Category: Weekly

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ… 
Ephesians 4:11-13

What a rich blessing we have from the Lord in the gift of those He has called to declare His word to His church!  Eph 4:11 sets forth the apostles and prophets first as they were still present in Paul’s day, but earlier in Eph 2, we learned the purpose of these servants of God.  They were part of the foundation upon which the church is built, with Christ being the chief cornerstone. (Eph 2:20) We all know that you lay the foundation for a building only once.  In the same way, the apostles and prophets have served their foundational purpose of giving us God’s inspired word, the text we now call The Bible.  Their time has passed, but God still has servants being used by Him to build the church upon that initial foundation.  It is these evangelists and pastors and teachers that God has gifted to expound and declare the word delivered by the apostles and prophets.

The “evangelists” are those men who are sent to minister to various churches (both Philip–not the apostle but one of the seven deacons chosen in Acts 6–and Timothy are listed as evangelists in the New Testament) while the “pastors and teachers” are those who are called to primarily serve in a single, local assembly.  Both roles are of great benefit to the body.  The pastors and teachers are involved in the day-to-day affairs of the church.  They minister to that local flock, bearing their burdens with them and feeding the flock of God weekly.  The evangelists, however, are with each assembly only for a season.  This ministry can strengthen and instruct each local assembly in a unique way because of having an outside perspective.  They can also be of great encouragement to the local pastors as they provide a time of relief from their labors by fulling the pulpit for them and as they bring a sense of understanding of the pastors’ burdens that may be difficult for the local body to comprehend.

Both the evangelists and pastors/teachers, however, serve the same overall purposes for the body of Christ.  As our text tells us, 1) they equip the saints for ministry, 2) build them up in the faith, and 3) aid in conforming them to the image of Jesus Christ.  The point is that we need them!  The Lord has been so faithful over the years to provide these servants to feed His sheep, and this passage serves as a good reminder for us to be thankful for what He has supplied through them.  May we express to them our appreciation for their faithful labor and encourage them in their efforts even as we are instructed to do in 1Th 5:12-13: “And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake.” Remember, “they watch out for your souls.” (Heb 13:17)

Jamie

To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given…
Ephesians 3:8

The Apostle Paul stands out to the New Testament church as second only to Jesus Christ in the far-reaching effects of his ministry and in the fervency of his service. He was mightily used of the Lord to carry the gospel to foreign lands, and thousands of souls were brought to salvation in his day because of the Gospel seed that this faithful brother planted. He was a well-educated man, having studied under the highly respected Jewish rabbi Gamaliel (Act 22:3), and Paul’s teaching at times was so profound that even the Apostle Peter had to say his words were “hard to understand.” (2Pe 3:16) Yet, with all his accomplishments, it is this servant of God in our text today who wrote to the Ephesians that he was “less than the least of all the saints”. Not just least…LESS than the least!

This spirit of humility and service unto others is exactly the character our Lord exhibited, and it’s the example He was giving us as He washed the disciples feet in Joh 13:

“You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (v. 13-17)

This manner of life is contrary to our culture which encourages us to brag on ourselves, pamper ourselves, and put ourselves first. Men may win the applause of other men that way. They may advance within the company that way. But the Lord is emphatic about the eventual outcome: “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luk 14:11) May we desire the honor that comes from God rather than men and live after the instruction given in Php 2:3: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”

Jamie

“…how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:”
Ephesians 3:3-5

This mystery that the Apostle Paul speaks of in this text is in essence the gospel that declares the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, later in Ephesians, he calls it “the mystery of the gospel.” (6:19) These truths are understood as simple concepts to the youngest Christian today, and yet, at one time, the men and women of God did not fully know them. Considering our text along with other places in scripture that the topic is mentioned, we find this mystery to include truths like:

The death of the promised Messiah and His exalted state after His resurrection. The Jews were looking for Christ to establish an earthly kingdom, but instead, the prophets foretold of “the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.” (1Pe 1:11) 1Co 2:7-8 says that if the “rulers of this age” (that’s spiritual and earthly rulers) had known this “mystery [of] the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory” then “they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” Satan didn’t understand his fatal mistake when he moved men to kill Jesus!

The fact that God would send His Spirit to dwell in His people. According to Col 1:26-27, part of “the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints…is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” What does that mean: “Christ in you”? How is it accomplished? Well, Jesus explained the meaning as He taught His disciples how experiencing the Spirit of God would be different for the Old Testament saint than for that of the New Testament believer.  He said, “the Spirit of truth…dwells with you and will be in you.” God’s intention was to live inside us! This coming of the Holy Ghost would be just like Christ Himself dwelling in us for He continued, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (Joh 14:17-18)

That God would build His church by including the Gentiles in the rich promises that would belong to every believer in Jesus Christ. It is this truth in particular to which Paul was referring in our main text in Eph 3:3 for explained further in v. 6 “that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel.” Those of us not of Jewish descent ought to respond to this news just like the men of Antioch did when Paul left off speaking to the Jews of the city who had rejected the gospel and turned instead to the Gentiles: “Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord.” (Act 13:48) Thank God for declaring His salvation to all the earth! (Isa 45:22)

The amazing thing about this “mystery” is that none of these facts come as a surprise to us today. That’s what I hope will get our attention! They are simple, Sunday-school truths that have become commonplace. May we rejoice and never lose our thankfulness for the words of Christ spoken in Mat 13:16-17: “But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

Jamie

So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening.
Acts 28:23

Our text today highlights a second major theme that we have found throughout the early church. Last time, we saw their care for one another. This time, we see their passion for declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ. The book begins with that emphasis as Christ tells them that the effect of the Spirit of God being given to them was, “you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Act 1:8) There are many things today that people may claim prove that their church is Spirit-filled, but Christ made it clear that the greatest evidence was a faithful declaration of the word of God.

When the Spirit was given on the Day of Pentecost, the church was empowered by the Holy Ghost to speak in other languages, but what was the focus of their speech. Per Act 2:11, they were declaring “the wonderful works of God”! That emphasis on preaching the word did not diminish. It got even stronger. In Act 4:18, the Jewish leaders had imprisoned Peter and John. They couldn’t deny the miracle God had performed through the apostles, so they were forced to let them go; however, they “commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.” It was the first instance of persecution in Acts, but the response by the early church was amazing. They “raised their voice to God with one accord” (in other words, they were unified in this desire), and with no mention of requesting that God keep them from oppression and imprisonment, they prayed “Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word”! (4:24-29) They simply wanted the courage to complete their primary mission–to preach the gospel!!

In the next chapter, the apostles were imprisoned again and this time physically injured for their testimony. “…and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.” (Act 5:40) But, were they disciples deterred? Nope, those crazy Christians “departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” (5:41-42) This example of faith and endurance in constantly witnessing of Christ regardless of the consequences never ceased in Acts. Stephen is martyred for confessing Him in Act 7, and when Saul (who we now know as Paul) was called to the ministry in Act 9, at the very outset of his labor we find the following: “Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him.” (v. 22-23) It was the beginning of a journeying of suffering that would eventually cost Paul his life, but through it all, in one thing he was consistent–he preached Jesus Christ!

This mission of the church has not changed today and never will. A people filled with the Spirit of God will always be driven above all to share the gospel of Christ because that’s the Spirit’s emphasis. Jesus said that in Joh 15:26: “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” So, it begs the question: Is that the emphasis of my church? I’m concerned that churches today are busy about many things, but does the gospel have the preeminence in our gatherings? Is that our focus as we leave the church walls? It MUST be if we are truly His disciples. May we be so in love with our Lord and so thankful for what He has done for us that we can’t help but confess Him always, regardless of the consequences. God grant us boldness to speak Your word!

Jamie