It was a fantastic first THP Students Night of 2025! We kicked off with a powerful time of worship then transitioned into an interesting opening game. We paired the students up and played “I make the face, and I make the sound.” Each team had one student make a face or movement and the other student did the sound effect for it. Why? Well you’ll see.
ASK: What is the Church?
We understand the Church to be the greater community as a whole, the Body of Christ. Getting to the point where the church is today is a story of 2000 years of hard work, prayer, and a lot of grace. But it’s a work that wasn’t done by just one man but by the people as a whole, the entirety of the community. The great thing is that God isn’t done yet. The body of Christ still has a lot more growing to do. Much of what will be done is going to be done by you. Over the next few weeks, we are going to be examining some of the gifting and roles that have been instrumental in the growth of the church and how we can help with that growth.
In Ephesians 4 Paul instructs the church on how to live in unity. He begins by laying out an essential truth about who we all are compared to each other.
READ: Ephesians 4:4-6
ASK: What does this passage teach us about the community?
This passage teaches us that there are no differences between each other as far as our standing with Christ. No one person is better than another. No one is a “Super Christian,” and others are “normal Christians.” It needs to be clear that in the eyes of God, we are all on equal ground. That said, let’s look at the next verse
READ: Ephesians 4:7
ASK: What does this teach us about the community?
Depending on the translation you read, you’ll see either the word Gift or Grace. The understanding of scholars here is that Paul is not talking about Saving Grace, that is the grace of God to be saved. Rather, this is about the grace to operate in certain things. Paul uses similar vocabulary in chapter 3:2, where he says that God had given him grace for church, meaning God relegated a task to him for serving that body. So what we see here is that God has given each one of us a gift for a task for the body of Christ as a whole.
The question becomes, “Why did God give these gifts?”
READ: Ephesians 4:12
ASK: According to this passage, what is the purpose of the gifts?
The purpose is simply to equip and build up each other.
ASK: What does it mean to “equip the saints for the work of the ministry?”
It means providing the resources and tools for ministry. These could include knowing how to read our Bibles correctly, pray, preach, and witness, among other things.
ASK: What does it mean to “build(ing) up the body of Christ?”
It means helping each other grow and mature in our relationship with God. It means helping each other when we feel like God is not listening and when we feel lost or alone. We are each gifted in some way to do these things. Your friends in Student ministry, the people at THP, and the Body of Christ as a whole need each of you to help equip and build each other up.
The question becomes, what are these gifts that God gave us?
READ: Ephesians 4:11
In other places, Paul writes about other giftings that people can use, but this list is often called “The 5-Fold Ministry.” These are specific gifts given to the church to equip and build. These are often seen as positions but also gifts, meaning someone can operate in the prophetic or pastoral without being a prophet or a pastor. We will get into these in greater detail over the next several weeks but a basic run down would be this
Apostolic – those operating in this gifting are often seen planting churches, raising up new leaders, and having a heart to go where no person has ever gone to spread the gospel while still helping keep the body connected.
Prophetic – those operating in this gifting are super attentive to what God is saying. This is not to be confused with fortune-telling or mind-reading. These individuals are listening to the Lord as they discern what God wants to do in various times and seasons of life; they sometimes bring a warning that is meant to point people back to God, and sometimes they are speaking into a situation in a way that brings healing and restoration for people. At all times, though, it all points back to Jesus, never themselves.
Evangelistic -Those operating in these giftings have a passion for the lost. They are often seen preaching the gospel, leading people to Christ, and baptizing them. They focus on the kingdom of God as a whole rather than individuals.
Pastoral – Those operating in this gifting often take time to “feed” the congregation. Yes, they are found preaching the gospel, but when they preach, they do more than focus on salvation. Beyond the pulpit, they are with the people, counseling, training, and praying. Unlike those who are super evangelistic and are focused on the bigger picture, these individuals often focus on small groups of people.
Teacher – Those with this gifting are talented at simplifying complex ideas about doctrine and its effects. They are often seen helping people understand what the word of God says and how to live it out.
In all of these giftings, these individuals are not just speaking for themselves; they are simply giving voice to what God is doing or saying.
Remember that game from earlier? Operating in these gifts is the reverse of that game. Whereas in our game one person made the noise to match the actions, when we operate in these gifts, we are simply making the acton that matches what the Lord is saying. At the same time, those who operate in these gifts do not operate solely from within the four walls of a church building. They operate in these gifts outside of the church in their day-to-day lives. Some people may even operate in these multiple giftings seen here once. Some may have a season where they are heavily operating in the gifting of a teacher, then an evangelist in another season. In any case, these are gifts open for us as a body to take advantage of as we work to grow and become who God has called us to be.
Adventures in Student Ministry 