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Topic: The Gifted Men
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Carol Swenson
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Member # 6929
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posted
You're right, it does say "until".
So who do you think are some modern day apostles and prophets?
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
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Thunderz7
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Member # 31
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posted
The article speaks of apostles and prophets in the past tense.
Ephesians 4 doesn't support the past tense.
Apostles and prophets are among us as much as evangelist, pastors ans teachers.
v13 = till (until)
T7
Posts: 1113 | From: Northeast Alabama | Registered: Jun 2002
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Carol Swenson
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Member # 6929
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I am so grateful to our Lord Jesus Christ for His gifts of Charles Spurgeon, Charles Stanley, Lee Strobel, Max Lucado, Greg Laurie, Warren Wiersbe and John MacArthur, to name a few. They are like shining jewels He has given to His church.
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
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Carol Swenson
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Member # 6929
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The Gifted Men--Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers
by
John MacArthur
Ephesians 4
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
Introduction
A. The Context of Redemptive History
To begin this study, let's back up all the way to the beginning of the Bible -- all the way to Genesis. This should put our study in its total context.
1. ACT I
Act I of redemptive history was very long. It lasted from Eden to Bethlehem -- from the birth of the world to the birth of the world's Savior. Included in this history is the preparation of the coming of Messiah to Israel. The record of Act I is the Old Testament. It teaches only one primary truth: There is one God and there are no runners up. "...The LORD our God is one LORD" (Dt. 6:4b) is the primary thrust of the entire Old Testament. That is the one message that God wanted put forth to society.
Abraham was the first to be taught this when he still lived in Ur of the Chaldees (Ac. 7:2-3; Heb. 11:8). And it was for this reason that he moved out in faith. But this truth had to be relearned by his descendents again and again over the next twenty centuries. The Lord alone is God and there is no other.
In the intertestamental period -- the four hundred years between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New -- there was a tremendous attempt on the part of the Greeks, led by Antiochus, to make the nation worship idols. The Temple was desecrated, and the Greeks made an effort to overcome their religion and shatter their belief, but it failed. The Maccabeans then led a revolution that enabled the people to hold on to their commitment.
Following this, in the early years of the New Testament and just prior to its writing, the Romans occupied Palestine. With their polytheism, they inundated the land with all of their gods, but Israel refused to fall into that worship. They demanded that the Romans remove their standards with Caesar's picture on them. They also demanded that Rome mint special coins without the image of Caesar because that constituted idolatry, and they wanted no part of it. And it was the Jewish belief in the one God that so alienated them from their Roman counterparts and finally led to the destruction of the temple in 7O A.D. Israel established God's message for the rest of the world: The Lord is the only God.
2. ACT II
Act II in redemptive history covered the period from Bethlehem to Pentecost. God, having established that He was the only God, then invaded history and entered the world. In the Old Testament, God is there; in the New Testament, God is here. That is the difference. God becomes visible in man's world. Jesus brings God into the realm of human touch. That is why Paul says, "For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9). That is also why "they shall call His name Immanuel, which, being interpreted, is God with us" (Mt. 1:23b). There is one true God. Now He is not only before us as Creator, above us as Sovereign, but beside us as Savior.
3. ACT III
Act III was even more incredible because God is not there or here, but in us. An even greater dimension is the fact that God comes to dwell in us. Act III covers the period from Pentecost to the Rapture. That is the age in which we now live.
You can see the revelation of the Trinity in these three acts: God the Father, revealed as one God; God the Son, revealing Himself in human history; and God the Spirit, God in us in this age. God testified in the Old Testament through His word, in the New Testament through His incarnation, and now God speaks to the world through His church. We are the body of Christ. We are God in the world. In Act I, God is one; in Act II, God is man; and in Act III, God is in man. That is redemptive history. Act IV will be the blazing return of Jesus Christ when He comes in glory to reveal Himself, manifest God, and take over the world.
B. The Church in Redemptive History
Today God lives in His church. The Holy Spirit lives in His body -- in you and I who are Christians. You say, "Why do you say all this?" In Act I God wanted to manifest Himself; in Act II God wanted to manifest Himself; and in Act IV Jesus Christ will manifest Himself. What do you think God wants to do in Act III? Manifest Himself. How? Through you and through me. It is only when the church is visibly Christlike that Christ is seen in the world.
How can we manifest God in the world? Only by obeying what God has given us to do: By the mutual, interdependent network of spiritual ministries within the body. The result is that the body is built up and Christ is made manifest (Eph. 4:12). If we are to manifest Christ in the world, we have to minister to each other in order to build each other up to be like Christ. To do that He has given each of us spiritual gifts -- capacities, capabilities, and avenues of ministry. Every believer is called and gifted for a ministry to equip, to energize, to build up, and to serve in order that the body may grow and that Christ may be made visible by the collective church.
How is He going to do this? He has given us gifts. There are three categories: Gifted men, permanent edifying gifts, and temporary sign gifts for the New Testament age. We will continue our look at the gifted men.
I. A FOCAL POSITION
The Lord knows that if the church is to radiate Christ, someone has to lead it and take charge! There are five categories that constitute the gifted men given for the building of the church: Apostles, prophets, evangelists, teaching pastors, and teachers. These are not gifts but gifted people given as gifts to the church.
II. THE FOUNDATIONAL POSITIONS
A. Apostles
Who were the Apostles?
1. THEIR UNIQUE APOSTLESHIP
a. The Primary Apostles
Mark 3:13-14 says, "And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto Him. And He appointed twelve, that they should be with him, and that He might send them forth to preach." The next phrase recorded in the King James Version does not appear in the better manuscripts, so verse 15 should continue: "...and to cast out demons." Verses 16-19 go on to name who these men were. They are the Apostles -- the official group of Apostles. They were to preach and cast out demons -- proclaiming the gospel and invading the kingdom of Satan. They had a very official title: the Twelve. Later on, when Judas was gone, they were called the Eleven, to whom Matthias was added.
They were an official group with a basic task: Preach the gospel. They bore an authoritative and original witness. They preached a message no one in history had ever preached before. When they were finished, they vanished. There were only twelve. But in addition to the Eleven plus Matthias, there was one other called an Apostle. Second Corinthians 11:5 says that he "was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles." He was no less than Peter, James, and John. Who was he? Paul. He fits into that category, giving a total of thirteen Apostles. Their ministry was the giving of an original, authoritative, miraculous testimony to the gospel.
b. The Secondary Apostles
Now, there were others in the New Testament also called apostles. Second Corinthians 8:23 sheds some light on the two different categories of apostles: "Whether any do inquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you; or our brethren be inquired of, they are the messengers [apostles] of the churches...." There are two categories of apostles: The Apostles of the Lord (Paul always said, "An Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ") and the apostles of the churches. The apostles of the churches would be men like Andronicus and Junias (Rom. 16:7), James, the brother of our Lord (Gal. 1:19), Barnabas (Ac. 14:14), and perhaps Titus. These men were not personally commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ, and they had not personally seen the postresurrected Christ as had the Twelve and Paul. They were a different group -- simply "messengers." They are the apostles of the churches. Their ministry was unofficial compared to that of the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. But they were called by God for a very special purpose and unique mission in the infant church: To proclaim truth, to proclaim doctrine, to teach the Word, and to lay the foundation.
There were also counterfeit, false apostles. Second Corinthians 11:13 says that there are false apostles. If there are false apostles, we know that they are not counterfeits of the thirteen Apostles because everyone knew there were only thirteen. You could not say, "I am Apostle Ephraim." People would say, "I'm sorry, we know who the thirteen are." But the second category could be counterfeited. You could lay a claim to be an apostle of Christ in the sense that you are an apostle of the churches. This is where Satan sowed in the false apostles.
So, there are the two categories of apostles. God gave divine revelation to the official men. The apostles of the churches were messengers of the churches. They moved around, preaching the gospel in those early years, and perhaps had miraculous capabilities given to them by the Holy Spirit to confirm their ministry (2 Cor. 12:12).
The Apostles were not a self-perpetuating group. In fact, when James was beheaded, nobody was chosen to take his place. The only reason someone took Judas's place was to complete the Twelve. But when the twelve true Apostles died, no one took their places, because there was no apostolic succession. Consequently, there is no succession of apostolic gifts. They had a nontransferable commission given them directly by Jesus Christ. When they died, it was over. They have no permanent activity in the life of the church. They belong only to the church's infancy. They were used to teach doctrine and to basically form the patterns of the church. And they were mobile -- always moving around. They ceased when the New Testament was finished and the pattern of the church established.
2. THEIR UNIQUE ABILITIES
B. Prophets
The prophets, in a similar way to the Apostles, spoke for God during the foundation years of the church. A prophet did not move in an itinerant manner like an Apostle, but remained localized. They are found in local congregations in the New Testament. Rather than being sources of divine, doctrinal revelation, they gave practical wisdom to the church. They would warn the church about coming problems. They would try to give God's special message to a local congregation regarding His will for their lives. In addition, since the Apostles were authoritative, the prophets had to be subject to the Apostles' teaching (1 Cor. 14:37).
Now, the Lord Jesus Christ gave Apostles and prophets to the church. Their purpose was threefold: foundation -- Ephesians 2:20 says that they are the foundation of the church; revelation -- Ephesians 3:5 says that they were to make known that which was hidden in the past; and then confirmation -- the ability to do miracles to prove that they were speaking for God. Their purpose: Establish the church with solid doctrine. When they passed from the scene, their ministry was taken over by another group:
III. THE FUNDAMENTAL POSITIONS
This group consists of evangelists, teaching pastors, and teachers.
A. Evangelists
Ephesians 4:11 says, "And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists...."
1. THE SPECIAL PROCLAMATION
We think of an evangelist as someone who travels around preaching the gospel. Some say that the derivation of the word comes from soap sellers. These men used to market the soap after they had made it. They would go downtown, find a dirty guy, haul him out on the street corner, and wash him. Then they would say, "That's what the product can do." So, those who preached the gospel were called "soap sellers" because they were cleaning up the insides of people. That basically is what an evangelist is: One who proclaims good news -- a preacher of the gospel.
2. THE SUPPORTING PASSAGES
This term occurs only three times in the New Testament:
a. Ephesians 4:11 -- Here they are referred to as a collective group given to the church after the Apostles and prophets. I am convinced that the evangelists have taken over the role of the Apostles. They are involved in the more itinerant ministry. This doesn't mean that they are always on the move. Paul would stay in one place for three years if he had to (Ac. 20:31). And Timothy stayed in many places for different lengths of time. Their ministry is a moving ministry -- an itinerant ministry.
b. Acts 21:8 -- "And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea; and we entered into the house of Philip, the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and abode with him." Philip was originally a deacon, one of the seven chosen in Acts 6:5. Now we find that he is called Philip, the evangelist. Here, we meet an evangelist.
On the Trail of an Evangelist
If we want to know what an evangelist is like, we ought to follow one around. So let's follow Philip and find out just exactly what he was involved in. Acts 8:4 says, "Therefore, they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word." Now that is what an evangelist does -- preach the Word. It is important to remind many evangelists that it is important for them to preach the Word and not just read the text, depart from the text, tell ten stories, and give an invitation.
Verse 5 continues, "Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them." There is an example of an evangelist at work -- he is a preacher of Christ. He is endeavoring to win people: "And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spoke..." (v. 6a). That is the basic identity of an evangelist. Now, Philip had the ability to also do miracles in order to confirm to the people that what he was saying was true. God gave those evangelists in that day miraculous ability since the written Scripture of the New Testament was not yet available.
Verse 35 presents a totally different situation for Philip: "Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus." In the first part of Acts 8, Philip is preaching Jesus to a crowd; at the end of Acts 8, he is preaching Jesus to one man. It needs to be stressed that an evangelist can be equally effective with groups and individuals. The evangelist is given to the church and energized for the purpose of winning people to Jesus Christ. Incidentally, verse 40 says, "But Philip was found at Azotus; and, passing through, he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea." An itinerant preacher of the gospel can be an evangelist.
c. 2 Timothy 4:5 -- "But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." Paul is saying, "Timothy, in order to make full proof of your ministry, you need to do the work of an evangelist." This leads me to believe that Timothy was an evangelist.
So, there is a collective group of evangelists, and Philip and Timothy as examples of evangelists. Surely, there were many more. And there have been many more throughout the history of the church. We even have evangelists today. The New Testament evangelist proclaims the good news.
3. THE SUBORDINATE POSITION
One of the most scholarly works that has ever been written, translated from German, is the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, edited by Gerhard Kittel. It is a very scholarly series of word studies on New Testament words. This is what is said regarding the word evangelist: "There can have been little difference between an apostle and an evangelist, all the apostles being evangelists. On the other hand, not all evangelists were apostles, for direct calling from the risen Lord was an essential aspect of the apostolate. In all three New Testament passages the evangelists are subordinate to the apostles."
a. Their Association with the Apostles
Not all the evangelists were Apostles, but all the Apostles were evangelists. This is important -- that the work of preaching the gospel, which belonged to the Apostles, is now the work of the evangelists. Apostles are not needed anymore because they laid down the doctrine; now, the evangelists continue their work. They are not equal to the Apostles, but they do the same work as the Apostles.
For example, Philip, the evangelist, was definitely not an Apostle. According to Acts 8:5-12, he preached in Samaria, the people believed, and he baptized them. But none of them received the Holy Spirit. They had to wait until Peter and John arrived (Ac. 8:14-15). In those beginning days of the church, the Holy Spirit was imparted to new believers only through the ministry of the Apostles. Philip was not able to impart the Holy Spirit to them. He is seen as a subordinate to the Apostles, yet he preached the gospel. Today, people who preach the gospel are not Apostles, they are evangelists.
In addition, Timothy (an evangelist and proclaimer of the gospel) was a pupil of an Apostle, but not an Apostle. And in the list in Ephesians 4:11, Apostles come first and evangelists come third. So, evangelists are always seen in a subordinate role. Yet it is clear that they continue the proclaiming ministry of the Apostles.
b. The Affirmation by the Church
In the first century, the early church fathers knew there was no apostolic succession. A study of the first-century church provides helpful information in understanding the New Testament. The things that they believed are indicative of what the New Testament writers meant because there was such a short time span between them. Eusebius, a fourth-century historian, reported that the first-century church fathers said evangelists were the successors to the Apostles, who died. They saw the evangelist as the continuum of proclamation.
4. THE SPECIFIC PURPOSE
What does an evangelist do? His primary task is to preach the gospel. Philip is an example of an evangelist who preached the gospel in brand new territory where Christ was not named, and then started a church. Timothy is an example of an evangelist who went to established assemblies and mobilized the people to evangelize their city. There were evangelists who traveled as missionaries, founding and planting churches; and there were evangelists who went to local assemblies when they were small, mobilizing the people to reach out, proclaim Christ, and capture the community for Jesus.
Some of you may have had the experience of being in a church where a man came but never got past the stage of evangelizing. Maybe it would have been wiser for him to go to a new territory so that a pastor-teacher could come in, and continue the work of maturing the saints on a long-range basis. This is the work of winning people to Christ and building them up. It isn't just floating in for a week and then leaving. Paul says to Timothy, "...do the work of an evangelist..." (2 Tim. 4:5b). You say, "Well, what does an evangelist do?"
a. Plants Churches
He wins people to Christ and plants a church. It may well be that Titus was also an evangelist. Paul said to him, "Ordain elders in each city" (Tit. 1:5). He would go in, build up the saints to maturity, and even appoint the elders. This means he would have to stay until they were mature enough to rule themselves.
b. Preaches and Teaches the Word
In 1 Timothy 4:13, Paul says to Timothy, "Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine." In other words, "Timothy, until I get there, read the text, explain the text, and apply the text. Be an expository preacher and teacher." In verse 15 Paul says "...give thyself wholly to them...." In verse 16 he says, "Take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine...." In verse 6 he says, "...nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine...." Then in 2 Timothy 2:2 he says to teach "faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."
What does an evangelist do? He teaches and preaches. An evangelist is not someone who can just preach sermons and get people to respond. One evangelist said, "I am nothing but a motivator. I don't expect to teach anybody." That doesn't make any sense. What does he use to motivate people -- truth or falsehood? If he uses truth, then he is a teacher. If he uses falsehood, then he is a phony. I think he uses truth, I just think he ought to recognize that he does.
So, evangelistic work can be carried on in places where Christ is not named, or it can be carried on in places where there is an established group of believers trying to win a city for Christ. Evangelism is a ministry of preaching the gospel and teaching the Word of God. Teaching is no less a part of the work than any of the other offices. The ministry of Apostles, prophets, evangelists, and teaching pastors is for the perfecting of the saints (Eph. 4:11-12a).
B. Pastor-Teachers
Ephesians 4:11 mentions Apostles, prophets, evangelists, and teaching pastors. That is only one office, not pastors and teachers. The Greek is clear on that. Now, this is the office that fills up the void of the prophets. When the New Testament prophets all died off, the teaching pastor then had the local ministry to a body of believers. Now, what is a teaching pastor's job?
1. A CARING MINISTRY
a. Applying Doctrine
He is given to the church to remain in a local congregation and minister to its practical needs by applying doctrine. He is doing what the prophet did in a revelatory sense, but using God's Word. He is shepherding the church -- guarding, defending, warning, challenging, instructing, building walls around it for its protection, and motivating it on a long- term basis.
Now, I don't know about other men, but that's where I'm at. That is my environment -- I love it. I know in my heart that that is what God has called me to do. I used to travel around the country and preach. But that was frustrating to me because I wanted so much to land someplace. Finally, God opened the opportunity at Grace Community Church. I know what it is to have the heart of a teaching pastor.
b. Protecting and Feeding
What does the teaching pastor do? He is called a teaching pastor, so he is to do two things: pastor and teach. You say, "Well, what does pastor mean?" Protect the flock. "What does teach mean?" Feed the flock. Protect and feed. That is the basic ministry. Paul's message in Acts 20:28-31 is: "Feed and warn, teach and warn. Teach them with tremendous conviction, and warn them with tears. That is a teaching pastor. Sometimes, in the New Testament, he is called an elder, sometimes an overseer. He is a teaching shepherd. He stays in one place in order to mature the people. He protects the flock, builds safeguards for them, and warns them.
People say, "Why do you say certain things against certain groups?" I want to warn you about them. Sometimes I will get a call from someone, telling me that they have discovered some significant thing to be true. They will say, "I don't think you believe that." It is my privilege to say, "I want to show you why that isn't true," or "why we don't believe that." I am trying to build some safeguards into his own thinking. Pastor-teachers teach, lead, warn, rule, shepherd -- that sounds like my week. One day I will spend the whole day studying the Bible. The next day I might have to go somewhere and teach. The next day I might have to make five phone calls to people who are fooling around with something they shouldn't, such as false doctrine, or they have left their wife, or something else. I do whatever I can to try to keep the flock in tow. That is the role of the shepherd.
2. A COMPLEMENTARY MINISTRY
There are other men given to the body of Christ whose only vision is the world of lost people. God has designed it that way. The teaching shepherd doesn't sit back and criticize the evangelist, nor does the evangelist criticize the teaching shepherd. If both are operating in a biblical fashion, then they complement each other according to God's design. God needs men in America, in Canada, in Mexico, and across the sea because that is how He builds His church in any land. You say, "Well, what category do the missionaries fall into?" They fall into both categories. Some are teaching pastors, some are evangelists.
So, Christ gives to the church Apostles and prophets for foundation, revelation, and confirmation, in order to establish the church with solid doctrine. Then He gives to the church (from the early church right up to today) evangelists and pastor- teachers for evangelism, edification, exhortation, and equipping the church for effective ministry. These are the gifted people Christ has given to His church.
That is God's design. The exciting thing about this is that some of you are called to this ministry. People say to me, "When were you called to the ministry?" My mother says, "Oh, when he was five he used to stand on a box in the back yard and preach. I knew then he was called to the ministry." She may have known, but what else did I know? I was in church four days a week, I heard my dad preach all the time -- that's all I ever knew. It wasn't until later in my life when I sensed that tremendous call, after I had been to college. Some of you may be at a different point in your life, but God may be reaching out to touch your life to give you to His church as an evangelist or a teaching pastor.
C. Teachers
The category of teachers is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:28. Some people want to combine that with pastor-teachers and say that it is the same gift. They might be right. According to Acts 13:1, the pastors in Antioch were called prophets and teachers, so there exists that parallel. But I tend to think that it is a separate category because it is a different term than pastor- teacher. For our discussion, we will assume that it is different so we can obtain the widest possible interpretation.
Who would these teachers be? Just that -- teachers. One of the riches of Grace Community Church is the teachers God has given it. I don't mean people with the gift of teaching, I mean gifted people with a unique teaching ministry. I owe much of the growth in my life to men who were neither evangelists or pastor-teachers. They are teachers and seminary professors -- men who have spent their lives studying. In some cases they have written a book that changed my thinking. You go to conferences in the summer to hear Bible teachers. God has given teachers to His church in order to supplement, undergird, and add to the ministries of evangelists and teaching pastors. They all work together to build the body. And that is our commitment at Grace Community Church.
Training Camp
The local church is essentially a training place to equip Christians. Out of this training place should come evangelists, teaching pastors, and teachers for the church of Jesus Christ around the world. Nothing thrills me more than to see somebody go off to seminary, take on a pastorate, or go into the mission field. It is thrilling to have someone say, "John, I feel called by God to the pastorate," or "I feel called by God to win people to Christ in evangelism," or "I sense God speaking to me about studying the Bible that I might be a teacher in a Bible college, Christian college, school, or seminary."
How Can You Know if You Are Called?
You say, "But John, how do you know if you fit the bill? How do you know if you are called?"
1. THE CALL OF MOSES
a. The Call
Exodus 3:1-4 says, "Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I." Here is the first principle of a call. God wanted Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, and God took the initiative. He lit a bush on fire and said, "Moses, Moses." Moses said, "Yes." God does not say, "Oh, I certainly hope MacArthur goes into the ministry. I wish he would find out that I want him there." If He wants you there, you will hear the call. God takes the initiative. That is the first thing to learn. God will call you.
How will God call? In different ways, with a tremendous, overwhelming sense of responsibility in your heart toward a particular ministry. God will reveal His will. God will call you. For example:
1) Psalm 32:8 -- "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with Mine eye."
2) Psalm 48:14 -- "For this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even unto death." The psalmist knew God would guide.
b. The Burden
So, God gives a call to Moses, and verse 7 continues, "And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows." For years Moses had a deep burden in his heart for his people Israel. He even murdered an Egyptian, and that is why he was in the wilderness (Ex. 2:11-15). He wanted his people out, and now God says to him, "Moses, I have the same burden you have." Here is the second part of knowing your call: Sensing that you carry a divine burden.
I remember when I used to think of nothing else than, "God, can You ever use me to help teach Your church to grow?" I used to be appalled at the ignorance of Christians. I used to speak on it wherever I went. I used to carry this burden for the maturing of the saints. I had a call from God, and I had a divine burden.
c. The Goal
Now, in verse 8, God gives Moses a plan -- a goal: "And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a large and good land, unto a land flowing with milk and honey..." (cf. vv. 9-10). God says, "I'm going to deliver them, I'm going to take them to Canaan." The third thing that is a part of the call into the ministry is a knowledge of the result. Moses says, "I have a call from God, a divine burden, and now I have heard about the result. If I go do this, we are going to go to Canaan." Going into the ministry excited me because I said, "God, just think of what will happen if we can teach people Your Word! Think of how they will grow, and how they will get excited, and how they will be blessed!" When you have the call, feel the burden, and see the goal, it is time to move out.
d. The Inadequacy
But, Moses felt inadequate. Verse 11 says, "And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" God could have said to him, "Moses, you are somebody. I have some material on self-image that you have to read. It is ridiculous for you to feel this way. Moses, you were the the son of Pharaoh's daughter, you were raised in the courts. You are hot stuff, Moses!" Do you think God said that to him? No. Moses said, "Who am I?" and God ignored his statement because it was irrelevant.
God's answer is in verse 12: "And He said, Certainly I will be with thee...." In other words, "It isn't who you are, Moses, it is who I am that matters." God is not looking for those who feel sufficient. There are plenty of people in the spiritual world who offer themselves because of their adequacy. In 2 Corinthians 3:5, the Apostle Paul says, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God." God says that it is irrelevant who you are; it is who He is that matters.
So, there are four ingredients involved in a call to the ministry: The call, the burden, the goal, and the inadequacy. I have never yet felt adequate. I have never yet felt sufficient. The ministry scares me every day, even though I have done it for years. God says, "I'm going to take care of you." When Moses said, "What am I going to say when I face the people of Israel?" God said to say, "...I AM hath sent me unto you" (Ex. 3:14b). What does it matter whether I am sufficient or adequate? God is.
You say, "That is an isolated illustration." Well, what about...
2. THE CALL OF GIDEON
God does not want you to analyze how well you speak, how handsome you are, how clever you are, and how smart you are. The Lord had to deliver Israel into the hand of the Midianites because they were sinning. Later, the Lord decided to rescue them, so He chose Gideon. In Judges 6:15, Gideon says, "Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." Now the Lord didn't say, "Now, Gideon, you have a fine family and a wonderful upbringing." Instead, He says, "Surely I will be with thee..." (v. 16a). Gideon's statement was irrelevant.
3. THE CALL OF JEREMIAH
God wanted another leader. Jeremiah 1:4-8 says, "Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the womb, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak; for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child; for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces; for I am with thee...."
When God calls you to a task, and you have an overpowering sense of weakness, an overpowering sense of need, and an overpowering sense of inadequacy, then you have cause to rejoice because you are in good company. Men of God throughout the centuries have felt the same way. But those same men of God who believed themselves inadequate, believed God was adequate. That is the challenge.
Pondering the Principles
Have you ever wondered if God has called you to a particular ministry, yet you are not sure how to know for sure? Review the four ingredients that make up a true call of God. Compare these ingredients with your present situation. Do you feel a tremendous, overwhelming responsibility in your heart for a particular ministry? Do you sense a deep burden in your heart for the people involved? Can you see a goal on the horizon that might be accomplished by your participation in this ministry? Perhaps what is holding you back is a tremendous sense of inadequacy on your part -- feeling that there is no way that you could help in this area. But remember, this is precisely the attitude that God desires in His servants. If you feel and have the desire in all these areas, God may be calling you to be involved in a particular ministry. Remember, no ministry is too small to reap eternal benefits. To help you to have the right attitude, memorize 2 Corinthians 3:5: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God."
http://www.biblebb.com/files/mac/sg1852.htm
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