Vertical or Horizontal? How to See Others as Equally Needed. In God’s design, every gift and person in the body of Christ is equally important—no one is more necessary than another. Just as the Trinity and the various ministry gifts are not ranked in a vertical order of value, each believer’s unique role is essential for the whole. We honor God and build true unity when we recognize and celebrate the equal necessity of every member and their gifts.
Gave Gifts Unto Men
By Pastor Delbert Young
Vertical or Horizontal? How to Value Every Gift
Vertical or Horizontal? How to Value Every Gift
Which Gift is Most Important
Due to specific teachings we have received, most of us tend to view the gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4:11 (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher) in a vertical order of importance. The apostle is the most important. Next in importance is the prophet, followed by the evangelist, then the pastor, and finally, the teacher.
1. Apostle
2. Prophet
3. Evangelist
4. Pastor
5. Teacher
This schema (way of thinking) automatically instills in us the idea that some people in the kingdom of God are more important and necessary than others. Is this true? Are some people more important than others in the kingdom?
For example, in the previous illustration, the apostle would be far more important than the teacher. If a vertical order is meant, that would be true. Some people would be more important than others. However, if a vertical order of importance is not specified, a horizontal order of importance is intended. This would mean that all are equally important and equally necessary. This would also help us to understand the absolute importance of each member of the body of Christ.
Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, Teacher
Vertical or Horizontal?
Which Member of the Trinity is Most Important
Let’s look at another example of erroneous thinking to help us recognize the truth in the horizontal intention of the gifts. That example is the teaching that the Godhead Trinity is in a vertical order of importance. That would mean that God the Father is the most important. The Son Jesus Christ would be the next in importance. And finally, the Holy Spirit would be the least of importance.
1. Father
2. Son
3. Holy Spirit
We know this is how we have been taught to perceive the Trinity, but is this accurate? Is one part of the Trinity more important than another, or are all necessary to form the Trinity? The answer is simple. All are necessary to form the Godhead Trinity. The proper alignment is not vertical. Instead, the proper way to view the Godhead Trinity is as horizontal and equally important.
Father, Son, Holy Spirit
All the gift ministries of Ephesians 4:11 are equally important. The apostle is necessary for our growth, but not more necessary than the teacher.
When most believers are asked which ministry is the most important and necessary, they would likely answer that the apostles are the most important. Most would also say the teacher is the least important. As we will see, the apostle is foundational and desires to establish people in Christ. It is the teacher who will then instruct and nurture the believer in their understanding and knowledge of Christ. One is as necessary as another.
Vertical or Horizontal?
Which Gift is Most Important
Continuing this thought regarding the individual gifts, such as prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, contributing, leadership, and mercy, as found in Romans 12:3-8, we note that no one gift is more important than any other. All the gifts are equally important. Paul wrote,
Romans 12:3-6 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us… (NIV)
The warning is that people should not think more highly than they ought because they possess a specific gift. Paul said that just as each of us has a body with many members, so is it in Christ. Each member belongs to all the others. Paul taught against the thinking that one person was more necessary than another.
1 Corinthians 12:15-18 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 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? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
We please God when we operate our gift. Paul said that to make an entire body, the foot must be the foot. The ear must be the ear. We need the eye, but we all cannot be the eye. Someone must be the nose. The body of Christ is beautiful when understood in this capacity. In this capacity of operation, we please God, for this is how he has set us.
Vertical or Horizontal?
As the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all necessary and equally important, so are the ministry gifts.
Which Stone is Most Important
The Lord instructed Moses to build an altar on which the priests would offer sacrifices. The following are the verses.
Exodus 20:24-26 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.
The altar was not to be made of hewn stone (i.e., stones cut and formed by human hands). It was to be natural. The stones were not to be chiseled to look the way man wanted them to. The altar was to be made of stones that had been fashioned naturally, in the way God formed them. According to the Lord, when man attempted to chisel the stones, they became polluted. Also, there were to be no steps going up to the altar. The Lord did not want anyone elevated and exposed.
Considering the perspective of spiritual gifts and church members, we have a couple of observations to note. First, the gifts are given by God, the Holy Spirit, and not formed by man. The gifts must be natural and not polluted by man’s hand. As each stone is different, so are the gifts. We are lively stones (1Pe 2:5) placed together yet different. Even when the same gift is ministered, it is ministered in a different way. People do not minister in the same way. Man’s job is to place the gift into the building properly. No stone is more important than another. All the stones are equally important if the altar is to function correctly.
Vertical or Horizontal?
We also note there were no steps at the altar. All the priests and worshipers stood at the same level. The priests were to assist the ones giving the offering, but were not more important than they. They were not to think more highly of themselves than they ought.
Our point in this section is that we are all important. The gift that you have been given is as important as the gift that I have been given. We are to discover the gift we possess and then become efficient in utilizing that gift.
Parable of the Lost Coin
Jesus told three parables in Luke chapter fifteen. These were the parables about the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. The sheep wandered away from the flock and became lost unintentionally. The prodigal consciously decided to leave the house and became lost. However, the coin was lost within the house (Luk 15:8). The woman lit a candle and swept the house until she found the lost coin.
In some dimension, many of us are lost in the house today. We are not lost in that we have lost our salvation. We are lost in that we are in the house, but we don’t know where we are in terms of the body of Christ. How exactly do we fit?
In our study, we aim to light a candle (the Word of God) and sweep (the Holy Spirit). Our desire is not only to locate your gift but also to make us all aware of the gifts and to function with the other precious coins.
Vertical or Horizontal? How to Value Every Gift
Vertical or Horizontal? How to Value Every Gift
Other studies that might interest you:
Importance Of The Home And Family Part 1 Audio
1 Corinthians Study Chapter 12 Part 2 Audio
Importance Of The Home And Family Part 2 Audio
1 Corinthians Study Chapter 13 Audio
Also see: