Mischief Managed

Ephesians 4:11 And Christ gave gifts to people -- he made some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to go and tell the Good News, and some to have the work of caring for and teaching God's people. 12 Christ gave those gifts to prepare God's holy people for the work of serving, to make the body of Christ stronger. 13 This work must continue until we are all joined together in the same faith and in the same knowledge of the Son of God. We must become like a mature person, growing until we become like Christ and have his perfection.

Jesus, the Chief Shepherd, is the perfect picture of Church leadership. I always thought that the  shepherd described the pastor, but after thinking about it today I realized I was wrong. That's just the normal assumption. 

A shepherd fulfills many roles. He protects. He guides. He confronts and disciplines. He oversees the flock. He plans for its' growth. He looks at the individual and also at the whole. He plans new paths for foraging and fresh water. He watches for attackers and fights when they attack. 

When I look at the passage in Ephesians 4, Paul is saying that Christ gives gifts to His Church. It's not the same as the gifts given by the Holy Spirit. What Jesus is giving is offices. He is creating Church governance, with the intention of developing the Body into a powerful and mature Bride. 

Throughout the couple thousand years of church history, most denominations have come away with only three offices; pastors and teachers and evangelists. Most church bodies will only accept direction when it comes with a pastoral or teaching flavor. Many denominations reject the prophetic or apostolic because they surmise that the gifts have passed away. For some reason they don't reject pastoring or teaching...maybe those two are the ones that are the least 'spooky'? And evangelists are usually only tolerated, because who can argue that we need more conversions? :D

I see all five gifts in Jesus, the Chief Shepherd. If we aren't using every gift that He's given us, no wonder the Bride still isn't ready. As a result of missing out on all He's given us, the Body is being managed instead of grown. 

So what does a healthy, Spirit filled Church look like? We look like Jesus. He was kind and compassionate, insightful and graced with wisdom, forceful and raging, strong and peaceful. I can't wait to see all He has for us, and I pray that we can look exactly like Him to the world. "Until We become like Christ and have His perfection".