Being a Body-Builder

Reading: Ephesians 4:1-16
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. (Ephesians 4:11-13 NIV)

Intro.  

Reading from Working the Angles, by Eugene Peterson (pp.8-9) on Morgan's Passing. If being a pastor is more than fitting into other peoples expectations for the role, what is it?

I.   God's job description for me: Pastor/Teacher.

     A.  Pastor/Teacher role is a single role with a dual function.

          1.  ...pastors and teachers... is one item in the list of offices God established to build the Church.

                a.  Note: ...some..., some..., some...,

          2.  Since God is the author of the job description, I report to Him (However, He usually works through people).

     B.  Pastor means Shepherd.

          1.  "Se Vende: Pastores Alemanes!"

The tasks of a Near Eastern shepherd were:

           -    to watch for enemies trying to attack the sheep

           -    to defend the sheep from attackers

           -    to heal the wounded and sick sheep

           -    to find and save lost or trapped sheep

           -    to love them, sharing their lives and so earning their trust.

During World War II, a shepherd was a pilot who guided another pilot whose plane was partially disabled back to the base or carrier by flying alongside him to maintain visual contact.

     C. Teacher (διδάσκολος) means one who helps others learn.

          1.  Get away from the train analogy.

          2.  The bicycle analogy.

II.  Preparing the Church for the work of service.

     A.  The pastor/teacher's calling is not Running the church. (i.e. taking over)

          1.  Running the church is important and the pastor will want to be involved--to the degree that he necessary to fulfill his calling to pastor and teach.

                a.  He is not the CEO, the Board itself, as a deliberative body functions that way. (the church is unlike a business in this way.)

          2.  The pastor/teacher doesn't need to have his finger in every ministry pie in the church.

     B.  Prepare can be translated Equip.

          1.  Don't just tell folks what to do; equip them to do it.

          2.  Don't forget the usefulness of in-service training, or "just in time" learning.

     C. Work of service not just busy work.

          1.  Service that builds up the body.

III. Three goals of Body Building

     A.  Unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God

          1.  Unity isn't unity unless it is first community.

                a.  Unity doesn't mean anything unless its center is meaningful.

          2.  Faith and Knowledge need to be in the Son of God.

                a.  Knowledge is of what we have experienced of the Son of God; Faith is of what we believe.

     B.  Maturity

          1.  Becoming fully growed--all God made you to be.

          2.  Achieving our personal best.

     C. Christ-likeness.

          1.  Attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ is more than simply getting filled up with Jesus.

          2.  This means getting filled up with what Christ is filled up with: His values, His perspective on life, His example of faithfulness to the Father, His commitment to prayer, His love for God and for imperfect people.

The Bottom Line:

NOTE: The pastor/teacher is only interested in developing 2 things: that people love God with their entire being; that they love the people around them like they love themselves. Anything besides those 2 is just fluff and distraction.