Ephesians 4:11-16 – “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
When the Holy Spirit came He brought gifts. When Jesus left He gave gifts.
The Apostle, the Prophet, the Evangelist, the Pastor and the Teacher.
I’m here to Equip you to be a minister! Every member is a minister!
SO, WHAT’S YOUR JOB?
- To Be Available
God’s not looking for ABILITY. He’s looking for availability! HE HAS ALL THE ABILITY!
I’M AVAILABLE! I’m not that great of a Pastor. In fact I wouldn’t have chosen me.
BUT I’M JUST AVAILABLE AND GOD MAKES ME ABLE.
There’s nothing special about the water hose. It’s the water flowing through the hose that makes the difference!
And the water hose is of no use if it’s not attached to the facet!
God just needs a conduit! If He can get it through you he’ll get it too you!
It’s not the extension cord that makes the difference it’s the power flowing through the extension cord that makes a difference.
BUT IT HAS TO BE PLUGGED IN TO THE SOURCE!
God just needs someone to plug into Him and become available.
2 Timothy 2:2– “The things [the doctrine, the precepts, the admonitions, the sum of my ministry] which you have heard me teach in the presence of many witnesses, entrust [as a treasure] to reliable and faithful men who will also be capable and qualified to teach others.
God says you choose the faithful and I’ll make them able.
The church has got it wrong. We choose the able and hope they’ll be faithful!
Define Faithful– trustworthy, reliable! ARE YOU RELIABLE?
A faithful person is not the one who never falls. A faithful person is the one who falls and gets back up after they fall. I’M NOT STAYING DOWN!
Proverbs 24:16 – “For the lovers of God may suffer adversity and stumble seven times, but they will continue to rise over and over again.”
You don’t need to be perfect, you just need to be available!
You’ll never be equipped unless you’re available. How available are you for Community Groups, for serving in the church?
Not only is your job to be available, it’s also your job
- To be a Servant
CAN I SHOW YOU A CALLING THAT IS HIGHER THAN AN APOSTLE?
Romans 1:1 – Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—“
Philippians 1:1 – Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
James 1:1 – “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,”
While James did not specifically identify himself as to which “James” he was, the author is widely thought to be James the half-brother of Jesus.
He didn’t say, “James, the half-brother of Jesus!”
Jude 1 – “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,
Mark 9:33-35– “After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing out on the road?” But they didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”
In the Kingdom of God a servant is the highest office there is! In the Kingdom of God success is serving others!
Ephesians 4:16 – “from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
Every part does its share and every joint supplies!
Are you doing your share?
A joint is where two parts connect. The Body doesn’t grow when you just do your part. The Body grows when you take your part and join it with another part! It grows from what the joint supplies!
WE HAVE TO COME TOGETHER IF WE’RE REALLY GOING TO AFFECT PEOPLE!
I TAKE MY GIFT AND JOIN IT TOGETHER WITH YOUR GIFT AND WE SUPPLY THE BODY!
We is better than me!
MY JOB, AS A SERVANT OF JESUS, IS TO EQUIP YOU FOR THE MINISTRY. YOUR JOB IS TO BE AVAILABLE AND TO BE A SERVANT!
WHY? Why do I need to be available and have a servants heart?
- Because Jesus Did
Hey everybody, it’s impossible to serve Jesus and not serve others!
John 13:12-15– “After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”
Jesus wanted the true meaning of servanthood to be understood!
Ultimately, servanthood is a disposition of the heart and spirit, which expresses itself in concrete action!
Mark 10:45 – “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others..”
CONCLUSION:
Galatians 5:13- “For you, my brothers, were called to freedom; only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the sinful nature (worldliness, selfishness), but through love serve and seek the best for one another.”
1 Peter 4:10– “Just as each one of you has received a special gift [a spiritual talent, an ability graciously given by God], employ it in serving one another as [is appropriate for] good stewards of God’s multi-faceted grace [faithfully using the diverse, varied gifts and abilities granted to Christians by God’s unmerited favor].”
WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT SAYING TO YOU THROUGH THIS MESSAGE?
ARE YOU AVAILABLE TO BE EQUIPPED FOR THE MINISTRY GOD HAS CALLED YOU TOO?