Jesus' Gifts To His Bride

     I was planning to write about inner stillness (how to live in it and keep it and why it's so important), but I will do that next week because I have a "promise to keep." I've told several people that I would write out a little teaching I do about Jesus' gifts to His Church (Ephesians 4:11-13), so here goes.
    I am not writing everything I would like to say about this, but just a few highlights about how I think the five gifts are meant to function. Please note that I am much indebted to many others, especially in the house/simple church world for what I have learned.
     The first thing we notice about these gifts are that they are gifts to God's people, not people who receive gifts from God's people. I'll just let that one sit there and let you reflect on its many implications.  
     But how do apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers equip (repair to prepare) God's people for ministry, intimacy with Him, unity with one another and life in the fullness of Christ? May I gently suggest the following.
     The first and most obvious function of these people gifts relates to their own personal ministry. Apostles are sent-out servants (slaves) who prepare for their Master's coming by making disciples and sharing the Good News; Prophets build up, encourage and comfort God's people through revelation gifts; Evangelists announce the Gospel of the King; Pastors care for God's people with compassion and skill; teachers enable people to understand and experience God's nature and character as revealed in His Word.
     A second way these gifts function by helping discover and develop others who are called to be gifts in the same way: apostles identify and develop apostles, prophets identify and develop prophets, etc.
     But there's a third way these gifts function that I want to concentrate on because it's the one that seems freshest when I share it. So how do these five gifts function in the "repair and prepare" role? Consider the following.
     Apostles "equip the saints" by training them 

• to be Sent in their own spheres of influence according to their uniqueness.
• to Serve others. A true apostle is marked by how well s/he serves others. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:5, "We do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake." (NRSV)
• to Suffer well. Paul seems to list suffering as one of the primary marks of apostleship. See his list of struggles and how he thrived in them in 2 Corinthians 4:7-18!
• to do miraculous Signs as part of the proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom. Every believer can and should make the miraculous part of their presentation of the Gospel to folks (Mark 16:17--18), and they are equipped in this by apostles (Paul stated that signs and wonders are part of what marks an apostle as an apostle (2 Corinthians 12:12).

    Prophets "equip the saints" by training them 

• to hear God well, by helping them learn how God speaks to them (see, sense, hear, know, nudge, etc.). Prophecy is far more about hearing that talking, as you know. 
• And New Testament prophets also teach God's people how to strengthen, encourage and comfort others (1 Corinthians 14:3). 

Evangelists "equip the saints" by training them 

• to share the Good News in a way that is natural to them in their own spheres of influence. There is no cookie cutter approach to evangelism, and a true evangelist will help the quiet, behind-the-scenes persons share their faith in a way that fits them just as much as bolder and more vocal people. 

Pastors "equip the saints" by teaching them 

• how to "shepherd" their families
• how to care without creating dependence
• how to care for others with compassion and consistency
• You get the picture, I think!

Teachers  "equip the saints" by training them 

• to learn! This is one of the more important corrections I want to make. People tend to think that a person is a "good teacher" if they are eloquent, easy to follow and understand, etc. But that kind of person is simply a good talker unless s/he also teaches others how to learn on their own. A good teacher is marked less by eloquence and more by extreme passion for others to learn, An excellent teacher is marked most of all by a noticeable orientation towards others even more than towards truth. (Think about it and you will get it! Jesus was the best Teacher ever--Truth flowed from Him continually--but He was marked above all else by love and compassion.).

Just a few thoughts for you to consider. What do you think? 

Tom, one of Abba's little children