The Day of New Beginnings

Diversities of Ministries

 

Ex. 3:
1 ¶  Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2  "See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
3  "And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,
4  to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze,
5  and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship.
6  "And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you:
7  the tent of meeting, and the ark of testimony, and the mercy seat upon it, and all the furniture of the tent,
8  the table also and its utensils, and the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense,
9  the altar of burnt offering also with all its utensils, and the laver and its stand,
10  the woven garments as well, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, with which to carry on their priesthood;
11  the anointing oil also, and the fragrant incense for the holy place, they are to make them according to all that I have commanded you."
 
Lets look at verses seven through 11 first. These verses describe the Tabernacle with all its trappings. Through a little research it’s discovered that the Tabernacle with all its intricate design is a foreshadowing or type of Christ filling the true Tabernacle, which is His body. Everything within the Tabernacle points to one thing: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men…” Peter tells us in 1st  Pet. 2:4-5:  “And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
 
Paul also tells us: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit (Eph. 2:19-22).”
 
It’s very important to note that the Tabernacle was built through specific instructions given to Moses by God. 
 
Ex. 25:
8  "And let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.
9  "According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.
 
Heb. 8:
4  Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law;
5  who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, "SEE," He says, "THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN."
 
God had a very specific purpose in mind in the construction of the Tabernacle. Every minute part served a specific purpose and had to be constructed exactly according to God’s blue print. 
 
Now, lets look at verses one through six of our beginning text.
 
1 ¶  Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2  "See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
3  "And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,
4  to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze,
5  and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship.
6  "And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you:
 
Not only was the blueprint for the Tabernacle given by God, but the craftsmen who built it were anointed and endowed by God to create it exactly as shown. Let’s look at some more passages of Scripture to thoroughly nail this down.
 
Ex. 35-36:
30 ¶  Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, "See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
31  "And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in all craftsmanship;
32  to make designs for working in gold and in silver and in bronze,
33  and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, so as to perform in every inventive work.
34  "He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
35  "He has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs.
1 ¶  "Now Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skillful person in whom the LORD has put skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work in the construction of the sanctuary, shall perform in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded."
2  Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every skillful person in whom the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to perform it.
 
The tabernacle of God’s presence was built by craftsmen in whom the Lord had imparted wisdom and skill. Their abilities to labor in gold, silver, precious stones, bronze, wood, fine linen, etc., were given to them by God, they were not natural abilities. Notice verse 33 especially: “…so as to perform in every inventive work.” Every inventive work implies a divine creativity. Bezalel of the tribe of Judah was filled with the Spirit of God. Interestingly, Bezalel means, “In the Shadow of God”. His work was an expression of God’s creativity. In verse 34 we see that God put into the hearts of both Bezalel and Oholiab to teach. Oholiab means “Father’s tent”, and we will see the significance of that a little later. 
 
Just as the tabernacle itself pointed to a greater spiritual reality in Christ, so too the craftsmen who built it point to a greater spiritual truth. In chapter 12 of 1st Corinthians, we have Paul’s revelation of the body of Christ and how it is to function.  In this chapter Paul lays out the diversity of the body and its many functions. Verse 3 states, “Now there are varieties (diversities) of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties (diversities) of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties (diversities) of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 
 
Remember, the pattern of the body of Christ is found back in Exodus in the craftsmen anointed to build the tabernacle. The ministries and functions within the body of Christ have the same purpose as those craftsmen. They are to build the spiritual tabernacle in which God’s fullness can dwell. The true tabernacle of God is completed through the creation of the living stones Peter alluded to. Paul said, “I labor to present every man complete in Christ.” But it doesn’t stop there. Each man “complete in Christ” means he/she has been fitted together for that dwelling of God in the Spirit (Eph. 2:19-20). The diversity of ministry was not given to the body of Christ so everyone could simply have their “own” ministry. What is manifested in Christianity today is a far cry from the original intent God intended for His body when He gave gifts and ministries to the church. 
 
The key to true ministry is found in verse 7 of 1st Corinthians 12: “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” All true ministry is geared toward one thing: Completing that one true tabernacle in which God’s fullness may dwell. 
 
The one thing that stands out about those craftsmen who built the tabernacle is that they had a specific commission and anointing from God to perform in their sphere of functioning. They had an exact pattern they were to follow. They did not make it up as they went along. They were not free agents to build what suited their fancy. They had no liberty to do their own thing and there were no private or personal visions pursued. They functioned in divine order.
 
It’s important to see the significance of Bezalel and Oholiab. They are types of the apostolic and prophetic ministries. Paul says in Eph. 2 that it is upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets that the true temple of God is built. God commissioned Bezalel first, then Oholiab. This corresponds with 1st Cor. 12:28: “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets…”  Oholiab means “Father’s tent”, and it is through the apostolic and prophetic ministries that the true fathering of Jesus Christ comes to His body. This is the reason God put it into their hearts to teach. Remember that it was an inventive work the craftsmen engaged in (Ex. 35:33). The foundational ministries of the church are not given to preach people into the kingdom, but rather father them in. It is Jesus Christ flowing through them creating His nature and life in the people. Thus they become living stones.
 
In the craftsmen of the tabernacle we find the great diversity of the body of Christ. There were many, many facets of the tabernacle that had to be created and fashioned. Skilled men, endowed by God, created them all. There are many, many facets of the body of Christ as well. God has a function and use for each member He sets into His body. No one is insignificant. Just as every fine detail in the trappings of the tabernacle was created by someone anointed for it, there is someone, somewhere, whose need can only be met by the one in whom God has placed the unique gift to meet it.
 
The gifts and ministries of the body of Christ are diverse, but they prove true only when they serve the greater whole.