Preparation for Ministry

“And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.”

You are not saved to sit and soak. If you try to do that you will soon sour. However, entering into the ministry to which you have been called requires preparation. A look at the life of Jesus will give insight into how the preparation should happen. The four offices given to the church (apostles, prophets, evangelists, and Pastor/teachers, each have specific assignments which, grouped together, equip those in the body for the ministry of the church. The Apostles, (the 12 + Paul) all had seen the risen Christ. Their assignment was to lay the foundation (spiritual) of the church, to receive, declare and write God’s Word (the Bible) and give confirmation of the Word through signs, wonders and miracles.

The Prophets (seers) were those who proclaimed what God had spoken to them directly, or expounded on what God had said previously. Some of their prophecy had “near” fulfillment, and some “far” (in the future) fulfillment. McArthur believes that both of these offices ceased to be at the end of the NT. Those who claim to be modern-day prophets are claiming something beyond what scripture teaches. They are also on dangerous ground because the test of a prophet is 100% accuracy. Some of the modern day “prophets” have already given messages that have proved to be untrue. One recently declared that Covid 19 was completely gone because he had ordered it “in the name of Jesus”.

Evangelists are those who “proclaim the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ to unbelievers. Among the first deacons, Philip was called “the evangelist”. Paul admonished Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist in fulfilling his ministry.

The Pastor/teacher office is still in the church today. These are the under shepherds who are given the assignment of the care and teaching of the flock of God (church) under the Great Shepherd, Jesus. In some instances these are also called elders, bishops or overseers.

The goal of the function of these God appointed offices is the spiritual maturation of the saints (saved ones) so that they can perform the “work of the ministry” throughout the community.

Examination: (Why?)

1. The early years

Lk 2:41-52 “Every year his parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. When he was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the festival. After those days were over, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming he was in the traveling party, they went a day’s journey. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days, they found him in the temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all those who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked them. “Didn’t you know that it was necessary for me to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what He said to them. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them. His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people.”

All we know about the development of Jesus in the early years is what is recorded in scripture. We see Him in the temple when He was 12. Then He goes back home to Nazareth and obeyed his earthly parents until His baptism which we will see in Luke 4. John McArthur notes that He was “a typical boy in a typical family.”

The message to us is that even the Son of God went through a developmental period. He didn’t come out of the womb performing miracles and expounding on the message of the prophets.

The Apostle Paul did immediately dive into ministry once he regained his sight, but then He spent 3 years in Arabia, supposedly being taught by Jesus through the scriptures so that he would be better equipped for ministry (Gal. 1:16-20 “to reveal his Son in me, so that I could preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone. I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me; instead I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus. Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days. But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. I declare in the sight of God: I am not lying in what I write to you.” He also needed a time of preparation before he launched into his missionary ministry.

2. The Forerunner

Lk 3:1-20 “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, God’s word came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the vicinity of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight! Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low; the crooked will become straight, the rough ways smooth, and everyone will see the salvation of God. He then said to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. And don’t start saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. The axe is already at the root of the trees. therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. ‘What then should we do?’ the crowds were asking him. He replied to them, ‘The one who has two shirts must share with someone who has none, and the one who has food must do the same. Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He told them ‘Don’t collect any more than what you have been authorized. Some soldiers also questioned him, ‘What should we do?’ He told them, ‘Don’t take money from anyone by force or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.

Now the people were waiting expectantly, and all of them were questioning in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. John answered them all, ‘I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I am is coming. I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.’”

Back in the ‘70’s Rae’s brother worked with an evangelist, Richard Hogue, who had gained a great following and was drawing large crowds. Tommy’s job was to be a “forerunner” and go ahead of Richard into a town, city or church where he would hold crusades, and prepare the way. This was the role that John the Baptist had. He knew that he was not the “star” of the show. He knew his position was to make people aware of their sinfulness and the necessity to repent. He did not try to gather followers for himself, but rather he wanted to prepare them for Jesus. He was quick to recognize Jesus when He came to be baptized and also encouraged some of his “disciples” to follow Jesus.

I shudder when I hear someone claim to be a soul-winner or to have “saved” someone. No one wins souls but Jesus. It is Jesus alone who saves. Our call to to be Christ’s witnesses (Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””) and to be disciple-makers (Mt 28:19-20 “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

We are to be forerunners, pointing people to Jesus.

3. The Ministry Launch

Lk 3:21-23 “When all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. As he was praying, heaven opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in a physical appearance like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.” As he began his ministry, Jesus was about thirty years old...”

Even though God Himself introduced Jesus to the world as His “beloved Son, with whom He was well-pleased” the preparation for ministry was not yet complete. We’ll see the “rest of the story” next week.

Application: (How does this apply to me?)

Your starting point is total surrender to Christ.

Growth requires preparation. SS; discipleship; mentoring.

You need people

Let God set your timetable.

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