Post by Shepherd on Mar 4, 2009 15:01:40 GMT -6
EPH-4-IV FOR THE PERFECTING OF THE SAINTS
EPHESIANS 4:11-12..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.
Do you realize that Christians are to help each other as Christians to perform their tasks?
Christians are to help each other to grow and to mature. No one becomes a full-grown Christian in a moment. A soul can accept Christ in a moment, and in that sense one can become a Christian at once, when he believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Such a person is A BABE IN CHRIST. Peter writes to say, AS NEWBORN BABES, DESIRE THE SINCERE MILK OF THE WORD, THAT YE MAY GROW THEREBY.
The young Christian needs more of the Scriptures. He needs to read and study the Bible, so that praying to God, having the Scriptures in mind, he may grow in grace and in knowledge. In sharing the Word, any Christian can have other people help him to grow.
The Word must be preached, taught and explained.
I THESS. 1:5...FOR OUR GOSPEL CAME NOT UNTO YOU IN WORD ONLY, BUT ALSO IN POWER, AND IN THE HOLY GHOST, AND IN MUCH ASSURANCE; AS YE KNOW WHAT MANNER OF MEN WE WERE AMONG YOU FOR YOUR SAKE.
There are four different conditions mentioned in this passage which enforce the Word. The word it self must be given. This must be the true Word. The Word is like that edge on an axe. It needs to be carefully presented so that it is sharp. The power of the preaching, the Holy Ghost in the preacher, the assurance of the preacher and the teacher, and the manner of man in such a witness–all this combines to put weight in the axe. That is what makes the axe go into the log.
Actually, it is not altogether what the teacher says; it is also somewhat in how he says it, what he has in mind when he says it, and what kind of a man he is when he says it that way, that makes the teaching and preaching effective. All these thing together are included in sharing the Word.
The only way in which any Christian can grow is by the Word of God. One does not grow just by getting older. I need the Word of God to guide me. Thus I am blessed by the ministering of the Word of God to me. In this service every Christian has a part. Every Christian is to bear witness to Christ. GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD. The YE refers to everyone, not just the apostles. We are all in that sense ministers of Christ. We are all servants of Christ. For the ministering of the Word of God, for sharing the Word of God with other people, Christians can grow and become useful. Christians will grow through understanding the Bible.
Someone must share the Scripture with new Christians, must minister the Word of God to them, that they might grow and become useful.
The Scriptures will bring to be PERFECT. Full grown, fruit-bearing. The new Christian in Christ Jesus can become mature growing into maturity. When a Christian grow in maturity he bears fruit in the work of the ministry. No Christian has been saved to simply be on exhibition. The Christian is to serve, and to be a servant of Christ. He is a member of the Body of Christ. Since Christ Jesus came into the world to seek and to save the lost. The Christian has a share in seeking and saving the lost. A Christian in the Lord Jesus Christ must seek to win other people to Christ.
If the Christian is a mother, there will be people right there under her hand–her children. A wife has her husband. Perhaps they do not want to listen. God can move them to listen. God can do more than we can ask or think. The parent who is a Christian has a precious function to perform. How can this be done? By attending church services and letting the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors deal with you and teach you, you will be helped to develop for the work of your ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ.
All Christians are to serve in building up the Body of Christ, and for that service they need to be equipped. FOR THE PERFECTING OF HE SAINTS, FOR THE WORK OF HE MINISTRY, FOR THE EDIFYING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST,
could well be translated, “for the equipping of the saints, for the work of service to the building up of the Body of Christ.” The only way that souls will ever be won is when Christians witness and testify. If we fail to tell others, they will never know. And the way we tell them is important. How will you ever know what to do. You could listen to the apostles. Certain people are given the gift of being able to interpret to you the full meaning of the Gospel authoritatively. There will be some people who handle the Scriptures as those who know.
They will speak to you as persons who really know the whole thing. These will be apostles, prophets. When you say the word prophet you can have in mind the word “preacher.” Prophets are preachers; they proclaim and emphasize. They do not always necessarily explain. They may not be able to explain all parts ;and aspects of the Gospel, but some of it they know and the talk about that and exhort you to respond to it.
Sometimes a preacher may say only one Big thing; GET RIGHT WITH GOD.
He will emphasize the fact that you are to get right with God. That man renders a real service. He is your prophet. Then there are evangelists, these men get up before the whole world and tell the story of Jesus Christ; the facts of Jesus Christ: and the meaning of the Gospel.
Then there are “pastors.” These are men who have the capacity to help other Christians to understand the Gospel and to apply it to their lives.
Then there are teachers who can teach the revelation. They can tell it in a clear way. All of these handle the Word of God for Christian, in order that Christians may grow in faith and understanding so that they can serve. This they do to help the Christians, that Christians may learn what is involved, and understand what they should do to obey the Lord.
God arranges that certain persons should help us to be ready to serve by using the gifts that He gives to the church
.EPHESIANS 4:11-12..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.
Do you realize that Christians are to help each other as Christians to perform their tasks?
Christians are to help each other to grow and to mature. No one becomes a full-grown Christian in a moment. A soul can accept Christ in a moment, and in that sense one can become a Christian at once, when he believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Such a person is A BABE IN CHRIST. Peter writes to say, AS NEWBORN BABES, DESIRE THE SINCERE MILK OF THE WORD, THAT YE MAY GROW THEREBY.
The young Christian needs more of the Scriptures. He needs to read and study the Bible, so that praying to God, having the Scriptures in mind, he may grow in grace and in knowledge. In sharing the Word, any Christian can have other people help him to grow.
The Word must be preached, taught and explained.
I THESS. 1:5...FOR OUR GOSPEL CAME NOT UNTO YOU IN WORD ONLY, BUT ALSO IN POWER, AND IN THE HOLY GHOST, AND IN MUCH ASSURANCE; AS YE KNOW WHAT MANNER OF MEN WE WERE AMONG YOU FOR YOUR SAKE.
There are four different conditions mentioned in this passage which enforce the Word. The word it self must be given. This must be the true Word. The Word is like that edge on an axe. It needs to be carefully presented so that it is sharp. The power of the preaching, the Holy Ghost in the preacher, the assurance of the preacher and the teacher, and the manner of man in such a witness–all this combines to put weight in the axe. That is what makes the axe go into the log.
Actually, it is not altogether what the teacher says; it is also somewhat in how he says it, what he has in mind when he says it, and what kind of a man he is when he says it that way, that makes the teaching and preaching effective. All these thing together are included in sharing the Word.
The only way in which any Christian can grow is by the Word of God. One does not grow just by getting older. I need the Word of God to guide me. Thus I am blessed by the ministering of the Word of God to me. In this service every Christian has a part. Every Christian is to bear witness to Christ. GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD. The YE refers to everyone, not just the apostles. We are all in that sense ministers of Christ. We are all servants of Christ. For the ministering of the Word of God, for sharing the Word of God with other people, Christians can grow and become useful. Christians will grow through understanding the Bible.
Someone must share the Scripture with new Christians, must minister the Word of God to them, that they might grow and become useful.
The Scriptures will bring to be PERFECT. Full grown, fruit-bearing. The new Christian in Christ Jesus can become mature growing into maturity. When a Christian grow in maturity he bears fruit in the work of the ministry. No Christian has been saved to simply be on exhibition. The Christian is to serve, and to be a servant of Christ. He is a member of the Body of Christ. Since Christ Jesus came into the world to seek and to save the lost. The Christian has a share in seeking and saving the lost. A Christian in the Lord Jesus Christ must seek to win other people to Christ.
If the Christian is a mother, there will be people right there under her hand–her children. A wife has her husband. Perhaps they do not want to listen. God can move them to listen. God can do more than we can ask or think. The parent who is a Christian has a precious function to perform. How can this be done? By attending church services and letting the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors deal with you and teach you, you will be helped to develop for the work of your ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ.
All Christians are to serve in building up the Body of Christ, and for that service they need to be equipped. FOR THE PERFECTING OF HE SAINTS, FOR THE WORK OF HE MINISTRY, FOR THE EDIFYING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST,
could well be translated, “for the equipping of the saints, for the work of service to the building up of the Body of Christ.” The only way that souls will ever be won is when Christians witness and testify. If we fail to tell others, they will never know. And the way we tell them is important. How will you ever know what to do. You could listen to the apostles. Certain people are given the gift of being able to interpret to you the full meaning of the Gospel authoritatively. There will be some people who handle the Scriptures as those who know.
They will speak to you as persons who really know the whole thing. These will be apostles, prophets. When you say the word prophet you can have in mind the word “preacher.” Prophets are preachers; they proclaim and emphasize. They do not always necessarily explain. They may not be able to explain all parts ;and aspects of the Gospel, but some of it they know and the talk about that and exhort you to respond to it.
Sometimes a preacher may say only one Big thing; GET RIGHT WITH GOD.
He will emphasize the fact that you are to get right with God. That man renders a real service. He is your prophet. Then there are evangelists, these men get up before the whole world and tell the story of Jesus Christ; the facts of Jesus Christ: and the meaning of the Gospel.
Then there are “pastors.” These are men who have the capacity to help other Christians to understand the Gospel and to apply it to their lives.
Then there are teachers who can teach the revelation. They can tell it in a clear way. All of these handle the Word of God for Christian, in order that Christians may grow in faith and understanding so that they can serve. This they do to help the Christians, that Christians may learn what is involved, and understand what they should do to obey the Lord.
God arranges that certain persons should help us to be ready to serve by using the gifts that He gives to the church
