Equipped to Serve
Ephesians 4:7,8,11 - 13
I have worked together with others to build houses. You cannot start with hiring the roofer to put the shingles on the ground and then build underneath those. Everything must be co-ordinated. Someone must be responsible for the orderly progression of each stage of building a house. There needs to be someone in charge to get the house built properly. The coordination of a large project is very important. To be effective, the church has to have people serving the Lord but working together for a common goal of reaching the world for Christ. Without coordination there would be confusion. On the other hand if the supervisors tried to do everything it would take forever to get the job done. The passage we will study, teaches us about leadership and the importance of each member working to bring glory to God.
The theme of Ephesians 4:7 - 13 is, "God has given the church, men with leadership gifts to help believers in their ministry and to maintain unity within the church.
What are the gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastors and teachers?
When we think of the apostles, we think of the twelve men who were trained by Jesus to carry on the work of the building of the church after He left. The Greek word apostle means "sent one". So an apostle was much like an ambassador of a country today. An apostle was sent by a leader to give a message, to answer questions or settle disputes. The Jewish leaders used apostles before the time of Christ to go to the Jews who were spread around the world - to collect the tithe and to give answers to questions of interpretation of the scriptures which they would have.
In John 17:18 Jesus said, "As you have send me into the world I also have sent them into the world." The task of the apostle was to establish churches around the world. History tells us that the twelve did not remain in Jerusalem but they went to many places and established congregations. Ephesians 2:20 tells us that the apostles and the prophets created the foundations of churches. Today we send out apostles. Instead of using the word "apostle" which comes from the greek ( sent one ) we use the Latin term "missionary". Missionaries are being sent around the world to establish churches in many new locations.
The role of the prophet in the church is threefold. They are to 1) for tell the future, 2) reveal the secrets of men's hearts and 3) proclaim the will of God to the people. In the process of proclaiming the judgements of God the prophet also reveals the future consequences which will come on the people if they do not follow the way of the Lord.
The evangelist was a "carrier of good news" The evangelist was to travel about the country proclaiming that Jesus was the Saviour of the world and that people were to turn from their sins and ask God for forgiveness.
The apostle, prophet and evangelist moved about . Once a congregation had been established in an area there was need for long term leadership. God gave leadership to the church as pastors and teachers. In the church both teachers and pastors are need to explain the scriptures and to give guidance.
The word "pastor" is the word for shepherd. A shepherd was the man who cared for the flock and led the sheep into safe places. He was the man who went to look for the sheep when they wandered away. The pastor is the man of God who loves people, feeds them with the truth, seeks them when they wander from God, and defends them from anything which would hurt their faith.
In the churches of the book of Acts there was not just a single man who lead the local church. Whenever we read of church leadership it is always in the plural telling us that several were working together to give leadership to the church.
The responsibility of leadership is not to do all the work which God has given to the church but the leaders are to equip the Christians in the local church for their own unique ministry. Only as believers exercise their gifts can the church expect to grow. Just as a the coach of a hockey team does not score all the goals, so the leadership of the church does not do all the work of the church. God has gifted each member of the church with spiritual gifts. God will hold us accountable for what he has given us and whether we are using his gifts to spread the good news. Hebrews 13:17 tells us that it is the leadership's responsibility to make sure that the members are using their abilities and gifts. 1 Peter 4:10 says, "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Leaders are to equip for service. The word equip in Paul's day meant to put a joint back in place. Our lives are out of joint. They need fixing and the Bible tells us that leaders are there to put us back together so we can serve one another. We do not only serve in a very practical way of helping each other with physical things but we are to share God's spiritual blessings with others.
Only as believers exercise their gifts can the church expect to grow. As we work together and accept responsibility will we grow. It is said that the teacher often learns more than the pupil because of the thoroughness needed in preparation. We must prepare well if we are to represent God and give Him our best. As we become more like Christ.
In conclusion, let us review the points which we have learned today.
1. God gives gifts of leadership to the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.
2. This leadership is not given to do the work of the church but to equip believers for service.
3. As we work together for Christ we are united in a bond of love.
4. Each person who uses his spiritual gift becomes more mature and reflects the image of Christ.
In this group God has given gifts to us - apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. All of us are servants who are to serve. My challenge to you is to serve the Lord with the gifts He has given you so that you may become mature Christians who bring glory to God.
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