Time For Ministry
(Turn to Ephesians 4:11,12)
I. Call To Ministry (Introduction)...
How many in here this morning knows that God
has called you to the ministry?
If God has called you to salvation he’s called you
into ministry. Amen?
He may not have called you to preach or teach or
prophesy but He has called you to do your part as
Christian. Amen?
And your part is to be effectively building up the
Church and furthering the Kingdom of God with
every gift,
Every talent and every thing else that the Lord
has given you. Amen?
We’ve got too many people in the Church today
that think saving souls is strictly for the Pastor or
Evangelist.
Well I got news for you...Sheep begat sheep!
Have you ever seen a shepherd giving birth to a
lamb?
No! And you won’t either. Amen?
The flock grows in number when the sheep
reproduce.
And the sheep reproduce when we do the work of
the ministry that God has called us to,
And we start sewing the seed of faith into every
soul that we meet. Amen?
God’s commissioned each and everyone of us to
do our part in evangelizing the world. Amen?
Even if that just means evangelizing our little
corner of the world.
But too many of us don’t feel the need to do the
work of an evangelist!
We don’t think that we need to be exhorters of the
Gospel,
But that’s exactly what His word says for us to be.
Amen?
He said
Go...Preach...Exhort...Evangelize...Baptize!
Amen?
And we want to pawn it off on someone else!
How many knows that that’s not God’s plan for
your life?
He picked you up from out of the muck and mire
and cleaned you up for a purpose!
So He could use you! Amen?
**********
II. The Five-Fold Ministry...
Read
Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some,
prophets; and some, evangelists; and some,
pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the
work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ:
How many in here this morning has ever heard
the term "five-fold ministry"?
And How many really knows what that term
means?
It refers to the five offices laid out in our text this
morning. Amen?
It refers to those who’ve been called to fill one of
those offices that God has established in the
Church. Amen?
And how many knows that if God establishes
something He does it for a reason.
Unlike some of us, He doesn’t go around just
doing things cause it makes Him feel good,
Or Just cause He wants to. Amen?
God always has a purpose for his creation.
And God has placed the five fold ministry in the
church for a very specific purpose.
Verse 12 says that it’s for the:
1) For the perfecting of the saints.
2) For the work of the ministry.
3) For the edifying ( building up ) of the church -
both locally, & globally.
That sounds like alot of work. Amen?
It seems like every one of these ministers is going
to have their hands full. Amen?
And how many knows that that’s true?
God has called us to be bondservants for Jesus
Christ and He didn’t say it would be easy.
He said it would be worth it!
But too many of us point at this scripture and say
look,
The perfecting of the saints, and the work of the
ministry, and the building up of the Church,
Is the Pastors job or the Evangelists job, etc.
But as I studied and prayed over this text last
night God began to reveal something to me.
1.We are to perfect the saints,
2. So that the saints can do the work of the
ministry right along with us,
3. And ultimately through our efforts together the
Church is edified and built up both globally and
locally. Amen?
He said when the saints are perfected,
And begin to minister effectively,
by the way they live their lives,
By the way they praise God,
And by the way they share the Gospel
the church will be built up! Amen?
III. The Perfecting of the Saints...
The Greek word that was translated perfect
literally means, ’to mend, or repair.
And it doesn’t mean to mend or repair just
anything.
It’s actually a medical term used to describe the
repairing of a broken bone.
And how many knows what the bone is in the
body?
It’s the structure!
So the five fold ministry is to repair the structure
of the Body of Christ.
Put everything in it’s place in the ministry.
Not to have to do the ministry all by ourselves but
to bring some type of structure or organization
into the ministry.
And that word implies that it’s done by:
1) setting the bone back in it’s proper place so it
can heal.
2) then allowing the limb time to regain it’s
strength.
The Minister’s job is to:
1) Set people’s broken lives back in proper place
with God so they can heal.
2) then help them gain strength & empower them
for individual ministry.
The Pastor’s job is to make minister’s!
The evangelist’s job is to make minister’s!
That’s why I feel so strongly about our ordination
program here at the Church.
Because it’s my job to make ministers!
And I’m not just talking about handing out
certificate’s like candy this morning!
I’m talking about saving souls!
Allowing them time to grow and heal,
And all the while educating them by the word of
God and the anointing of the Spirit,
So that they might be better equipped to fulfil the
calling that God has placed on their life!
But too many of us don’t want to grow and
mature in the ministry that God has called us too!
We usually react to perfecting in one of two ways.
IV. Two Common Reactions to the
Perfecting of the Saints...
1. They don’t want healing...
The problem with a lot of saints is that they never
want to be totally healed!
If you break your leg at work then chances are
you’re going to get worker’s compensation and
And you end up having to stay out of work until
the doctor says that you are fully healed. Amen?
But too many of us are enjoying staying at home
with our workmans comp,
When we need to get back to the work of the
ministry.
We know that once the bone heals we have to go
back to the work of the ministry
So we’re constantly looking for excuses to layout!
And how many knows that when you lay out of
work it doesn’t mean that the job doesn’t get
done,
There’s still work to be done and it has to be
done. Amen?
The only difference is who does it!
See when we don’t do our part it doesn’t mean
our part doesn’t get done.
It just means someone else has to do it! Amen?
So we need to step up to the plate and do our
part!
2. They want to work before healing...
On the other hand there’s also those Christians
who are the exact opposite.
They want to jump right in there and start doing
the work of the ministry
Without the perfecting of the minister!
We all need to go through that healing process.
Amen?
If you show up at work with a broken arm then
your jobs not going to get done to the best of your
ability. Amen?
And on top of that you’re probably putting
yourself at risk of a worse injury
Or God forbid you might even put someone else
in danger. Amen?
That’s why I’m pushing the continuing education
of our ministers.
We can’t just have someone go out there
representing God’s Church that’s halfway healed.
Amen?
In the same way we can’t just let a halfway
learned preacher hop in the pulpit and start
carrying on. Amen?
He’s going to harm his ministry, and the ministry
he’s supposedly been perfected under,
And God forbid if they were to get others wrapped
up in their fables. Amen?
They need to go through that perfecting process.
Amen?
Why do you think most of those people never
really mature in their ministry,
Or they never come into the fullness of what God
has to offer?
It’s because they’re still sick!!!
Wounded soldiers are not fit for battle!
Wounded saints are not fit for ministry!
That’s not the will of God!
V. The Right Reaction (Conclusion)...
Be empowered to work, and then work!
The will of God is to totally heal every broken life
& equip them for ministry!
Mat. 7:5 - "first cast out the beam out of thine
own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast
out the mote out of thy brother’s eye."
When your eye is healed & OK, then you will be
able to minister to others!
Mat. 9:12 - "They that be whole need not a
physician, but they that are sick."
When Jesus completely heals your broken life He
expects you to become His assistant, not His best
patient!
Yes, I know that even doctors\nurses get sick, but
when they’re sick you don’t see them in the
operating room!
Revelation: They didn’t spend 8 years in school to
be sick patients! They want to be practicing
doctors that can help people!
Jesus had that same philosophy - "... the Son of
man ( not the Son of God, this refers to his
humanity ) came not to be ministered unto, but
to minister!
In Luke chapter 4 Jesus spent 40 days in the
wilderness praying\fasting, & being tempted by
the devil.
After that he went into the synagogue at Galilee.
He was given the book & he stood up to read.
Notice: He didn’t start having a pity party for
himself!
- "I’ve been fighting the devil for 40 days."
- "I feel so bad right now. You just don’t know
what I’ve been going through."
He said the Spirit of the Lord is upon me to
minister to those who are blind, bruised, &
broken hearted!
Church, there’s nothing in your life that the Word
of God & the Holy Ghost, working through the
five fold ministry, cannot heal, repair, & restore!
God has called you to more than just salvation!
God has called you to complete restoration, &
God has called you to ministry!
Eph. 6:10 - "Finally, my brethren, be
strong in the Lord ..."
Don’t ever settle for being a weak, anemic saint
when you can be a strong, Holy Ghost anointed &
empowered minister to a hurting world!
God is ready to make you ready for ministry!
