Happy Thanksgiving dear friends! As I thank God for my family today, I also thank God for our church family. Many are concentrated in the churches we have served through the years. Others have become new friends through relationships in the greater body of Christ throughout the world. Thank you for reading these devotionals. Writing them gives me another opportunity to teach scripture.
In this chapter, Paul reminded the believers in Ephesus of their unity in Christ with "one body, one Spirit, called to one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God and Father of all (Ephesians 4:4-6). How does Christ build up his church? When he ascended he assigned gifts through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the people for the works of service or ministry.
Some hospitals reserve parking places for ministers. A few times in my work as a pastor, I have encountered a church member parked in the ministers' parking areas. This always makes me glad, though my friends feel the need to apologize. "I couldn't find another parking place and it was so close . . ." To be clear, we want to equip the church to do the work of ministry. What is the goal? Unity and maturity. We grow together and we grow up. Mature believers do not tear down other believers but build them up. We choose to encourage instead of criticizing others with whom we disagree. We serve without keeping score with others.
Remember Bud Wilkinson's definition of football as 100,000 people who desperately need exercise watching 100 people who desperately need rest. Church can be like that. Some are tempted to believe the pastors are employees who do the work of the church. But Paul's picture is different. He believes the pastors' work is not to do all the work, but to equip the members to do the work. We love to visit hospitals and look forward to the normalization of that process in the months to come. When and if this returns to normal, please feel free to take a minister's parking place and minister to others. When church members visit church members, this is church ministry. In fact, it is the best ministry. It fulfills Paul's teaching. Together, we can do more.
My pastor friend Paul Rummage had a sign on his desk in Buffalo Oklahoma. Based on the words of President John F. Kennedy he wrote, "Ask not what your church can do for you. Ask what you can do for your church." I am so grateful for your ministry to each other. I thank my God every time I remember you! Especially today.
