The early church and followers of Jesus embraced five core spiritual gifts – apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. Listen as Susie talks with author and church planter Neil Cole. We look at the powerful anointing of God on the early church and talk about how to live as a Spirit-filled Christian. Some of these gifts have been brushed aside, dismissed, or abused by the Church over the centuries.

How can we come to understand when and how they are to be used? Neil helps us unpack Scripture to see the God Who is the “consuming fire” as described in Hebrews and how He interacts with His people. In the Old Testament, God is shown to be a powerful force that we cannot approach.

In the New Testament we see the fire come down and rest on and in the heart of every Christian – with that fire come five spiritual giftings:

Apostle
Neil describes these as gifted with “contagious empowerment” and being “dream-awakeners in our midst.” An apostle doesn’t like staying in one place for too long and seek to build a church on a strong foundation. This can be abused when an apostle starts building a church or ministry around himself rather than Christ. A true apostle enables others to carry the work on for generations.

Prophet
A prophet is attuned to the voice of God and are the “heart revealers” among us. Prophets are necessary to the body of Christ to call us to further repentance and holiness. “Every time we don’t value one of these gifts, we have a part of Christ that is not valued.” Prophets are frequently picked on within the body of Christ because of their commitment to holiness.

Evangelist
The evangelist is the most winsome of the five offices. Neil calls them the “story-tellers” of the body of Christ. They are frequently more comfortable among unbelievers than believers. Neil cautions evangelists against being too pragmatic – one specific approach to evangelism may not work for every Christian.

Shepherd
Those who have this gift see every person as important with value. They notice when someone is absent from the group and reaches out to them. We need to constantly be producing shepherds and sending them out to care for every group of believers.

Teacher
Teachers are passionate about God’s Word and are frequently surrounded by books. “Their world is immersed in the truth of God’s Word.” Their role is to equip the saints to teach others.

Key Scriptures: Ephesians 4:1-16

Theme Song: Build Your Kingdom Here by Rend Collective

This program has been pre-recorded.

Highlight : Primal fire

Primal fire