Seeking Jesus First Jan. 27, 2024

Why church? Why don’t we all just do our own disassociated fellowships? Or no fellowship at all?
Why do those who have the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead need to stay physically connected to the ‘ekklesia’?
“Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?” (1 Corinthians 12:27–29, NKJV)
Appointed means set, fixed, or placed. First means chief. For a church to be established in God’s order, he will use an apostle. Let’s look at the example of Christ Jesus. The Father sent (apostle) Jesus. Jesus gave birth to a new covenant and in doing so, he gave birth to the ekklesia (the church). He appointed 12 apostles and sent them to disciple the nations by establishing churches. The churches that each of them established were all connected to Christ because Christ appointed the apostles. The 12 apostles then appointed apostles after them. Apostles also identify and recognize prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:11–16, NKJV)
The word “some’ shows up in front of these categories of leaders in the ‘ekklesia’. Therefore, not all are apostles. An apostle may operate in the other offices, but he will operate in those primarily to identify, establish and raise up someone to fill that office in the local church.
The two Scriptures quoted above give us many reasons why we need to stay connected to the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher in the local ‘ekklesia’.
The New Covenant Priesthood is everyone submitted to Christ Jesus, The Apostle and High Priest of our Confession and Faith. Church leadership is limited to those appointed by Christ Jesus as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.