I believe that we are called to be a people of the ministry. I probably talked the least about this priority in the Sunday service last week because our good sister explained it so well in her charge to the congregation. The basis of the mandate I believe can be found in Ephesians chapter 4 when it says:
He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. His purpose was to equip God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God’s Son. God’s goal is for us to become mature adults—to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ. As a result, we aren’t supposed to be infants any longer who can be tossed and blown around by every wind that comes from teaching with deceitful scheming and the tricks people play to deliberately mislead others. Instead, by speaking the truth with love, let’s grow in every way into Christ, who is the head. The whole body grows from him, as it is joined and held together by all the supporting ligaments. The body makes itself grow in that it builds itself up with love as each one does their part.
Ephesians 4:11-16 (Common English Bible)
Please don’t see this new era in the church as an opportunity to sit back and watch someone else do the work - having someone back in the captain's chair does not mean that someone has come to do all the work off the ministry. I have been so overwhelmingly blessed by the way this congregation has stepped up during this season of change – you have shown me the character and capacity of this church and in doing so you have given me great joy. Now is not the time to let up, to take your foot off the gas, now is the time to shift gears and keep on pressing forward. I believe strongly in the ministry model that is espoused in the above passage - that my role as your pastor is to equip you, the people of God, to do good works of ministry. I see my role as that of a trainer, a mentor and a facilitator - I will throw my shoulder into the task alongside you but I do it so that you may come to develop and use the gifts and skills that God has placed inside of you for His glory to be made known in all the Earth. I am the equipper and you are the ministers – and nothing excites me more as your pastor than seeing you discover and use your spiritual gifts. I want to do whatever I can to see you fulfil God’s plan for your life – and I guarantee you that means serving somewhere.
So to fulfill God's plan for Estevan Alliance Church we are all going to have to shoulder the labour together. The Scriptures say that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few - it's not that there aren't enough workers to meet the need - it's that too many of them aren't interested in working. God has given us a city, province, country and world within which we are supposed to BE the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That means sharing it AND living it. There is no way in which to do that that does not include being a minister of God's grace and truth. Learn your gifts, open your heart and serve God with reckless abandon - that's what it means to be a church with the priority of ministry.
On another note: I present to you Heavy Load.
Heavy Load could rightfully be mistaken for a clone of Hightower with different equipment. Their base models are identical just with Hightower being red with a crane top and Heavy Load being yellow with a Dump Truck apparatus. He's the strong one in the group with reinforced armor that intimidates even the most powerful Decepticon. He's also extremely loud and boisterous and light hearted - which keeps the build team - and their young leader Wedge from getting too stressed out in the face of trouble.
Well that's it for today. See you back for part 4 tomorrow.
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