Serving, Uniting and Maturing
Paul lists ministry gifts that are imparted by Christ Himself to carry on the His ministry in His church on earth. These gifts are partial expressions of His complete ministry. No one person has all these gifts, they are distributed among servant-leaders so that the body (the church) can benefit.But let us move away from the gifts for a moment and ask ourselves "What is their purpose?" and "Why does God enable His people with these ministry gifts?"
The quick answer to this question is: To prepare God's people for works of service. It is vital that we pause before we read further. Have you digested this? What is the purpose of Pastor-Teachers, Evangelists, Apostles and Prophets? One thing: "Prepare... God's... People... for... Works... of... Service...!"
What could those works of service be? Anything that serves the church, community and world. You can pick up litter in the streets, help the homeless, visit the lonely, help at the SPCA, raise funds for a charity, teach children, assist at a clinic, do evangelistic outreaches, work for justice or the betterment of society or do anything that God lays on your heart that is of service to others.
We are not meant to be an end in ourselves. We are meant to make a difference. When we as a church become a serving force in the world then we will be answering our calling.
When we do this, there are three wonderful side-effects:
- It builds the church in quality and quantity.
- We find deeper unity because we are focused on the task instead of ourselves or each other
- We become mature as we become more like Christ (who came not to be served but to serve.)
| It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 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. (Ephesians4:12-13) |
(Adapted from a message by Austin Dzeka who is a Church Development Evangelist serving in Zumoto, Masvingo)
