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Carried About by Every WindEphesians 4:11-13
Excerpted from: Government (Part Seven)There is authority in the ministry, but it is narrow and specific. It is seen as, what I would call, "a staff position"—given by God, as a gift to the church, for equipping the saints for service and for edifying the Body of Christ (so that we can all grow up into Christ).
A key word here, in regard to the ministry, is "equipping." This word is used in regards to medicine for the setting of a bone. In politics, it is used in bringing opposing parties together. In Mark 1, it is used for the mending of fishing nets. In Galatians 6, it is used of instructing a church member so that he is fit to take his place in fellowship again. The basic idea of this word is putting something in the condition it ought to be in.
It is the ministry's responsibility to God, in behalf of the church, to put the church member into the condition that they ought to be in. The function, then, of the ministry is to see that the church members are so educated, so guided, so cared for, and so sought for (when they go astray) that they become what they ought to be. Their aim is to see that this work of service (ministry) goes on—beyond themselves. "Ministry" means "practical service."
The concept here is always one of construction. It is positive, showing up in the word "edifying." It means, "building up." (We are talking about the work of the ministry here.) It is always one of construction towards unity. "Till we all come to. . . the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."
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