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GIFTED, BUILT UP, AND EQUIPPED – 12

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Ephesians 4:11-12 NLT‬
[11]”Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. [12] Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.”

Despite Paul’s plea for his readers (and all those who follow after the them) to live out the new lives they have been given, they knew and we know that it is impossible to do this without help.

However, God has given us His Spirit, our Helper, who teaches and guides us from within, but we also need knowledge, information, instruction, to know what to do and how to put our new lives into practice.

So, Jesus has also given to His church people whom the Holy Spirit equips to be our human teachers. Each of these people has a specific function (emphasis on ‘function’, not ‘office’) in the church, to equip and train God’s people with knowledge and practice, as Jesus did with His disciples, so that, together, the church may reach its goal of love and unity.

These five groups of people – apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers – are not self-proclaimed or self-appointed. They are given, by Jesus, to His church. They function…they do not rule or have any authority over the body of Christ. They are not superior to or office bearers in the church. They are servants, serving the church by using their gifts to equip the saints to do what they train the church to do.

What is their function, then? Each of these ‘gifts’ helps to hone those who are similarly gifted. No individual has all the gifts but as we live and work together as the church, we display the nature of Jesus in His completeness.

‭Ephesians 4:7 NLT‬
[7] “However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.”

The church is a mosaic of gifts. Each member has a specific function, which creates a complete picture of Jesus in His body. We are all ‘living stones’, built together to form a temple in which we worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

A mature church has as its goal, to be a witness to Jesus – His incarnation, His life, His death, His resurrection – as the foundation of their love for one another and the unity that binds them together. These qualities are not possible outside of the Holy Spirit who lives in the church as well as in each member.

By contrast, the love and unity that might exist in pockets in the community are fragile and easily disintegrate in the face of the words and actions of selfish and self–centred people. The opposite is true in the church.

‭Ephesians 4:13, 15-16 NLT‬
[13] “This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ….
[15] Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. [16] He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”

Unlike the fragile unity in the world, the unity in the church grows with increasing knowledge and experience. The church is not an organisation. The church is a living organism, united to Jesus, its head, drawing its life from Him, and growing in faith and obedience through the Holy Spirit who works out the life of Jesus in us and in the church.

This divine/human partnership is the only way in which the church can be the WITNESS Jesus intends us to be to the world. The early church, reflected in the book of Acts, knew this power. The church grew supernaturally through its witness, both to the message of Jesus and to the life of Jesus in them that the message produced.

‭Acts of the Apostles 5:12-14 NLT‬
[12] “The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade. [13] But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them. [14] Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women.”

So, dear brothers and sisters, the life of Jesus bears fruit in the church only as its members faithfully follow Paul’s ‘therefore’s’. Without the body living in vital union with its head, the church of Jesus becomes just another sterile religion, of no consequence in the world except to be in competition with all other religions.

The Father has made provision for us to grow towards our goal but we must respond with faith and obedience to fulfil His purpose for the church now and in eternity.

FUNCTIONS – NOT TITLES

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FUNCTIONS – NOT TITLES

But to each of us, grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. That is why it says:

‘When He ascended on high, He led captives in His train and gave gifts to men.’

(What does “He ascended” mean except that He descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens in order to fill the whole universe). It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4: 7-13).

Here we have another one of Paul’s monstrous mouthfuls of revelation truth! From where did Paul get these lofty ideas if not from the Holy Spirit?

According to Paul, first of all, every function a believer fulfils in the body of Christ is based on our unity in Him. There is not one person in the church who is superior in person or function to another. We all fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle or the tiles in a mosaic. If one is missing, the picture is incomplete. There is no such thing as priesthood and laity, for every believer is a priest since we are all to worship God by offering the appointed and appropriate sacrifices to God.

To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and has made us to become a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father – to Him be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen (Rev. 1: 5b-6).

The consistent message of Scripture is that Jesus Christ is head of His church, which is His body. It is impossible for the church to be the body of Christ and yet for some fallible mortal to be the head. He alone has the right to lead and direct His body according to His will. Those whom He has chosen to have human responsibilities in the church must, first of all, be absolutely one with Him, walking in intimate fellowship with Him and submitting to Him as Lord in all.

Secondly, Jesus has the right to appoint people to functions within His church and to gift them with the ability to carry out those functions for Him and through Him. Spiritual gifts do not belong to the people who exercise them. They belong to Jesus and they are to be used to build up the members of His body, not to lord it over them with assumed superiority and authority. Gifts are given for service, not for aggrandisement. Every person to whom He has given a responsibility in His body is accountable to Him for its use and influence.

Thirdly, within the body, we are all subject to and accountable to one another. Mutual submission in humility is the hallmark of unity. Even those whom Jesus has appointed to leadership positions and positions of authority are not above correction. The armour of God makes no provision to protect our backs. Just as the soldiers in the Roman army marched in rank, their shields protecting their chests from flying arrows and their fellow soldiers protecting their backs, so we, as we do life together, are to cover one another’s backs.

The tragedy within the church is that we act more like the world than the body of Christ. The church is neither a business nor an organisation. It is a living organism, functioning like a human body in absolute unity because we are to be a reflection of God, the Three-in-One. When a system or a cell malfunctions in a human body, it becomes sick and will die if the condition is not cured. There is no competition in the body for prestige or position, yet local expressions of Christ’s body are often a hotbed of conflict. Power struggles, not unity and harmony, tear the people apart. Selfish ambition, not love and humility, drives its leaders. Men masquerade as apostles and prophets, claiming and loving the titles rather than serving the body in the humility of their function.

Isn’t it any wonder that the church has become irrelevant in the world and the butt of jokes rather than the evidence of Christ’s invasion of earth to bring the kingdom of God into sin-infested humanity! Jesus gave His disciples two sure-fire signs of the truth of His coming and evidence of the change He brought to the human heart.

A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another (John 13: 34-35).

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me (John 17: 20-21).

Love and unity – these are impossible requirements for people whom the Holy Spirit has never changed from within. These qualities in a group of people reveal a power at work far greater than human effort. Our selfish and independent hearts will never submit to any other outside of the power of God’s Spirit.

True followers of Jesus are to imitate Him. He is humble and gentle in heart, a servant leader. He requires that we exercise the gifts He has given in His spirit and disposition,, otherwise we are nothing but wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my first book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3, eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or Kindle version, on www.takealot.com  or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

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THE GOSPEL OF MARK – NOT JESUS!

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NOT JESUS!

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. Mark 6:30-34

How did Jesus handle interruptions? Certainly not the way we might have done. Our first thought would have been for ourselves. We might have been irritated by people and would have wanted to escape to carry out our original plan. All we would have wanted to do was to get away from the crowd to rest and have time out alone or with our closest friends.

Not Jesus! He tried to get away from the crowds but they beat Him to it. Why didn’t He simply go somewhere else – somewhere they didn’t anticipate? He didn’t try to dodge them. Instead He welcomed them with a heart of compassion. They had no meaning and no direction in their lives and no-one to lead them. Jesus’ heart was for them, not for Himself. He put their needs above His own.

Is this what He meant when He said that a disciple is someone who denies himself? Self-denial is not just going without to adhere to some sort of rule. I think it means that we choose to put the needs of others above our own, and here is a good example of self-denial from the Master Himself.

I wonder what the disciples felt about this interruption. They were probably looking forward to a day alone with Jesus, relaxing out in the open and enjoying being away from the crowd. They must have felt frustrated, irritated and even fed-up with Jesus. Why did He have to be so accommodating?

What was the difference between Jesus and His disciples? Their first thought was for themselves and their own needs. They were tired. They needed rest. They wanted to be alone. Jesus was also tired but He saw people who needed another kind of rest much more that He needed a day off. These people were struggling under the heavy yoke of religion and legalism and it wasn’t working. They didn’t need more religion. They needed a shepherd to protect and take care of them. That is exactly what He came to do – and He was not about to miss an opportunity like this.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – DID JESUS MAKE A MISTAKE?

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DID JESUS MAKE A MISTAKE?

“At about that same time He climbed a mountain to pray. He was there all night in prayer before God. The next day He summoned His disciples; from them He selected twelve He designated as apostles:

“Simon whom He named Peter; Andrew, his brother; James; John ; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, son of Alpheus; Simon called the Zealot; Judas, son of James; Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.” Luke 6:12-16.

Really Jesus! After praying all night, was that the best you could do?

Not a very impressive lot, I must say. From the little we know about most of them, there was not much to commend them. Simon Peter? A big-mouthed coward; Andrew? Hardly ever opened his mouth; James and John? Violent and volcanic; Philip? Bartholomew (probably the Nathaniel of John’s gospel)? Very little said about them; Matthew, a greedy, conniving tax-collector – a sell-out to Rome; Thomas? Didn’t believe in Jesus’ resurrection; James, son of Alpheus (who was Alpheus?)? Simon, called the Zealot – probably a political activist? Judas, son of James (which James?)? Know nothing about them!

And of course, bringing up the rear, Judas Iscariot! Everyone knows who he was. Why him? Did it take Jesus all night to decide to choose him?

From our point of view they all look like a bunch of losers. But Jesus saw something different in each one of them. Each one had potential – characteristics and qualities which the Holy Spirit would refine and use in future days to continue the work Jesus began and take His message to the ends of the earth with faith and courage.

Even Judas Iscariot? Even Judas Iscariot! This is where the mystery of God’s sovereignty and man’s free will meet on earth in a way that we humans will never figure out. Did Jesus give Judas the same opportunity as the others to fulfil his potential? What potential? Like every other human being, Judas had the potential for great good or great evil. It all depended on his choices.

He was exposed to the same Presence as the other disciples; he heard the same teaching; he watched Jesus do the same miracles; he preached and did miracles and cast out demons just like the others did. Nowhere in the three years he spent with Jesus was he excluded from their activities…until Jesus’ last days when he turned traitor.

What tipped him over the edge? We know that he loved money. John called him a thief because he pilfered the common money he was supposed to be in charge of. Why did Jesus entrust their resources to him, of all people? Was He such a bad judge of character?

Was Judas ambitious – like Brutus of “Julius Caesar” fame? Did he aspire to a high position in Jesus’ kingdom? When Jesus was slow in making His intentions know, did Judas try to force His hand? Was he ticked off with Jesus for exposing his greed when He rebuked him for his mean-spirited attitude to Mary for squandering her costly ointment on Him? Perhaps it was a combination of these things and more.

I think there were at least two reasons why Jesus chose these men. Firstly, they were some of the rejects from the Beth Talmud, “rabbi school”, and He was giving them the opportunity to become all that God created them to be…even Judas. Jesus’ choice was not ignorance or stupidity but grace! Without Him they would never amount to anything but because of Him, they would become part of the foundation of His church (Ephesians 2:20).

Secondly, He knew that the Holy Spirit would transform them into a group of powerful witnesses for Him, if they chose to follow Him. Even Judas, but Judas lost the plot. And even there Jesus knew what He was doing. It was all in God’s sovereign plan.

You can trust Him. Follow Him – He has a good plan for you!

Maddening Interruptions!

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MADDENING INTERRUPTIONS!

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, ‘Come with my by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place (Mark 6: 30-32).

Time out for some “me” time for the disciples. Everybody needs a little “me” time in a very busy world. Even Jesus’ disciples needed time out to catch their breath. Jesus was also a human; He understood His men’s weariness and He called them apart to get away from the crowd and relax before the next round of preaching and healing campaigns began. When there is no time to refuel spiritually as well as physically, that’s often when things begin to go wrong. How important to balance busyness and recreation to keep one’s heart and body functional!

But many who saw them leaving recognised them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. (Mark 6: 33).

Well now, weren’t they a considerate bunch! The people thronged them and clamoured for attention from morning until night. This was something they had never experienced before – help when there was no one else to help them. There was no hospital, doctor or medical science to which to turn for their ailments and their disabilities. Then a man arrived on the scene who miraculously cured everything from blindness to the sniffles. Wouldn’t you run after Him, even if you gave not thought to His needs?

What would Jesus do in a situation like this? His disciples needed rest. They needed to have a leisurely meal without being mobbed. By the time they reached the other shore, the people were already there in their thousands. He could so easily have simply turned around and sailed off somewhere else and left them all waiting there in vain.

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So He began teaching them many things. (Mark 6: 34)

Imagine if Jesus had dodged the crowd and gone somewhere else with His disciples! He was the Father’s representative, remember? Whatever He said and did, He did in the name of the Father. Had He left them and sailed away, He would have given them a message, loud and clear, that the Father wasn’t to be bothered with them. Was that what He was telling them about their God? This could have been one of those irritating and annoying interruptions, but it wasn’t. He didn’t let it be. He took everything in His stride.

An interruption for Jesus was a God-opportunity to reach out to spiritually starving people with the love of God. There would be time enough for Him and His disciples to rest and eat later on, but this was a “now” moment for Jesus. The people needed Him right them. If He sent them away, there might never be another opportunity to tell some of them the truth.

One of the secrets of Jesus’ serenity and confidence was His living in the “now”. Unlike the people whom the soil in His story of the sower and the seed represented, He was not split between “now” and “then”, or “here” and “there”.

That’s how most of us live. Our “now” had less significance for us than what we are waiting for in the future, or regretting in the past. Why do we insist on living in our “tomorrows” or “yesterdays” when Jesus said that tomorrow had enough trouble of its own? He moved from one moment to the next in the calm confidence that His Father loved Him and was in control. Not even a raging storm on the lake could shake His trust in the Father to take care of His well-being. When He had not boat, He simply walked on the water! When it was time to go elsewhere, He went. When the people ran after Him, He taught them. When He needed time with the Father, He went off by Himself and sought solitude so that He could fellowship with God. He knew how to balance work and rest.

What a difference it would make to our lives if we would follow Jesus’ example? Sometimes I have to stand in a queue and wait my turn to be served. How do I handle the waiting? Impatience rises and I want to jump the queue, expect to be given preferential treatment because I am white, English-speaking, educated, affluent or whatever my condition may be, or walk away and come back some other time when there are not so many people.

The Holy Spirit whispers to me, “Live in the moment.” That’s really hard to do when I want to be somewhere else, do something else because the moment for me is irritating, frustrating or just downright intolerable. How hard it is for me to be like my Master, resting quietly in the Father’s love, knowing that He is here. If I allowed Him to orchestrate my life, I could eliminate the word “stress” from my vocabulary! And live longer too.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (copyright 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com