Everyone’s a Minister (Ephesians 4:7-16)
- please open your Bibles this morning to Ephesians 4:7-16, the passage we read earlier
- if there’s anyone who understands church growth dynamics in North America, it’s Lyle Schaller
- he’s written numerous books on church growth
- listen to what he writes:
- “One of the most common signs of a passive church is a congregation that employs staff members to carry out all of the ministries of the church. That enables the vast majority of adults in the congregation to enjoy a relatively passive role, sitting back, listening to inspiring sermons, wonderful choirs, while paid staff members do all the work”
- and he goes on to say:
- “While it is easy to underestimate the value of staff, and many churches are not staffed for growth, one of the basic causes of passivity in many congregations is the ‘Let’s hire a gun’ syndrome.”
- if we are going to avoid being a passive church, we need to actively avoid this “Let’s hire a gun” mentality
- and move towards a state of affairs where the most visible and highly satisfying aspects of ministry are not built around what paid staff do, but what the laypeople of the congregation do
- and so this morning, I want to paint a picture for us of what would happen if we lived according to Ephesians 4
- what would happen if we dug out this seminal passage on how a church should function
- I’m convinced that we’ve got it wrong in our churches today
- it’s no secret that the church in general today is ineffective and has lost its influence
- a drive through a community is depressing: mainline churches are dwindling, and more conservative churches are not doing much better
- within many churches, there is little sense of excitement or awe over what God is doing
- growth is not taking place at all, or if it is, very little of that growth is conversion growth
- a large part of the problem, I believe, is that we’re not living according to the biblical model of how a church should function
- I want you to look with me at this crucial passage, which gives us four important principles on how a church should function
- PRINCIPLE NUMBER ONE: GOD HAS GIVEN EVERY BELIEVER A SPIRITUAL GIFT
- (Ephesians 4:7) But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
- Paul has just been talking about the unity of the church, but in verses 3 to 6
- in verse 7, he switches gears
- within the unity that God has designed within the church, Jesus Christ has apportioned a rich variety of spiritual gifts and he has given one of these grace-gifts to every single one of us
- within the unity of the church, there is a rich diversity of talents and abilities, and each believer is a participant
- you’ll notice that verse 7 says, “to each one of us grace has been given”
- Paul used this term in the previous chapter, saying that God gave him a grace to “preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ”
- in this context, grace means a special endowment for service – a God-given ability to serve
- Paul is not talking here about saving grace, but grace for ministry
- Paul is essentially saying, “To each of us a ministry has been given”
- the Bible is clear here as well as in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and 1 Peter 4 that this is the experience of every believer
- all believers have received God-given abilities that can strengthen the entire church body
- other passages amplify what is taught here and list a wide variety of spiritual gifts
- there’s not an inclusive list in Scripture
- in fact, there are six lists in the New Testament, and these lists are quite different
- listen to some of them: speaking gifts, serving gifts, teaching, encouraging, leading, showing mercy, administration
- God has given the church an amazing variety of spiritual gifts, and they are all tokens of his varied grace
- Paul even says in verse 7 that these gifts have been given “as Christ apportioned it”
- according to Paul, Jesus Christ has measured and dispensed these gifts just what is needed to make the full measure of the body of Christ
- it’s encouraging to know that Christ has given exactly the right gifts to you and to the church for what is necessary to be accomplished
- I’ve heard believers argue that they don’t have a spiritual gift, or if they do, they say that it’s not the gift they would have chosen
- there might be some here this morning who question whether they have a spiritual gift or not
- but believe me: the Bible says you have one
- it’s your responsibility to use it
- in coming weeks, we’re going to look more at the subject of spiritual gifts – what they are, and which gifts you may have
- I’m going to do some in-depth teaching on how you can use your spiritual gift for God’s glory
- one of the best kept secrets is that using your spiritual gift is not only a service to others and a way to glorify God, but it is also intensely satisfying for you
- I’ll even say that I imagine most of you here already know what your spiritual gift is
- you already know that there’s something you have already done that you really enjoy and have found to be effective, whether caring for somebody, giving sacrificially, teaching
- but make no mistake – you have a spiritual gift if you are a believer in Jesus Christ
- PRINCIPLE TWO: A PASTOR’S JOB IS NOT TO DO THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY
- (Ephesians 4:11) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
- (Ephesians 4:12) to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
- God gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor-teachers for what purpose?
- not to do the work of the ministry, but to prepare God’s people for works of service
- not to do the work, but to prepare God’s people to do the work
- in today’s context, there is some controversy as to whether some of these offices listed in verse 11 exist any longer
- I won’t get into this controversy this morning, but it’s clear that one of these offices does exist: the last one mentioned, that of pastor-teacher, or teaching pastor
- the construction in the Greek shows that this is one office, not two
- if you want a job description for a pastor, this is a good place to look
- contrary to what many people think and how many churches operate, a pastor’s job is not to do the work, but to prepare God’s people for works of service
- how different from the models we usually have of our churches!
- one model is the pyramid model, with the pastor perched precariously at the top, with various leaders beneath him
- John Stott puts it humorously: many people’s idea of church is a bus: one bus driver and many drowsy passengers who only ring the bell and say, “It’s time for me to get off”
- these aren’t the models for what church is to be!
- the biblical model is leaders equipping laity to do the work of the ministry
- it is the heart of the biblical model
- businesses are now discovering it, but it isn’t a business model – it’s a biblical one
- in fact, in this passage, there are really only two things the pastor is supposed to do
- this isn’t an exhaustive list, of course – there are many other passages that reflect on the role of a pastor
- but if the pastor isn’t doing these two things, he’s not fulfilling his role as a pastor
- the first thing is to teach
- one of my primary roles has to be to feed God’s people – to teach the Word of God
- the faithful teaching and application of the Word of God is absolutely essential to the well-being of a church
- many churches need to say to their pastors, “Stop doing our job! Give up some of the ministry to the congregation, and take that time you’r e spending doing our job, go into your study, and prepare and deliver teaching that will change lives within the congregation”
- one of the commitments that I will make to you is that I will always strive to ensure that you are well-fed from the Word of God
- the second essential for a pastor in this passage is that he prepare God’s people for works of service
- to properly condition, equip, and prepare God’s people for service
- one of my primary tasks has to be to mentor, train, support, and encourage you to use the gifts God has given you to serve him and others at Richview
- that’s my job description
- the minute I begin to get involved in a multitude of ministries, the minute I begin to act like the man at the circus who spins plates on a stick, and keeps running back and forth trying to keep all the plates spinning without dropping any on the floor, do me a favor
- pull me aside and remind me, “Pastor, we don’t want you spinning all those plates in the air. We don’t want you doing the work of the ministry. Simply teach the word of God, and equip us to do the ministry”
- now, in some churches, it doesn’t count if it isn’t done by the pastor
- specifically, the senior pastor
- to use a sports analogy, it’s as if a team is playing baseball but only the pastor’s runs get scored
- if the pastor isn’t personally involved, it hasn’t happened
- I’m not arguing that the pastor should be completely aloof from everything, but churches everywhere would be more effective if they realized the pastor’s job isn’t to do the work of the ministry, but to equip God’s people to do the work of the ministry
- the amount of things that are done would be exponentially greater
- and God would receive more glory
- PRINCIPLE THREE: MINISTRY BELONGS TO EVERYBODY
- you know what happens when the pastor starts doing what God intended
- people begin to ask, “Why isn’t the pastor doing this or that?”
- I can guarantee you that if I do what this passage says, some people will complain that I’m not doing my job
- it’s because their models of what a pastor does is not based on biblical teaching, but it’s based on their observations of how the church has operated this century
- Paul teaches here that a fundamental shift in mindset must take place
- we must realize that ministry belongs to everybody in the church
- the pastor is not the minister; we all are ministers
- read verse 16
- (Ephesians 4:16) 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.
- the church grows numerically, and it is held together by what everybody supports
- the emphasis here is the word every
- it is God’s intention that every member of the congregation does the work, and as everyone does their part, the church is built up in unity, in love, in size, and in strength
- we don’t have time to look at other passages, but if you look at other texts like 1 Corinthians 12, you will discover that every person has a unique role to play within the church, and every person is necessary
- use your gifts and minister – you are God’s servant in this place
- (1 Peter 4:10) Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.
- (1 Peter 4:11) If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
- it’s important to realize that ministry in the Bible is never a special office
- it never just refers to ordained clergymen
- it’s never used in the sense of being a professional
- ministry doesn’t refer to special office, it refers to special function
- a function that you and I and everyone else can act on according to the gifts that God has given us
- ministry belongs not to the pastor, but to you – to the laypeople
- PRINCIPLE FOUR: LAY MINISTRY LEADS TO PERSONAL AND CHURCH GROWTH
- and verse 16 tells us what happens:
- (Ephesians 4:16) 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.
- here Paul uses the analogy of the church as a body, with Christ as the head
- and we are different parts of the body
- and Paul says, as each part does its work, look what happens: the church grows and builds itself up in love
- individually and collectively, we grow
- as everyone does their part in the church, the church is built up in unity, love, size, and in strength
- the church is basically composed of many members varying in gifts, differing in background
- and God uses us together and not separately
- there’s a paragraph I’d like to read to you
- this paragraph describes the church
- the paragraph reads like this:
- “Between 1787 and 1795, Baptists became the largest group of Christians in America. They did it without a home mission board or society, national convention, state convention, or seminary. They did it with small missionary organizations and lay preachers, most of them not paid a salary. They were without formal theological training. Some of them had been licensed to exercise their gifts by little Baptist churches. The Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Congregationalists insisted that they were not clergy at all, but untrained, undisciplined laymen who should be at home working instead of out preaching. Between 1795 and 1820 the Methodists overtook and surpassed the Baptists in total numbers. They did it with lay preachers, going everywhere sharing their faith, forming discipline small groups and gathering those small groups into churches. There never has been nor will there ever be multiplication of disciples and churches apart from the mobilization of laity to do the ministry.”
- I’ll read the last sentence again:
- “There never has been nor will there ever be multiplication of disciples and churches apart from the mobilization of laity to do the ministry.”
- I guarantee that there are two things necessary if Richview is to move ahead
- the first is that we get down on our knees and cry out to God
- and the second is that in reliance on God, we begin using our spiritual gifts
- I end with what I said at the beginning
- imagine if we acted like an Ephesians 4 church
- imagine if every single member here actively served God using a spiritual gift
- imagine being energized by God for fruitful, passionate service within the church
- it can happen!
- I haven’t given you the full picture this morning
- in two weeks, we’re going to begin looking in more detail at spiritual gifts and lay ministry
- I am going to challenge you from God’s Word to get involved
- what I would like you to do is to begin dreaming
- what I would like you to do is to ask the Spirit of God to birth new ministries within your heart
- we aren’t here yet, and most experts say that it takes about five years to fully liberate the laity within a church
- but we’re going to steadfastly move in that direction and invite you to join us
- what has God placed within your heart?
- in your wildest dreams, what do you think God is purposing for you and your ministry at Richview?
- I invite you to come off the benches and join us on the front lines
- who knows what will happen!
- at a Navigator’s conference many years ago, the main speaker was a retired army veteran
- he talked about the difference between those men who fought in the front lines, compared to those responsible for the rear echelon ministries
- here’s what he said
- he said the guys on the front lines didn’t complain much
- they were too busy fighting the enemy
- camaraderie was built quickly; people had to work together
- it was a matter of life and death
- they took their objectives and strategy seriously
- successful execution was imperative
- little things like how good the food tasted didn’t matter significantly
- what mattered was that they were still alive to eat food
- but once you went a few miles behind the front, however, attitudes changed drastically
- back there, griping was a way of life
- men complained about everything – food, the weather, the commanding officers
- something was wrong with everyone and everything
- so it will be in a local church
- backbenchers will become the gripers
- but if we are all involved in frontline ministries, we will be engaged in making an important contribution
- being in the battle isn’t always fun, but it sure beats frittering away time and talent on the backbenches
- this is what God intends for us, so start dreaming, and join us
