Ephesians 4:11-13: It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
God intends that every believer actively engage in the ministry of the church.
Ephesians 2:8-10: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
The apostle Paul emphasizes in this passage that a believer is not saved by works. Rather, salvation comes through the grace of God. It is a free gift.
However, Paul also emphasizes that the church is God's workmanship. God prepares us for good works. He created us to do good works. He planned good works for you to perform before the foundation of the world.
The idea that the church pays the clergy to do the work of the ministry, while the believers attend on Sunday as spectators, is an idea contrary to Biblical teaching.
Ephesians 4:11 speaks of five ministry gifts that God gave to the church to help prepare the church to do the work of the ministry. I want to briefly look at the function of each of these ministry gifts. Next time we will examine verses twelve and thirteen in more detail.
An apostle is one sent from God with a specific mission. Peter was an apostle sent primarily to the Jews, while Paul was an apostle sent primarily to the Gentiles.
Some people say in modern day terms an apostle is a missionary. I believe there is some truth in that statement, but I don't think the terms are synonymous.
Primarily, an apostle is sent with a specific mission to reach a certain group of people. That mission usually includes the establishment of churches and the appointment of pastors to oversee those churches. Then the apostle will continue to exercise oversight over the churches he has established, in order to insure that they remain healthy in God.
A true apostle will be a man of vision, a man who is steadfast in the Word of God, and who walks in the supernatural power of God. He will also be a man who is strong, and who perseveres against obstacles, difficulties and hardships.
The prophet is a man with unusual insight into the plan of God, and sometimes into the future. He will strengthen the church with his insight into the Word of God and the plan of God. He will also strengthen the church with his prophetic utterances both to the church as a body, and to various individuals in that body.
God may reveal to the prophet the sins of various members of the body for the purpose of calling that person to repentance and to restoration to full fellowship with God and his church.
The evangelist is the minister, who is called to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to the lost and dying world. In addition he is anointed of God to spread his enthusiasm for reaching the lost. He motivates the church to do more to reach out to the world around them.
God intends for the evangelist to minister in the supernatural power of God, so that healings and miracles regularly occur as part of his ministry. Signs and wonders advertise the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they demonstrate the power of the risen Lord over all the works of Satan.
The pastor cares for the people of God on a daily basis. He nurtures them, encourages them, binds up their wounds, feeds them with the Word of God, and if necessary, he corrects them.
The pastor is not a hireling. The pastor shepherds the flock of God in love. He must be willing to lay down his life for the sheep under his care.
While many may disagree with me, the church is not a democracy. The pastor, and his leadership team, should govern the church. The wise pastor always listens to the counsel of his leadership team. The leadership team as a whole will be sensitive to what God is saying through members of the church. While the pastor is called to govern, in his wisdom he understands thats a church is impotent, unless he has clearly communicated his vision to the church, and the church has embraced that vision. Agreement in God is not optional for true effectiveness in ministry.
The pastor must give an account to God of his stewardship of God's people. Meanwhile, the church is called to obey those in spiritual authority. Not obedience that is born out of some blind, cultish foolishness. But obedience that is born out of a desire to see the church prosper in God.
Horror stories abound of church splits and fights over trivial things. How can the church reach a hurting world, when people split a church over the color of the new carpet?
Everyone should be allowed to make their input, but in the end decisions have to be made. The pastor and his team are responsible for making those decisions.
Ideally, the pastor will also function in the role of a teacher. Some teachers are not pastors, but the pastor/teacher gives his people a steady diet of the Word of God. Growth comes when the church is taught and built up in the Word, and then motivated and given opportunity to obey that Word.
Some believers love to be taught, but not necessarily obey. Some believers complain that they are not being fed enough. My response is, first of all, stop complaining. Secondly, obey whatever you have already been taught. Some believers tend to make "hearing teaching" an idol. But James instructed the church not just to hear the Word of God, but to obey.
Teaching is not entertainment. Teaching is not for your enjoyment. Teaching is for you to understand more fully what God is saying in his Word, so you can obey God, grow in God, and become more effective in your ministry to others.
If the church would begin to fully obey what the pastor teaches from the Word of God, then God would begin to give that pastor additional revelation to feed to that group of believers.
In summary God gave to the church these five ministry gifts because he loves us. These ministry gifts help us to grow in God, and to become more effective in our ministry to the church and to the world.
Thank God for these gifts and honor the men who function in these roles by the call of God. That attitude will enable you to move more fully to maturity and true effectiveness in God.
Wayne L. Williams
wayne@fotwm.org