Ephesian 4:11-16
“And he [Jesus] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
This is the pastors job description, and the goals of our job. Ultimately, Jesus has called pastors and teachers, and leaders in the church, to help the church grow up. Pastors are instructed to build maturity, equip people to do the ministry, and to keep the Church on course, instead of being blown about by the trends and waves of the times.
This passage is often used as a proof text for giving away ministry to the church members, and that’s there, it’s important. But what kind of ministry? I think it’s supposed to be all kinds of ministry. From teaching and preaching to serving behind the scenes.
This is really hard to do, because as I give up more and more of what I do, what am I going to do? Well the pastors who are doing this are able to steer the ship, and keep it all focused on the mission.
But also the more I give away, the more I can love and serve the members of the church. And the more I love and serve the more that will be reproduced in the life of the church. What’s keeping the church from growing, I think, is love. True biblically love for other members of our communities.
Just some thoughts.
JasonDeuman.com 