"Every Member a Minister"
Jan. 30, 2000
Cross Creek Community Church
Life Changing Relevant to Today Powerful
C.R.O.S.S. C.R.
E.E.K.Eph 4:11-16 & Selected
Ephes. 4:11-16
"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until 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. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From 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."
OPENING REMARKS ~
I. YOUR STANDING:
1 Peter 2: 5 & 9
"You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
Rev. 1:6
"And has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen."
| Christian belief that every person has direct access to God without any mediator other than Christ. |
| All religions have developed an intricate system of priesthood, an order of religious professionals who act as mediators between the worshiper and God. |
| (1) believers can respond directly to the personal activity of God in their lives, through the Holy Spirit and through the written word of Scripture, and do not require a human priest to mediate authoritative communication with God; |
| (2) Christians have become a "holy priesthood" (1 Peter 2:5) and can minister to one another and to the world. |
| Christ is the only Mediator between God and the believer (1 Tim. 2:5). |
| "Spiritual sacrifice of praise" Hebrews 13:15-16 lists praise of God in prayer and song, doing good, sharing with others. |
 | You are UNIQUE! |
| You are VITALLY important! |
| You are called to MAKE A DIFFERENCE! |
| Each of us has a special gift. Regardless of what you are good at—sports, singing, writing, academics, speaking, crafts—you’re never so good that you don’t need to practice, to prepare for the time when you will use your gift. In Eccles. 10:10, Solomon explained why practice and preparation are important. He compared going into a task unprepared with trying to cut wood with a blunt ax. The only way to succeed is to use brute strength, to power your way through the log. "But," Solomon said, "wisdom prepares the way for success." Sure, you can often rely on your natural talent to make it through something without preparing. But why be willing to offer anything less than your best? With a little time and effort, you can prepare for any opportunity. And then your God-given gifts can really shine. |
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II. YOUR TRAINING:
1 Cor. 12:28
"And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers,…"
| The risen Christ is pictured as giving gifted persons to the church. |
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| It is Christ and Christ alone who gives spiritual gifts to men. Men cannot work up the gifts, nor give the gifts to other men. Christ alone possesses the spiritual gifts to give to men. |
| The gift of "apostle" (apostolos) means to send out. An apostle is a representative, an ambassador. |
1) The apostle was a man chosen directly by the Lord Himself or by the Holy Spirit (cp. Matthew 10:1-2; Mark 3:13-14; Luke 6:13; Acts 9:6, 15; Acts 13:2; Acts 22:10, 14-15; Romans 1:1). He was a man who had either seen or been a companion of the Lord Jesus.
2) The apostle was a man who had been an eyewitness of the resurrected Lord (Acts 1:21-22; 1 Cor. 9:1).
| The gift of a prophet. This is the gift of speaking under the inspiration of God’s Spirit. It includes both prediction and proclamation. |
The gift of an evangelist. This is the gift of carrying the gospel all over the world. It is the gift that specializes in proclaiming the gospel to the lost of the world. It would include both what we call the evangelist and the missionary.
| The gift of a pastor (poimenas). This word means shepherd. An under-shepherd to the Chief Shepherd, Christ Jesus our Lord. FEEDS & LEADS. They were not wanderers but were settled and permanent in the work of one congregation. |
| Involve speech or proclamation. They are very specialized gifts, |
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Should be as an apostle in that he is serving Christ in a very special ministry and faithfully using the gift God has given him.·
Should be as a prophet in that he is daily proclaiming God’s Word.·
Should be as an evangelist in that he is bearing witness to the lost.·
Should be as a pastor in that he is shepherding and caring for people all the time.·
Should be as a teacher in that he is teaching the truths of God’s Word to all whom he knows.
Col. 1:28
"We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ."
| The word "perfecting" (katartizo) means to equip for service and ministry. The word is used in surgery for setting a broken limb or for putting a joint back into its place. mending nets (Mark 1:19), |
| Hebrews 10:5 to describe the incarnation of the Word: "A body hast thou prepared me" |
That of making something fully ready, of perfectly equipping someone, of fully preparing something. The proper use of the gifts is to bring the body of Christ to its full potential.
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| That of putting a thing into the condition in which it ought to be. |
| Leaders are not to do the work of the ministry; leaders are to prepare the laity to minister. |
The pastor is expected to teach. To evangelize. To counsel. To visit the sick. To pray with the discouraged. If the church grows in size and new members are added, it is taken as an indication that their local congregation is healthy and the minister is doing his job. If the church fails to grow or the budget is not met, the one to blame is the minister. After all, he was hired by the church to minister.
| A living body! In a living organism, every cell contributes. The body’s health depends on each member fulfilling its special function. |
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| The very purpose for equipping laymen is so that the body of Christ, the church, may be built up. |
| All believers within a church must be involved in the work of the ministry. |
| If the work of the ministry was left up to the professional ministers, the task would never get done, |
a. The minister of God works to bring about a perfect unity among God’s people. The minister of God is called...
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To bring peace and reconciliation to the church.·
To lead people into perfect harmony and oneness of spirit.·
To shepherd people out of cliques, divisiveness, murmuring, grumbling, griping, and all the other sins that militate against a perfect unity.
| Construction, not destruction. His aim is never to make trouble, but always to see that trouble does not rear its head; always to strengthen. And never to loosen, the fabric of the Church. |
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| Ephes. 2:21 "In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord." |
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Romans 15:14
"I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another."
| We are useful in two realms: Ministry & Building up the body. |
| Ministry - reaching out into the world - Jn. 3:16 / Jesus's MISSION - Seek & Save the Lost. |
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| God is still working today - "Same yesterday, today, & forever" |
| He works through you and me taking His Word. / Collectively, together reaching the lost. |
| Visible marketplaces, Jobs, School, Shopping, Neighbors, - LIVING THE LIFE OF CHRIST. |
| Loving, praying for, helping, caring, sharing, WINNING the LOST. |
| Being the SALT & LIGHT of the earth! |
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First area is Ministry and the Second area is:
1 Thessalonians 5:11
"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
1 Cor. 12:12
"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. "
| That we do our part in building up the church. Note that every joint or every believer "supplies" something to the body of Christ (the church). And what every joint or believer supplies is very significant. |
V. 16
| Note how the significance is stressed: Christ takes every joint or believer and the believer... |
| GROWS |
| BUILDS ITSELF |
| IN LOVE |
| EACH PART DOING ITS WORK (ministry, service, duty, |
| Our growth toward maturity. |
| Only a strong and healthy body can carry out the tasks assigned to it. |
| Our effectiveness in communicating the Gospel and the love of God to the world around us. |
What more could be said about the contribution made by every believer? What greater challenge could be given to a believer? We must give all we are and have to get the job done. Much is at stake for each of us. An eternal weight of responsibility rests upon every single believer, for each one is responsible for reaching people and building them up. Some people will never be reached and ministered to if a single one of us comes up short. For this reason, everyone of us is gifted by Christ Jesus our Lord.
Every member of the body of Christ, making an IMPACT for Christ, in the "world" around you!
"Every Member a Minister"