Moving on......So I knew that there might be more to the vision I had about the five fold ministry. And I was correct! Last night I had a dream. In the dream there were five persons (I could not tell if they were male or female) standing shoulder to shoulder. The tallest person in the middle was wearing a shirt that said "APOSTLE"! I was glad that there was some identification because I was wondering (even in my dream) who these five people were! Then just as quickly these five figures, once again, became the fingers on a hand. The order in the dream was pinkie finger - evangelist, ring finger - pastor, middle finger - apostle, pointer finger - teacher and thumb - prophet. (As an aside to Ken, it looked like these titles were written in Sharpie on each finger!) In my dream as I was considering this vision, I saw a hand with just a pinkie finger. And there wasn't much that it could accomplish without the other fingers. And then, in order I saw a hand with only one finger. The thumb had the most success alone, but even that was minimal. Then, just as suddenly, I saw those same five persons standing apart. There were large spaces between them and they were not looking at each other.
When I woke from this dream I was thinking about how there is often separation between the very prominent, well known people in the Christian world. With all of the unrest and turmoil and shaking in the world, we need to draw closer to one another and support each other. And more importantly, we should be LISTENING to each other. Sometimes it seems like some ministry leaders get so involved in their own current revelations that they forget to listen to what others are saying. I truly believe that it is TOGETHER that we have the whole message for today.
So this morning I was meditating on this dream. The apostle was the most prominent of the persons in the dream. But even though it was the most visible, tallest, biggest - when they were standing alone, they couldn't do very much. The evangelist as the pinkie is the one with the least "protection". They are out there on the front lines, making themselves vulnerable. The pastor as the ring finger - known to be special because it is called the "heart" finger (a direct connection to the heart) - yes, pastors are the caring/feeling part of the 5 fold ministry. The pointer finger as the teacher. Yes, the teachers point the way to the truth. And then the prophet as the thumb. The thumb is the helper and the empowerer of the hand. Each of the other fingers can function alone IF there is a thumb as a helper. And each of the other parts of the 5 fold can function better if there is a prophet standing with them. This is because the prophet brings accountability and keeps each of the other persons in line with the Lord.
After thinking about this dream and the results of my meditation on the dream, I am wondering what Jesus is really saying to me about this! There are many, many books and articles written about the five fold ministries, by people much more knowledgeable than I. But going back to yesterday's blog, I am understanding that this message is really for ALL of us. Because it is our responsibility to encourage those that we know who are Pastors and Evangelists and Teachers and Apostles and Prophets to surround themselves with the others from this group, established in the Bible. I believe this is even more important that yesterday's message that we need to support the five fold ministers among us. All of us in the "other" hand, need to carry this message to those who most need to hear it!
Jesus, I don't really understand why you are speaking this to me today, but I am sure that you have a plan and purpose for this word going forth. Father, I pray that you would encourage those operating in the positions of the five fold ministry to surround themselves with your planned support system. Holy Spirit, thank you for giving me insight into my dream and continued revelation on this subject. Would you give us all courage and boldness to share this message with those in our sphere of influence. Give us the correct words and the perfect timing to share and encourage the pastors, prophets, evangelists, apostles, and teachers around us. Amen
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