People with roles (Eph. 4:11-14)

In these verses, Paul mentions four gifts: apostles, prophets, evangelists and shepherds and teachers. We might think that there are five, but you will observe that the definite article is only used four times and does not appear before ‘teachers’. So shepherds and teachers describe one role.

When we think of the roles mentioned here, we have to understand them in their original meaning and not how they are used today. An apostle is easy to identify – he was a person chosen by Jesus to serve at the commencement of the church and who could speak authoritatively on his behalf.

 

Prophets were individuals who spoke under divine inspiration, although their words had to be assessed (as in the case of Agabus who informed Paul that he would be arrested, and therefore should not go to Jerusalem. Paul believed he would be arrested, but he did not agree that he should not go to Jerusalem).

 

Evangelists today are preachers who take the gospel to the unconverted, but it is not clear that is what is meant by the term in the New Testament. Two people are described by this word – Philip (Acts 21:8) and Timothy (2 Tim. 4:5). Those references don’t say much about the particular activity, except that we can deduce from them that both individuals were companions of the apostles.

 

The fourth role, that of shepherds and teachers, is a reference to those we call pastors and ministers, and divides their role into caring and instruction, with a lot of the caring being provided through their instruction they give about the Bible. What is the outcome?

 

First, God’s people are equipped for the work of ministry. We should note that ‘the work of ministry’ refers to what non-pastors do and not what the pastors do. This refers to various aspects of Christian living. Second, the body of Christ, the church, develops or grows. Obviously this is a description of progressive sanctification, that believers increase in their service of God.

 

An amazing feature of this activity is that it is occurring in thousands of places throughout the world today. We have no idea how many shepherds there are and we have no idea about the overall number of sheep. Yet the process is taking place despite all the problems. One day, the unity will arrive.