Five fold ministry, not the ultimate goal

Listening to Art Katz this morning and brought to the truth that the restoration of the five-fold ministry is not the ultimate goal.  In fact I have seen and been a part of movements that had that as their goal, and now I see that it was selfish, even self-centered.  The desire to see the restoration, so that, 'church' could be what it was meant to be falls short of God's goal.  The church is to become a witness to the principalities and powers of the air, the church is to be a light in dark times, a refuge for the persecuted, a martyr witness willingly submitted to the will of God.  It is such a subtle deception to be doing something that seems spiritual but ultimately the benefit goes to us.  The restoration of the prophet, apostle was seen as an end in itself, the peak of the mountain.  The wisdom of God involves death and resurrection.  A coming to a place where nothing that we have is adequate to meet the current need and the provision has to come from God.  In a very 'under the radar' way, the attainment of the five-fold gifts is seen as "the answer", the last puzzle piece in God's plan, when in actuality it is simply a tool to equip the saints for the real last puzzle piece, the martyr church, that lays down its life for the brethren.   "Look at me!" the familiar cry of a child who wants to show his parent some accomplishment, is pretty much what I see taking place in most places that are looking for the restoration of the five-fold gifts.  The Olympics are on now and they are a reminder of this, all those hours, all that training, "look at me!", but then what.  In the same way that we have to be aware of the root of our behavior, we need to be aware of what goal we are working towards.  The study of the end times and the role of the church in God's ultimate 'earthly' plan is a valuable part of Bible Study.  By the grace of God may we begin to see it.