Hey Friends and Co-Laborers in the Work of Jesus! Last week, we posted an excerpt from the 5Q book that focused on God as the Primal archetype of the APEST gifts. If you didn’t read it last week, go back and get caught up because today, we are giving you a look at the exercise from the accompanying workbook, Activating 5Q: A User’s Guide. Not only will you get a glimpse of some of the equipping resource in the workbook, but you will have access to an exercise that you can bring to your team and use immediately.
We look forward to hearing what you think! Please take a moment and let us know in the comments.
APEST is Found in the Nature and Purposes of God
So if the fivefold archetypes can be seen in and throughout culture and history, it begs us to ask: Where did these archetypes come from in the first place? Surely they didn’t just pop out of nowhere! If we agree that creation bears God’s imprint as Creator, then we can logically say that the APEST archetypes are grounded in the various aspects of God, as revealed to us in the Bible:
- Aspects of God that relate to design, creation, purpose, and mission are likely the roots of the apostolic in his creation and church.
- God’s holiness, his personal nature, his anger at all injustice and unrighteousness, and his covenantal love infuse what has become known as the prophetic.
- The evangelistic function draws upon those aspects of God related to his saving, redeeming, and celebratory nature.
- God’s love, his desire for relationship and intimacy, likely infuse what has become known through the shepherding functions in human society and church.
- The teaching function is derived from God’s wisdom, the fact that he is all-knowing, that he is the source of reason and revelation.
And so we can see that APEST comes from God himself and flows from him into creation, as summarized in table 2.2 below.
STOP
Awareness
Which of the fivefold roots of God do you most naturally relate to? Why do you think this is the case? Does it reflect your own base ministry, your past experience, your church culture, or something else?
How does a limited perception of God in relation to APEST affect your leadership and the culture you create around you?
Reflect back on your own personal faith journey. How has God impacted you at various points and revealed the fivefold attributes of his character?
Application
How could you choose to engage with one of the fivefold aspects of God that you are less familiar with?
How could you lead others in that process?
Who could you discuss and explore this with?
Look at table 2.2 above.
Think about a friend or colleague who isn’t a Christian. Which of those aspects of God might be Good News to them? Share that with them!
If this is your thing and you can see doing the work of equipping your team, you can order the workbook by clicking on the picture below. Peace to you and thanks for being on this journey with us!
