Monday, April 16, 2018
Job description
Ephesians 4:11,12
He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ
More and more our churches are becoming very professional organisations. The adherents who attend have come to expect higher and higher levels of service from those who serve and minister to them. Indeed, many of us who serve have recognised this and have busied ourselves trying to ensure that higher and higher levels of service are being provided for those who come to church.
There are raised expectations, and there are ever-increasing efforts to meet and surpass people’s expectations. In this quest, the language of sales, marketing and management has filtered into the church. There are even some who argue that church is not professional enough and compare the conduct of church with the conduct of business in the world outside of church.
While it is true that the business of God’s church must not be haphazard and lackadaisical there is more to be said about what our real purpose is and what should be the real drivers of our approach, service and ministry. Clarity about purpose should be the lens through which we view what takes place in church both on the part of those who are ministers and those who come to ‘receive’ ministry.
In Ephesians 4:1-17, the Apostle Paul is transitioning, in his letter to the church, from what some people see as the pure doctrinal content, to addressing issues that are more practical in nature. Others argue that such clear distinctions are artificial because while there is a shift in emphasis the two things always go together. You could never really separate doctrine from conduct neither at the individual or church level. What we believe, and are taught, is tied up completely in what we do and how we behave.
In the passage, the Apostle is making an appeal for Christian unity, but he is establishing and emphasising that this unity must be predicated on some very clear things. He is challenging us all to recognise that we were given different and specific gifts by Jesus, the risen and exalted head of the church. And he is also making the point that Ministers of the Gospel have specific roles to play, job descriptions if you like.
Let us keep our focus on ministers. Given that, “He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,” Ephesians 4:11, they are to be some very clear results of their ministry. Some people call this the fivefold ministry and argue about whether a person can have all five or only some of the five. Those arguments get nowhere really.
Ministers, under Jesus, must provide teaching and training in the doctrines of the faith to the members of the church and all believers must submit to this teaching and training so that there may be unity, progress and growth. Paul brings this under two headings really, equipping of the saints and works of service.
Given the very specific gifts and calling we noted in verse 11, as they minister, the members of the body will be edified and will, as a result, perform works of service, “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,” Ephesians 4:12.
So, the minister’s job description is very clear, the minister must teach and prepare people for works of service. And, if we follow the trends of bringing the language of contemporary management into the church’s thinking and approach, we have a basis for evaluating the effectiveness of a ministry.
The true measure of a ministry is not attendance, of money, or building size, or social media reach, or the dance ministry or how many of the members of the worship team are recording artists. The true measure of ministry is how well edified are the members and are they involved in works of service.
Ministers are not present in church to achieve celebrity status, rather they are there to teach sound doctrine.
In writing to young Timothy, Paul explained why the teaching of sound doctrine is important. He wrote that “the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 1 Timothy 4:1,2.
He then went on to point out to Timothy that the way to counteract what was coming is to teach sound doctrine, edify the believers. “If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.” 1 Timothy 4:6.
Our key passage today goes on to show that because of our diversity in gifts, we can each make unique contributions to the growth of the body of Christ; “from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:16
For this reason, although the passage begins by talking about the grace given to each of us and then moves to the fact that we each must give something, Paul highlights the role of those we could call ‘doctrinal ministers’ for they are the ones who nurture and direct the grace given to each believer.
As the doctrinal ministers perform their duties, and as the other believers learn from them and then participate in “works of service,” they build up the church. The aim is to “reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God.
Think on these things:
- Is there an emphasis on teaching sound doctrine in your church?
- What doctrinal teaching have you received recently?
- Are there opportunities in your church for the identification and nurturing of your gifts?
Prayer focus:
Let us pray today that we would submit ourselves to the teaching of sound doctrine and that we would use our gifts to perform works of service.
In His Grace
Pastor Alex