Once, years ago, I was part of a church that had a plan to build a sports center as a method of evangelistic outreach to the community.  Given the nature of that particular community, the plan itself was very fitting and relevant.  The pastor was highly evangelistic and had a lot of relationships with well-known sports-people in the community, so the vision, platform and expertise were certainly present.  The church began to really push a funding drive for the building, and I, as part of the intercessor team, began to pray.

What happened was that almost everyone on this particular intercessor team received the same revelation one night:  Not Now!

I certainly wouldn’t label myself as a prophet, then or now, and back then I was  an immature and growing prophetic voice.  Nevertheless, one of the leaders of the intercessor team who I would say was in the God-given position of prophet to that church (although never formally recognized as such, she very obviously functioned as such), received the same word, as did other members of the team.

We took it to prayer, asking the Lord for wisdom and guidance on the matter, and how to proceed.  We discussed it among ourselves, and then designated the prophet among us (again, she had the platform of a prophet but the church didn’t designate it by title) to tell the Pastor what the Lord has shown all of us.

Unfortunately, the words were poorly received, the building plans were put in motion, and the sports complex was built at that time.   What was the fruit of this?  Within two to four years the church underwent some major upheaval.  A lot of people left during that process, including the prophet, who had been a pillar of the church for some time.

While I don’t know all the details, I believe the main issue was one of timing.  The word the Lord has given me was specifically two words:  “Not Now.”  It wasn’t “Don’t Build This Sports Complex.”  It simply said the timing wasn’t right.  The fruit of that endeavor was clearly displayed when a few years after, the church began to have major financial problems during this upheaval.  While I cannot say what would have happened for certain, I do believe that God was going to do some shifting of things, including shifting of personnel, prior to the complex being built.  Somewhere in this process, one of the leaders was actually found to have a somewhat problematic hidden sexual sin that he had kept from everyone, and as best as anyone knows, he hadn’t sought help for either.

I believe the reason the Lord specified the timing issue was because He wanted to save a lot of stress and prevent a lot of problems. However, because the pastor didn’t heed the prophetic words of the prophet, things proceeded forward as they did.

I believe that God has ordained an administrative order within the Body of Christ.  The Fivefold ministry, spoken of in Ephesians 4, outlines five offices which Jesus has given to the church to help the entire Body of Christ grow into full maturity:  the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher.  Each one serves their own purpose, and when they all work together well, a given church will likely prosper in every way.  The corollary of this is that when they don’t work together well, or if their roles are not clearly understood, then situations such as the one above occur.

More recently, I was invited to speak for three days at a church.  As I prayed about what message and ministry I was supposed to release, I felt conflicted as I was unclear exactly where I fit at this time in the Body.  While I have been clear that at this time I am operating in the grace or office of the teacher, I have a burning passion for things which could also be assigned to the realm of the apostle or prophet, and I have also received a number of prophetic words that point to either of those callings as well.  Thus, I was conflicted.

I consulted a prophet friend of mine who gave me very wise and incredibly helpful advice.  He basically said “Plan to operate fully in the grace you are walking in right now.  If God wants to shift you to another office at a future time, He can do that, but y I are clear that at this time you are walking in the grace of a teacher, so operate from that place.  If you teach to the fullest of your ability, then they will receive the deposit the Lord wants them to receive from you.”

His advice was not only very sound, but it quieted the confusion in my heart, so I followed his recommendations, and the results were fantastic.  By the end of the trip God had confirmed multiple times the content of the messages, had given we wisdom in advance through a dream on how it needed to be focused and delivered, and even the feedback I received from the church was that the teaching was going to help take them into a new place—a direction they have felt called toward to begin with.

It is a difficult pill to swallow for some that not everyone is a fivefold minister.  But the truth is not everyone needs to be, and in reality many people don’t want to be!  The goal of the fivefold is to equip everyone else for works of service.  Thus, if everyone was a fivefold minister, there would be no one left to do works of service!

Paul admonished the Church to desire the greater gifts, so there is nothing wrong with pressing forward into things in the spirit, but we need to understand as the Body of Christ where and how we are supposed to operate.  If I were to have gone to that church as an apostle, or prophet, given that at this time I am neither, they would not have received what God designed for them, and my ministry that weekend would likely have totally flopped.  However, because I remained within my designated office at this time, God was able to move and do more than I could ask or think.  Likewise, if the pastor of my church many years ago had recognized the prophet God has placed to function in our midst, I believe that church would be in a different place today.  Regardless of where one fits in the Body of Christ, we each need to learn our current role, recognizing fully that God could change it in the future to something else.  If we know what God is doing with us right now, then instead of constantly waiting for some future moment where we expect to be something else, we can operate to our fullest potential in the moment.

Where is God is fitting you in the Body right now.  What is your role (or roles)? If you don’t already know, take some time over this week to reflect on this subject. I encourage the reader to ask the Lord to clarify this to you.  Is God transitioning you into something new?  Is He confirming something you have felt but never really put your finger on?  Or do you know your role and are already fulfilling it?  Whatever the answer, as you understand what the Lord is doing with you at this time, the entire Body of Christ will benefit, as you meet the needs that you and you alone are best equipped by God to meet.