I have a wonderful friend who is always posting amazing things on Facebook. He is such a Godly man and just an all around great guy! I got this from him and kinda expounded on some of his thoughts. Thanks Brian Sawyer for your amazing thoughts!
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16 KJV)
There is so much in this passage. Some things I want to point out:
-some were appointed to offices, not everyone. If everyone in your church has a title, then maybe there should be some rediscovering of who we are called to be.
- the saints do the work of the ministry as those appointed to an office teach them
-everything is not placed on the shoulders of the leadership. Some times you need to go visit someone and not expect your pastor to do it. My pastor always says sheep breed sheep. Our pastors are only one person, and they cannot absolutely witness to everyone. It is really every Christian's duty to witness to others, not just the ones in leadership positions.
-all of our ministry is for the body of Christ to mature and to be unified. (I love this point! Couldn't have said it better myself)
-we should be perfect, so we can not use the excuse that we're not. He has made the way by His Spirit.
-ALL things should be done in love.
-we are to grow up in ALL things. Children aren't very wise and can be persuaded to believe anything and do almost anything. Adults grow wiser as they grow older. We have to be spiritual adults as well as physical adults so we can be wise and see when someone is deceiving us.
-if we are lacking in any good thing it could be because we are not properly positioned within the body, or connected with the right people.
-what God has placed in you is crucial for others to reach their potential. God does not anoint with you with whatever He has given you to make you better. He gave you those talents and gifts to bless other people with.
-what God has given you is not just for you, but for everyone connected to you
-it's time to grow up and be who God has called us to be
-without each other it's impossible
-no man is in Christ by himself
-if we are to all come into unity, you may have to spend your time helping someone else get there
-this is a team effort
-we are to grow up into the image of Christ....not your favorite preacher, teacher, or televangelist. Be yourself and concentrate on the life of Christ.
-it is possible for us all to be in one accord
-if we know we have something that someone else may need, then maybe we should volunteer to ask people how we can help them.
-Gods promises will lead to a drawing closer of you the people around you. If it is pulling you apart, it may be because of improper stewardship.
-we need to submit to leadership
-what we need to learn has been deposited into the leadership that God has placed above us.
Again, thanks Brian for being such an encouragement!
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