Heaven's Point of View

Doma Gifts Pt. 1

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Hal Steenson (Host)

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Series Code: HPOV

Program Code: HPOV000012


00:01 Hello, I'm
00:03 I'd like to welcome you and also invite you
00:04 to join us today on Heaven's Point of View.
00:06 On our previous programs we finished studying the
00:09 9 charisma gifts of the Holy Spirit.
00:11 Those gifts were given to protect the church by moving
00:14 into the authority of the believer.
00:16 On today's program, we'll begin an overview of the 5 doma gifts
00:21 given by Jesus for the perfection of the church.
00:25 These gifts are the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors,
00:29 and teachers. Today we are starting
00:32 with the gift of the apostle.
00:34 So I encourage you to get your Bibles, follow along with us,
00:39 and we'll take a look at the five-fold ministry gifts
00:43 from Heaven's Point of View.
01:06 You know, many people, laity, ministry, don't realize
01:10 that the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the gifts in the
01:13 Book of Ephesians are actually two completely different types
01:17 of gifts. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are charisma gifts
01:20 while the gifts in Ephesians are doma gifts.
01:24 Now, charisma means
01:37 Now, what that is saying is that this is something that is
01:40 given by the Holy Spirit that you cannot earn and you
01:43 cannot learn this gift. It is given as He so desires.
01:48 Now the second gift that we will be looking at is the doma gift.
02:03 Moreso than what this gift does is what this gift is
02:08 and who you are. Not just what you can do,
02:11 but who you actually are. Now, let's look at our
02:15 foundational scripture for this teaching today.
02:17 Ephesians 4:8-13 says:
02:21 "Whereas he sayeth when He ascended [now get this]
02:24 when He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive
02:27 and He gave gifts unto men. " In verse 8 it is clear that the
02:33 gifts given there are given by Jesus not the Holy Spirit.
02:36 He gave these gifts to men, and He gave them at His ascension.
02:41 These ascension gifts had not, HAD NOT
02:46 been in existence at any time before this endowment.
02:50 Please keep in mind that the Old Testament prophet
02:53 and the New Testament prophet came into being from two
02:57 completely different sources. The Old Testament prophets
03:01 were ordained by God - while the New Testament prophet gift
03:05 was given by Jesus at His ascension.
03:09 Now, verse 9 says: "That He ascended, what is it but that He
03:13 also descended first into the lower parts of the earth.
03:17 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above
03:21 all heavens that he might fill all things. "
03:24 Verse 11 key verse:
03:33 Why? For the perfecting of the saints for the work
03:36 of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ.
03:40 See, there has been some confusion through the years
03:42 about the statement in verse 9 saying
03:44 "for the work of the ministry. " This is not saying that these
03:48 gifts were given in order to do the work of the ministry.
03:51 A clear understanding can be taken from a literal translation
03:55 of this verse. The Amplified Bible is a literal translation
03:59 with amplification. Ephesians 4:12 says:
04:02 "His intention was the perfecting and the full
04:06 equipping of the saints, His consecrated people, that they
04:11 should do, they should do the work ministering toward building
04:15 up Christ's body - which is the church.
04:18 Another area of confusion is the commonly-taught error
04:21 that the five-fold ministry is no longer valid.
04:25 This is far from the truth! Some of those that teach this
04:28 error proclaim the ministry of the apostle and prophet
04:30 has come to an end. However, this group readily embraces
04:35 the ministry of the pastor, evangelist, and teacher.
04:38 How can that be? There is no scriptural evidence
04:41 of any of these five gifts ceasing at any time.
04:45 This raises yet another question. What are we going
04:48 to do with the first word in verse 13? The word is till,
04:54 or in our language, until. These gifts were given till
04:59 we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge
05:03 of the Son of God unto a perfect or mature man unto the measure
05:09 of the stature of the fullness of Christ. It doesn't take
05:12 a scholar to know that we are not there yet.
05:15 We are on our way, but if we continue to reject the doma
05:19 gifts of Jesus, we will never come to the fullness of Christ.
05:24 These gifts are commonly referred to as the five-fold
05:27 ministry - not the three-fold ministry.
05:31 It will take all of the doma gifts given by Jesus
05:34 to prepare the remnant company of believers.
05:38 The gift of the apostle: let's look at it.
05:42 When Jesus gave these gifts to men, He was actually taking
05:46 what He was in His earthly ministry and breaking it down
05:51 into five parts to be used to equip the church.
05:55 The first and foundational ministry of Jesus was that
05:59 of an apostle. Jesus said: "I will build my church. "
06:04 Hebrews 3:1 confirms the apostolic ministry of Christ.
06:08 "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly
06:11 calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest
06:16 of our profession, Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus. "
06:21 It must be clearly understood that a gift is not earned
06:25 or learned. For this reason, the five-fold ministry gifts
06:29 cannot be earned, cannot be learned. It is of great
06:32 importance to recognize that no one can appoint another person
06:35 into these offices. The Holy Spirit may use the church
06:39 eldership to confirm the call of God on an individual, but they
06:44 cannot decree by laying on of hands or through
06:47 pre-qualification methods determine whether a person has
06:51 one of these five-fold offices. Another important aspect of
06:56 a gift is that it is not inherited from one generation
06:59 to the next. Unlike the Old Testament where God chose
07:03 a family line passing on the covenant from one generation
07:07 to the next. This does not occur in the New Testament.
07:10 In the New Testament, we only inherit from Christ.
07:15 For this reason there are no recorded inheritances
07:19 of anointing from any of the apostles to their children.
07:23 This contrasts with the Old Testament where it is
07:27 meticulously recorded. The genealogies are the spiritual
07:32 inheritance finished with Christ as recorded in the
07:35 Gospel of Matthew. It is clear that there is no Biblical basis
07:40 for church elders anointing their children
07:44 or close relatives to inherit their ministry.
07:47 And we have seen this through the years.
07:49 Molly and I have seen this in the faith ministry and the
07:53 prosperity ministry where the fathers would turn the ministry
07:56 over to the son and call him this and call him that.
07:58 Not so. Church history clearly shows that whenever this occurs,
08:03 the once very successful ministry invariably loses its
08:08 anointing and becomes a dead denomination or church
08:13 after a few generations. Now, let's look at what an
08:16 apostle is. According to God's Word and the Greek explanation,
08:21 apostle, the Greek means or is apostolos,
08:24 is literally one sent forth.
08:28 Apo means from and Stello means to send.
08:33 The word is used of the Lord Jesus to describe His
08:37 relation to God. He was sent from God by God.
08:43 The 12 disciples chosen by the Lord for special training
08:48 were called apostles. Luke 6:13:
08:51 "And when it was day He called unto Him His disciples
08:54 and of them He chose 12 whom also he named apostles. "
08:59 Contrary to popular belief and erroneous teachings, there were
09:04 more apostles in the Bible than just the original twelve.
09:09 Stay with me now, OK? The word apostle has a much
09:13 wider reference. According to scripture,
09:16 according to scripture, there are more than 20 apostles listed
09:21 in the New Testament. Acts 14 refers to Barnabas as well as
09:25 Paul as being apostles. Romans 16:7 calls Adronicus and
09:30 Junias apostles. In 2 Corinthians 8:23 in the
09:35 revised version in the margin two unnamed brethren are
09:38 called apostles of the church. Philippians 2:25 the margin
09:42 Epaphroditus is referred to as your apostle.
09:48 It is used in I Thessalonians 2:6 about
09:51 Paul and Silas and Timothy to define their relationship
09:54 with Christ. An apostle is someone who is commissioned
09:58 of Jesus Christ which means they have an official permission.
10:04 Official permission from Christ to carry out a task.
10:08 This is someone who is called and commissioned by Him to the
10:13 office of an apostle. Supernatural giftings and
10:16 miraculous signs may be present, but we should never judge a man
10:20 or a woman as an apostle just because giftings and
10:24 accomplishments are apparent. Apostles are basically
10:28 God's messengers. They are chosen out of the called.
10:33 They are chosen, they are called and sent
10:36 by the very hand of God. A true apostle will never decide
10:39 to do something because it seemed like a good thing to do.
10:42 They are sent forth to speak or act on behalf of our Lord and
10:47 Savior Jesus Christ, having the authority and the permission
10:51 of the one who sent them. All for carrying out the mission
10:56 God has sent them to fulfill.
10:59 Now, I want to share with you some signs of an apostle.
11:03 A true apostle must profess great leadership ability.
11:08 They must be able to deal with extremely critical problems
11:11 in the state of affairs in which they may find themselves.
11:15 They must have a heart to lead, and they must know the way to
11:19 lead the people of God. They are humble of heart.
11:24 They are servants to the Lord's people
11:27 to be used and sent by God in any manner that God chooses.
11:32 They are not boastful nor will they be full of themselves
11:36 or their own wills. Their will is God's will plain and simple.
11:41 You can see the continuity in Paul's letters where he is
11:45 always reminding those to whom he is writing
11:47 "I am just a servant. " Romans 1:1 says, "Paul,
11:51 a servant of Jesus Christ. "
11:53 Now let's look at some evidences of an apostle.
11:57 The church does not choose or appoint someone for apostleship.
12:01 We have already shared some of this. We do not choose ourselves
12:04 as apostles. Jesus chooses then gives this gift by His own
12:10 hand to the church. An apostle has a great responsibility
12:14 to the church as seen by the commitment required of him.
12:17 The evidence of an apostle of the Lord begins with his
12:20 understanding as to how
12:24 he must care for Christ's church.
12:27 When an apostle clearly considers his obligation
12:30 associated with this gift given by our Lord and Savior
12:34 Jesus Christ, the verification will be that he will be known
12:38 for his commitment to the church. He will live, breathe,
12:44 and die tending to the Lord's church and the Lord's people.
12:50 says: "Even so, ye, forasmuch as you are zealous for spiritual
12:56 gifts, seek that you may excel to the edifying of the church. "
13:01 Now, let's look at how to recognize an apostle.
13:05 How can we recognize an apostle today? Well, it's not by their
13:08 clothes or not by their hairstyle. I believe the Lord
13:11 still gives the gift of the apostle to His church.
13:14 I believe that He is and has been preparing the hearts of His
13:18 people to take on the calling and the office of an apostle.
13:22 And I believe mostly that the church needs the apostle-type of
13:26 leadership today as never before.
13:29 Because of the need for direction, the need for
13:32 correction, and the need for instruction.
13:35 I think the gift of an apostle is not only necessary
13:38 but it is essential in the church of today to bring forth
13:43 the remnant church. We need strong, godly people who are
13:47 unafraid to confront error and issues in the church today.
13:52 There are so many. We need people that will stand
13:54 and confront them. We need those who will teach the
13:57 difference between the clean and the unclean;
13:59 the holy and the profane; and will stand in righteous judgment
14:04 when dealing with any and all controversies in the church.
14:08 We need those who are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
14:12 We need those who are willing to reach the world with the
14:16 undiluted three angels' messages. We need those that
14:20 are willing to counteract the counterfeit.
14:22 We need apostles that will not play man's political games
14:26 but seek only to be a God pleaser.
14:30 So do you think you might want to be an apostle?
14:33 First, you need to realize that you can't just decide to become
14:36 any one of these five-fold doma gifts. The charisma gifts
14:41 are for everybody but the doma gifts are only appointed
14:43 by Jesus and given by Jesus. This is like some of the judges
14:48 in our judiciary system. That person was not born a judge.
14:53 They were appointed a judge by someone who was of a higher
14:59 authority and had the power and the right to do so.
15:02 The charisma gifts are available to all who will open
15:07 themselves up to them and submit themselves to the leading
15:11 of the Holy Spirit. This is not the case, it's not the case,
15:15 it's not the case with the doma gifts.
15:17 I know you are probably thinking that, well, anyone could be a
15:20 pastor, evangelist, or a teacher. But with the
15:23 coming from and the sending to someone may be holding an office
15:28 but not gifted and graced for the place by Jesus.
15:32 Did you hear that? I hope you are hearing my heart in this.
15:35 We need the true five-fold doma gift ministries in the church
15:40 today not just someone that's decided to do it.
15:44 Now, here's one final word for any who desire this gift.
15:48 It's an observation by the apostle Paul.
15:54 "For I think that God has sent forth us the apostles last [huh]
15:58 as though appointed to death [oh, oh] because we are
16:01 made a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.
16:05 We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ;
16:09 we are weak, but you are strong, you are given honor,
16:13 but we are despised. Even in this present hour we hunger and
16:17 thirst, we are naked and are beaten, and we have no certain
16:22 dwelling place... we are weary. >From working with our own hands
16:26 when we are reviled we bless, when persecuted we endure,
16:30 when defamed we speak kindly. We have been made as the filth
16:35 of the world and are the off scouring of all things
16:40 unto this day. " So, you think you might want
16:44 to be an apostle? I think you might want to re-think that.
16:49 Well, next, very quickly, we are going to look at the gift
16:51 of the prophet. The very workings of the office
16:55 of the prophet make it extremely difficult for an individual
16:58 to build a substantial ministry without a genuine gifting
17:02 in prophecy at the very least. The Word of God warns, however,
17:06 that false prophets will also be operating, so prophesying alone
17:10 cannot guarantee that one is genuine. It is also possible
17:16 those who operate in the gift of prophecy to claim
17:19 to be prophets either because they do not understand the true
17:23 nature of the New Testament prophet or they are being
17:26 motivated by a selfish agenda. The scriptures - both Old and
17:31 New Testament - clearly demonstrate that God
17:33 by His Spirit makes a call on individuals and appoints them.
17:38 In the New Testament, Jesus, JESUS, gives the five-fold
17:42 ministry gifts and then the Holy Spirit sends them out
17:45 to fulfill their ministry and to confirm their anointing.
17:49 This principle is true for the five-fold offices even though
17:52 the vast majority of church leadership have achieved their
17:56 offices through other means. As the prophetic ministry is
18:02 restored to the true status in the local church as an office
18:06 in its own right, there will obviously be many who will make
18:10 claims to being called to that office.
18:13 Let's look at our foundational scripture once again.
18:17 Ephesians 4:11 says: "And He gave some apostles and some
18:20 prophets. " This was Jesus that did this. "And some
18:23 evangelists, and some pastors, and teachers. "
18:25 Once again, when Jesus gave these gifts to men,
18:27 He gave what He was while He was here on this earth.
18:31 This doma gift of a prophet which was given by Jesus
18:35 is not interconnected to God's Old Testament prophets.
18:41 says: "And the multitude said, this is Jesus the prophet
18:45 of Nazareth of Galilee. "
18:49 says: "And He said unto them, What things? And they said
18:52 unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet
18:56 mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. "
19:00 The Greek word for prophets - prophetes -
19:06 means a fore teller.
19:09 One who tells or can tell of events before they happen.
19:13 It also means a prophet by analogy, an inspired speaker,
19:17 one who is inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak the mind of God
19:20 and reveal and make clear the very heart of God.
19:26 Now, before we really get into the study
19:29 of the gift of the prophet,
19:30 we need to look at three distinct areas of the prophetic.
19:34 First, there is the gift of the prophet - which is
19:39 the office or the calling of a prophet.
19:41 It, like the apostle, is a gift accompanied by a special
19:46 anointing for it. Without that special anointing it is nothing.
19:51 The anointing comes from the Lord with His hand of blessing
19:54 giving them spiritual favor. This is often referred to
19:57 as the office of a prophet. However, it is more of a
20:02 character, grace gift, than an office.
20:07 Jesus will grace you for the place.
20:09 Secondly, there is a prophetic flow brought on by a spiritual
20:14 awareness within the body of Christ or a body of believers
20:18 who are gathered together and not limited to a certain
20:20 individual. This I will call the spirit of prophecy.
20:26 I think you understand this. This area of the prophetic
20:30 will most likely seem unusual to anyone who hasn't
20:34 been around the arena of the prophetic.
20:37 Now, thirdly there is the gift of prophecy.
20:40 It is mentioned by Paul in I Corinthians. We looked at
20:43 this charisma gift at length earlier in this series.
20:46 Now, let's rehearse this one more time.
20:49 There is the:
20:57 Now, let's look at the office of the prophet.
21:00 As we discussed in the gift of the apostles, the same is true
21:04 with the prophet. The appointment of the prophet
21:08 must be place upon the chosen prophet by someone greater than
21:11 himself or herself. This will have to be, guess who, Jesus
21:16 Christ, because He was the one who gave the gifts unto men.
21:39 You know, we as Seventh-day Adventists should be open and
21:42 receptive to the ministry of the prophet and prophetess.
21:45 Why should we live without prophetic guidance, direction,
21:49 and even correction. These are all things which the
21:52 Old Testament believers had under the leadership of the
21:55 prophets, and we today should not be without these blessings
21:58 and benefits. This is why some of the 12 apostles spoke so
22:02 strongly of the place and work of a prophet.
22:05 What is true of the male prophet is no less true of the
22:10 female prophet. Her role was not that of head
22:13 but of messenger. The Bible sees the prophetess in a
22:17 supportive and complementary role which does not negate
22:21 male headship. Paul clarifies this point in
22:24 I Corinthians 11 verse 2 through 16
22:27 where he defends the right of women to pray and prophesy
22:30 in church because the gifts of the Spirit are given
22:33 to the church without regard to gender differences.
22:36 However, we note that Paul opposes the behavior of those
22:41 women who disregard their subordinate position by praying
22:44 and giving prophetic exhortation to the congregation
22:48 with their heads uncovered like the men.
22:52 Paul just naturally accepted the fact that there would be
22:55 prophets in the church, and all those he taught seemed to
22:58 accept the same. Paul's main concern was instructional.
23:03 Instructional! We also see this in the writings of
23:06 Ellen G. White. Powerful! Here is one such instruction
23:11 from the Review and the Herald:
23:34 Review and Herald, July 19, 1906, paragraph 12.
23:38 Hey, this has just been a blessing to me.
23:41 I hope it has to you. Don't go away; we are
23:43 going to take a short break and we'll be right back.
23:46 If you've been confused about what the Bible says
23:49 about the Holy Spirit's amazing gifts for the church,
23:51 you'll want to order your very own copy of this 13-part series.
23:55 It's available on DVD or video cassette from 3ABN
23:59 at a very special price. This 13-part series
24:02 with Pastor Hal Steenson makes a wonderful gift for a friend
24:05 or a family member. Just call us at:
24:11 and we'll be happy to take your order.
24:12 You may also order it online at:
24:18 again, the phone number is:
24:32 Remember at the first part of today's program we saw that the
24:35 doma gift lends greater strength to the concrete character
24:39 of the gift than to it's beneficent nature?
24:42 The concrete character required of the prophet - they are
24:46 sent or set apart totally to the Lord for the ministry
24:51 of building God's kingdom and preparing the church for the
24:54 return of the Savior. They are love motivated. They have an
24:58 intercessory heart. They are not motivated by fame through
25:02 the ministry. They are not motivated by fortune
25:05 through the ministry. They are not motivated by the power
25:08 of influence that can be achieved through the ministry.
25:12 This is the test of a true prophet.
25:15 We today need the same instruction and guidance,
25:18 but before we can expect the prophetic to flow with strength
25:22 and with edifying results in our churches and gatherings,
25:25 we must understand and accept the doma gifts of Jesus
25:30 as being vital in this present age. Without the gift of the
25:35 prophetic insight and wisdom, we will not have an important
25:39 part of the spiritual gifts that God has so graciously given
25:43 to the church. Instead, we'll have confusion and disunity
25:47 in the body of Christ.
25:50 I'm amazed at what happens so much of the time
25:56 in today's Christian world.
25:58 People that like to call themselves certain things
26:04 and proclaim to be in an office that they are obviously not in.
26:09 I got a card the other day from a minister
26:13 different faith, different denomination.
26:16 I won't call his name, but let me give you just a little
26:20 summary of what he said. Elder John Smith, apostle,
26:26 prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher.
26:29 I've heard it said before that you can take a cow into the
26:35 courtroom and the judge can rule that it's a horse,
26:37 but when you get it outside it's still a cow.
26:41 You see, we are not something because of what we say we are.
26:45 We are something because what Jesus has given us
26:49 in the grace gift, to be grace for the place
26:52 and then those around us should recognize it.
26:55 If you are any of these five-fold ministries,
26:58 you should never have to tell somebody what you are.
27:01 They should be telling you what you are.
27:06 And then you need to be moving in it. Moving in that gift
27:11 by the power of the Holy Spirit. The apostle should be one that
27:14 would build and establish. The prophet should be one
27:17 that would speak for correction, for instruction.
27:20 The evangelist should be one that would catch the fish,
27:24 and the pastor would be one that would clean the fish.
27:27 The evangelist would be one that would go out and preach
27:31 the Word of God, the pastor would be one that would embrace
27:34 the sheep and pull them to his breast, and the teacher would be
27:38 one that would instruct the saints of God how to live
27:41 godly in Christ Jesus. See, what we need to do
27:45 is we just need to relax and let God begin to speak to us.
27:48 I believe that if we do, we might soon see some real
27:51 doma gift ministries to come on the scenes in these last days.
27:56 And now that we know what they are, and we are learning how
28:00 they operate, then maybe by the grace of God we'll be more open
28:04 and receptive to allowing them to work in our hearts,
28:08 in our lives, and in our churches.
28:31 On our next Heaven's Point of View program, we will be
28:33 studying the office of the evangelist, pastor, and teacher.
28:38 Doma gifts, given by Jesus, for the perfection of the church.
28:42 So check your 3ABN World, and we'll see you there.


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Revised 2014-12-17