He also gave apostles, prophets, missionaries, as well as pastors and teachers as gifts ⌞to his church⌟.
Ephesians 4:11 GW
Christ cares for His Church. He loves Her so much that He gave His life for Her.
He continues to care for Her. He ministers to Her through the Holy Spirit through His gifts to His Church.
Why do teachers teach the Word of God? Because they love the Word and want others to know God. They want to equip others to be able to teach the Word accurately.
Why do pastors shepherd their flocks? Because they love the children of God that God has entrusted to their care. They want to equip them to be successful in life and ministry, and to be good spouses, parents and disciple makers. They want those who follow in their footsteps to continue the tradition of honoring God in all that they do.
Why do missionaries (also known as evangelists) preach the Gospel? Because they love the lost and want to welcome people into the Kingdom of God by introducing them to Jesus. They want to equip believers to share the Gospel effectively with the people God places in their lives. They want to advance the Kingdom of God.
Why do prophets declare what God is saying to them? Because they love people enough to speak the truth. They want to equip people to hear God’s voice for themselves so that they can walk in fellowship with God.
Why do apostles act as Swiss army knives in the hand of God? Because they love the Church so much that they’ll do whatever is necessary to help people mature into Christlikeness. They want to equip people to do whatever God has gifted them to do.
Why do we do what we do? Because we care enough to do it. We love people and God has given us special abilities to care for people and build them up and equip them for ministry.
However God designed you, He knows what He wants to do with you. There are reasons why He gave you the spiritual gifts that He did. There are reasons why you’ve gone through the experiences you have. God has a plan. God has a purpose.
Ask God why He created you. Ask God what He wants you to know today. Ask God what He wants you to do today. Ask God who He wants you to love today. For best results, repeat daily.
Be careful not to turn it into a religious duty on your checklist of things to do. Remember, this is a relationship with your Lord. Let Him be the Lord of your life and be amazed at what happens!
Walk by faith.
Father in Heaven, lead Your Church. Amen.
Their purpose is to prepare God’s people to serve and to build up the body of Christ. This is to continue until all of us are united in our faith and in our knowledge about God’s Son, until we become mature, until we measure up to Christ, who is the standard.
Then we will no longer be little children, tossed and carried about by all kinds of teachings that change like the wind. We will no longer be influenced by people who use cunning and clever strategies to lead us astray.
Instead, as we lovingly speak the truth, we will grow up completely in our relationship to Christ, who is the head. He makes the whole body fit together and unites it through the support of every joint. As each and every part does its job, he makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Ephesians 4:12-16 GW
Recommended reading: Psalm 139.
Igniter Ministries 