Wednesday 11/30/16
Series: The Work of the Ministry
Message – Equipping the Saints I
Equipping the Saints
Key Text: Ephesians 4:11-12
“(11) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, (12) FOR
- the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry
- for the edifying of the body of Christ,
- (13) till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;”
In modern Christianity we have nurtured a fallacy that has led to the fattening and complacency of the “sheep”. This false idea is that the “pastor” is the sole minister in the church and that all ministry begins and ends with him.
This misconception is nowhere represented in scripture and is the basis for much that is currently wrong with the church of Jesus Christ in the earth today.
The Deadly Blame Game
While there is a growing number of the saints who are becoming aware of this, they are not advancing into the ministry as a result. Instead they have fallen into another of the devil’s traps – that of bitterness, anger, “playing the victim” and ungodly character assassination against their former Pastors. These pass the blame of the system onto the shoulders of the Pastors entirely and assume NO responsibility for their own failure to know and study God’s Word. Many of which have gone so far as to deny the legitimacy of the role of a Pastor/shepherd in the body all together. This is particularly disturbing since they do not even see their own hypocrisy. On the one hand, they claim that the Pastor is NOT their source of spiritual growth and understanding, yet they then go on to blame this same man with their having been deceived all these years!
Part of growing up into maturity in Christ is learning to accept your own culpability for your own failures to listen to and follow the inward promptings of the Holy Spirit! Even with no Bible to follow, no Christian has ANY excuse for living in error or following false doctrine because the Holy Spirit OF TRUTH is always 100% present to lead and guild the child of God into all truth!
Servant leadership
Jesus and Paul both taught that the leaders in the church were leaders BY EXAMPLE and not by domineering control.
Elders were to lead by means of a life marked by Godly example and which was fully on display for all to see. Pastors (elders) were touchable, knowable, caring servants in the local church who ruled and lead by clear, orthodox teaching and living.
Though their functions were many, high upon the list of things the elders were assigned to do was to “…equip the saints for the work of the ministry.”
Notice, the work of the ministry was to be accomplished by the people…the sheep – NOT the shepherds! The shepherds lead and fed, but they did not supplant the callings, gifts and ministries of the saints of God.
In this message we address this issue and what it means for a shepherd to equip the saints for their work. Below are the scriptures we looked at and the recording will walk you through the entire teaching.
Romans 12:1-11“(1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (3) For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. (4) For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, (5) so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. (6) Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; (7) or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; (8) he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. (9) Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. (10) Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; (11) not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;”
1Cor. 14:1-12 “(1) Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. (2) For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. (3) But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. (4) He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. (5) I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification. (6) But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching? (7) Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played? (8) For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? (9) So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air. (10) There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance. (11) Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me. (12) Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.”
…Blessings!
I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
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Blessings!