CONTENTS
- 0.1 RelatedPosts
- 0.2 Why the Institutional Church is not biblical: Ekklesia vs Church
- 0.3 Who is Yahweh? Is Yahweh the Real Name of the Most High? Truth Revealed
- 1 Five-Fold Ministry
- 2 The Original Body of Messiah (One Body)
- 3 Today’s Reality (Many Bodies)
- 4 Today’s Reality: A Proliferation of False Apostles
- 5 The Assemblies In Each Town Was Made Up of Different Assemblies
- 6 The Fallacy Of Using That Which Is Wrong To Invalidate That Which Is Right
- 7 Ineffective Church
- 8 Five-Fold Ministry in Egypt?
- 9 Five-Fold Ministry of Confusion
Five-Fold Ministry
We previously looked at the fact that the institutional church is not biblical (and therefore false). Regardless of the overwhelming evidence that the church as we know it is false, it is understandable that pastors especially will want to find something to make it appear to be valid.
In order to counter this fact and to make “church” as we know it today appear to be valid, I am being pointed to what is called the five-fold ministry.
What is the five-fold ministry?
The fivefold ministry or five–fold ministry is a Neo-charismatic Christian belief that five offices mentioned in Ephesians (Ephesians 4:11), namely those of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors (or “shepherds”) and teachers, remain active and valid offices in the contemporary Christian Church. Source.
The source is found only once in the Bible and was spoken by the much misunderstood and thereby controversial Apostle Sha’ul:
Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Messiah:
Now what is the problem with that statement (as it affects “church” today), and how does it affect us right now?
The Original Body of Messiah (One Body)
At the time this statement was made, there was one body of the Messiah and that body was united in truth.
1 Co 12:18-20 But now hath YAHUAH set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body.
Rom 12:4-5 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Messiah, and every one members one of another.
1 Co 12:12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Messiah.
So the Five-fold ministry was given, not for the administration of each singular assembly, but for the entire one body.
You see, back in the days Sha’ul spoke this, there were not 40,000 denominations to deal with (almost all contradicting what is written). There was one body and the assemblies were named the assembly in whatever city it was. The assembly in each city was made up of smaller assemblies.
Indeed the assembly in each city was made up of gatherings that were as small as family gatherings:
Rom 16:5 Likewise greet the assembly that is in their house. Salute my well beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Messiah.
Col 4:15 Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the assembly which is in his house.
Phm 1:2 And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the assembly in thy house:
Now if every person needs to be in an assembly with a five-fold ministry, how can an ekklesia in my house have all five?
The fact is, a five-fold ministry is for the entire body of the Messiah! Otherwise we would be saying an assembly in a home is invalid without a five-fold ministry. We would also be saying this statement by the Messiah Yahusha is invalid:
Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
How can there be a five-fold ministry when there are not even five gathered? Does every gathering of two or three people need to have an apostle for it to be valid? Certainly not!
Today’s Reality (Many Bodies)
Today’s reality proves the “church” of today as being false. With over 40,000 denominations worldwide, Christianity and its many churches are not the one body that Apostle Sha’ul described. Instead, they are many bodies.
Saying that I need to be in a five-fold ministry is giving validity to this Babylonian system of confusion. It will be saying that I need to be in a false church in order to be able to grow.
This is why many sacred name assemblies still remain “church” and still partake of the harlot’s sins. Still not going back to the model assembly in the book of Acts when they had all things in common and none lacked, when they were in one accord, when they sacrificed self for their brothers.
Saying that I must be in a five-fold ministry today is saying that this model assembly Yahuah gave us in the book of Acts was wrong or outdated. They are saying that the assembly in my home is wrong. It is saying two or three gathering in the Messiah’s name is no longer enough.
Bear in mind that Yahuah never changes (Mal 3:6), neither does the Messiah (Heb 13:8).
Today’s Reality: A Proliferation of False Apostles
Because these Neo-charismatic Christian assemblies believe the five-fold ministry must be in each of their denominations, the leaders become self appointed apostles. We therefore have more apostles today than we can keep track of.
Indeed, the Messiah only left 12 Apostles. Some even go as far as to argue that Sha’ul (Paul) only claimed to be an apostle, but was not. These claim that it was he to whom the Messiah was referring here:
Rev 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
Additionally, we have this:
Rev 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
The word “the” is known as the definite article and specifies that those 12 apostles are his only apostles. It puts then in one grouping, that of the Lamb’s apostles.
It is very controversial, but I just used it to make this point: the office of an apostle is not a regular office. It is extremely rare. Yet almost all the denominations who claim that the five-fold ministry must be present have apostles.
In reality, what makes one an Apostle is the fact that one has had a personal encounter with Yahusha. Because of this requirement, there are many who believe the office to no longer be operational.
That is also why some say Sha’ul (Paul) was not a true Apostle, as he was not personally with Yahusha. That is another controversy in itself.
So something is definitely wrong when we see the office of an apostle being so common. Hey, we even now have women apostles as well. The Bible does not show where women can be teachers or pastors much less apostles.
A search of Facebook returned a plethora of modern Apostles (including many women) that I never heard of before.
So in order to make the five-fold ministry have validity, the word of Elohim must be broken. This is religion: tradition of man, and therefore not of the Father YAHUAH TSEVA’OTH (Mat 15:8-9).
The Assemblies In Each Town Was Made Up of Different Assemblies
In our article on the fallacy of the institutional church, we looked at the fact that there is a big difference between the true called out assembly and the false church. We looked at the fact that the false church is based in a specific building.
On the other hand, the true assembly is based on the people, who fellowship wherever they gather. It is not based on building a specific empire of buildings as sacred meeting places.
When Sha’ul spoke (for example) of the church in Corinth, he was not speaking of a specific building. Instead, he was speaking of the collection of assemblies in that geographic area. Proof?
1 Co 14:23 If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
Notice it says IF the whole assembly be come together in one place (in Corinth). That means it was not customary for the whole assembly to come together in one place! It also tells us that there was no specific one place in which the assembly in Corinth fellowshipped.
That is historically correct as the assembly (one body) consisted of different members. The assembly in Corinth was made up of several different smaller assemblies.
In those days, persons worshiped in smaller groups, wherever they wished. Home assemblies were the most popular.
Therefore it is not as today, where the Roman Catholics have successfully convinced us that sitting in sacred church buildings is the only way to go.
The Fallacy Of Using That Which Is Wrong To Invalidate That Which Is Right
Therefore, using the five-fold ministry to validate today’s model of “church” is like using the 4th commandment to validate Sunday worship.
It is like saying, Sunday is my Sabbath.” That is totally impossible, like oil and water, they cannot mix. A pagan day of worship cannot validate itself as being right and invalidate the day that is right. Sunday cannot be a sabbath.
So in summary, it is therefore impossible to give validity to the false institution of church. What’s worse, it is impossible to use the false institution of church to invalidate someone who is using the true biblical model of a home assembly.
There cannot be a new tradition of man, the pagan derived church, that can invalidate the set apart assembly of the book of Acts.
Ineffective Church
These church people will have you sitting in church for years, unable to function in the capacity to bring the good news to the streets. I have been obediently sitting in churches for 7 years. These people still want me to go back and sit in there because they say I need the five-fold ministry. The apostles were in training for half of that time (3 1/2 years).
Since I have left, I have directly or indirectly reached literally hundreds of people. Street ministry is giving me the most rewarding time I have had as a believer. Reaching people who are lost or deceived gives such great satisfaction.
Yet, these people want me to go sit in their assemblies, thereby making me non-effective. In my last assembly, once per 4 or 5 weeks, they may ask me to pray or give a testimony, or read a Bible passage. That’s it. Now, even an unbeliever can do these, yet I am told I should go back. Sorry, but the good news has to go out to the world (see Mark 16:15 below).
You see, when you are a part of their assemblies, you sit in a tradition. You fit into a system and fall into the dead, selfish “church” routine.
The church is ineffective in doing what we were commissioned to do (go into the world and preach the good news). Sitting in a building waiting on persons to come, or going out to get people to come into the building then tell them they have to throw tithes and offering to support the building and the leader is not what we were commissioned to do.
Mar 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the good news to every creature.
The so-called five-fold ministry does not bear fruits to effect lives as it should while we are sitting in spiritual Egypt. They say you need their teaching, yet they don’t realize that church is a false institution.
I was told that evangelism is a gift, so only those who have the desire to evangelize should do so. However, that is what we should be ultimately trained for. This is what the early disciples were trained for. We are all called to be evangelists.
What good is your five-fold ministry if it makes me ineffective, sitting in (false) “church” week by week, year by year? Dead in church: what good is your five-fold ministry to me?
The sad reality? As long as you are in one of these modern “churches,” you are in bondage.
Five-Fold Ministry in Egypt?
The “church” man will say, “Still, we need the five-fold ministry?” My response? This is not the age of Apostle Sha’ul when the called out assembly was the one body.
We have gone back into Egypt through the sins of our forefathers. We have been given into pagan Christianity and being in bondage to it, we therefore need to be delivered once again. To understand what I mean, please read: Let My People Go! How Christianity Now Has Israel In Bondage (New Egypt).
Jer 23:7-8 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith YAHUAH, that they shall no more say, YAHUAH liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
But, YAHUAH liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
So Yahuah has to once again deliver us from Egypt. That is why so many persons are running from church and the church leaders (Pharaohs) cannot understand. This is because they do not know they have the people in bondage in their false Greco-Roman religion which is spiritual Egypt.
Even sacred name assemblies who believe they are in truth are also spiritual Egypt if they use the church model. That is why we are told to come out of her that we be not partakers of her sins (Rev 18:4-5)! Again, to understand what I just said, you need to see this post.
Is Yahuah’s hand waxed short?
As long as we stand by his words, he stands by us and will deliver us (from Egypt and Pharaoh), and will feed us what we need.
He doesn’t want us to have anything to do with Egypt. Therefore, partaking of the false church that was given to us by the Catholics is a no-no because:
Exo_10:26 Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind (in Egypt); for thereof must we take to serve YAHUAH our Elohim; and we know not with what we must serve YAHUAH, until we come thither.
He even provided for the complaining Israelites while delivering them as seen here. Why won’t he provide for me?
Num 11:21-23 And Mosheh said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.
Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?
And YAHUAH said unto Mosheh, Is YAHUAH’S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.
So whatever we need, Yahuah will provide. His hands are not waxed short. As long as we stand by his covenant in truth, he will deliver!
That has been my experience. He has provided me with spiritual manna that has caused me to grow more rapidly than I did while sitting in “church.” He has provided prophets and teachers as needed.
Now, no one can tell me that for Yahuah to teach me, I need to go into a false church institution. That is an insult to the Father of all Ruacoth (spirits) as he delivers me from Egypt.
Five-Fold Ministry of Confusion
The original assembly in which the five-fold ministry was operational was one body. Now we have over 40,000 bodies (denominations).
So the five-fold ministry of today is based on the confusion of Babylon. It is also based on false institutions who are pushing varying versions of the false religion of Christianity.
Therefore, your church is wrong. Having a five-fold ministry within that confusion cannot make your church right. There shall not a hoof be left in Egypt. Let my people go so they can serve me!
I need an email I can communicate something’s and some questions to privately.
Lois
From Nigeria
Hi Lois. You may email us using the contact form at the bottom of our radio website https://justawordradio.com.