It Is All About Relationships
Rather than getting hung up on the Five Fold as offices or even ministries, let’s look at it strictly in the terms of relationship and the need for that relationship.
It has taken me quite a time to learn that I need the Body of Christ, the Church, and the Body of Christ needs me. I need Jesus, and Jesus needs me for my body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit and this is where His Spirit has chosen to dwell. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about relationship, with Him and with His Body!
If I am to grow in the Body of Christ, I need to make wise choices as to who I “hang out” with, who will influence me, who will be with me day in and day out, who will be my close friend. These are the personalities and characteristics that I need as a Christian around me:
I need a person who is a new babe in the Lord. Their enthusiasm and newfound faith are contagious. They bring life and inspiration into one’s life. Their faith can be obnoxious at times and their doctrine a little off, but they are like little kids that just discovered Christmas and want to open up all the gifts given to them. They will invite you to play with them and their gifts!
I need a person who wants to grow in the Lord, build character, and continue the change that was started in them during their new birth in Jesus. Doing Bible study together is enriching; their desire to want to now “walk out this walk” that the Bible outlines. Walking this daily walk with them strengthens you and keeps your direction true.
I need a person who loves to study the Bible, read the Bible, then use those Biblical applications in walking out their own lives. I need a person who takes “the Word, and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us,” a person who makes Jesus alive through the Word.
I strive to be with a person who makes God real in their life, who desires an intimate relationship with Him, who not only knows of Him, but strives to really know Him. “Where two or more are together, there I AM.” I need others who want to be in God’s Presence through corporate worship.
I need to hang around someone who “sees the big picture”, the body of Christ as a whole, who can give a healthy perspective of the Church. A person like that builds up my faith and belief of the power of the Church in our age.
Hang out with those five type people, and one is apt to grow in the Lord, maybe even mature in the Lord. Relationships with those five are vital for a well balanced Christian walk. I encourage you to start looking for those kinds of Christian friends to “hang out” with! The experience in heaven will be “hanging out” with the saints for eternity; let’s start the trend while on earth!