Ministry 101 - Part 2 - The church
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 7 viewsNotes
Transcript
Handout
11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
Paul is now talking to the church in Ephesus about their calling
he says,
Walk in a manner worthy of the calling. (verse 1)
Walk with humility, (verse 2)
Walk in gentleness, (verse 2)
Walk with patience, (verse 2)
Walk in tolerance for one another in love. (verse 2)
Preserve unity (verse 3)
apostle Paul describes the kind of leaders God has provided for His church for it to attain maturity and Christ-likeness, becoming the spotless Bride of Jesus.
Paul also expresses God desires to bring the church into oneness.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
Notice God will give us the grace to fulfil that calling he has for us.
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
then he tells us what he has done.
8 Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.” 9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)
notice, in verse 8, “He gave”
“the great gift that Christ gave to the Church at His ascension was that of ministry of peace and reconciliation. The gift of the ministry is the fruit of Christ ascension."Matthew Henry
He gave gifts to men.
Ministry and your minister are gifts from God to you (and the Church.)
How kind is God to the church!
“The gift of God is intended for the good of the Church.” Matthew Henry
Notice again, “He gave”
11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
Apostles - to govern
Prophets - To guide
Evangelist - To gather
Pastor - To guard
Teacher - To ground
Why?
equipping of the saints for the work of service,
to the building up of the body of Christ;
the unity of the faith,
the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
What will the result become
14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
The Apostle - The governor
The Apostle - The governor
The Lexham Bible Dictionary Apostle
Someone, or something, sent. Derived from the verb “to send out” (ἀποστέλλειν, apostellein). In the New Testament, usually refers to someone sent as an authorized agent by Jesus or the Christian community
7 And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits;
Because it was the 12 disciples that God sent out to birth the early church the apostle are seen as overseers of churches and ministry.
The council in Jerusalem was made up of apostles and elders
4 When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.
look at verse
5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.” 6 The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter.
The apostle here were task to govern the church. To look into a matter.
One pastor defines an apostle as “one called and sent by Christ to have the spiritual authority, character, gifts and abilities to reach and establish people in Kingdom truth and order, especially through founding and overseeing local churches.”
Another says an apostle has “a burden to build something that didn’t exist before.”
Apostles have the desire to train and raise up church leaders who will come into full maturity in the church, to release them, and then move on to plant another church.
Making themselves “redundant” is their greatest reward, as they father their spiritual children into adulthood.
The Prophet - The guider
The Prophet - The guider
The Greek word is prophētēs, a proclaimer or expounder of divine matters or concerns that could not ordinarily be known except by special revelation
To prophecy is to proclaim God’s Word.
Thus the prophet is a preacher.
The scripture is his authority and validation.
Prophets reveal God’s heart to His people, giving guidance to individuals and the body, giving revelation, as well as interpretation, application and timing.
27 Now at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius.
Prophets are those who speak the work of God.
Prophecy is sometimes foretelling of the future.
The goal of prophecy is to turn the heart of man back to God.
3 But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation.
The prophet has a great desire to see the word of God be demonstrated with power.
1 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
The evangelist - The gatherer
The evangelist - The gatherer
The New Bible Dictionary, Third Edition Evangelist
The word translated in the NT ‘evangelist’ is a noun from the Verb euangelizomai ‘to announce news’, and usually rendered in EVV as ‘preach the gospel’.
Paul tells Timothy
5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Make known the facts of the gospel.
An evangelist carries a great burden for those who are not a part of the kingdom of God yet, and an anointing to preach the gospel to them that comes with great conviction and draws them to the Lord.
They will often have signs and wonders following them to confirm their message.
The evangelist has the heart and focus of bring the loss to the knowledge of Christ.
Pastor - To guarder
Word literally meaning “shepherd,” used in both the OT and NT in a figurative sense for rulers and leaders.
The pastor is the heart of the church. He is a shepherd who deeply cares for his sheep, ready to lay down everything for them. He wants them to be fed, to grow, to be equipped, to develop their giftings and step into the calling of God for them.
15 “Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding.
In the Jewish economy, the shepherd who tended a flock of sheep or goats held a responsible position. Great flocks had to be moved from place to place, and it was necessary that they be guarded from wild animals and robbers.
Jesus, the supreme Shepherd, taught a lot about shepherding the sheep, giving us a great example of what a pastor should look like.
remeber Psalms 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
remember the promise in Jeremiah is that would give us a sheperd after His own heart.
the pastor love and is will to lay down his life for his sheep.
The teacher - The Grounder
The teacher - The Grounder
The Greek for teacher is didaskalosn, One who instructs others.
Teachers teach and edify the church, imparting divine life and anointing to their listeners who become more hungry for the Word of God, as the teacher illumines Scripture and brings forth truth never seen by their listeners before.
Teaches is the word, didaskolos meaning, to tell someone what to do, tell, instruct. to provide instruction in a formal or informal setting, teachThe grace to set forth principles and foundational truths of the kingdom, in a way that others can understand. “In his teaching” indicates the realm of ministry.
16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
A teacher often uses tool to make clear the truth they are communicating.
