“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”. Eph. 4:11-13
This passage can be comfortably linked with 1
Corinthians 12 where Paul told the church that the Spirit distributes various
gifts to the members of the body of Christ.
“And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues 1Cor. 12: 28.
Here in Ephesians Paul said “He” —in the original “He” is emphatic—He and He
alone, as the ascended Head of the Church, “gave”. Paul used word “gave,”
instead of the more obvious word sent, or appointed. It is important to realize that those who are
ministers of God’s various gifts are themselves gifts from God to the Church.
The various gifts given to the members and the
members who are given to every local congregation and the church at large are
given not for their personal glory and show but “for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ”. Every
member has his or her own part to play in the advancement, growth and expansion
of God’s kingdom.
The
work of and workers in the church varies. There are those whose ministry is to
pray for the work and workers; others to encourage and see to the needs of the
workers; others to support the work and workers financially; others to teach
those who are young and young in the faith; others to provide leadership for
various age groups and organizations; others to be the messengers; others to be
engaged in home or foreign mission; others to train and assist in the formation
of those who have been given special tasks; others to be the listening ears and
provide and comforting smile or a welcoming handshake.
The church
has always been beset by issues of division, prejudice, the refusal of some to
work because they were not acknowledged; or asked; or do not like the minister
or leader; or the pay not right. Irrespective of denominational differences it
is time for all hands to be on deck because as Children of God we are on the
same team. God, through Christ, has made it possible for all of His people to
receive the truth they need to live right and good live. Yes! There are many
services to be done. Some are easy others are difficult. Some bring honour
others bring reproach. Some requires the
willingness to sacrifice time, resources, ambition and even life.
No comments:
Post a Comment