clcgh.org Building The Capacity Of Christian Leaders, Equipping The Saints For The Work Of Ministry, Redirecting Straying Christians To The Sound Knowledge Of Christ
Churches, in this generation, regard an ordained pastor as the only believer who has the calling of God to perform ministry duties. Thus, the vast majority of believers should do nothing with their faith except to warm their pews as passive spectators.
And many have accepted this status quo. However, this is not God’s plan and will for the New Covenant believers. In the church of Jesus Christ, ministry gifts are not concentrated only in the lead pastor, pastors or church leaders.
First of all, we must understand that all born again believers have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. And all are called and ordained to participate in ministry by virtue of their baptism. In other words, all Christian believers have been called into ministry.
No believer, therefore, is permitted to be a passive member of a church; all are expected to be active members who exercise the ministry gifts the Holy Spirit has dispensed to them.
Notice that all ministry gifts operated in the life of Jesus Christ when He walked the earth. However, after His ascension, many believers were called to participate in His ministry. They began ministering in his stead . The truth is that ministry gifts can also be termed as service gifts.
Thus, in Ephesians 4:11-12, the apostle Paul points out that the Lord calls some believers to be apostle, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and some teachers. They are to equip (prepare, train, or develop) other believers (mostly immature believers) for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12).
Moreover, in 1 Corinthians 12:28-31, Paul writes, “And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.”
In justifying the diversities of the gifts, Paul then continued by asking, “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?.”
Remember that in the first Scripture, Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus. In the second, he wrote to the church in Corinth. These are separate local churches in two different cities where these ministry gifts operated for the good of all.
Clearly, the gifts did not operate in the life of only one believer, the lead pastor, but in the life of several believers who received them as dispensed by the Holy Spirit through His sovereign will and purpose.
This makes the current church situation where only pastors want to be seen to possess ministry gifts unbiblical and unfortunate. There is no such thing as one-man ministry gifts operating in a local church at all times in the New Testament Scriptures. There is the plurality of gifts functioning for the benefit of all.
Accordingly, Peter, the apostle, writes, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies…” (1 Peter 4:10-11).
Now if every baptized believer is called to participate in ministry, is equipped for the work of ministry, is to use his or her gift to serve one another, then, church leaders must see to it that no church member is merely a passive spectator. We must encourage disciples of Jesus to function the way God wants them to.
In Part Two, we will consider the dangers of the operations of one-man ministry in the church. We will look at biblical examples in both the Old and New Testament Scriptures to deepen our understanding.
By James Quansah
