The Hand of God

[jeremiah1five]

In Scripture, the Hand of God represents "service [rendered.]" Each digit of the hand represents one of the Five Gift Ministries of the Body of Christ as revealed in Ephesians 4:11-12.

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Ephesians 4:11–12.

These are all five spiritual offices. The thumb represents the apostle; the index or pointing finger represent the prophet; the middle or long finger represents the evangelist; the ring finger represents the pastor, and the little or pinky finger represents the teacher.

Without the [opposable] thumb (apostle) the rest of the fingers or ministries of the hand cannot operate/function correctly. Many understand the "apostle" as "someone who preaches the gospel" but that is an over-simplification of this ministry. The Greek word for "apostle" ("apostolos") means "commissioned." But "commissioned" to do what? That depends. We all are in some ways are commissioned by God to "do" something in the body of Christ. It does not always mean "to preach the gospel." Being a doorman or "usher" is a ministry before the Lord. This is a "commission." Or, to serve in the food pantry (for larger fellowships) is a "commission." No work for the Lord is too small or insignificant.

The prophet or pointing finger points the way to God. They do two things. They fore-tell and they forth-tell.

The middle or long finger is the evangelist. They "reach" out to others in the body of Christ and, for lack of a better word at this time, "excite" brethren to "do" for their Lord. They are not always focused on "preaching the gospel."

The ring finger is the pastor for he/she is married to the flock.

The little or pinky finger is the teacher for he brings balance to the hand of the other four ministries.

These five ministries are given to and for the body of Christ. They are not meant for the world of unsaved, unbelieving people. As verse twelve states:

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Ephesians 4:12.

We are commanded to not give that which is holy to dogs; nor to cast our pearls to swine.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Matthew 5:15.

Those in the "house" are the household of God [believers.]

 

[Wick Stick]

These are all five spiritual offices. The thumb represents the apostle; the index or pointing finger represent the prophet; the middle or long finger represents the evangelist; the ring finger represents the pastor, and the little or pinky finger represents the teacher.

Is there some scriptural basis for this, or are you adding your own interpretation?

 

[jeremiah1five]

Is there some scriptural basis for this, or are you adding your own interpretation?

The hand is part of the Body of Christ. Saul explains these things in Ephesians and Romans. So, yes, there is Scriptural basis and ground for these ministries in the Body of Christ.

14 For the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
1 Corinthians 12:14–18.

21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
1 Corinthians 12:20–27.

It doesn't come any simpler.

 

[Wick Stick]

The hand is part of the Body of Christ. Saul explains these things in Ephesians and Romans. So, yes, there is Scriptural basis and ground for these ministries in the Body of Christ.

14 For the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
1 Corinthians 12:14–18.

21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
1 Corinthians 12:20–27.

It doesn't come any simpler.

I was thinking specifically of the correspondence between "fingers" and the 5-fold ministry. It seems to me that you've taken something that IS in the Bible, and extended it, adding some detail that isn't actually in Scripture.

I don't have a problem with that as a teaching tool to explain the 5-fold ministry. I think you'll have a hard time selling Christians on the idea that this was Paul's original meaning or intent.

 

[jeremiah1five]

I was thinking specifically of the correspondence between "fingers" and the 5-fold ministry. It seems to me that you've taken something that IS in the Bible, and extended it, adding some detail that isn't actually in Scripture.

The Trinity of God was not "actually in Scripture." This doctrine did not find its fullest expression until the Advent of the Son. The hand in Scripture represents "service." The Greek word infers "service rendered." It's not difficult to associate each gift ministry in Ephesians 4:11-12 as each digit in the hand when these gift ministries are given to the body of Christ to be used ONLY to and for the Body of Christ. We are never commanded in any way, shape, or form, to give that which is holy to "dogs" (unbelievers), nor to cast our Pearls (the Word of God) to swine. There are consequences when born-again believers do that as Christ warned. Every gift God gives His people always comes with instruction and command. Even love comes with instruction. But there are believers who actually give themselves over to whoredom when they "love" unbelievers even above loving their brethren. They step all over themselves in ignorance when they do this. The love of God shed abroad in a believer's heart is meant for other believers. What's it called when a person married to one person gives their marital love to someone not espoused to them? It's called being unfaithful. It's called harlotry. That person is a whore. But Christians do that in their ignorance of the Word of God. As a group of believers worldwide we are married to Christ and Christ is married to us. God never commands you to play the harlot and give something given to you for my benefit to others, especially if that "other" is an unbeliever. The same thing with these gift ministries and the spiritual gifts in general. They are meant for my training and admonition to grow up in the Lord. This is clearly stated in Ephesians 4:11-12.

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

WHY?

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

FOR HOW LONG?

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: Ephesians 4:11–13.

The apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher as with the spiritual gifts are all given for the perfecting of the saints. It doesn't say "for the perfecting of the world." It doesn't say "for the edifying of the world."

Does it?

I don't have a problem with that as a teaching tool to explain the 5-fold ministry. I think you'll have a hard time selling Christians on the idea that this was Paul's original meaning or intent.

No one should have a problem with the Word of God explained to them. That was the purpose of the epistles. It was through study of the Old Testament (Hebrew Scripture) that Saul could "sell" what the Lord revealed to him from Scripture. All the theologies we get from the New Covenant writings (New Testament) were all new teaching. It doesn't seem that way to us because we've been told these things since we were children and we are used to it. But to the Jew who was under the Law the things Saul spoke to born-again Jews were all new teaching. One of those teachings in Saul's addressing a Jew who became a follower of the Way (Christ.) this was a new thing to them and their concern was what about their standing as an inheritor of the Abraham promises? How did their being Christ- ian (Christ follower) affect their standing to Abraham? Saul tells them:

23 But before faith (the Holy Spirit) came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24 Wherefore the law was our [Jew] schoolmaster to bring us [Jews] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we [Jews] are no longer under a schoolmaster.
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye [Jews] are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if ye [Jews] be Christ’s, then are ye [STILL JEWS and STILL] Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:23–29.

I have been sharing what God reveals to me through Scripture. It is nothing different than what Saul wrote in his letters, or what Peter said, or James. They all received revelation under the anointing and always through Scripture. We have self-help today in our studies that Saul, Peter, James, and John never had. When we read something in the New Covenant writings (New Testament) in our bibles there is a little footnote or some punctuation that takes us to the Old Testament where we will find a quotation of the Old Testament in a passage quoted in the New Testament.

Thompson's Chain is an excellent example. The apostles whom we find in the New Testament didn't have such systems. Some of them didn't even have full copies of their Old Testament Hebrew Scripture at all. I am sure Saul who was a rabbi and Pharisee had his own copy of the 39 "books" of the OT. But if we count from what is referred to in his epistles, he quotes from 15-17 of the total 39 books of the Old Testament. Does this mean he only had 15-17 copies of the Old Testament in his possession? At any rate, what is found in the New Testament is ALL new teaching to the Jew who lived under the Law. And once they had been born-again and the Spirit dwelling within them, they needed to know what this all meant to them being under the Law and Abraham's seed. According to the dating of the first epistle of Saul to believers in a certain Gentile city or town it took him 14-17 years before he began to reveal what the Lord taught him from his studies of the OT. Maybe Apollos, or Priscilla, could have known such things of the OT in the New Covenant era first and had been teaching those things years ahead of Saul, but because we have a majority of Saul's letters in copy form he is seen as the primary apostle from that standpoint. What if we had 30 copies of letters Priscilla wrote to the churches in Asia Minor. Does she now become the primary apostle in Christendom?

I am not saying anything not found in Scripture nor anything which could not be reasonably understood by others. But would the things I post her be difficult to understand if Grudem, Luther, or Augustine were the ones writing about these things first centuries ago? It might be new to you, but it is still New Testament. I am not saying anything which cannot be found in Scripture. When reasonably understood, that is.