Lesson 5 - The Ministry of the Church

Question 1

How does the book of Hebrews instruct about the role and ministry of Jesus in the church?

Answer 1

• • Most important ordination service in history (pactum salutis)
• • Jesus is the supreme head and prime minister of the church.
• • Jesus is the anointed one and is the supreme prophet, priest, and King
    a. ) Prophet – he speaks to us
    b. ) Priest – he mediates and intercedes for us
    c. ) King – like a shepherd he lead us

– Jesus is not just the founder of the Christian church he is the leader of it now. He is the head of the church.

Question 2

Explain the differences between foundational and edificational offices/gifts.

Answer 2

1. ) Foundational
   - - Eph. 2:20 – office and gifts given for the foundation of the church, built on the cornerstone and Christ, and only given to the prophets and the apostles. Extraordinary Gifts.
2. ) Edificational
   - - office and gifts given for the building up of the church. Ordinary Gifts
   - - Foundational gifts are the source, norm, and pattern of the edificational gifts.
   a. ) Source – comes from Christ and the apostles
   b. ) Norm – we should only do what they tell us to do
   c. ) Pattern – we serve like they serve, our authority is given and we should be faithful to steward it well.

Question 3

What is the relationship between special and general offices/gifts?

Answer 3

1. ) Special – Pastor/Elders and Deacons (Acts 6, Acts 15, 1 Timothy 3, Ephesians 4:11)
2. ) General – a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:9) – Every tribe, tongue, and nation
3. ) Relationship between the two (Matthew 23:8)
   - - We’re all brothers and sisters. Special office is not Lord and Servant, but among brothers and sisters.
   - - Not a special class of Christians. Leaders are to be examples. First among equals.

Question 4

How does John Owen describe the pastoral duties?

Answer 4

1. ) Feeding the flock - preaching the word
2. ) Prayer for the flock, speaking to the people,
3. ) administrating the sacraments, observing and defending the doctrine of the gospel, laboring for the conversion of souls, caring for the needs of believers, living a godly life,

Question 5

Explain the scriptural qualifications for elders and deacons.

Answer 5

Qualifications for Elders/Deacons
– 1 Tim. 3:1-7, 8-13, Titus 1:5-9

All qualifications are character related, except being able to teach for elders

• • Because the office of pastor/elder is a ministry of oversight, this office is to be filled by men.
    1. 1 Tim. 2:12-15

Question 6

Explain the differences between elements and circumstances in worship.

Answer 6

1. ) Elements - central (prescribed/ordained in Scripture).
   - - have positive Biblical Warrant
   - - Read, pray, sing, teach, and see the Bible
2. ) Circumstances - incidental matters that you have to make a decision on, but are not necessary (not in Scripture)
   - - time, meeting place, bulletins, posture in worhsip

Question 7

Identify and explain the goals of nurture.

Answer 7

Nurture: God the Father instructs and trains his children; Christ teaches his disciples; and the Spirit equips the Saints to serve the nuture of the body.

1. ) Knowing the Lord
2. ) To do the Lord’s Will - pledge of obedience
3. ) to be like the Lord

Question 8

Explain how the ministry of the Word of God is central to the tasks of the church.

Answer 8

The church is founded upon the Word of Christ given through the apostles, and the spread of the church is the spread of the Word. Just as the reading and preaching of the Bible mark the existence of the church, so they also mould its worship.

• • The Word calls us to worship
• • Address us in Worship
• • Teaches us how to Worship
• • enables us to praise God and to encourage one another
• • By the Word we are given life and nurtured to maturity in Christ: the Word is the sword of the Spirit to correct us and the bread of th spirit to feed us.
• • In the mission of the church, it is the Word of God that calls that nations to the Lord.
• • The growth of the church is the growth of the Lord

Question 9

Explain how Paul describes the roles and order of men and women in the church, family, and creation.

Answer 9

Creation

• • 1 Cor. 15:27-28 – Because of Adam’s role as head and image bearer, it was by his sin, not Eve’s, that death passed upon all his descendants.
• • Subordination is in respect to roles not being. He affirms male headship and interdependence at the same time.

Family

• • The family structure, as established from creation, provides the model for the church.
• • Paul does not say that the husband should surrender his headship, but that he should exercise that headship by loving his wife and being ready to die for her, as Christ died for the church.

Church

• • The Lord has designed an order in his church for accomplishing the goals of worship, nurture, and witness. That order is the order of the extended family, served by a council of elders. The care of church leaders must be a fatherly care because they like Paul watch over the family of God.
• • For a woman to exercise rule in the church would undermine the order of the family that God has established. Christ love transforms the nature of marriage, not by dissolving the role relations by which marriage is constituted, but by bringing them to fulfillment.

Question 10

Explain the role of the “sign gifts” in the first century.

Answer 10

Miracles attest God’s revelation in Christ, and its transmission through witnesses of his resurrection, inspired to communicate his word to the church. They show that the Lord himself has come, the Lord who completes his work of redemption, and makes the apostles the foundation of his church, giving them his word and signs to work in his name.

• • The miracles revealed their authority, their person, and the meaning of their work
• • Miracles then have meaning, attesting Christ’s finished work and the apostolic foundation of the church.