church, a fivefold minister and leader …”is free from the love of money”

A fivefold leader is free of greed. He is free of the love of money and the things that money can obtain. He believes money is a tool for God to use to bless others and is not to be hoarded. When you have lost your ability to give, you have lost a major portion of the Kingdom.

A fivefold minister is not out for personal gain or profit as a result of serving in the fivefold ministry. In the New Testament, it appears that certain leaders were financially supported for their work (1 Timothy 5:17). The churches were probably generous in their support with could lead one to be tempted to serve for the money.

Leaders are examples of how to honestly earn, spend, and save money. They tithe to the local church that they are a part of and give generously in a way that honours the Kingdom of God and values God’s people.

To serve the Church, a fivefold minister and leader …”is able to manage his own household well”

A natural father has strong ties with his children and “manages” them so his children are not wild and unruly. He disciplines and trains them with dignity and respect. Children will want to do what is right because they respect and love and honour their parents.

But the fivefold leader is also a good manager of the churches that he is a father to. He tenderly cares for people so they are encouraged to move ahead with common purposes and goals. Parents make decisions that are best for the family. The same is true of fivefold leaders. They make decisions that are not always based on their own preferences but that are best for the church as a whole.

To serve the Church, a fivefold minister and leader …”has a good reputation with those outside the Body, the Church”

Leaders have good testimonies with the unsaved and stay away from compromising situations and circumstances. 1 Peter 2:12 states, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

Leaders have a “soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about you” (Titus 2:8).

Religious Spirits In Your Life

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Because we all come out of…

1. Traditional churches

2. Legalistic churches

3. Self-made belief structures

We need next to be set free from the influence of a “spirit of religion” and a “spirit of tradition”.

These spirits appear and sound Christian but lead to bondage and spiritual death.

 The choking of all spiritual life

 The removal of all grace, mercy and love Read more

Getting Free From the Occult

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So you can receive the powerful Baptism in the Holy Spirit, function in the supernatural and hear God’s voice clearly all of the time

THE OCCULT IS FORBIDDEN BY SCRIPTURE:

Involvement in fortune telling, spiritism, magic and other occult practices or false religions or cults is absolutely forbidden by Scripture and condemned by God.  Occult involvement breaks the first commandment and invokes God’s curse.

Some scriptures for future reference: Read more

Testing, Testing, One Two Three…

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Paul is writing to Christians in the city of Corinth

He is defending himself and his call by Jesus to be an apostle in the early Church

He is the father of this work in Corinth

1 Corinthians 4:15 “For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”

He planted the church Read more

Qualifications for Fivefold Ministers – Part Six

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As we continue our look at 1 Timothy and the qualifications needed for ministering in the fivefold ascension gift ministries we see…

“This is a faithful saying:If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober- minded, of good behaviour, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”

To serve the Church, a fivefold minister and leader …”is gentle”

Another version reads, “… is not overbearing, but humble.” A fivefold leader must be selfless. He is not self-willed and arrogant (1 Peter 5:3). His desire is for the people to be all they can be in God. He gives of himself for those in his care and to those that he is ministering to.

Fivefold leaders know that their dependence is totally on God. This keeps them walking in humility, rather than lording it over others.

Prestige and the desire to be admired and respected can overshadow a fivefold leader’s ministry. Proverbs 8:13 tells us that God hates pride. Pride is at the centre of “selfish ambition” according to James 3:16. Selfish ambition prompts us to promote our own interests, and we start to believe in our own merit, superiority, and accomplishments. This verse goes on to say that selfish ambition leads to “every evil practice.” Humility, as opposed to selfish ambition, causes us to consider others as better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3). A fivefold minister knows where his gift comes from and he is totally dependent on Jesus for the operation of that gift. He knows the gift originated from Jesus and is a gift to be used for others.

To serve the Church, a fivefold minister and leader …”is not quick tempered or quarrelsome”

Fivefold leaders are not cranky or irritable and are not quick to get in verbal disputes. They do not lose their tempers and react when they are challenged or irritated. If they quickly become angry, they will make matters worse when dealing with conflicts. This makes reconciliation difficult. James gives this timely advice: “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19). Those in the fivefold ministry are well-balanced in judgment, not impulsive or given to extremes.

They need to be persons of peace, not pushy or hard to get along with. They are ready to answer questions and quick to share what they understand, but they are not prone to get into long debates on frivolous issues.

To serve the Church, a fivefold minister and leader …”is gentle, not violent” (NKJV of 1 Timothy 3:1-7)

A fivefold leader maintains relational integrity. He does not use force of character to get his way. He is not a bully in his relationships with others. Even under provocation, he does not strike out at people who try his patience. Fivefold leaders are courteous and considerate of others, in addition to being patient, kind, forbearing, and not easily disturbed. They are individuals who are willing to yield or concede in a matter without compromising the truth. A fivefold minister’s greatest weapon is love.

 

Qualifications for Fivefold Ministers – Part Five

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Let’s continue our look at 1 Timothy and the character qualifications for those in leadership and in the fivefold ministry… The Scripture we are looking at states:

“This is a faithful saying:If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober- minded, of good behaviour, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”

To serve the Church, a fivefold minister and leader …”has the ability to teach”

This does not necessarily mean that all fivefold leaders are tremendous teachers. Rather, it implies that they have the ability to share and communicate God’s Word so that they can disciple, train, and equip others. Some fivefold ministry leaders are gifted to teach large groups, while others are gifted to teach one-on-one and in small groups as they mentor and disciple.

Fivefold ministers know the truth of God’s Word well enough to be able to confront and admonish others when needed. They cannot teach what they do not know. Paul, in his letter to Titus states, “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9). Remember, part of the goal is to keep the Body of Christ from being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14). They can only do that if they have a firm understanding of the Word of God themselves.

Fivefold ministers and leaders are capable of teaching in a way that people understand God’s Word. They know their target audience and can reach and connect with them. They have an inner drive and compulsion to pass on to others what they have learned. They have a genuine love for God’s Word and a desire to impart it to others. When they know and can see the people are receiving the Word, it is like a refreshing wind to their spirit, and it energizes them.

To serve the Church, a fivefold minister and leader …”is not given to drunkenness”

“Not given to drunkenness” or “not given to wine” as another version states literally means “not tarrying at wine.” Fivefold ministers are not infatuated with alcoholic beverages and defiled by the life-style often associated with drinking. They have an exemplary life-style that is without the negative influence of excessive alcohol consumption. Paul writes, “Do not get drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). It is always wrong to be addicted to anything. This include, wine, hard liquor, drugs, sex, and even food (Proverbs 23:20-21).