Today's Scripture Reading (May 23, 2024): Ephesians 4
Many gifts
are listed in the Bible, but Paul concentrates on five here. The five gifts
Paul stresses here are the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Preacher (Pastor), and
Teacher. As I look at these gifts, I see a difference that is not necessarily
laid out in the passage. The first three gifts are gifts of the church turned
outwards, and the last two are those of the church turned inward. Both kinds of
gifts are essential to the health of the Christian Church.
An Apostle is a person gifted to plant ministries to help reach the lost. These visionary
people seem to see different ways of spreading the gospel. Like Paul, who
continually planted churches, this person appears gifted within the church to
plant outwardly focused ministries. They may or may not have the gifts to grow
the ministry, but they are forever pushing the boundaries of what the church
can do. An Apostle thinks in different areas than most of us.
The Prophet can see God
in culture. They see how God interacts with our secular environment and beliefs.
In Bible times, they often spoke with the assurance of "thus sayeth the
Lord." They speak for God in the midst of our prevailing culture. Prophets
can usually see the situation better than some of the rest of us and can speak
to it. In the Hebrew Bible, the Prophet made people uncomfortable. King Ahab
called Elijah the "troubler of Israel" because of his words. I don't
think times have changed much. Prophets are still "troublers," often
of the church. We sometimes think of the Prophet as one who foretells the
future, but the more significant part of the Prophet's responsibility is to
forth tell, to make the connection between God and Culture.
Next, we have the Evangelist. I believe
that there are two kinds of evangelists in the world. One has a way of
describing the things of God so that people can understand God and come to him.
Some people seem to do this so easily. But there is a second kind of Evangelist.
This Evangelist finds it easy to bring people into a place where they can be
confronted with God's truth. Both types of evangelists are essential to the
church as we become the center for change that God has intended us to be
because that emerging change is of God.
The Pastor is the caring
section of the church. It is one of the internal functions of the church. There
are people whom God has given the gift of just caring for people and listening
to their problems and their dreams. Pastors make people feel special. Pastors
are often the healers of the congregation, and most are frequently seen in the
roles of counselors, social workers, and nurses.
Teachers love
to explain the truth in a way that their audience can understand. They like to
make the truth apparent and become excited about getting into the details of a
passage. I have benefited from some great teachers over the years. None of
these gifts are optional for the church.
And at
various times, I feel that God has given me gifts in four of these areas. However,
the trick is always the community and understanding that we need to exercise
these gifts one at a time. I love how Michael Breen phrases it in his book "A
Passionate Life." Mike says this;
It is easy to
fall into the trap of feeling as though you need to excel in all five
ministries all the time. But this leads to burnout and a failure to focus
properly on your base ministry. Worse still, you will not be making room for
others around you to explore their base ministries (Michael Breen, A Passionate
Life).
One at a time keeps us fresh and makes room
for others. And in this way, we build the church, the Body of Christ.
Tomorrow's
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5
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