Purpose of the 5-fold ministry
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Why these ministries?
Why these ministries?
Ephesians 4:11-16
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,
to equip his 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.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
To equip people for works of service
for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
Life Application New Testament Commentary Unity in the Body of Christ / 4:1–16
The word for “equip” means to make right, like the setting of a broken bone, or to bring to completion by training or restoring.
Galatians 6:1-2
Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary (4:12)
to prepare God’s people for works of service.
More literally, this purpose is “for the perfecting or equipping”
(katartismon)
Matthew 4:21
Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them,
James and John were mending their nets. they were preparing them so that they could go out fishing.
What did Jesus say to His disciples about fishing?
I will make you fishers of men.
On the job training
When we were young, most of us were not trained to do certain work. When I started working at the Feed Store in Ontario, I had never ran a till nor had I written invoices for receipts or for bills. I didn’ even know what ROA meant.
I had to learn the proper way to stock shelves. I had never used a price gun before so I had to learn how to load it and set it so that the pricing was correct as well as the date.
There was much to learn. I had to learn systems. I needed to learn about grass seed for forages as well as for lawns and that they were much different. There was bagging and tying bags, customer service, etc.
I didn’t walk in knowing everything, and it took a little time to learn the ropes.
As Christians
When we give our lives to Christ, we don’t just know everything. Most people may know something about Jesus or the Bible, but most of us when we come to Christ have much to learn and we also realize that we haven’t arrived, but God still teaches us our whole lives.
Philippians 3:12-14
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.
So that the body of Christ may be built up
edify the body of Christ.
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,
How is the body of Christ built up?
It is built up because the saints, the holy ones that God has set apart, all believers, are doing the work of the ministry.
People are coming to Christ. They are being discipled. The sick are being cared for. The needs of those in the body are being ministered to. Ultimately. as we are equipped, we do the work that God has called us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
James 1:19-25
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
Unity of the faith
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.
We are the body of Christ. The body of Christ is called to unity. If our physical body isn’t running in unity, problems happen. One part of the body can’t be fighting against another part of the body.
Sweet Syndrome
In November of 2016, Donna came down with what was called Sweet Syndrome. Basically what was happening was that her immune system started to fight against the healthy cells in her body. It caused boils and a lot of pain.
In the same way, when the body of Christ starts to fight against itself, there is much hurt and pain.
Satan wants nothing more than to divide the body of Christ and cause offense among us. He wants us to get distracted from what really matters.
James 4:1-12
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?
You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.
There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
Psalm 133:1-3
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe.
It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.
Unity in the knowledge of the Son of God
Every Christian must be in relationship with Jesus to be born again. The more we experience Jesus, the more we grow in the knowledge of the Son of God.
Romans 8:10-17
But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
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.
Maturity in our faith
The goal of every believer is to grow into maturity in our faith and knowledge of Christ.
James 1:2-5
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ
Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason I kneel before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.