Biblical Parallels of The 5 Functions
Administrator
The Administrator performs management tasks In recent business literature, the administrator sometimes is derided However, in its biblical role, the Administrator is an essential component of governance.
Daniel is an Administrator, as well as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
- Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. Moreover, at Daniels request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court Daniel 2:48-49
- Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon Daniel 3:30
Administrators can rise to positions of great importance
- Then at Belshazzars command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. Daniel 5:29
- It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Daniel 6:1-3
Catalyst
The Catalyst is a change agent.
- No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved. Matthew 9:16-17
The Catalyst ensures that people are working at their best
- I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful John 15:1-2
The Catalyst opposes that which is not a part of God's vision for his people
- Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. It is written, he said to them, My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbersMt 21:12-13
The Catalyst opposes hypocritical ministry
- When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. Gal. 2:11-13
Mentor
Mentors seek out others for their usefulness in the Kingdom
- When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus Acts 9:26-27
Mentors love and develop others
- My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends You are my friends if you do what I command I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his masters business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you John 15:12-15
- Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace II Timothy 1:4-9
Mentors instruct others
- Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning Proverbs 9.9
- You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others II Timothy 2:1-2
Minister
Ministers give of themselves for a Kingdom purpose
- As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory I Thessalonians 2:6-12
- You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many Matthew 20:28
Ministers work diligently to share the gospel
- I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit Romans 15:15-16
- All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood Gods grace in all its truth You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit Colossians 1:6-8
Overseer
Overseers watch over the entire congregation
- Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood Acts 20:28
Overseers steer a course for wisdom, even against the tide
- To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation What are they like They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, He has a demon. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners But wisdom is proved right by all her children Luke 7:31-35 (parallel in Matthew 11:19)
Overseers recommend delegation to enhance ministry
- The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, What is this you are doing for the people Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening Moses answered him, Because the people come to me to seek Gods will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of Gods decrees and lawsMoses father-in-law replied, What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the peoples representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. But select capable men from all the people-men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain-and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves Exodus 18:13-26
Overseers are distinct from others in ministry service, such as deacons
- Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons Phil 1:1
