“Every one marches in his own column, though they lunge between the weapons, they are not cut down.” (Joel 2:8, NKJV)
In this teaching we want to further discuss the five-fold ministry, and explain it in typological terms.
Firstly: how does the five-fold ministry function? Joel 2:7-9 is the most apt prophetic view thereof: “They run like mighty men, they climb the wall like men of war; every one marches in formation, and they do not break ranks. They do not push one another; every one marches in his own column. Though they lunge between the weapons, they are not cut down. They run to and fro in the city, they run on the wall; they climb into the houses, they enter at the windows like a thief.”
Every believer is thus not necessarily automatically in one of the positions of the five-fold ministry. The believer needs to firstly progress through the first and second dimension. When he lays down his life and functions in his calling, “fulfilling the purposes of God for your generation” (Acts 13:22), he must be part of the five-fold ministry. Every calling has a mantle, and the mantle must – like that of Samuel – be continually altered as his spiritual authority becomes manifest (1 Sam 2:19). Within an apostolic house – where apostles and prophets have laid the foundations (Eph 2:20) – the church members are raised in the five-fold ministry. They are thus apostles-in-training, prophets-in-training, teachers-in-training, etc.
There are various typologies of the five-fold ministry:
- the five stones in David’s hand in his battle against Goliath (1 Sam 17:40);
- the four river in the Garden of Eden that became one (from apostleship the four other gifts originate) (Gen 2:10-14); and
- the five pillars in the tabernacle (Ex 26:37). In fact, the number 5 is the dominant number in the tabernacle and temple.
A last beautiful example of an Old Testament typology of the five-fold ministry is to be found in Gen 15:9-10. God speaks to Abraham and asks that he brings the following sacrifices:
- a three-year-old heifer apostle
- and a three-year-old female goat shepherd
- and a three-year-old ram prophet\
- and a turtle dove teacher
- and a pigeon evangelist
In the next teaching we will look at the demonic counters of the five-fold ministry.
- Selah: Research and interpret at least one of the typologies of the five-fold ministry.
- Read: Jer 4-6
- Examine how this has been fulfilled: Jer 6:16 (What are the “old roads” spoken of here?)
