The Work of Ministry

Ephesians 4:11-16 ESV

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

There were then and are now Christians within the body of Christ specifically called and gifted to spiritually prepare the body of Christ for the work of the ministry. All pastors and elders should be doing this, and this is not talking about business training for how to do certain assignments within the institutional church. This is about spiritually training the people of God to be disciples of Jesus Christ and to do the work of the ministry to which God has called and gifted them, in his power and strength.

And then the saints of God, who are becoming disciples of Jesus Christ, and who are growing to maturity in their walks of faith in the Lord, are able to do the work of the ministry to which God has called them, which is for the spiritual growth and maturity of the body of Christ, as a whole. But even if you don’t have anyone willing and able to spiritually train you to be disciples of Christ, and for the work of the ministry, our Lord will train and equip you for his service if you follow him in obedience to his ways.

Now we, as the body of Christ, are responsible to help one another to grow in our walks of faith in Christ. We are to be those who are exhorting, encouraging, urging, and provoking one another to walks of holiness and righteousness, in obedience to our Lord, and to the love of God and to do the works of God he prepared in advance that we should do. And we should be speaking the truth in love, one to the other, so that we are not led astray by false teaching and the deceitfulness of man in his cunning and craftiness.

And we who are following the Lord Jesus in obedience to his ways are all necessary to the proper building up of the body of Christ to walks of maturity in our Lord Jesus Christ. No working part of the body of Christ should ever say to another working part that, “I have no need of you.” But sadly, this is being done much in these institutional market-driven churches where they are following the marketing schemes of men and not the Spirit of God in how to grow and to build their “churches” (businesses).

And, in many cases, they are actually discouraging members of the body of Christ from participating in the areas of ministry to which God has called and equipped them, and some of them are being pushed out because they don’t fit with their “target audience,” who they are trying to attract to their gatherings. In fact, my husband and I used to be church planters, and we went to some of the training these pastors are being given, and we were told to use “needy people” until we got up and running, and then we were to get rid of them so that they did not drag us down. Wow!

And then we have this mindset in so much of what is called church today, which is that only the pastor is to do the exhorting and instructing, and that we are to “stay in your own lane” and not tell other Christians what they should or should not do. And we aren’t supposed to share the full gospel message with them, for that might offend them. And we aren’t supposed to say anything that might be regarded as negative, but that we are to keep everything upbeat and feel-good and positive.

So, don’t look to most institutional market-driven churches here in America to model for you what this passage of Scripture is talking about, for they are following marketing books and marketing seminars and marketing schemes and goals for how to “grow their churches.” And it seems as though few (the minority) are following this biblical model, for so many have gone the way of the world and are not doing what these Scriptures teach us we all must do in helping our fellow Christians toward spiritual maturity.

But we can do what these Scriptures teach even if the majority is not following this biblical model, and even if we get hated and rejected in return. For we are still responsible to help one another to grow in our walks of faith and to live the kinds of lives which God has called us to live, for his purposes and for his glory. For Jesus died for us on that cross to deliver us from our lives of slavery to sin so that we will now serve him in walks of holiness and in righteousness and in obedience to our Lord, the rest of our days.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]  

Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

https://vimeo.com/379484387