Servants of the Church

The ministers of the Word are not bright stars, they are church servants.

Eliseo Apablaza

Reading: Ephesians 4:7-16.

In Ephesians, chapter 4, we find three main topics: the gifts, the ministries and the operations. The gifts are at the beginning of the passage and they are given by the Lord to the church to make up ministries. Without gifts, no ministry is possible. The topic on ministries is tackled in verse 11, where it is said that they are five ministries, although some claim there are only four of them, arguing that pastors and teachers represent one ministry. Finally, verses 15 and 16 deal with the operations, that is, with the functioning of each individual member.

Gifts and ministries have been strongly emphasized in the past few years within the Christian church. Little has been said of the operations. However, we believe that the Lord’s final attention will more focused on operations than on gifts or ministries, before His coming.

In the early twentieth century there was a great emphasis on gifts worldwide. The gifts of the Holy Spirit were revealed on the whole world during the great Pentecostal revival. But that was not God’s goal. Late in the century, great importance was accorded to the ministries. But strangely enough, for many years it seemed that only two ministries could exist: those of pastors and preachers.

A semantic problem

Verse 12 deals with the function of these four ministries, which is described in some English versions as “equipping the saints,” and in some Spanish versions as “perfecting the saints”. We did not have a complete understanding of the verb “to equip” or “to perfect” for many years. We understood that the goal of the ministries was to lead the saints to perfection (equipping), and to the total and final fulfillment of the Christian life. But in these last days, we have had a better understanding. The Greek word that has been translated here as “to equip” (to perfect) actually has a wide variety of meanings. And it seems that the most relevant meanings here would be “to prepare” or “to train,” instead of “to equip” or “to perfect”.

William Barclay points out that the Greek verb “katartismós” (translated as “to equip”) has two wide meanings: the first one, “to adjust and to put in order”, and the second: “to prepare or to enable something for a certain purpose”. He presents the following example: “This word is used to talk about the fitting of a ship or army, as they are completely equipped, armed, and arranged for battle”. In the same way, apostles, prophets, preachers, pastors and teachers are called to prepare the army (the church) for the battle.

As soon as we understand that the right meaning of the word in Ephesians 4:12 is “to prepare” instead of “to equip”, matters changes radically. The function of the ministries becomes transitory instead of ultimate. The final task of the ministers is not the edification of the church.

In the past, we used to emphasize in the function of the ministries, which we believed to be that of “perfecting the saints”. But the Holy Spirit emphasis appears later on in this passage. The Holy Spirit emphasis does not end with verse 12, with the ministers’ service, but in verse 16, where the explanation of the service of all the body members is given.

Verse 13 reads: “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”. This is the Lord’s goal. But, how do we reach that goal? The answer is written in verses 15 and 16: “but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (the word “working” here is translated as “operation” in the KJV). The ministers are here to train the saints, and their function is not doing the work of the saints.

Let us take a good look at verse 12: “For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”. Is there a comma after the word «saints» in this verse? If in some versions there is a comma, that comma is not placed correctly. Why? If we put the comma after the word “saints”, then it could be understood that the ministries make the saints perfect and that they do the work of the ministry. But if there is no comma, then we should understand that the saints are perfected in order to do their ministry work.

What do you think would happen in a church where, instead of the usual two or three members working, there were a hundred or two hundred doing God’s work? Undoubtedly, that would make a huge difference. It may seem odd to us now, since we have misunderstood Scriptures for so long.

But we should go beyond all this. If these ministries were given to prepare the saints, it means then that, somehow, the apostles have to produce apostles in the church, and the prophets have to produce prophets in the church. Said otherwise, the apostles train the saints, so that new apostles arise; the prophets train the saints so that new prophets arise, and the evangelists prepare the saints so that many evangelists arise. What is the evangelist’s function, then? To reach the lost? Yes, but also to prepare the saints so that all become evangelists. Then the focus shifts from the ministers to the saints.

How come evangelists are in the church to train the saints, and not to preach to unbelievers? When we need to evangelize, we invite an evangelist. However, God’s will is that the whole church evangelizes, and that evangelists train church members to do evangelism.

As far as we know, brother Watchman Nee, in China, was the first man ever to focus on this idea, while lecturing there in the late forties. When we read his messages, we notice this man has a very strong burden from God. He repeats over and over the same thing, because he feels this could be his last chance to speak on this topic. He already knew he had little time left. Then he would say: “We have to pass the burden unto all the saints. We have to prepare the saints so that they rise and serve”. He used to say: “How will we ever reach all China with the gospel? We are so few, and this country is so big. It can only be done if all the saints start serving”.

What happens in China today? Today, Nee’s desires are being fulfilled in that great nation. His word was prophetic. Currently, China is where churches are most earnestly obeying what the New Testament says. What does happen there? Traveling preachers visit churches, train the saints, and then, these saints do the ministry work. Because of the persecutions, there is no visible pastoral ministry, as in the West. All the saints, without distinctions, do the ministry work.

How can the church survive under such persecution? The persecuted church can only survive that way. Today, Chinese churches are more alive than ever. In that country, the number of Christians has grown wonderfully. This has been amazing.

Now, why is this word coming to us in this time? Although it began to be preached in the forties in China, today we feel the Lord speaks to us again. He wants us to put that into practice in our churches, since persecution days draw near. How will the church survive under those conditions? Only if it has recovered the vision about the body. However, it is necessary not only the vision, but also the experience of living the life of the body with everything it entails.

A historical distortion

All along history, all the burden of God’s work has fallen on the ministries’ shoulders. Today many pastors are weighed down with work. How can a single man do everything? Certainly, that is not God’s perfect will, but a historical distortion. But the Lord is showing us today that the church is Christ's body.

With time this distortion led to an exaltation of the ministers. Because the ministers are always left alone to speak in front, the brothers and sisters recognize ministers and pastors as a special kind of people, becoming more and more dependant on them for almost everything. This situation brings about many problems. As a result, the church as a body suffers the most.

Lately, congregations are discussing a way of being more like the pastor. Like pastor, like congregation. Why is this happening? Simply because pastors are alone. They are becoming the only referent for the church to imitate, and so churches will forcefully resemble the man in front.

But, what is God’s will? That the church resembles Christ, not men. If there is a single man in front, all will look at him, and will end up imitating him. But if apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers work all together and show different sides of Christ, no person will resemble another, since all will imitate Christ, and His image will be reflected by all. Overall, they will show Christ's endless and marvelous traits!

A two-way testimony

In Ephesians 4, the order is gifts, ministries and operations. Are these three aspects found together somewhere else in the Bible? Bible experts say that if a certain truth is found only in a single Scripture passage, then it is not very reliable. At least two similar passages are needed, because number two is the testimony number.

Let us take a look at 1 Corinthians 12:4-6. “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all”. Here we find again, in the same order, gifts, ministries and activities (“operations”, in the KJV).

We find a very interesting thing here. Gifts are linked to the Spirit; ministries, to Jesus, and operations, to God the Father. Therefore, we see a gradation. In the Deity order, the Father is the greatest; then comes the Son, and finally the Spirit. Here they appear in reverse order. What does this tell us? That we go from the less important to the most important.

Gifts are the least important aspects of the three; ministries are a little more important, and finally the operations are the most important process of all, since they are directly linked to God the Father, who “works all in all”. All the gifts the Word speaks of don’t come to everybody. Here the chapter describes how each person receives a kind of gifts that is different from that of others. However, not everyone receives all the gifts, and that is why the ministries do not belong to all the saints. However, when dealing with operations, it says that the Father “works all in all”. That is, operations belong to everyone. They belong to the whole body.

The Lord has shown us that neither gifts nor ministers are an end in themselves. The church, with its manifold variety of operations, is the ultimate end and objective.

In the New Testament, the phrase “one another” appears in dozens of passages, which speaks of mutual actions. When we receive revelation of what Christ's body is, our look at the New Testament is completely altered. Where we used to see a single person, we now see a church. Only in the church, Christ’s life can be lived out. Only in the church, the New Testament’s whole revelation can be experienced.

As a believer, I am not called to do everything. I am not supposed to have all the answers. I don't need to throw all the light. That’s what the church is for. Is there a problem in the church? Let us see who has been prepared by God to solve that problem. Who will tackle a certain issue? We have the right brother for that. God trained him to undertake that task. No one has all the gifts in him or herself, because God has assigned gifts to all the members of the body.

Recognizing our time

Beloved servants of God, this is the day of the operations of all the members of Christ's body. And we, ministers, are servants of the church. Of course, first of all we are Christ‘s servants, then church servants. Therefore, elders, workers, and ministers of the Word have to decrease, and the church has to increase.

Why are there so many children of God that are frustrated, unsatisfied, and bitter? They are so because they are not serving the Lord. It looks as if they had nothing to do. The whole emphasis has been placed on the ministers and pastors. They do everything. But what about the small members? Are they considered as mere company? Not at all, they are much more than that. They are the Church, God’s beloved Bride.

The Lord speaks to the church when the beloved tells the Shulamite: “Let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet”, (Songs 2:14). He speaks to the church, not to the preachers. The voice of the church is sweet. The Lord died for her; He sacrificed Himself for her. Not for the great preachers only, but for the church. And it includes everyone, even the little ones. May the Lord open our eyes so we can see what the church means for Him!

The ministers’ responsibility

The biggest responsibility falls on our shoulders. Why? Because as ministers, we have to decrease, so that the church increases. John the Baptist was sent to fill every valley and to bring low every mountain. John the Baptist was there not only to prepare the first coming of the Lord, but also to pave the way for the second. Today, God is also raising prophets that have John's spirit and who say: “We have to decrease so that Christ increases”. If we are not part of that team, we won't be preparing the Lord’s coming properly.

John the Baptist was there prior to the first coming and also will be there before the second coming. The first time, it was only a man who spoke; now, there are many men, many prophets that bear John's attitude, who say: “Look at Him. He is the Lamb of God. He is the bridegroom; we are the bridegroom’s friends. The bride – the church – looks at Him”.

One of Paul's greatest goals during his ministry was to present the church to Christ as a chaste virgin (2 Corinthians 11:2). Who prepares the bride for the groom? Matchmakers do. Jesus Christ’s ministers are matchmakers. Paul was. In a certain way, we, as ministers, are not part of the church, although in some aspects, we are. Our goal is to prepare the bride to receive the bridegroom.

Beloved brothers and sisters, the main and greatest problems in the church are not caused by the congregation, but by ministers – apostles, prophets, preachers, pastors and teachers. They are the most gifted; they have gifts. Their words are influential. Such men and women find it hard to decrease.

God wants to teach us something – the ministers of the Word are not leaders in the strict sense of the word. Leader is a word that refers to an outstanding, prominent person. A leader is a head. The Lord never used a word with such meaning to refer to His followers. He used the word “servant”. And the Greek word doulos means ”slave”.

Derek Prince once said: “Why is the word ‘slave’ not translated as such in our Bibles if the Greek term means ‘slave’? Because slavery implies something dark and sinister. But in biblical terms, slavery doesn't have that connotation. The Holy Spirit is Christ's slave”. In what sense? In the sense that the Holy Spirit came to serve, to exalt Him. The Holy Spirit came to exalt Christ. The Holy Spirit behaves in that sense like a slave. In the same way, we are also slaves of Christ and of the church.

May the Lord help us, since pride is one of the greatest dangers for Jesus Christ’s ministers. For that reason, the Lord beats us hard sometimes. He completely shatters us, so that we may realize that we are nothing, absolutely nothing without Him. If we receive love from our brothers and sisters, it is only because we are like a small donkey that carries the Lord on its back. Only that.

What have the brothers and sisters seen? Why do they love us? Because they have seen something of Christ in us. So their love is not towards us, but towards Christ, who dwells in us by His grace. Without Christ, we are loathsome, clumsy, and dirty. We are as common as anyone else.

Beloved brethren, may the Lord help us see what God is showing us, and may He give us the strength and the courage to decrease, because that is the most difficult part. May the Lord give us the strength to remain silent— so that others speak— and to stop doing so many things— so that others serve as well. Amen.

Summary of a message delivered in Curitiba, Brazil, on April, 2006.

LIVING WATERS