So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
(Ephesians 4:11–13 NIV)
And they were continuing steadfastly in the teaching of the apostles [sent ones].
(Acts 2:42ff YLT)
Having been a minister for about 44 years (38 of those as an ordained traditional Methodist), in conversations with laypeople and pastors I have found that there are four fundamental questions that are the “biggies” for faith and practice:
- What is God’s purpose, both for individuals and for His Church?
- How can He make individuals—all who have been dead in sin and trespasses—His own people who are saved from their sins?
- How does God grow a Church in purity, service, and unity to be His visible body on earth?
- How does that Church then live in His purposes and grow as vital Christians?
God’s answer from His Word is, It’s all about grace! Through God’s grace, individuals like you and me become His people, who form his Church, which is the Body of Christ.
The Apostle Paul’s greatest biblical work on the Church as the Body of Christ (ecclesiology) arguably is his book to the Ephesians. Paul shows that the way God orders His plan to save people from their sins, transforming them for a life of service and worship in the body of Christ, and the way those people mature and grow in Christ is all about grace. Chapter one is a Trinitarian anthem that reveals “his glorious grace, which he has freely given us . . .” (Eph. 1:6 NIV). That impartation of “the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us” (Eph. 1:7–8) is for the purpose of understanding His:
- Will. He wants us to be holy and blameless as His children who live for the praise of His glory. Chapter 1:3–11 tells us of the gracious work the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have done that we may be His holy children.
- Work in saving us. “By grace you have been saved, through faith” (Eph. 2:8). It is not our doing.
- Way. He imparts grace to His body, the Church. Ephesians 4:4 says there is one body (His Church) with one Spirit. All are called to one hope, having one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all. And the way this one God has chosen to give grace to His Church (Ephesians 4:7 says Christ apportioned His grace) is to give apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.
God’s will, His work, and His way is all about grace. And the purpose of that grace is to raise holy children who know Him, worship and obey Him, and serve Him as His visible body on earth (the Church), and who live by grace so that we will grow to become, in every respect, the “mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Eph. 4:15). We keep receiving His saving and sanctifying grace until we “all reach unity in the faith . . . attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).
Curiously enough, most of the churches in our evangelical world have done well with God’s will for grace and His work of grace, but we have not fared as well with God’s way for grace in His Church—apostolic and universal.
Today, we face a dilemma where one of the major studies on pastoral ministry shockingly states that 15,000 pastors annually are leaving the local church ministry. They cite woundedness and burnout as their primary issues. If we understand Paul’s Ephesian ecclesiology (church teaching) correctly, he suggests that local pastors are one of five venues through which God seeks to impart grace to His Church. Theologians have called these five categories The Divine Office. There are meant to be four other streams of grace in every local church that function alongside the pastor. They are teachers; apostles or “sent ones,” the word commonly known as missionaries; prophets or what is known as people in prophetic ministry; and evangelists. Each of these persons is gifted and called—raised and ordained by God for their ministry to His Church—so that there are many ways in which God’s promised grace is operative in the Church. When local churches do not follow God’s way with His Divine Office, it often leads to discouragement and burnout for pastors. Missionaries, teachers, evangelists, and those with prophetic ministries—who are in tune with biblical faith and practice—are meant to come alongside the pastor to encourage and to help the church graciously understand God’s will, His work, and His way, by imparting God’s grace.
One may quickly suggest, doesn’t that happen from within the local church, through people who have such gifts? To which I quickly affirm and reply, yes! Of course! But it also takes place from without because God also has a sending ministry for His people. In short, it is like how God Himself operates—from within and from without.
In conclusion, I recommend that lay people and pastors in local churches seriously evaluate how to operate in such a way, following the Ephesians teaching, that the Church gainfully employs The Divine Office of our One Lord, who by His grace, reveals His will, and does His gracious work of saving and sanctifying His Church. Some practical suggestions include:
- Inviting a professional teacher in, maybe a favorite from a theological school for which you hold favor.
- Having a missionary conference.
- Asking into the church someone who is having a profound prophetic ministry and letting them challenge the congregation to participate in such ministry.
- Inviting an evangelist to preach special services or to help train people for outreach.
All of these kinds of programs will increase ways in which people can appropriate grace, and the people of God may be spiritually formed through meeting these others. Moreover, as the visitors spend time with the pastor, the pastor, too, appropriates grace. This is uplifting and encouraging. Elementary as these simple suggestions sound, they have proven many times over to be effective, because God’s will, His work, and His way is all about grace.