First can i show you something sis?
God gifted the church with men with specical God-given,
supernatural abilities at their conversion:
Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some
prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and
teachers,
We have apostles to lay the foundational doctrines of the
Church.
Then we have evangelist to preach the Christ whom these apostles
taught.
Then we have pastors and teachers to feed the church of God based
on the foundational doctrines of the apostles.
What is the divine purpose why these people-gifts
[apostles, evangelist, pastors and teachers] are given to the
Church [saved people-christians]?
look at verse 12 we have two:
12 a) "for the equipping of the saints for the work of
ministry,"
b) "for the edifying of the body of Christ,"
Look
a) these men in verse 11 were given to Christians so that they can
equipp THESE CHRISTIANS FOR WHAT?
"FOR THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY."
WHAT ELSE? IS THAT ONLY IT? NO. THERE IS SOMETHING
ELSE.
"for the edifying of the body of Christ,"
SO THESE GUYS PASTORS, TEACHERS AND EVANGELIST ARE OUR TRAINORS
BASED ON THE TEACHINGS OF THE APOSTLES FOR THE A) THE WORK OF
MINISTRY [CHRISTIANS ARE MINISTERS!!!!] AND FOR THE EDIFYING THE
BODY OF CHRIST.
AND WE ALL THOUGHT THAT MINISTRY IS JUST DELEGATED TO THE
PASTOR!!!
WE JUST GO THERE IN CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY AND LISTEN TO THE PREACHER
AND WARM OUR CHAIRS, GO HOME AND DO NOTHING FOR OUR SISTER NEXT TO
US IN NEED.
No one pastor can do all the ministry. For No one man has been
given all the spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are diffused to
every Christian [pastor or no pastor]. In fact the pastor is just
excercising his own gift to the Church.
What gift? the gift of teaching and preaching given by the Holy
Spirit.
Here's one comment by one brother to a Bible teacher: " Ah pastor
so and so is such a bad teacher, sister babys is more capable than
him"
Why do you say so? asked one.
"Because sister babys encourages me more. Pastor so and so is an
encourager but not as good as sister babys."
This statement is wrong. He thinks that a pastor has to be equally
good in all the ministries made available by the Holy Spirit. He
does not know that ministry is for all Christians. Maybe sister
Babys is gifted in exhorting and encouraging. Pastor so and so is
only a good dispenser of the things of God in the Bible taught by
the apostles. No one man has all the gifts.
We cannot say that the mouth is not good because he cannot hold
things the way hands can hold things. Of course!!! the mouth is not
for holding things. It is for speaking.
That's why Paul exhorts the Church to be united. Be united. When
you are united you can edify the Church because the work of the
ministry is given to you all. When you are not united, when you
fight against each other brother Ironside who is melancholic cannot
benefit from the gift of encouragement that sister Babys has.
When you are not united and love one another, how can you minister
your gifts to each other. YOur gifts are given by God to build up
your brother. It's like Christ doing His ministry through you to
anther brother or sister in need. And if that sister also must
minister her gifts to sister babys. Sister babys should be humble
enough to be ministered unto. And that goes to all the members of
the Body of Christ. Serve one another with your gifts.
Hands serve the mouth. Mouth serve the body by doing your thing.
Kidneys do your thing properly, the body depends on you. Feet stay
healthy. The body cannot go anywhere if yoiu are not healthy. Body
do not fight against one another. do not be a cancer to the body.
You will kill the body. Serve the body in love.
Advice: On Sundays, go to Church be ministered to by the teaching
minister. Apply the things that he teaches [if it is biblical of
course] and after the service look for someone who is need of your
ministry.
Befreind her, get her contact number, minister to her use your gift
on her, follow up with her all througout the week or months
following.
Imagine if all church members will discern their gifts and minister
it to the Church. What a healthy church it would be!!!! How do you
know if a body is healty? If all its organs are functioning
rightly.
How about if the mouth is only doing all the things that the rest
of the body should have done? the mouth doing all the work of the
hands, doing the walking, doing digesting, doing the thnking, doing
the work of the kidneys...
My!!! the mouth would burn out. NO wonder many pastors burn out.
churh members do not use thier gifts to each other. They pay the
pastor to do it for them!!!
