The Office: Understanding the Ministry Gifts

By Joel Siegel

God’s ministry gifts are supernatural: divinely appointed places of service to help believers achieve unity, maturity, and stability. Though powerful, these gifts only manifest to the degree that they are recognized and received. The Office teaches believers and ministers alike to discern the different gifts with which God has blessed the Body of Christ. Each believer has a precious place of service assigned by God, yet there are also those – specially called and spiritually empowered – whom God has appointed to represent Him on Earth. We must receive these men and women: those who hold not just a position or title, but those with God’s message and anointing. We must receive the office. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Siegel Ministries, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9780997221251

Joel Siegel

Faith in God’s Word, and constant reliance on the Holy Spirit have been the keys to success in the life and ministry of Rev. Joel Siegel. Raised and educated as a Jew, Joel Siegel, at age 18, had a life-transforming encounter with Christ that brought him true purpose and fulfillment.  Rev. Siegel began preaching and teaching the Word of God soon after he was saved in 1986. He entered full-time ministry in 1990, serving for three years as the music director for the gospel music group Truth. Truth’s road schedule took Joel and his wife Amy worldwide to over 300 cities a year, ministering in churches and on college campuses. From 1993 to 2000, Joel was the musical director for Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin’s RHEMA Singers & Band. In addition to assisting Rev. Hagin in his crusade meetings, Joel produced many music projects for the ministry, including his first solo release, Trust & Obey. From 2000 to 2011, Joel and Amy served as founding pastors of Good News Family Church in Orchard Park, NY. During this time, they were frequently asked to host shows for the TCT Christian Television Network. Joel regularly hosted their popular Ask The Pastor program. Rev. Siegel spends his time ministering to congregations in the U.S. and abroad, passionately endeavoring to fulfill his assignment to help lead this generation into the move of God that will usher in the return of Christ.  The Siegels make their home in Colorado. Joel oversees Faith Church Colorado in the town of Castle Rock, where Amy is lead pastor.  For music recordings, audio teaching series, books, and other resources, or to invite Rev. Joel to minister at a church or event, please visit siegelministries.org.

Book preview

01 Is There No Prophet?

And Jehoshaphat said, Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord? Then one of the king of Israel’s servants answered, Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah. And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the Lord is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. 2 Kings 3:11-12

The kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom had formed an alliance to defend themselves against the armies of Moab, but right from the start things weren’t going well. Their water supply had run out and the enemy’s armies were quickly advancing. They were in trouble, facing an impossible situation, and needed answers in a hurry. As the trio of kings met, two of them concluded that it must be God’s will for them to be defeated and die. The third king, Jehoshaphat (the spiritual one among them), knew that God was there to help them, not kill them, yet he lacked the means to access God’s help by himself. In desperation, Jehoshaphat cries out, Is there no prophet of the Lord here?

That’s a question no one should ever have to ask.

In both the Old and New Testaments, God has provided help for man by appointing certain individuals to represent Him in the earth. These people – ministers, as we call them – were never meant to remain passively in the background, but were rather to be centerpieces of society, standing in a place of prominence and honor. They were to be present, not absent, when needs arose in the lives, communities, and nations of God’s people. None among us should ever have to echo King Jehoshaphat by praying, Lord, where are the ministers who really know you? Yet, strong leaders who accurately represent God and hear His voice often seem to be in short supply.

In Old Testament times, there were three types of ministers: the prophet, the priest, and the king. The prophet spoke to man on behalf of God, the priest spoke to God on behalf of man, and the king, under God, ruled over man. God gave clear instructions in His Word regarding how these different ministries (also called offices or gifts) were to function and flow together. It’s not right that anyone – a king, no less – would have to go searching for someone to receive and deliver the Lord’s answer, yet, in our story, that’s exactly what happened.

We all know who Elisha was. He was Elijah’s protégé, the Bible’s most decorated prophet in terms of miracles and mighty works. We would naturally think of him as a man of great fame and popularity – in demand as a minister – constantly on the king’s radar. As it turns out, two of these three kings hadn’t even heard of him. Thankfully, Jehoshaphat had.

They went to see Elisha, who told them that the valley around them would supernaturally fill with water, refreshing their troops, and that they would emerge victorious from battle. Things happened exactly as he foretold. Not only did the valley fill with water, the sun’s reflection caused that water to appear as blood. The king of Moab saw the bloody water and thought the battle was over; he assumed that the three kings had killed each other off. He ordered his armies to run in and gather up the spoils, but instead they ran right into a trap. God’s armies were there waiting, locked and loaded, able to secure a great victory.

I’m no military strategist, but I think I can provide some insight as to why, instead of being wiped off the map, God’s people won their battle that day. They won for one reason: a minister was present who knew how to hear from God and deliver God’s message to the people. This single example should speak sufficiently to the necessity and rightful place of God’s ministers. There is simply no substitute for specially anointed men and women here on Earth, functioning in their full spiritual capacity. Not then. Not now.

Why was the great prophet Elisha not consulted to begin with? Why did the people of God have to come face-to-face with death before someone said, Let’s ask the man of God what to do? Elisha was excluded in his day for the same reasons ministers are disregarded today: ignorance, and the dishonor that ignorance breeds. People, by and large, don’t have the first idea what a true minister of God really is. They don’t understand the power that lies within the ministry offices. They live their entire lives, never tapping into a fraction of the help that’s available to them. Worse yet, many of God’s ministers are themselves ignorant of their function and place, unable to adequately teach others.

Our society looks at ministers as the weakest among us – an embarrassment among the members of our community – relics from some pre-enlightened age. Today, society is happy when ministers shut up, take the back seat, and stay out of the way. Secular leaders are dismissive of the place of ministers and say, in so many words, We’ll call you if there’s a tragedy and we need you. It’s sort of like we’re living in Elisha’s day.

Much wrong thinking exists concerning ministers and ministry. Because of the actions of some, many think that all ministers are crooked and manipulative. They assume that every minister has wrong motives and is seeking to violate the sheep in their care. In Old Testament times, there was indeed an abundance of false ministers, so much so that it caused the reputation of these offices to become tarnished. Elisha was one of the few whose words could be relied upon. Notice how The Message Bible records King Jehoshaphat’s response when Elisha’s name was mentioned:

But Jehoshaphat said, Isn’t there a prophet of God anywhere around through whom we can consult God? One of the servants of the king of Israel said, Elisha son of Shaphat is around somewhere—the one who was Elijah’s right-hand man. Jehoshaphat said, "Good! A man we can trust!" So the three of them—the king of Israel, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom—went to meet him. 2 Kings 3:11-12 (MSG)

Whether we’re speaking of ministers misrepresenting God and disgracing their office, or people who just lack insight and information, we must erase the ignorance that exists concerning ministry. May this book help in that regard. Although ignorance is the automatic result of a lack of knowledge, there’s nothing random about the state of ignorance that exists today in the world and in the Church. The devil is at work in this area, night and day endeavoring to obscure what the Bible reveals to be one of the most important keys to our spiritual effectiveness.

God’s Plan

God’s plan for our day is simple. He is leading His Body, the Church, into the revival that will cause His harvest to be fully reaped. Then Christ can return. Anything else that God seems to be doing in the earth is to facilitate this broader scope of His plan.

This plan is not all up to Him, however. His Body must participate. Like the engine in a car, His plan has many parts and components, all of which must work together in order to achieve forward movement. One of the biggest components – one of the biggest pieces to the end-time puzzle, we could say – are His mighty ministry offices, functioning in their full capacity.

Where are the Elishas of our day? Where are the ministers who are in sync and in step with God’s plan? In many cases, the ministers are there but, as with Elisha, they are disregarded, despised, and dishonored. Many find themselves excluded from society, and even the Christian world, because they represent God’s plan rather than man’s desires. In other cases, ministers have answered God’s call, but ignorance of how to effectively function in their place keeps them sidelined.

It’s time for all who are called of God to rise up to a place of greater effectiveness. It’s time for ministry leaders to come to the forefront, operating in the full potential of their place. And, it’s time for all in the Church to understand the anointings and endowments that God has bestowed upon those He has chosen for service. We must recognize more than the man. We must recognize the office.

02 Places of Service

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

This is a hallmark passage for our era, for it summarizes the characteristics of our era. While other eras and revivals had features which were more singular (such as the healing or teaching revivals), our’s is an era marked by diversity and variety. Many prophets of God over the last century have spoken of our era, each mentioning that it would be a combination of the previous moves of God that we have seen. These prophets spoke of three elements in particular: the gifts of the Spirit, demonstrations of the Spirit, and the ministry offices.

Below is an excerpt of a prophecy given through my spiritual father, Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin, in 1983. It’s amazing how, all these years later, it speaks so distinctly to our times. As you read it, look down on the inside, in your spirit, and note how the Holy Spirit bears witness to this prophetic revelation.

In this move that is about to come, and you’re even in the edge of it right now, it will not be something altogether new that you’ve never seen. It’ll be a combination of everything you’ve seen put together, plus a little bit more.

And a revival of the supernatural. Not only the supernatural in casting out devils. Not only the supernatural in healing the sick. Not only the supernatural in speaking with other tongues. But the supernatural in the seen realm. Men will see the glory of God. A cloud will hang over certain congregations, even the church building, for days at a time. And everybody that passes by, sinner and saint alike will say, Well what in the world is that? I’ve never seen anything like that.

And there will be, in other places, fire of the Spirit that will actually become literal. Oh yes, in the spirit realm some of us have seen it. In the spirit realm we’ve been conscious of the fire of God. But the fire will actually come into manifestation. And there’ll be people, sinners as well as saints, that will see fire all over the heads of the people. There’ll be people driving down the street, or down the highway and they’ll see fire on top of the buildings. And they’ll come and say, What does all this mean?

The power of God in manifestation shall be seen in the gifts of the Spirit, the manifestations of His Spirit. Into full potential shall come the ministry gifts, the apostle and prophet, the evangelist, and pastor and teacher too. They shall flow as one.

As Brother Hagin spoke this prophetic message, there were three main areas of emphasis: gifts and manifestations of the Spirit, demonstrations of the Spirit (also known as signs and wonders), and the operation of the ministry offices. Now, if you’re like me, you probably get a bit more excited hearing about the fire of God appearing in visible form than you do hearing about the pastor functioning in his place. If you’ll study this chapter carefully, that will change.

Defining Our Day

Let’s look again at our text in 1 Corinthians:

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

I’ve read this passage for years, and have heard it taught for years. After all that time, I still had only the fuzziest idea what it was really talking about. Several years ago, however, I was prompted by the Lord to study further. As I did, He enlightened me. I’m not saying I know it all, but I see more clearly than I had before. There are three things in particular that the Lord emphasized to me from this passage.

One thing the Spirit helped me see is the repetition of two very important words: variety and same. Many people (including myself, at times) have been reluctant to move out into the manifestations of God, for they are unsure whether certain manifestations are really from Him. After all, there seems to be so many different