Ephesians 4; 11 (ESV) “And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers.
There are those people who have definitely been called by God to do the work for both the Church and the Lost. These are very special people. They are also extremely important to the Church and to the Lost. Without them we would have more hurt than we can deal with.
My first writing on witnessing was for those who want to witness but really are too shy or timid to get up and speak the truth. However, they do have a way to witness through the life they live and that is a good thing. But this writing is for those who are called.
Apostles are not those fancy dressed men on TV. They are closer to our missionaries. They have dirt under their fingernails. They sweat. They persevere. They dig. They start new churches where there were none before. They build schools and hospitals in desperate lands. They are hard workers for the gospel. We need them and they should be commended for their labors.
The Prophets are here to bring us the truth no matter what. Many of the words that come from them are to correct us from a wrong path. They are not popular by any means. They rock the boat. They warn. They shout out danger. Many of us feel we would be better off without their interference in our affairs. But they are necessary just the same.
The Evangelists are our preachers. They proclaim the great news to the Lost and hurting. They stand in the gap between eternal life and total ruin. They are precious. They pay the price for truth at the cost of ridicule and mockery. They are most likely the bravest of all for the sake of the gospel. Where would we all be without them?
The Shepherds are our pastors. Probably the most abused of all the jobs given by God. Yet week in and week out, they stand fast in the middle of the battle for the health of the Church. I believe it is the most demanding and at the same time depleting job on the entire planet. We dump our problems on them. We require them to always have an answer for questions we are unwilling to search out for ourselves. We make them our shortcut to spiritual lives we should be living through our own efforts. We are too demanding of their time. They have been put in place only to protect us. We have got to treat them better.
The Teachers are to teach. They bring us the Word of God. They are always under the pressure to get things right. If they teach incorrectly, they fall into serious danger. Teaching wrongly brings them under the fear of the millstone around their necks and being tossed into the sea. Destructive for them and for us. They are to teach the truth without adding any of their own ideas to the word. Rough job to say the least!
Yet they all feel the call to serve the Master. Let’s support our witnesses and be a source of peace and comfort to them all.
Amen?
Comments