Committed to Equip Leaders
- Rev. Jerry Lepasana
- Jan 13, 2008
- Series: Revisiting Our Core Values
Revisiting Our Core Values: (Part III)
COMMITTED TO EQUIP LEADERS
Core Value: Actively teach, equip and nurture leaders and church workers.
Ephesians 4:7-13
7) But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
8) This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men."
9) (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?
10) He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
11) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
12) to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
13) 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.
Throughout the Bible, we can find God using ordinary men and women to carry out extraordinary missions. They were God's chosen leaders equipped for special tasks. In The Old Testament, when He wanted to preserve His people from famine, He raised Joseph. When He wanted to deliver them from the bondage of slavery, He used Moses. When He wanted to inspire them about worship, He gave them David. In the New Testament, when He built the foundation of the church in Jesus Christ, He utilized the apostles. When He wanted to saturate the known Gentile world with the Gospel, He tapped Paul. Despite the fact that God could have done everything without human help, He has involved them so that they can find the significance of their existence on earth, and enjoy the privilege of serving in the kingdom of God. In other words, their lives could have remained ordinary and insignificant if they were not able to plug themselves in God's economy.
Carefully consider the names again: Joseph came from the prison dungeons of Egypt, Moses from the wilderness of Midian, Then David, a shepherd from Bethlehem. For the New Testament, the unlearned apostles and then, the scholar Paul, but he was the number one persecutor of Christians. When these individuals surrendered their lives to the shaping and equipping of God, they became the leaders that made the difference in the lives of so many people.
I believe this is the truth that none of us should miss. If I were to ask you: What makes you get out of bed every morning and have the energy to face all the pressures and challenges of life? I hope it's not only for the paycheck, or to continually exist comfortably. I trust that you are fulfilling your place of calling in God's economy and you are making a difference in the lives of others.
In our church, we want to make sure that we provide the opportunities for our people to share in the Kingdom work. We believe that all believers are ministers. Meaning, ministry is not limited to pastors and church staff, but for all who compose the church. However, we also believe that in order for God's people to serve effectively, we have the responsibility to equip them. This is the reason why we have a core value that revolves around this truth. Let's spend sometime this morning examining how we can be involved and then equipped as church leaders.
I DISCOVER YOUR PLACE OF LEADERSHIP:
Is it possible that the reason why some believers do not serve is because they don't know exactly where to serve? Absolutely! I believe this is the reason why the apostle Paul took the time to teach the Ephesian church concerning this truth about spiritual gifts.
When you read verse 7, you have the reference to spiritual gifts. Paul talks about how each one or every believer has received grace from Christ. Now, from the context, it is clear that this grace does not refer to eternal life; rather, he is teaching about spiritual gifts.
Now, what are spiritual gifts? One of the best definitions for spiritual gifts was given by Chuck Swindoll. He defines it as "the skill or ability that enables each Christian to perform a function in the body of Christ with ease and effectiveness (Charles R. Swindoll, He Gave Gifts)."
Going back to our text and with this definition in mind, you will find the following truths:
•A. Individuality (v.7)
The phrase each one of us emphasizes that every believer without exceptions has a special part to perform based on the skill or ability that God has given him or her. Yes, God himself in His great wisdom has determined what we have received. We definitely have the responsibility to know what He has given us.
B. Accountability
Once you know what you have, you must use it. You don't have to covet what you don't have because you are only accountable for what you have received.
Matthew 25:20-21
20) The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'
21) "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
Looking at this parable, the servant who received five talents was held accountable for the five talents. From the same parable, the one who just received two was also judge accordingly. So, what is required from us is to use faithfully what we have received.
Another aspect in the area of accountability is the development of our talents. We must continually improve our skills. We should never settle in just getting by, we need to give our best efforts so we can excel in our gifts. We should always bear in mind that it is in doing our best that we bring greater glory to God.
•C. Diversity - (v.11)
By the way, the verses 8-10 is simply a reference to Christ's prerogative to give gifts. You see, during Paul's day, a triumphant king who have taken spoils from his conquests customarily returns to his own country distributing gifts to his own people. In the same way, after Christ victory on the cross, He gave gifts to His own people. With verse 11, Paul talks about the different gifts given to the church. We are not given an exhaustive list; instead, he mentioned only four or five depending if you connect the teaching with pastoring or take them as separate. There are many other gifts mentioned in other New Testament passages like in 1 Cor. 12:8-10; 12:28-30; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Peter 4:11. There are different gifts, but they are of the same Spirit. In other words, all have the same significance.
•D. Mutuality (vv.12-13)
All these gifts are designed to complement each other and resource the church of Jesus Christ. When they are utilize properly in the church, they can result in preparing God's people for different ministries, and when ministries are carried out, there is greater stability and growth in the body.
Therefore, your gifts are needed in BCI. Our health and growth depends on the participation of all the members of our church. Limited participation means limited productivity.
II DESIRE YOUR PLACE OF LEADERSHIP:
Perhaps, the greatest barrier for someone's participation is the lack of desire. When the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy concerning church leadership in Ephesus, He said:
1 Timothy 3:1
1) Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task.
In the King James Version, the words sets his heart is translated desire. Evidently, church leadership in general not just pastoring is a beneficial calling. And involvement in any calling begins with the heart. More so, the same phrase would even imply that the desire for involvement to a certain ministry is so strong that it has become an aspiration or an ambition.
How many Christians do you know would truly aspire to be involved in the ministry? Unfortunately, Christians often would desire to pursue so many stuffs in the world except the things of the Lord. We often forget that in view of eternity, all the physical and material things have no value.
2 Corinthians 4:18
18) So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
I'm afraid many Christians are going through life like playing the game of Monopoly. In this game, you try to acquire as many properties as possible using fake monies. Once you have the monopoly of the properties, every time the other players land on your properties they have to pay you until they become bankrupt. The truth is - With Monopoly, even if you end up as the winner, all your acquisitions won't add value to your existence. Why? It's just a game; everything goes back to the box. If we consume all our energies for things which don't have value in eternity, we will be disappointed. To avoid this, we have to set our heart on the Lord and the things that really matter to Him.
1 John 2:15-17
15) Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16) For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world.
17) The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
III DEDICATE YOUR PLACE OF LEADERSHIP:
Lastly, I believe in leadership we cannot undermine the value of genuine dedication which produces the right character in the life of a leader. If you go back to Paul's discussion on church leadership in 1 Timothy 3, the big part of the chapter centered on the character of the leader. Notice verses 2-7:
Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.
Reading these descriptions, we would get the impression that God wants to hold church leaders to a high standard of life. Obviously, more than education, eloquence, or even expertise, the spirituality and maturity are much more important to God. You see, sometimes a leader is defined simply as anyone who obtains followers. But in the church it is different. Church leaders are not merely people who get followers for themselves; they are people who get followers for Jesus.
Of course, it must be clear to all of us that the ministry life does not demand perfection, but authenticity. No leader can be perfect, but it is possible for a leader to maintain and project a genuine walk with the Lord.
Beloved, we absolutely need more leaders in BCI. I trust that all our people will discover, desire, and dedicate their place of leadership. God gives us the wonderful promise that when we give ourselves fully in His work, we will never be disappointed.
1 Corinthians15:58
58) Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.