SBS | 1st Quarter of 2024 | CPAD Adults | Theme: THE BODY OF CHRIST - Origin, Nature and Mission of the Church in the World | Sunday Bible School | Lesson 7 - The Ministry of the Church Slides created by Celso Napoleon

1. February 18, 2024
Lesson 7
The Ministry of the Church

2. GOLDEN TEXT
“And he himself gave some to be apostles, and
some prophets, and some evangelists, and some
pastors and teachers.” (Eph 4.11)

3. PRACTICAL TRUTH
Ministerial gifts were given with the aim of
building the Church and promoting the
maturity of its members.

4. DAILY READING
Second - 1 Tim 3.1 The excellence of the ministerial calling
Tuesday - 1 Pe 2.9 The universal priesthood of all believers
Wednesday - Eph 4.11 The fivefold ministry of the Church
Thursday - Acts 6.1-7 The institution of the diaconate
Friday - 1 Tim 3.2-7 The moral qualifications of the ministry
Saturday - Tt 1.7 Qualifications of a social nature of the
ministry

5. BIBLE READING IN CLASS
Ephesians 4.11-16
11 - And he himself gave some to be apostles, and some
prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and
teachers,
12 - wanting the perfection of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edification of the body of Christ,
13 - until we all come to the unity of the faith and to the
knowledge of the Son of God, a perfect man, to the measure
of the full stature of Christ,

6. 14 - so that we no longer be children, tossed to and fro,
carried to and fro with every wind of doctrine, through
the deceit of men who deceive deceitfully in their
craftiness.
15 - Rather, following the truth in love, let us grow up
in everything into him who is the head, Christ,
16 - of which the whole body, well-adjusted and
connected by the help of all the joints, according to the
adjusted operation of each part, makes the body
increase, for its edification in love.

7. INTRODUCTION
In this lesson, we will see the ministry in its different functions
and offices, as well as the qualifications that, biblically, are
required for its exercise. Firstly, we will show that, in a biblical
way, every Christian exercises a priestly ministry that enables him
to minister before God. In this sense, there is no difference
between the member and the leadership. All are priests of God.
On the other hand, the Scriptures clearly show that God chose
certain people for specific roles and offices. These ministers called
by God have the function of serving the Church of Christ and
working to perfect the saints. KEYWORD: Ministry

8. I - THE PRIESTLY MINISTRY OF EVERY
BELIEVER
1. The Priesthood in the Old Testament. The practice of the
priesthood is very old among the Hebrews. It left the family
sphere to become a complex ceremonialist practice. Thus, the
evolution of the priesthood in the Old Covenant is as follows: (1)
in the beginning, when the need to offer sacrifices arose, the heads
of families were their own priests (Gen 4.3; Job 1.5); (2) Thus, in
the era of the patriarchs, we find the head of the family exercising
this function (Gen 12.8); (3) Israel, as a nation, was placed as a
priest for other peoples (Ex 19.6); (4) on Mount Sinai, the Lord
limited priestly practice to the family of Aaron and the tribe of
Levi (Ex 28.1; Num 3-5-9).

9. 2. A biblical doctrine confirmed in the New
Testament. The New Testament presents the
priesthood of the Old Covenant as a type of Christ
(Heb 8.1) who performed the ultimate sacrifice for
the sins of the people. Thus, no longer does one
family, tribe or nation hold the priestly system. Now,
it is the Church that constitutes the universal
priesthood of all believers (1 Pe 2.5; Ap 5.10; cf. Jer
31.34).

10. Therefore, if under the Old Covenant the priest was
a minister of worship, now, under the New
Covenant, as priests, we offer our own bodies as a
living sacrifice (Rm 12.1,2); we minister praise as the
fruit of our lips (Heb 13:15); we intercede for others
(1 Tm 2.1; Hb 10.19,20); we proclaim the virtues of
him who called us out of darkness into his
marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9); and we maintain direct
communion with God (2 Cor 13:13).

11. 3. A biblical doctrine rescued in the Protestant Reformation.
In Roman Catholicism, the priesthood is limited to the figure of
priests. There is no priestly role for church members. In this case,
the Pope is considered the vicar of Christ on Earth. Therefore, it
is worth highlighting here that the rescue of the biblical doctrine
of the universal priesthood of believers, as found in the New
Testament, was a work of the Lutheran Reformation of the 16th
century. For the German reformer, “any true Christian
participates in the benefits of Christ and the Church.” The
Reformation preached a radical return to the Scriptures, as its
slogan in Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) defined. In the pages of
the Holy Scriptures, we can see the greatness of this precious
doctrine.

12. SYNOPSIS I
The biblical doctrine of the universal
priesthood of the believer is a fact of the
New Covenant. The Church constitutes
the universal priesthood of all believers.

13. II - THE MINISTERIAL STRUCTURE OF
THE NEW TESTAMENT
1. The fivefold ministry. The text of Ephesians 4.11 says that God
has placed apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers in the
Church. This relationship is commonly described as the “fivefold
ministry” of the Church. a) Apostle. Someone sent on a mission (Mt
10.2; Lc 22.14; At 13.2). Some requirements can be highlighted for
someone to be an apostle: Having been with the Lord Jesus (Acts
1.21,22); having been a witness to the resurrection of Jesus (Acts
1:22); having seen the Lord (Acts 9.1-5); having performed signs and
wonders (2 Cor 12.1-5). Thus, in the New Testament, the apostolate
can be seen more as a function than an office.

14. b) Prophet. The prophet was someone inspired and authorized to
speak in the name of God. In this respect he was a spokesman for
God. In the New Testament, the prophet exhorted and consoled
(Acts 15:32) and brought revelation of the future (Acts 11:27-29).
However, Scripture distinguishes the ministry of a prophet from
the gift of prophecy. Thus, only some were called to be prophets
(Eph 4:11) while everyone could exercise the gift of prophecy (1
Cor 14:5,31).
c) Evangelist. He is someone whose ministry is centered on the
salvation of souls (Acts 8.5; 21.8).
d) Pastors and teachers. The pastor has the role of shepherding
(John 21:16) while the teacher has the role of teaching (Rom 12:7).

15. 2. The service of deacons and elders. The New Testament
shows how the diaconate was instituted (Acts 6.1-7). The meaning
of the Greek verb diakoneo is “to serve” and it occurs 37 times
throughout the New Testament. This meaning appears in Acts 6.2.
Likewise, the Greek noun diakonia occurs 34 times in the New
Testament text. It also appears with this meaning of “serve” in Acts
6.1. In light of the context of Acts 6, we observe that the diaconate
was a service dedicated more to the social sphere of the church. On
the other hand, presbyteros, translated as “elders,” occurs 66 times
in the Greek text of the New Testament. In Acts 14:23, the term is
used to refer to the elders who presided over the churches. This
same meaning is used by Luke in Acts 20:17, when Paul meets the
elders of Ephesus. Thus, the presbyter was someone who
supervised, presided over or performed some pastoral function.

16. SYNOPSIS II
God placed apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors and teachers in the Church.

17. III - QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE
MINISTRY
1. Qualifications of a moral nature. The apostle Paul sets
out the qualifications for ministerial exercise in his pastoral
letters (1 Tim 3-1-15; Titus 1.5-9). Here we list just a few of
them: Not attached to money, that is, not greedy (1 Tim
3.3); be blameless (1 Tim 3.2; Titus 1.6), that is, someone
who does not have any valid accusations (1 Tim 3.10),
which does not mean absence of sin, but an unblemished
personal life, above any legitimate accusation and any
scandal public.

18. 2. Qualifications of a social nature. Throughout the
pastoral letters, we also see the need for qualifications of a
social nature, such as: the aspirant to the ministry cannot
be arrogant, that is, arrogant and proud (Titus 1.7), a
person with difficult social interactions, someone who,
due to his pride, he remains obstinate in his own opinion,
he acts with stubbornness and arrogance; the aspirant also
cannot be irascible (Titus 1.7), truculent, violent, one who
has a more choleric temperament, a person who does not
think twice before acting uncontrollably against another,
disqualifying him from being a minister of the Lord.

19. 3. Qualified for the ministry. According to the
pastoral letters, we can say that there are clear
qualifications for exercising the ministry of the
Church of Christ. In this sense, ministers of the
Body of Christ have moral and social qualifications
as non-negotiable requirements for exercising their
ministry, as studied here.

20. SYNOPSIS III
There are clear qualifications for exercising
ministry in the Church of Christ.

21. CONCLUSION
In this lesson, we looked at ministry from different aspects.
We have seen that the doctrine of the universal priesthood
of believers is entirely biblical. Every believer has the
privilege of presenting himself and others before God
without the need for earthly mediators. We also saw that
God placed some in the Church to carry out certain specific
functions. These ministries must be seen as gifts from God
to the Church.

22. REVIEWING THE CONTENT
1. How does the New Testament present the Old
Covenant priesthood?
The New Testament presents the priesthood of the
Old Covenant as a type of Christ (Heb 8.1) who
performed the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the
people.
2. What historical movement rescued the biblical
doctrine of the universal priesthood of all believers?
It was a work of the 16th century Lutheran
Reformation.

23. 3. Name the five ministries of Ephesians 4:11.
The text of Ephesians 4.11 says that God has placed apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers in the Church.
4. According to the lesson, what is the distinction between the
ministry of Prophet and the gift of prophecy?
Scripture distinguishes the ministry of a prophet from the gift of
prophecy. Thus, only some were called to be prophets (Eph 4.11)
while everyone could exercise the gift of prophecy (1 Cor 14.5,31).
5. What are the nature of ministerial qualifications?
There are two: qualifications of a moral nature and qualifications
of a social nature.

24. REFERENCES
CPAD. O CORPO DE CRISTO - Origem, Natureza e Missão da Igreja
no Mundo. Rio de Janeiro: Casa Publicadora das Assembleias de Deus
(CPAD), 2024. (Lições Bíblicas, Adultos CPAD).
SOCIEDADE BÍBLICA DO BRASIL (org.). Bíblia De Estudo Plenitude
Revista E Atualizada. Barueri, SP: SBB, 2005.

25. Slides created by Celso Napoleon
SBS | 1st Quarter of 2024 | CPAD Adults | Theme: THE
BODY OF CHRIST - Origin, Nature and Mission of the
Church in the World | Sunday Bible School | Lesson 7 - The
Ministry of the Church

26. LESSONS:
Lesson 1- The Origin of the church
Lesson 2 - Biblical Images of the Church
Lesson 3 - The Nature of the Church
Lesson 4 - The Church and the Kingdom of God
Lesson 5 - The Mission of the Church of Christ
Lesson 6 - Church: Organism and Organization
Lesson 7 - The Ministry of the Church
Lesson 8 - Discipline in the Church
Lesson 9 - Baptism – The First Ordinance of the Church
Lesson 10 - The Lord's Supper – The Second Ordinance of the Church
Lesson 11 - The Worship of the Christian Church
Lesson 12 - The Role of Preaching in Worship
Lesson 13 - The Power of God in the Mission of the Church