Ephesians 4:11-16

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[c] and teachers,[d] 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,[e] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Acts 1:20-26

 20 “For it is written in the Book of Psalms,

“‘May his camp become desolate,
    and let there be no one to dwell in it’;

and

“‘Let another take his office.’

21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Revelation 21:24

And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Office of Apostle- Defined as one who was with the Jesus from His baptism onward to His ressurection.

Gift of Apostleship- Starting new ministry to a new people

Others listed among Apostles: The word apostolos is used with the english word sent out

James the brother of Jesus

Sylvanus

Barnabus

Timothy

Epathroditus

Ephesians 2:19-22

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,[d] but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:19-22

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,[d] but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Deuteronomy 18:22

 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.

Acts 2:16-18

16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

1 Thessalonians 5:20-21

“Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.

1 Corinthians 14:29

“Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.”

Jeremiah 3:15

15 “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Office of Prophet- Defined as one who direclty speaks for God

Gift of Prophecy- Correcting wickedness, discerning truth, fortelling of divine events

1 Peter 5:1-5

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,[a] not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;[b] not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

1 Peter 5:1-5

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,[a] not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;[b] not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Office of Elder- Defined as one who teaches, directs, and guides the local congregation

Gift of Pastoring- Gives leadership, helps build community, cares for others

James 3:1

3 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness

Galatians 6:6

6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.

Titus 2:7-8

7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

Office of Teacher- Defined as one who is appointed to teach proper doctrine and biblical information to the local church.

Gift of Teaching- The spirit enabling the sharing of biblical or spiritual truths regardless of position

Office of Evangelist- Defined as one who is preaches in the public space to draw people to saving knowledge of Jesus

We are all called to fulfill the great commision and be evangelist.

    1. Do you have any questions or thoughts from this lesson?

    2. Would stood out to you most?

    3. Why is the discussion about office vs gift important?


    4. What is the ultimate goal of the offices listed as well as the gifts of the Holy Spirit?


    5. What does it mean for the body to grow to maturity and unity?


    6. How can we practically live this lesson out?


    1. How was your emotional and physical health this week?

    2. What is a serious stressor in your life?

    3. How has your personal time with God been this week?

    4. Would you like to share your personal temptations and how can we help you overcome them?

    5. Is there anything that we need to discuss that we have not already?

    6. How can we pray for each other this week?

    Pray for one another, invite each person to pray even if it is just a few sentences.