Four-Fold Ministry

Duane Gallentine

When a true Bible student is asked, "From where or from whom do you get your doctrine?" He will quickly respond with a bold affirmation that the Bible, the written Word of God contained in 66 books, is his final authority in his life. Such a wonderful advantage today's Bible student has over believers that lived in times past during any other dispensation. This wonderful advantage, all 66 books of the Holy Scriptures, is stated in 2Timothy 3:16-17 to provide a four-fold ministry in the life of the man of God. Those verses state:

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

Without much thought today's Bible student hardly recognize that before all 66 books of the Bible were given members of the One Body of Christ received their doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness (rightness of living) from men that God ordained with power and authority (see 2Corinthians 10:8; 13:10 and consider Paul and his co-laborers such as Titus, Timothy, and Epaphroditus).

Let us consider a specific aspect of this for the church of this present Dispensation of Grace, the Body of Christ. In this present Dispensation, Jesus Christ is the Head of the One Body, the New Creation. To make this mystery position known, God committed unto Paul's trust a divine office of authority/power. As God's Apostle of and to the Gentiles for the Dispensation of the Grace of God, Paul was given the signs of an apostle manifesting among men wonders, mighty deeds, and signs (Romans 11:13; Acts 20:24; Ephesians 3:1-4; 2Corinthians 12:12). Paul was not behind the very chiefest apostles, laboring more abundantly than they did (1 Corinthians 15:10; 2Corinthians 12:11) There were no other humans who had this office (Romans 11:13) though there were other Body apostles (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11).

Just like Moses, who was the first and only one that possessed the pattern of the tabernacle which was showed unto him in the mount and delivered the Law unto the Circumcised, Paul was the first and only one God entrusted, by direct revelation of Jesus Christ, "the form of sound words" and delivered the sound doctrinal issues of the Mystery in the Dispensation of the Grace of God unto the Gentiles or Uncircumcised (Titus 1:3; 1Timothy 1:11). Paul received "the form of sound words" through visions and revelations of the Lord (Acts 9:16; 18:9; 26:16; Galatians 1:11,12; 2Corinthians 12:1,7; Ephesians 3:3; Colossians 1:25). All the other body 'gifts' God gave unto men (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, etc.) received this through illumination as they were taught by the Holy Spirit through Paul's ministry. Subsequently, these ministers of God taught the same things with the Spirit of God confirming the issues of this Mystery Revelation (Ephesians 3:1-5; 1 Corinthians 1:10; 2:13; 14:26-37; 1Timothy 1:3; 2Timothy 2:2).

As God's authority and power was personified in Moses at the beginning of the Dispensation of Law, likewise God's authority and power was personified in Paul at the beginning of the Dispensation of the Grace of God. As the sign gift ministry failed, ceased, and vanished with the close of the Acts period; and with Paul and the other 'gifts' that God gave to men having died; and God not giving others or continuing to give other 'gifts', was/is God left without an authoritative voice? Is there a power/authority that speaks for God today which delivers doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness? Yes, there still is an authority that speaks. But just like it was in Paul's day when the lost, and sadly the saved, spoke against God's design in the edification process in using Paul (2Corinthians 13:3; Galatians 4:16; Romans 3:8) and the other 'gifts', the same ill-will is demonstrated towards that which replaced them.

As we look at Paul's ministry as well as the ministry of the other ordained men of God, we find that their ministries were to provide a four-fold effect. These men were to provide doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. Remember, that at this time there was no complete Bible. With the passing away of these "gifts unto men" God replaced them with His completed Word of Truth so that their ministry is carried on. We, rightly dividing Bereans (Acts 17:10,11), say we follow Paul as he followed the Lord according to the Mystery revelation and we do so by studying the Pauline Epistles.

Part of God's design in the edification process was to have Paul complete the Word of Truth through the hidden wisdom of God which he received of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 2:7). It is called the MYSTERY. It was/is, "...the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the MYSTERY, which was kept secret since the world began,..." that fulfilled the Word of God (Ephesians 3:1-3; Colossians 1:25,26). This completed Word of God was known as Scriptures (2Timothy 3:16).

When you read 2Timothy 3:16,17 you can see that the written Word of God now gives that same four-fold ministry of the gifted men. The "gifts unto men" have been replaced with Scriptures that do the very same thing. God's design was to replace Paul's ministry as well as the ministry of the other ordained men of God with Scriptures that provide doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. With the Epistle of Second Timothy being the last book in the Bible to be written while Paul was near his execution, God had used Spiritually gifted men to give, collect, collate, and copy all that is Scripture. God's design was to have all Scripture resident within the Body of Christ before Paul died, with his Second Epistle to Timothy concluding the deposit of Truth.

The Body of Christ was/is to be the place where God's Word of Truth could be found. The Body of Christ, the church of the living God, was/is the pillar and the ground of the truth (1Timothy 3:15). The Body of Christ was/is the depository of the completed Word of Truth. It has sixty-six books of Scripture found in a one-volume book. These are the Writings that God breathed. Scripture now gives the doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness (2Timothy 3:16,17; Romans 16:25,26; 1 Corinthians 14:37; Colossians 4:16).

Since the death of Paul the apostle, God's edifying process has been through Scriptures; NOT a man as a gift or even especially gifted men for ministry, for this false tradition of men is not stated in 2Timothy 3:16 as the means of edification. Through the Word of Truth found in a BOOK studied "rightly divided", we grow up IN CHRIST and become workmen of God fit for the Master's use having been prepared unto every good work by all Scripture (Ephesians 4:15; 2Timothy 2:15, 21).

Today concerning the pastorate, faithful men that desire the office of a bishop, doing the work of a pastor, are to rule well, being counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in word and doctrine (1Timothy 3:1; 5:17). Truly the supernatural gifted leaders at the dawn of the Dispensation of Grace have past away being replaced with the full, complete Word of God and men who willingly give themselves to that desire for fulfilling the office of a bishop making full proof of the ministry.