And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
— Ephesians 4:11-12

The gifts the Lord has given are not there so that someone can be an evangelist or a pastor. Anyone can evangelise and be a pastor [show care and love for the sheep]. It says here that these gifts are given for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry. What does all this mean, and how should we understand it?

For example, the Lord has given me the gift of teaching. Of course, I can teach the Scriptures and reveal Christ from them. You can see how I use this gift on this website. But that isn’t the main thing. The main purpose of this gift is to equip others, so that they become teachers of the Word. The Lord once said to me: “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” [2 Tim.2:1-2] You see, the Lord said: commit it to others, who will teach others. Commit what? The ability to teach.

How does this happen? When others watch how I teach, they themselves begin to teach in a similar way. In other words, they “catch” the spirit. The best discipleship happens by example. I haven’t laid hands on anyone. I didn’t even notice it until the Lord showed me. My teaching style is a bit uncompromising and blunt, and those who have caught the spirit teach in the same style. I was simply in shock!

On the other hand, I can’t seem to evangelise, although I have tried many times. Why? Because I haven’t met an evangelist who would show me by example how to evangelise. Just please don’t invite me to a course on “telling the lost about hell”. I’m talking here about a gift, not about foolishness. Anyone can evangelise; it’s just that in this area I need equipping. The same goes for the other ministries and gifts spoken of in 1 Corinthians 12:28-30. That is why Paul writes: “But earnestly desire the best gifts…” [1 Cor.12:31] How do you receive a gift? Many think it comes through the laying on of hands by some well-known man of God. That’s all untrue. The laying on of hands is often necessary to receive the Holy Spirit Himself, who is also a gift. This is usually called the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The ability to evangelise, prophesy, heal and so on is received through equipping.

The Holy Spirit lives in us, and He can plant a church like an apostle, prophesy, evangelise, teach, heal and so on. We just need a disciple of Jesus with gifts of healings, and he will be able to teach us by example how to heal. In reality it isn’t he who teaches but the Holy Spirit, but this happens when we take part in the process and watch how it is done. Of course, you can try to pray for the healing of others on your own, or, like me, try unsuccessfully to evangelise, but that isn’t how discipleship happens. You just need to “catch” the spirit.