Every Member a Minister
Ephesians 4:11-16
There was a lady who was visiting a church one Sunday. The sermon seemed to go on forever, and many in the congregation fell asleep. She liked to meet new people so after the service she walked up to a very sleepy looking gentleman, extended her hand in greeting, and said, “Hello, I’m Gladys Dunn.” To which the man replied, “You’re not the only one ma’am, I’m glad he’s done too!"
[Play excerpt from Tim Hawkins, Sleeping in Church]
Last week we learned that when you and I are on mission, we will connect others to Christ. If you can only remember two things, remember these two words: connecting and equipping.
I came across a great phrase this past week: We may not have it all together, but together we have it all. That’s what we’re going to learn in Ephesians 4:11-16
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,
12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
This is really one long sentence in the Greek but we’ll look at it piece by piece.
Let’s begin in verse 11: “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers…” In this verse, we see that Paul is not so much speaking of spiritual gifts given to Christians but is specifically speaking of Christians who are given as gifts to the church. The other passages on spiritual gifts describe God-given abilities but here the emphasis is on God-given individuals.
We don’t have the time to fully explain each of these categories, but the work of apostles and prophets is still sometimes carried out by people whom God raises up. We rarely see these titles applied these days, and when we do sometimes that is a red flag. Nevertheless, we know that God continues to speak through the prophetic gifts. Apostles were generally those who had first-hand encounters with Jesus and saw him face-to-face. Paul may have been considered the last of them. But God uses some today to plant churches and spread the gospel in ways that are similar to what an apostle did back in the 1st century. Evangelists are “bearers of Good News” and continue their work today, presenting the gospel in a compelling way so that people get saved. I see pastors/teachers as one category because the article “some” is not used for teachers as it is with the other groups.
The word “pastor” literally means a shepherd and pictures the caring, feeding and leading of the flock of God. As “teacher,” pastors must teach the Word of God, knowing that a well-fed flock will grow to maturity. Pastors then are to tend and to teach, in large formal settings like this, and in smaller informal settings as well. Someone described the pastor/teacher’s role like this: to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.
Real Ministers
Before we move to verse 12, I’d like to suggest that we lose the laity label. When the church was launched in the Book of Acts, everyone saw themselves as ministers. Sometime during the Dark Ages, the distinction between “clergy” and “laity” came about. Even the definition of these terms is telling. Clergy means “God’s lot or heritage” while laity is derived from a word that means “the people of God.” One of the rallying cries of the Reformation was that every member of the Body of Christ is a minister. In fact, 1 Peter 2:9 paints a beautiful picture of how God views every Christian: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
* Pastors Prepare. Let’s look at the first part of verse 12: “…he gave some…to be pastors and teachers to prepare God’s people.” This word “prepare” is the same word used to describe what James and John were doing when they were “preparing” their nets in Matthew 4:21. That means they had to clean all the seaweed off them, stitch up the sections that were torn, untangle them and get them ready to be used again at a moment’s notice. The nets were prepared for service, not to be put in storage. In classical Greek, the word was used of the setting of a bone in order to put it back into proper alignment in the body. Pastors are to repair what’s broken and supply what’s missing so that you can be strengthened to serve.
* Servants Serve. Look at the next phrase in verse 12: “…for works of service.” The preposition translated “for” is really the word “into.” Those who are equipped go into ministry. We mistakenly speak of only pastors or missionaries who go into the ministry. Every member of the family of God is a minister; every saint is a servant. 1 Peter 4:10
says: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”
Gifts Lead to Growth
When pastors do what they must do, and people do what they are called to do, according to verses 12-16, our gifts lead to growth in at least six ways.
1. The body is built up (12b). “…So that the body of Christ may be built up.” The two words “so that” refer to the purpose behind serving – so that the body is built up. Research indicates there is a direct connection between regular service and Sunday service attendance. On top of that, giving increases as involvement in serving increases. Spiritual gifts are not toys to play with but tools to build with. Or to paraphrase our mission statement: Once we’re equipped and serving, we will become growing and faithful followers.
2. We will experience unity (13a). “…until we all reach unity in the faith.” The word “reach” refers to travelers arriving at their destination. Disunity often raises its ugly head when people sit on the sidelines and talk about their needs instead of sacrificially serving in order to meet the needs of others.
3. We will have a renewed relationship with Christ (13b). “…and in the knowledge of the Son of God.” In a study called Follow Me, the number one factor in moving people deeper in their relationship with Jesus was that they were regularly serving in some ministry.
4. We will have a mature membership (13c-14a). “…and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants.” Some of us are like the little girl who had been trying for months to tie her own shoes. She finally figured it out but then she started crying. Her dad asked her why she was so sad and she replied: “Because now I’ll have to tie my shoes all by myself for the rest of my life.” If we want to grow as a church we must be involved in giving of our time, talents, and our treasures. We could say it like this: If you want to grow, then you must give what you’ve been given.
5. We will experience spiritual stability (14b). “…tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” Spiritual stability comes when we are sold-out in our service.
6. We will be linked in love (15-16). If we want CLC to grow in love, then we must live lives of serving. “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” It’s only as “each part does its work” that we will grow and be built up in love.
A church is healthy only when it is filled with people who serve, when pastors equip the gifted and God’s people exercise their gifts. We’re committed to do our part…will you do yours? One pastor writes: “God gave me a gift, not for me but for you; and God gave you a gift, not for you but for me. If you don’t use your gift, you’re depriving me; if I don’t use my gift, I’m robbing you.”
God has given you everything you need to complete the task that He has custom made just for you. You have the gifts and the equipment and now you just need to put it all together.
Do you know what the best spiritual gifts are? That’s kind of a tough question, isn’t it? Actually, the answer may surprise you. The best spiritual gifts are the ones you already have! But it’s more than just having gifts; we must find them and then use them! The last phrase of verse 16 comes as a concluding statement so we don’t miss it: “…as each part does its work.” I came across a statement that put things in perspective for me: “If each Christian was given the exhaustive repertoire of gifts, it is conceivable that we could carry out our Divine mandate in isolation from one another. But because God has withheld some gifts from the individual Christian, and because God has withheld nothing from His church, our context for doing Christian ministry becomes clear. We must do the work together.”
One reason God is blessing CLC is because so many of you are using your spiritual gifts – and it will be even stronger when even more of us put our gifts into action. A church that does not value gift-based ministry will not grow to maturity. Imagine what would happen here at CLC, and in churches around the world, if every believer would realize that they are meant to be ministers, not spectators.
Here’s the bottom line: We are looking for servants, not superstars; contributors, not just consumers. Some just eat and run... come on Sundays and get something out of it, but then very little happens in the way of serving. That whole idea would be foreign to the early church. I recognize that there are seasons of life when family issues, health issues, and other things prevent us from pouring our efforts into the work of ministering to others. However, if our life story becomes one big excuse as to why we aren’t doing what God has put on our hearts and gifted us for, then we are out of alignment in our priorities and perhaps in our commitment.
Paul’s concern for young Timothy was that he not only be able to identify his gift, but that he would deploy it by doing something with it: “Do not neglect your gift…I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God” (1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6)
Do you need to allow the Spirit to fan your gift into full flame? Are you burning bright for Him, or are you just flickering or smoldering? You’re needed in this church! God has gifted you and now He wants to use you.
There are so many ways that we are different from each other. That’s how God designed us. A fully devoted follower of Christ understands and celebrates this variety in the Body of Christ. The acrostic S-H-A-P-E before is real helpful
Spiritual Gifts (what you do)
Heart (where you do it from)
Abilities (talents)
Personality (how you do it)
Experiences (our spiritual resume)
I’m shaped differently than you, and you’re put together differently than I am. And that’s a good thing. And yet we’re all to use our gifts. Look at 1 Corinthians 12:7
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” The word “manifest” means to make plain. Spiritual gifts are given to show the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives because He is the Giver of gifts. When you hear someone say something like, “This is my private gift,” than something is not quite right. Gifts are personal, but they are not intended to be private. If more attention is drawn to you when you serve than to Him, then something is wrong. If your gift is not for the Holy Spirit, it is not from the Holy Spirit.
A man approached a minister and told him he wanted to join the church but he didn’t think he had a lot of time to devote to serving: “I have a very busy schedule and can’t be called upon to do any cleaning or teaching or serving in any way. I can’t help with special projects or with the students as all my evenings are tied up.” The minister thought for a moment and then said, “I believe you’re at the wrong church. The church you’re looking for is three blocks down the street, on the right.” The man left and followed the preacher’s directions. He soon came to an abandoned and boarded-up church building. The pastor had made his point.
Living the Dream as a Team!
There’s a certain rule in most churches called the “Pareto Principle” which states that 80% of the ministry is done by 20% of the people. New research reveals that the 80/20 rule is actually highly optimistic. Other research suggests that it’s closer to 15% of the people who are actually serving. I would love to see that stat shattered here at CLC! The more people who serve, using their resources and gifts to minister to others, the greater the impact we will have on our community.
The Barna research group has discovered that the number one thing that church members want from their spiritual leaders is to motivate people to get involved in ministry. Thom Ranier, in his book called “High Expectations,” mentions that the most effective way to assimilate people into ministry is by expecting more out of members, not less. It really shouldn’t be a question of whether you’re serving; it’s where you’re serving. As best as I know how, I want to motivate you to be involved in ministry. Most of us can do a lot more than we’re doing right now.
So if everybody is a minister, what are you a minister of? If you were to describe what God has put in your heart to do, what words would you use? If someone asked you how God wants to use your life, what would you say? Some of you minister every day but aren’t sure how to describe it. You give encouragement, hope, faith, determination, mercy, truth, love, and so much more to people around you! Keep up the good work, and ask God to give you more opportunities to use your gifts for Him!
Biblically understood, you are a minister and pastors/teachers/church leaders are your equippers. And the cool thing is that you’ve been given everything you need to do what God is calling you to do. If you’re not sure what you are the minister of, then ask. Ask the Lord what He wants you to do, and ask others what you are good at.
1. Find out what is currently available. Even if you’re already serving, it’s important for you to find out what else is going on so as you live “on mission” you can let others know what CLC has to offer. (Also, ask what might be missing that you have gifts to do or help with.)
2. Volunteer for something that catches your attention. Pray about it and ask a pastor or leader for more information. By the way, you have the freedom to “test drive” a ministry area. If a particular ministry is not a good match for you, you have the freedom to step back with no guilt attached.
3. Start serving. What’s the key? Look at the last phrase in Ephesians 4:16
“as each part does its work.” Ministry is work but if we all do what we’re gifted to do, it’s also worship. We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.
We may not have it all together, but together we have it all. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is this: “To experience God and help others to experience Him; to develop people; and to transform lives by the power of God!” Can we count on you to make our mission possible? It is possible when each of us commit to be on mission and to be in ministry.
This service is done, but our service is just beginning! Let’s serve the Lord wholeheartedly until He returns for us!
Adapted from Brian Bill, sermoncentral.com
