“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:11-16 NASB1995)
In Ephesians 1:22-23 we read “to the church, which is his
body.” And we read in Colossians 1:24 “on behalf of his body, which is the church.”
And the church is the ekklésia, the whole body of believers in Jesus Christ who
have died with Christ to sin, and who have been raised with Christ to walk in
newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God
and to his righteousness (see Romans 6:1-23). We are the people of God, called
out from the world and to God, who are now belonging to the Lord.
So, the church is not a building, not a church denomination,
not an incorporation (merger, union) under the state, not a social club, not a
civic center, and not a place (location) you go to once or twice a week to
worship God. The church is the body of believers in Jesus Christ whose purpose
it is to gather together any days of the week at any location, at any time of
day or night, for the purpose of mutual encouragement and edification, and for
the building up of the body of Christ to spiritual maturity in Christ.
Now, if we are of genuine biblical faith in the Lord Jesus,
then we are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. And the Holy Spirit
has gifted us individually with spiritual gifts. And God has placed the members
of the body, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired. And, as
individual body members, we are to be encouraging one another in our walks of
faith in obedience to our Lord so that we are not led astray by the
deceitfulness of sin nor by wolves in sheep’s clothing trying to send us the
wrong way.
And there are certain people within the body of Christ who
God has appointed to equip us, the saints of God, his holy people, for the work
of service, to the building up of the body of Christ. And this equipping is to
be done on a biblical and spiritual level, and not via marketing schemes and
business models which so many are using today to “grow their churches.” And we
are all to have a part as ministers of Christ within the body of Christ in
helping one another to spiritual maturity in Christ, as each part works.
Now, this is not to say that we are all to be pastors,
elders, and deacons, i.e. people within the body of Christ who are to serve as
overseers. The Bible gives us many strict requirements for those who would take
such positions as this. And women are not to serve in those positions of
authority over men unless there is a shortage of spiritually qualified men to
fill the positions. For we should take seriously the spiritual qualifications
for those who are to serve in positions of leadership within the body of
Christ, his church.
For how can we be equipped for the work of the ministry if
the people in positions of leadership are not equipped themselves for biblical
ministry within the body of Christ, for they fail to meet the biblical
requirements? And so many of them are just showmen and marketeers who are
following business models and marketing schemes. And how will all this work if “the
church” is not the biblical body of Christ working together to help one another
to maturity in Christ, but they are businesses under the state?
But as members of the body of Christ, each one of us is to
minister to the others as we are led by the Holy Spirit. And so we are to speak
the truth of God and of the Scriptures (taught in context) to one another for
our mutual encouragement and spiritual growth so that we don’t end up being
taken captive by the trickery and deceitfulness and cunning and craftiness of certain
people who are not following the Lord. And we are to exhort one another every
day so none of us will be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
So, the purpose of our gatherings, which can be every day or
many days per week in any appropriate locations, even on the internet, is for
the mutual edification of the body of Christ, as each part does its work, as we
have been equipped to do so by those who are spiritually qualified to prepare
us for the work of the ministry, and/or by the Holy Spirit himself. These
gatherings are not to be market-driven shows put on for the world to attract
the world. We, the body of Christ, are to meet together for our mutual
encouragement.
Fit for Service
An Original Work /
October 5, 2011
Christ’s Free
Servant, Sue J Love
Holy Spirit, come
within us.
Cleanse our hearts,
and from sin free
us.
Make us holy vessels
fit
for service to the
King.
Fill us with Your
love and power.
Anoint us within
this hour
To be living
witnesses
For Jesus Christ,
our King.
Our praise to Him
bring.
Father God, our
heart’s desire,
Come and speak to us
in power.
Revive our hearts to
obey You;
Live for You always.
May we love and
serve You only,
Walking with You;
Not a phony.
May we always tell
the truth,
And show integrity.
Your true servants
be.
Jesus, Savior,
sanctify us.
Purify our hearts
within us;
Be transformed into
Your likeness,
Holy unto You.
May we always listen
to You
Speaking Your words
Now within us.
May we heed Your
counsel to us;
Follow You today.
Do all that You say.
For The Work of Service
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