And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ… (Ephesians 4:11–12, ESV)
These are two powerful verses in the Scripture. Our failure to grasp these two verses may be at the heart why the American Church often fails to live out God’s kingdom vision. If we are to understand the essence of the Church, we must understand these verses.
These verses start with “he.” He is God. Specifically, it is Jesus – the second person of the Trinity. So it starts with Jesus. Jesus comes first!
The verb is “gave.” It is not a passive verb. It is active. Jesus gave! Jesus gave his teaching and wisdom. He gave his healing. He gave his life on the cross. He gave the empty tomb. And now he gives the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is the head of the church, the beginning of the church, the origin of the church. If you have an organizational chart, Jesus would be at the top. It is not the voter’s assembly. It is not the Admin Board. It is not the pastor. It is not the denomination. It is Jesus. He heads the church. He empowers the church. He makes the church go.
If the starting point is not Jesus, the Church will not function as the church is supposed to function. If we don’t get this very first thing right, we will not get much else after this right. If the starting point is not Jesus, then we have got something different than the Church of Jesus Christ.
The problem is that our starting point is often not Jesus. It is our desires. It is our wishes. It is what makes us comfortable. It is what we are familiar doing. It is what we think is important. It is what we think we can do or try to do.
But take a step back and remember – Jesus gave. Start there! You might be amazed where that will take you.
Reflection
- How do we create a vision for the Church that is separate from the vision of Jesus?
- How do keep Jesus first and foremost in all we do as the Church?
Prayer
Thank you Jesus for the gift of the Church. Unfortunately, we have made the Church many things you never intended us to make it. Give us a vision to see you as the head of the Church. May we look to you in all things to guide us and lead us where you intend for us to go. Amen.
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