The Church (3)
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 edifying of the body of Christ… Ephesians 4.11, 12
Saints and members
The “saints” of the Lord, according to the New Testament, are all those who truly believe in Jesus Christ and in whom the Holy Spirit is working to flesh out their salvation (Phil. 2.13). The saints are thus members of Christ’s Body, and the health of the whole Body of Christ depends upon the health and contribution of each member of the Body, each saint or believer or disciple.
The Church at all levels exists, in one sense, for its members, as a context within which they are to be equipped for spiritual growth and life—ministry. In another sense the Church exists, by its members, since, as Paul explains, the edification of the Body of Christ—its growth in unity and maturity in the Lord Jesus—depends on the unique ministry contribution of each of its members.
The Church, in all its expressions, is thus a kind of forge and factory for making disciples. Disciples, by their ministries, “grow” the local church for the progress of God’s Kingdom. As a forge the church receives the “fuel” and “raw materials” which the saints bring, in their gifts and callings. As a factory the church equips its members with the weapons of spiritual warfare, which they use in their day-to-day ministries to advance the grace and truth of the Gospel. This, in turn, builds up the Body, as existing members are strengthened and grow and new members are won through the proclamation of God’s truth and the church pursues its calling as sign and outpost of the Kingdom.
The mission of the Church
We need the church to function for us in this way, for we will not be able to realize our full hope and calling apart from active involvement in the forming, building, sending, and receiving work of the church as the Body of Christ.
As members we do not come to the Body of Christ ready to fulfill our assigned roles in contributing to the strength and health of the whole. We are commanded to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3.18) and to work out our salvation in fear and trembling with and among our fellow believers (Phil. 2.12, 13). The mission of the Church is to make disciples, not just believers, and not just worship-and-program-attending members. Disciples are those who follow Jesus as citizens and ambassadors in His Kingdom, witnesses to His resurrection, and builders of His Church. How can we build the Church if we maintain the attitude which says we don’t need the Church?
This is not to say that the Church today, in its various forms and expressions, is functioning as it should. Clearly, it is not. In a typical church today, one might expect to find a variety of programs and other activities intended to address some aspect of the life of faith. Sunday schools and other teaching programs, Bible study and fellowship groups, conferences and retreats, and, of course, Sunday preaching—these are the ways churches today approach the task of making disciples.
Taking our calling seriously
But as we have seen, real disciples, and real world-changing churches, are just not the norm within the Christian movement, at least not in this country. They’re not even what we seek. We are holding classes, having services, and running programs, but we are not making many disciples and we are not building churches which function as witness to Christ’s resurrection and the power of His Kingdom for righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit. We must be honest and say that we’re more interested in making church members than we are in making and equipping disciples who do their work of ministry.
The church is not fulfilling its function as a forge and factory, because the members of the Body of Christ do not feel the need for church to fulfill this role for them or by them.
A forge consumes all the fuel available to it and generates the heat needed for making implements. Only when every member of the Body of Christ presents themselves to their church for instruction, formation, and sending into mission, and only when the local church takes seriously its calling, not to run programs but to make disciples—only then will the Body of Christ begin to realize the kind of unity and maturity in the Lord which will allow it to fulfill its calling as witness to Christ.
Only when churches are committed to and active in equipping the saints for daily works of ministry will we be what Jesus says we should be, the light of the world, the salt of the earth, the leaven of grace and truth in this sinful and dying age, the sign that a new Kingdom has come, and the outpost from which that Kingdom advances on earth as it is in heaven.
Equipping the saints for the work of ministry: This is the calling of pastors and teachers and the business of the local church.For reflection or discussion
1. How is the local church like a forge and factory? Do those ideas describe your church? Why or why not?
2. What does it mean to “make disciples”? Who is a disciple of Jesus? How would we be able to recognize a disciple if we saw one? Can you be a Christian and not be a disciple?
3. For what “works of ministry” should church members be seeking to be equipped? Does your church provide such equipping?
Next step—Preparation: God wants us to grow in Jesus, be equipped for ministry, and find the ministry that allows us to contribute to building up our local church. Is this the path you are on? What can you do to make sure you remain there?
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: The Read Moore podcast continues readings from If Men Will Pray. Our Crosfigell teaching letter has begun a new series on the state of the Church in Europe at the time of the Celtic Revival. Check out our other excellent writers. In Scriptorium we are working through the gospel of Matthew. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
