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We are continuing our serialization of a small book regarding spiritual gifts and callings. The book was written by a British-Israel minister, Rev. Rupert Thomas, in 1938—just a year before the outbreak of the second world war.
We have not edited the material except for style—such as breaking up large paragraphs for legibility purposes on the two-inch screens of our modern electronic devices.
We have left the English spellings as is, such as in the word “recognise,” as opposed to the correct spelling of “recognize.” (A touch of humor there to tease our dear friends across the pond.) The boldface and underlined portions indicate my emphases. Likewise, all comments in [brackets] are mine. However, italics are by the author.
QUOTE: Chapter 6: The Gifts Enumerated and Explained
Recognizing that each and all of the gifts are not gifts naturally acquired, but supernaturally bestowed, let us consider the several gifts independently.
Returning to Ephesians 4, we find an enumeration of the several gifts of office. Too much emphasis cannot be laid upon the fact that these offices are as much manifestations of the supernatural power and working of the Holy Spirit as any one of the gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12.
God has “chosen the things that are not, to put to nought the things that are”.
He has not necessarily chosen men who possess by natural acquirement those qualifications deemed to equip them for the various administrative offices in the Church. It is in this respect that the contrast between God’s ways and man’s is most marked.
For we consider first what we call “natural” qualifications: administrative ability, scholarship, mental equipment. These, rather than spiritual qualifications, are set in the first place. Nor is it too much to say that the bane of the Church as well as of the Nation is this very inversion of values.
“Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit saith Jehovah of Hosts.”
The Church is a supernatural organism, and its administration should be directed by men who are spiritually or supernaturally endowed by God for that purpose.
Unlearned fishermen of Galilee had not, necessarily, in themselves, those natural endowments which make for leadership. But they were called to be Apostles.
Even Paul, the well trained and educated, readjusted everything that social position and education had given to him to the new values, and relied entirely and absolutely upon the supernatural operations of the Spirit of God to manifest his apostleship.
“Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more. Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee: concerning zeal, persecuting the Church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” Philippians 3: 4-8.
This is not to put a premium upon illiteracy and ignorance or to despise the advantage of true scholarship, but is in order that we may grasp divine values and estimate everything by the Divine valuation.
It would seem, from a consideration of the various references to the office of Apostle that, at first, there were twelve Apostles who might be termed the “foundation Apostles” upon whom, together with Christ as the Chief Corner-stone, the Church has been built.
“And are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Corner-stone.” Ephesians 2: 20.
The Apostles, as also the prophets, worked for the declaration of the purposes of God. (Vide Luke 11: 49.) They went forth, overseas or to distant parts, to found churches, and were able to display credentials of their office (vide 2 Corinthians 12: 12), given by the operation of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost.
They were peculiarly the Apostles of the people to whom they went, and were the means, under God, of forming the local Churches (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:1). They are first in the list of appointed offices of the Church, and obviously in the recorded New Testament history of the Church were first in their responsibilities to the Church.
On the principle that the greater includes the lesser, it is suggested that apostleship necessarily held also the gifts necessary to perform the offices of prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. That their work as Apostles could not have been properly performed without this, becomes obvious after a little thought and a consideration of the apostolic journeys.
It is possible that there were also Apostles of Churches, as Andronicus and Junia. Romans 16:7.
Generally, it would seem that we have the foundation Apostles continuing with us in the New Testament writings, and they are the only Apostles to which the Church has a right to appeal for authority.
It may be argued that there are those who to-day fulfil apostolic labour. This is true, but they are recognized as in a different category in the New Testament, as will be seen later. The sphere, activity and responsibility of an Apostle is unlimited and universal in the Church.
Their authority is and should be final, and to none dare we give such position but to the foundation Apostles upon which the Church is built. Ephesians 2:19-21. These we have with us in the Scriptures of Truth, and therein is the revelation for all the time of the earthly pilgrimage of the Church and, out from these writings of the Chief Corner-stone and His Apostles and Prophets, will be drawn all that is necessary for the guidance and edification of the Church.
b) The Prophet
*“He* gave some . . . prophets.” Ephesians 4:11.
“God hath set in the church . . . prophets.” 1 Corinthians 12: 28.
Revelation has its value in the fact that it possesses knowledge which has not been and could not be acquired by human research. It is knowledge revealed by a higher power.
Prophecy is constituted in the fact that it gives forth that which has been supernaturally revealed, whether it be for “edification, exhortation, comfort” or the forecasting of things yet to be. He who has the office of prophet is nevertheless different in position, if not in practice, from one possessing the gift of prophecy, with which we shall deal later.
While, under the unction of the Spirit, any one member of the Church may be moved to utter prophecy through the gift of prophecy, he who possesses the office of prophet will be recognised as such, as distinctly as the one possessing the office of Apostle. The prophet would be as definitely exercising the gift, as ever the Old Testament prophets exercised it.
The use of the term “prophet” in classical Greek came to mean an interpreter of the gods or one who, in the name of the gods, gave an interpretation or exposition of the purposes of the gods. Later, it came to mean one who foretold events, expounded publicly, or preached, foretelling and forthtelling.
That these men were distinct in office is seen for example in Acts 11: 27-28, and the aspect of the foretelling is exemplified. The same thing is true in Acts 13, where, from certain prophets, two were called and promoted to the greater gift of office of Apostle. They were called and promoted by the operation of the supernatural gifts through their brethren.
It would seem that a prophet was not necessarily limited to one church, but possibly worked in co-operation with an Apostle in his apostolic journeys. That the exercise of this or any other office may have depended, as to its extent, upon the proportion of faith in the individual, is suggested by Romans 12.
As one of the foundation gifts (Ephesians 2:20) the declarations of the apostolic prophets were given for all time to the Church, and further revelation concerning the purposes of God, such as these men had, will not be repeated. They are contained in the Scriptures. The office of prophet like that of Apostle ceased in the foundation of the Church.
Only through the gift of prophecy is revelation possible; then only as it affects local conditions. Romans 16: 25; Ephesians 3: 5; Acts 13:1; 1 Corinthians 13: 2.
(c) The Evangelist
“And He gave some . . . evangelists”.
The bringer of glad tidings! This is the simpler and more literal rendering of the word. The term occurs only three times in the New Testament. Even so, in the places where it does occur, far more is suggested as contained in the office of Evangelist than the orthodox use of the term would imply.
Orthodoxy understands an Evangelist to be a preacher of the Gospel: one who can give the simple milk of the Word in order to convert people. So an orthodox Evangelist is deemed successful in proportion to the number of conversions resulting from his ministry.
We have seen in regard to the Apostle that he is a pioneer preacher of the Gospel, and that he became an Apostle both by reason of the office bestowed and by reason of having pioneered the territory concerned. But the Apostle did not merely preach the Gospel.
He established churches. It fell to the Apostle to pastor and teach as well as evangelise. He had to appoint overseeing elders and deacons, as well as bring the local church into being.
Now the Apostle’s work was universal and, without suggesting that it is a fact beyond argument, an Evangelist is meant to be exactly what an Apostle was, only that an Evangelist has geographical limitations to his sphere and responsibility.
We have noted that we have but three instances of the use of this term “Evangelist”. The first of these is in Acts 8 and refers to Philip the Evangelist. The second is the occurrence in Ephesians 4, and the third and last is found in 2 Timothy 4: 5.
It is from this last passage we understand the work of an Evangelist. It would seem that Timothy, residing at Ephesus, was more or less responsible for the seven churches in Asia. It was the responsibility of Timothy not to neglect the gift which had been given to him, and to ordain elders and deacons, concerning himself with the spiritual progress of the churches over which he ordained these men, doing thereby the work of an Evangelist.
How could Timothy fulfil the work that was placed upon his youthful shoulders apart from, first of all, a supernatural gift, and secondly, the gift which gave to him considerably more authority and responsibility than orthodoxy gives to-day to those styled Evangelists, or any others seeking to fulfil the same tasks under other titles?
Again, on the principle that the less is included in the greater, it is not too much to say that while an Evangelist is less than an Apostle, or prophet, he is nevertheless more than a pastor or teacher, and includes these gifts in his office.
That he is relatively greater than an elder, one who rules well and takes care of a Church of God, one that labours in the word and doctrine, or a deacon, is obvious, in that it is in his authority to appoint such. By the authority of the gift of Evangelist, he has an apostolic labour that does not limit him to one church, but does limit him to the district of the churches over which he has been given charge.
(d) The Pastor and the Teacher
A pastor is essentially one who guards, protects and feeds the flock of God. He should be supernaturally equipped for this purpose, and a shepherd, who would lead his flock continually into pastures that will satisfy the needs of the flock, must of necessity be able to teach.
He must know how rightly to divide the word of truth, expound the Scriptures, as well as to exhort. He should be able to unfold the whole Book and every aspect of truth, whether experimental, doctrinal or dispensational.
No indication is found in the Bible that those possessing these gifts are at all limited to a local church. It would seem that the local government of any local church should be in the hands of elders among whom there may be those who minister the word.
The only two offices which are not included in Paul’s list here are those for which the Holy Spirit has given the most careful and elaborate set of qualifications to guide human selection (1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1), and they are the offices of elder and deacon. Among these qualifications it may be said that aptness to teach is included, and the manner in which this aptness has been gained is shown in the corresponding passage of Titus 1: 9, where he is described as holding fast the faithful word:
“as he hath been taught.”
The responsibility of the elder or overseer, whichever of these Biblical names is used, begins when that of the pastor and teacher, supernaturally gifted, has ended. Any possessing the lots of pastor and teacher, automatically holds the office of elder.
Their supernatural gift, however, carries them further in position and possibility of usefulness, so that while the elder’s responsibility is to rule well, teach what he has been taught, and exhort accordingly, the responsibility of the pastor and teacher under the moving of the Spirit, through the supernatural gift, is to do for the whole Church, elders and deacons included, what the elders cannot do. END QUOTE
(To be continued)
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