The Five-Fold Ministry Gifts: Understanding the Gifts of Christ in Light of God's Purpose

Why does the Lord appoint apostles prophets evangelists pastors and teachers to the church? Ephesians 4:12 says they are bestowed for the perfecting of the saints the work of the ministry and to edify the body of Christ. However these three objectives are best understood in the context of Gods purpose. His purpose provides the why for understanding the five-fold ministry gifts or the gifts of Christ. From before the foundation of the world the Father predetermined spiritual blessings in Christ for all humanity. In essence His purpose is one of unity. The blessings outlined in Ephesians Chapter 1 says that He chose humanity to be His sons who would share His very nature and be like Him. In short the Fathers simply wanted a family born of His nature who would reflect His character and on whom He could bestow an eternal inheritance. Therefore the gifts of Christ exist in accordance with this purpose. Indeed each gift has individual responsibilities but collectively they serve to bring the entire body of Christ into maturity--a unified body that manifests the Fathers glory or character. The gifts exist to fulfill the purpose that the Father predetermined from before the foundation of the world. This book discusses all these elements in detail and brings the Fathers purpose for the church into perspective in relation to the gifts.