And he gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelist; and some, pastors, and teachers (KJV).

Ephesians 4:11

I want to make clear today the differences between these five ministries and how to distinguish them from each other. I know there are many people that don’t believe there are apostles or prophets anymore only that the other three ministries are still in action. This is because they don’t understand what the difference is. Now, all five are still being used and served today, as long as you believe the word of God. I think today’s generation finds it hard to believe because we have experienced so many false prophets and so-called teachers of God, but this does not mean that because you have seen or heard a lot of false apostles or prophets that they do not exist.

Many will say that to be an apostle, you must be given authority by God and be sent forth, and because of this, there are no more apostles today. Some will say that you must have seen Jesus with your own eyes to be an apostle but even in the Bible, we have examples of people that did not see Him and were still apostles (e.g. Paul, Silas, Timothy, and others). The problem with this is that if God has not given you the authority to be a pastor, evangelist, teacher, apostle, or prophet, then what are you doing in that position? Here is the thing: if God has called you to play an instrument for His glory and sing unto Him, then He has called you and sent you for that purpose and given you the authority to do it as well. He has sent you. The same thing is applicable for this five-fold ministry.

On the other hand, if you don’t believe this then you must ask yourself why you are a pastor or teacher or evangelist because if He hasn’t given you this authority and has not sent you forth for this purpose, this means you will damage the kingdom of God, for He did not give you the authority to do that work or the calling and the understanding you need, including wisdom and knowledge, to do what is necessary. God can call you to be a pastor, teacher, evangelist, prophet, or apostle, but apostles and prophets are sent by God and He gives you the authority. It is rare to find apostles or prophets today because most people do not live according to the Word of God and have not built their relationship with God enough to perform those ministries because it is much responsibility and a heavy burden.

It’s like telling someone, “Don’t mess with stocks because it’s a scam.” Maybe every single person you talked to and even your own experience says it is a scam, but there are many people that understand the system and live off stocks, even though they may have less experience, which makes the scam statement untrue. When your car breaks down, you take it to a mechanic but maybe you’ve had a bad mechanic in the past and you’re tired of bringing your car to them because they’re not good or honest, and there are many of them, but does this mean that there aren’t truly good and honest mechanics? Of course, there are. It is just rare and hard for the true ones to be found like the game “Find Waldo”. It’s not that he’s not there, it’s just harder to find the true one among so many ‘false’ ones.  

Apostles (Govern) – (Usually goes outside of local area or community)

• Matthew 10
• Acts 1 and 2
• Acts 14:14-15 – Apostle Paul and Barnabas
• 1 Thessalonians 2:1-6 Silas and Timothy
• Galatians 1:18-19 – James
• Ephesians 2:20-22 – And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.
• Romans 1:1-6 – Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

Put simply, the word apostle means “being sent forth” (messenger). We see in Matthew 10 how Jesus sent His disciples out to go and spread the good news. In this passage, He speaks also about the dangers of what will come if you do so. An apostle is a ‘pioneer’ or ‘developer’ or even a creator for God’s Kingdom to be built up where there are no men of God. You could also say that they are the spearhead that goes forth with authority from God, to go and break through the existing strongholds of the devil where there is no God known, and to build a work for God through the Holy Spirit for the glory of God.

In Ephesians 2, it is written that a place that does not build their foundation with the impartation or ministry of an apostle and prophets, and the cornerstone as Jesus Christ, will many times be faulty or built on a false foundation and this type of foundation will not last or stand the test of time. Meaning it will not last, and even if does last, it will not stay true to the doctrine of God. An apostle will build on what Christ taught through the Holy Spirit. They will reveal the wall that has blinded the unbelievers from the true Gospel and signs, wonders, and miracles will happen, for God will work and demonstrate His powers.

Overall, an apostle’s duty is to lay a true foundation with true doctrinal and spiritual structure for the rest to be able build on. This is also why the Bible exists. At the same time, we must realize that the Holy Spirit is given for us to understand and to teach us the truth, and to also testify of Christ, among the many other reasons it was given. When someone goes to a new region or area in the world that does not know the Word of God, an apostle is someone that will use the gifts given through the Holy Spirit and build a new church with the Word of God and for God, working among themselves until new disciples are formed, others are able to become mature disciples in Christ to take over and build a strong and stable congregation (church).

What we need to realize is that God does send people forth and He empowers them and gives them the authority for what they need to do. Just as He does with pastors, teachers, and evangelists. We need to understand, yes, they are out there, but there are few just as in the time after Jesus. They exist, but there are so many false ones out there that many have come to believe that they do not exist. There are many false teachers out there and pastors too, but this does not mean that there are not real ones, allowing God to work to His fullest extent, using the ministry that He has left behind to grow His kingdom through the work of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These five ministries allow us to be fully equipped against the kingdom of the devil. 

To sum, an apostle works by:

• Advancing the Kingdom of God in winning territory for God (through the Holy Spirit with the Gifts);
• Going outside local areas to hard-to-reach areas;
• Wanting to start new churches with new people for God in an area other than their own locality;
• Going forth, to do the will of God as He commands, even if it means to go by themselves and against all odds.

Prophets

• Jeremiah 1:4-5 – Then the word of the Lord came unto me saying, ^“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
• Jeremiah 1:9-10 – Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

I choose these two verses to show the specifics of what a prophet does. First, prophet in Greek means “spokesman;” this spokesman is a person that speaks on behalf of God and they speak the words that the Lord God puts in their mouth. Jerimiah 1:9-10 speaks about God sending a prophet over nations and kingdoms to “root out,” to “pull down,” “to destroy,” “to throw down,” and “to build and to plant”.   

This is the purpose, or duty, of a prophet, and because of this many people today fear being, or do not want to be, a prophet. Before you can make actual change and build and/or plant what is good and pure in front of God, the prophet must first root out what has been resisting change, what is wrong, They must first expose false doctrine, false teachers, and false pastors. A prophet must bring to light what is not of God, what is hindering the people to grow in Christ, what is in the dark, what is covered and not visible.

After they root it out and put it into the light, the prophet will then need to pull it down, meaning getting rid of it, breaking it, demolishing it so it no longer exists. The “pulling down” is the process of removing what is hindering and/or blocking the children of God from moving forward in the will and/or purpose of God. Furthermore, after it has been rooted out and pulled down, the prophet will be able to destroy it, make it perish (this type of mindset, chain, stronghold, bondage), and throw it away – for others to understand why it was wrong and freeing the people of God again, allowing the door to be open for reconnecting with God.

Once this happens, the man of God can now plant and build what is right in front of God. The reason this needs to happen is because God’s wisdom can not be built on man’s wisdom or knowledge of what is good or their religious perspectives, theories, philosophies, or concepts and expect it to last or prosper. God builds on His perspective, His Foundation, and His view. After this God can plant and build His way, God’s truth, what is right in the eyes of God. Because of this though, the life of a prophet is tough and lonely and criticized much for there are many false prophets and so even the true prophet is hated by many and ostracized.

A prophet in simple terms can be said is:

• The mouth of God speaking through them;
• Someone that roots out, pulls down, tears down, destroys, plants, and builds in the will of God;
• Someone that can bring edification, exhortation and encouragement.

Evangelist

• 2 Timothy 4:5 – And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
• Acts 21:8 – And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.
• Mark 16:15 – And he said unto them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

An Evangelist is someone that goes forth and seeks to convert people to Christ (“preacher of the gospel”, “bringer of good news”). As it states, the message of a true evangelist is preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ towards the goal of salvation. Because of this, he or she must also understand and know the Word of God just as a prophet and an apostle must. In a way, an evangelist is an outreach ministry as well, to go and evangelize to the world the good news. They have a passion for winning people for our savior.  

To do the work of an evangelist you must be willing to go into the world and call people to God. In Acts, we see that Paul and his company departed and they went to the house of Philip which was an evangelist there, and it says that the four daughters prophesied as well, which means they had the gift. As you can see, the apostles were also evangelists, they went and spread the good news everywhere, in local areas and much further.

You can define an evangelist as being a recruiter for God. An evangelist, most of the time, stays attached and connected to the local churches/communities that he/she is sponsored by. They will tell all people about Jesus, especially people they don’t know. They will encourage people to come to church events, meetings, and services, get together. They usually will know what is happening in the local churches and will know how to communicate with the representatives of those churches. They will spend most of their time speaking with others that don’t know the good news of Jesus, for their passion for Jesus Christ burns to spread the Gospel. Many times, they are not about starting more churches, but they are there to grow the existing churches with more new believers in Jesus Christ the Son of God.

An evangelist can be put in simple terms as being:

• A Recruiter for God;
• Someone that knows the Gospel well;
• Connected with the local churches;
• Outgoing for the kingdom of God.

Pastors

• Acts 20:28 – Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,^[a] which he bought with his own blood.
• 1 Peter 5:2-3 –  Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
• Titus 1:7-9 – Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
• Proverbs 27:23 – Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.
• Jeremiah 3:15 – Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.

The word ‘pastor’ in Greek is translated as shepherd, protector, ruler over a flock of men. A pastor is someone that stays with his flock. A pastor is one of the few positions that we are, more or less, acquainted with. A pastor is responsible for taking care of his flock in every way, which comes with many responsibilities.

In Acts 20, it says “to keep watch,” meaning you must observe your flock to make sure it is safe, that it is on the right path, that it is doing what God has called them to do. You continuously observe to make sure they are not stumbling or going off the path. One Peter says that under your care as a pastor, you must care for them, take care of them and be there when they stumble or go off the path. A pastor must know the condition his flock is in, as it states in Proverbs 27.

It goes further, saying that a pastor must be honest, eager to serve God, without boasting or being prideful of the position God has put him in, and he must lead by the example that he lives. Titus 1 uses the word ‘manager,’ someone that supervises all that is happening with his flock. He must be blameless, without arrogance, able to control his temper, and not be a drunk. He must be welcoming with love and have control, holy, and (one very important thing) be a disciple.

A pastor must stay firm in the truth no matter how much it displeases the congregation or others around them. They must stay firm in what God has shown and said in the Word of God. He must disprove and refute what is wrong. Jeremiah three gives information, that if followed, God will give a shepherd after His own heart to His people and this shepherd will lead the flock with knowledge and understanding.

In simple terms, a Pastor:

• Leads the flock to the path of righteousness;
• oversees the flock that God has given him;
• stays usually in one location;
• and he leads his flock in truth and with what God has left behind in truth, blameless, and with love.

Teachers

• Matthew 10:24 – The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
• Matthew 22:36 – Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
• Luke 18:18 – And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
• James 3:1 – My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
• Matthew 22:16 – And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.

The word ‘teacher’ in Greek is also the term for master, instructor, or even rabbi. A teacher is a person that knows how to handle a situation, someone that can speak what must be done in a situation. When we look in the Word of God, we see that many places when the word ‘teacher’ or ‘master’ comes up it was during a time of confusion or misunderstanding. This was a time when people were not sure what to do in their current situation and because of this, they would go to a rabbi, master, or teacher to get an answer.

            In Matthew, we see the word ‘master’ comes up and the question that follows about which is the greatest commandment in the Law. In Luke 18:18, it speaks about a ruler that asked the Master what he should do to inherit the eternal life. As we see here in these passages, a teacher is someone that is able to give answers to people looking for them. In Matthew 22, we see that the Master is true, and he teaches the way of God in truth. And that He does not care what man says and He does not regard it either.

A teacher is a task of great responsibility that is why in James three it is written that many do not wish to be master/teachers for they will receive greater condemnation, meaning greater judgment, for what they teach. For the reason written in Matthew 22, what we teach must be true and with what God has spoken, we must teach truth no matter what. We must not care for what man says if he is displeased or angry or frustrated with what is being said, for if the teacher teaches truth, it is the truth of God and not man.

I hear many teachers sometimes say, “I am sorry if I have offended or hurt someone’s feeling with what I have said,” but the problem with this is that if what we teach is from the Word of God, why are you sorry? They are sorry because it is no longer truth that they are teaching, but it is from themselves.

            We must realize that being a teacher is an enormous task; a task that must be done with truth and honesty in front of God. A teacher should realize that if they are going to be judged with greater condemnation in front of God for teaching, they must also then understand that they should teach according to the Word of God and not what man wants or desires. Let us not please others in what we speak or teach just to make them feel good in their sins.

To sum, a teacher:

• Teaches the truth of God to others;
• has the mind of Christ to teach with understanding and wisdom given to him;
• has the ability to communicate;
• and educates, trains, and builds the people of God in the Word towards creating new disciples.