The Work of the Church, and the Work of the Saints
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
(Ephesians 4:11-12)
In our readings for last Sunday, one of things that we learned from St. Paul is that God desires we should each live a life worthy of our calling. The problem with this is that often we don’t know what that calling is. It is one thing to say that “we must live up to
our potential” but it is another entirely if we have no clue what that potential is in. Is it in serving? Entering the ministry? Perhaps simply joining a small group? Sometimes we have no idea where to start.
Believe it or not, Paul talks about this in our readings too. In Ephesians 4:11-12 Paul describes several different kinds of people in the church but then states that the purpose of the church itself is “to equip the saints for the work of the ministry”. I love this verse. What Paul is saying here is that the purpose of the church is not to “do” ministry. It isn’t the role of the church to have endless programs, services, and outreach opportunities. This may seem a bit strange, but Paul is absolutely right. The job of the church is to equip the congregation to do all of those things. Sunday morning, and everything else that we do at Advent, should be about preparing each of you to serve God as He has called you. It is about you becoming active in your faith. We can’t do that for you, but we can help you say “yes” to those things that God is laying on your heart to do.
I love the motto at our Elementary and Middle School: “Creating confident, capable, Christian leaders who will glorify God and positively impact our world”. In the church, we call this concept “Discipleship”. My prayer for you is that you will spend some significant time this week asking God what your next step is in His service. God may simply be asking you to take the time to grow and pray. That’s ok! There are times where we need to have our roots go deeper before we can bear fruits. However, the time will come when God asks you to act on your faith. When that time comes, we are here to help make that happen. The job of the church is to equip you and prepare you heart for the great things that God will do through you. Your purpose is to do those things and be faithful when God calls.
As the sign says at the entrance to the church, expect great things from God, and attempt great things for God.
See you Sunday!
Pastor Patrick