When Christ ascended He gave five gifts to humankind; of these gifts, some were pastors and some were teachers. What was their counsel and practice?
Pastoral and teaching counsel and practice would focus on feeding and caring for the body of Christ; guarding and keeping the one true faith; forming and equipping God’s people to be able to test the spirits for not every spirit comes from God (1 John 4:1-6); guiding and exhorting God’s people to be faithful stewards of the Gospel, and of His many physical blessings, so that they might be a blessing to the nations through their Gospel proclamation and their deeds of love and compassion within the body of Christ and in the world; and cultivating a biblical spirituality in God’s people.
Pastoral and teaching counsel and practice would communicate His Word, and His way of life, so that it forms and shapes the believer’s entire existence through the daily, intentional, socialization of the Christian faith in Christian homes and in the ministries of the church.