For The Work of Service

[Christsfreeservant]

“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:11-16 NASB1995)​

In Ephesians 1:22-23 we read “to the church, which is his body.” And we read in Colossians 1:24 “on behalf of his body, which is the church.” And the church is the ekklésia, the whole body of believers in Jesus Christ who have died with Christ to sin, and who have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness (see Romans 6:1-23). We are the people of God, called out from the world and to God, who are now belonging to the Lord.

So, the church is not a building, not a church denomination, not an incorporation (merger, union) under the state, not a social club, not a civic center, and not a place (location) you go to once or twice a week to worship God. The church is the body of believers in Jesus Christ whose purpose it is to gather together any days of the week at any location, at any time of day or night, for the purpose of mutual encouragement and edification, and for the building up of the body of Christ to spiritual maturity in Christ.

Now, if we are of genuine biblical faith in the Lord Jesus, then we are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. And the Holy Spirit has gifted us individually with spiritual gifts. And God has placed the members of the body, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired. And, as individual body members, we are to be encouraging one another in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord so that we are not led astray by the deceitfulness of sin nor by wolves in sheep’s clothing trying to send us the wrong way.

And there are certain people within the body of Christ who God has appointed to equip us, the saints of God, his holy people, for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ. And this equipping is to be done on a biblical and spiritual level, and not via marketing schemes and business models which so many are using today to “grow their churches.” And we are all to have a part as ministers of Christ within the body of Christ in helping one another to spiritual maturity in Christ, as each part works.

Now, this is not to say that we are all to be pastors, elders, and deacons, i.e. people within the body of Christ who are to serve as overseers. The Bible gives us many strict requirements for those who would take such positions as this. And women are not to serve in those positions of authority over men unless there is a shortage of spiritually qualified men to fill the positions. For we should take seriously the spiritual qualifications for those who are to serve in positions of leadership within the body of Christ, his church.

For how can we be equipped for the work of the ministry if the people in positions of leadership are not equipped themselves for biblical ministry within the body of Christ, for they fail to meet the biblical requirements? And so many of them are just showmen and marketeers who are following business models and marketing schemes. And how will all this work if “the church” is not the biblical body of Christ working together to help one another to maturity in Christ, but they are businesses under the state?

But as members of the body of Christ, each one of us is to minister to the others as we are led by the Holy Spirit. And so we are to speak the truth of God and of the Scriptures (taught in context) to one another for our mutual encouragement and spiritual growth so that we don’t end up being taken captive by the trickery and deceitfulness and cunning and craftiness of certain people who are not following the Lord. And we are to exhort one another every day so none of us will be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

So, the purpose of our gatherings, which can be every day or many days per week in any appropriate locations, even on the internet, is for the mutual edification of the body of Christ, as each part does its work, as we have been equipped to do so by those who are spiritually qualified to prepare us for the work of the ministry, and/or by the Holy Spirit himself. These gatherings are not to be market-driven shows put on for the world to attract the world. We, the body of Christ, are to meet together for our mutual encouragement.

[Acts 2:42-47; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]

Fit for Service

An Original Work / October 5, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Holy Spirit, come within us.
Cleanse our hearts,
and from sin free us.
Make us holy vessels fit
for service to the King.
Fill us with Your love and power.
Anoint us within this hour
To be living witnesses
For Jesus Christ, our King.
Our praise to Him bring.

Father God, our heart’s desire,
Come and speak to us in power.
Revive our hearts to obey You;
Live for You always.
May we love and serve You only,
Walking with You;
Not a phony.
May we always tell the truth,
And show integrity.
Your true servants be.

Jesus, Savior, sanctify us.
Purify our hearts within us;
Be transformed into Your likeness,
Holy unto You.
May we always listen to You
Speaking Your words
Now within us.
May we heed Your counsel to us;
Follow You today.
Do all that You say.

For The Work of Service
An Original Work / April 30, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love