I’ve been thinking a lot about Ephesians 4:1-16 this year, which talks about the full and divine unity we share with each other and with our Lord. “For there is one body and one Spirit…one God and Father of all.”
Immediately after proclaiming the infinite unity found as part of Christ’s body, Paul remarks,
“But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift…The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”
Powerful words! Our unity is found NOT in our conformity to each other, but through our Giver, who blessed us with diverse gifts! Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. They are the gifts of Christ to the Church. Truly the only one I see being used in churches today is the Pastor, and I’m not sure we have a healthy view of what a biblical pastor might look like. In fact, I don’t think any of these 5 functions have a proper meaning to us as Christians today.
What are we doing when we don’t accept the gifts of Christ to his Church? Well, just look around at what is happening in our churches today. Heresy, scandal, and baby Christians who still need spiritual milk from a burned-out pastor. We have got to find our giftings and begin to use them to grace the Church. It is not only “BY grace you have been saved,” but also “FOR grace you have been saved”.
Each Christian endowed with the Holy Spirit has been given one of these gifts. On baby Christians: 4:14 says, “We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about…” He believed that Christ had graced Christians the gifts to bring the Church to “unity” and “maturity”. But what do these 5 functions look like?
I would compare them to 5 friends with a car on a journey.
The apostle finds himself staring at the road map more than the road, looking at the BROADEST picture possible, and giving the rest of the passengers vision and guidance on how to get to their destination. He is the one who cares most about the destination, and inspires the others to keep going.
The prophet is farsighted, and is checking the signs way off in the distance to make sure they are headed in the right direction, he is also looking toward the horizon, checking for deer crossing the road, and pot holes that could slow them down.
Our evangelist friend is the driver of the car. Pushing onward and upward, further and further into the journey, the evangelist loves the feeling of putting another mile marker behind them, and sometimes races beyond the likings of the pastor and teacher, who are sitting in the backseat.
These two are listening carefully to the clinks and squeaks the car motor is making. At every rest stop they check under the hood to examine the healthiness of their vehicle. All they brought on the journey was a manual for the vehicle they are driving, and a good set of tools.
I truly believe that there must be a radical shift in our view of church leadership if we are going to arrive at the destination of unity and maturity in Christ. It won’t come from another “retooling” of church as we know it, and it won’t come from bringing another church guru in to snazz up our programs. It will happen through the realization of EACH Christian’s giftedness, and contributions toward making the journey a safe and exciting ride.
I’m currently trying to discover which giftings I have been graced by Christ with. I think I lean towards evangelistic giftings, out and among new people, sharing the Gospel and then moving on, hoping that a pastor or teacher can take them under their wings and truly help them bear fruit. Although I am very different from the other giftings (I see bits and pieces of each gift) I know that I need others to make any lasting impact. We need each other to get where we are going.
Like the old African proverb says, “If you want to travel fast, go alone. If you want to travel far, go together.”
I want to be competent in sports conversations with other guys.
Julie, and 
jason 11:15 pm on June 22, 2006 Permalink
mostly the same for me, but I want to live in a warmer climate.
kelly 4:33 pm on June 24, 2006 Permalink
if you really would like a dog, we have a wonderful puppy that needs a good home. we are moving to england and can’t take her with us.